4/21/2014

The Roller Coaster Term 1! by MBA Student Hemant Chandran | SBS Admissions

The Roller Coaster Term 1! by MBA Student

Hemant Chandran
16 Wednesday Jan 2013
POS TED BY LUCYREYNOLDS

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ADMIS S IONS , PROGRAMME, S TUDENT BLOG

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Analytical Support for Decision Making, Clydesdale Bank, Dr Peter Flett, Dr. George Burt, Exploring
the International Business Environment, Friday Forum, Learning Manager, Managing People in
Organisations, MBA blog, MBA Career development, MBA Careers, mba module, MBA Personal
development, mba programme, MBA student experience, MBA syllabus, Operations Management,
Professor John Quigley, Professor Patricia Findlay, strathclyde mba, The Edrington Group, University
of Strathclyde, University of Strathclyde Business School
Swoosh.thats how it came, and away it seemed to go. It seemed just yesterday when I landed in
Glasgow and now when I look back; its been full 3 months of excitement but nose-to-the-grind
experience.
On the first day at School, we were treated to a warm and welcoming presentation where our batch
was christened Dorain (every batch is named after a small hill in Scotland). It was quite nice to be so
adopted. Apart from the faculty and support services, a cohort of senior students came up with a
presentation complete with helpful tips, which they added; they wished they had known when
theyd started out.
Subsequently, we were introduced to a module called the Learning Manager. This gave me
tremendous insights that would help me develop my skills as a reflective learner and to appreciate
the core aspects of self-awareness. While self reflection is core to what you will learn in the MBA, this
module will help one realise that reflecting on what one has learnt and questioning ones
understanding and remedial measures are very important.
In about two days we went to Perthshire, in order to afford us our Blue Sky Management
experience where we got to know our peers better. The Blue Sky experience really helped us build
teams for the course that was about to unfold. Later during the week, we had a few consultants
come to the School to teach us presentation skills, and lastly we were introduced to Mr. Michael
Fleming whose networking workshop helped us think about all aspects of networking.
Exploring the International Business Environment (EIBE) as a module has been a great and an
enriching experience for all of us. I am sure most of my colleagues would have spent more time in
the School than in their cosier houses during those two weeks. Dr. Burts sessions on the world of
uncertainties jolted us off our comfort chairs. This particular module requires, perhaps, the most
extensive group work one would ever encounter on the MBA programme.
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4/21/2014

The Roller Coaster Term 1! by MBA Student Hemant Chandran | SBS Admissions

Immediately after EIBE, we shifted gears to the Analytical Support for Decision Making (ASDM)
which is heavily grounded in statistics, excel and figures. However, Professor Quigley always
underscored the idea that getting the solution to the question is not the main criterion. The analysis
and interpretation of figures and solutions are crucial to managers unless you want to rely on
experts. This module would help you analyse different approaches which would support the
management in effective decision making.
After two such intensive courses, one would expect Managing People in Organisations (MPIO) to be
somewhat of a breather. On thecontrary, it was a demanding crash course on various frames
(structural, political, symbolic and human resources) through which an organisation can be viewed.
Professor Findlay introduced us to the first Friday Forum of the year where Clydesdale Bank
approached SBS with a management problem where we as teams could harness our newly-acquired
skills and knowledge to troubleshoot, or at least suggest practical solutions.
Within a fast-paced MBA schedule of modules, SBS does find some time to squeeze in Careers and
Professional Development weeks where one can chalk out, plan and organize a future course and
seek Ms. Taylors help in going about it more intelligently and prudently.
An icing on the cake: We were introduced to Operations Management (OM) by Dr. Flett who
opened the world of operations strategy, product and service design and process design for us in a
very engaging and practical way. Many videos case studies made his and our jobs much easier and
engaging than we all imagined. The MBA cohort was taken to The Edrington Group (the legendary
makers of Famous Grouse whisky). The cohort was introduced to the operations management and
strategy of the organisation by Mr. David Donaldson (Director of Supply Chain Management) and
a plant tour was duly organised. Subsequently Professors Jill and Bob covered the rest of the OM
module with another tour to the Edinburgh Airport to study its operations.
After the culmination of OM, all of us took a brief break before we started preparing in earnest for
our exams.
Though the path we tread these three months may not be wholly enviable, but I am sure most of us
have emerged tougher and sensitive as people, better equipped, we hope, to negotiate uncertainties,
both in the class and in the environment.

About lucyreynolds
I am the Admissions Officer, for the Strathclyde Business School MBA and Postgraduate
programmes, along with my colleague Suzanne Stevenson. Our team manages recruitment for the
SBS MBA, all routes, including Full-time, Part-time, Flexible Learning and at our Offshore Centres.
View all posts by lucyreynolds

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The Roller Coaster Term 1! by MBA Student Hemant Chandran | SBS Admissions

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