the first thing i felt when i entered the main hall was disorientation. the building is designed to be on a slant, the ceiling is kind of low (and seems like it gets lower ahead of you), and the hallways feel like they will close in on you the further you walk through them. there is a darkness that is offset by sparse white walls, and the floors are laid with beautiful cobble stone. it’s a very interesting design that alone would be enough to attract visitors. here’s a photo (none of the photos were taken by me…google images rocks)…

the axis of emigration, the axis of Holocaust, and the axis of continuity are what lay in the bottom floor of the museum. being a german-born jew, with roots in berlin and having grandparents that survived Dachau, it was a bit of a surreal (and emotional) experience. i couldn’t help but expect to find something donated from my relatives in the exhibition, but i never did stumble upon anything.

back to the design: one of the more interesting and meaningful design features that architect Daniel Libeskind (also chief architect of the new world trade center in new york) built into the structure was the large empty spaces that he left to remind us of the “missing” german jews. the first one is the Holocaust tower…

when i entered the tower i was taken. there was nothing there.  it was almost perfectly quiet. it was a big empty space (about 60 ft tall) with almost no light except for  a crack in top of the tower. by just standing there in darkness and silence i somehow felt like i completely understood what was in Libeskind’s mind when designing this, but i also wouldn’t really be able to describe it. here’s a photo …

the second empty space was taken over by Israeli artist Menashe Kadishman, who covered the floor of the 66ft void with 10,000 coarse iron faces to represent the lives lost during the Holocaust. when approaching the void i heard sounds that made me think of a blacksmith’s shop: the clanking and banging of iron. now, full of curiosity, i stepped into the void and saw that the noises were actually coming from people walking on the iron faces. it was strange, but i realized it can give people a more intimate experience with the piece and allows for greater connection to the artist and his intention. at the far end of the void is a patch of darkness that everyone seemed to disappear into for a moment. it was really incredible…here’s a photo to give you an idea:

i could go on for a while about what else i saw and the emotions and thoughts running through me during my visit, but i think you should go experience it for yourself. this is a museum you must go see. you won’t regret it. here are some more photos (not taken by me of course):

If you ever talk with an MBA student, the first thing you would hear would be how busy they are. Yes we are busy…Busy like bees. But that’s not all. Yes we do have time schedules for group projects, certainly we study for long hours together but that does not mean we are not networking together or we are not getting to know each other. The most enjoying part of doing MBA is having a lot of friends and getting a chance to learn from people different cultures. Now we are in Module 3 and I had chance to work with people from 6 nationalities. I still have a lot to go but even now I am feeling that I developed long-lasting friendships in ESMT.

I believe that building good relationships has more value than the value you gain completing your MBA studies. So, Hello my friend, Hallo there, ¡Hola my friend, Namaste, Goeie dag, Ete-sen! I can not wait to get to know all of you. See you soon!

That being said, what can you expect at the end of your 1st week of the 3rd module of your MBA at ESMT? Let me fill you in on that position, as it happens, this is my current position.

This week we have discussed the intricacies of international trade and sustainability standards, the prevalence of international cartels and the position of the European Commission on penalties towards such agreements amongst firms. (Don’t worry – you will become reasonably comfortable with the reality of leaping across fields of study and industries during the course of a three hour lecture) The classroom discussions explode with the different perspectives of your colleagues. Your assumptions are challenged by their new ideas and it can be frustrating, especially when you’ve spent four hours the night before reading 40 pages of text trying to develop your assumptions. Here is a word of advice, leave the assumptions behind, bring your well reasoned ideas and be prepared to think on your feet. Just 4 hours ago we were considering the limitations imposed upon a Ghanian clove producer who tries to meet production and quality standards requirements of Global Gap in order to sell in the EU. In the very next class, the strategies that members of the board at De Beers might take into account for their firms future. Have you ever considered the task of person who has unashamedly run the most successful diamond cartel for over a century? Neither had I before today.

The learning’s are interesting and I have become comfortable with two facts of life that you will undoubtedly figure out for yourself when doing your MBA. Firstly, you’re never going to have the right answer because as in the real world: ‘it depends’. Secondly, time marches to the beat of its own fast paced drum, I cannot believe we are already in May!

What are cases?

Cases are real-life situations faced by General Managers, usually CxOs. MBA students are placed in the shoes of those managers, usually with limited information, and asked to make decisions that determine the fate of the business entity.
Simple, isn’t it? Not quite! Managers in the situation documented by these cases had additional information that led to that particular situation. They had their industrial insights, specific experience & relevant situational historic information. Deprived of all such information, MBAs make decision(s) that affect the entity’s outcome, at times the fate of the entire organization.

How do cases look like?

Usually, cases are several pages long & document the facts, such as information about the organization, history, market condition, functional area impacted, possible outcomes, etc. The real information about the organization is, often times, withheld. The cases do not judge the management style or decision making i.e. the case are highly unbiased. So, a Google search for decision-making aids is in most cases impossible.

Preparation

We read the cases & relevant materials prior to extensive in-class analysis. We usually run our analysis, perform a SWOT analysis, chalk possible strategies, etc. At times, we consult the relevant text book(s) for additional notes/ subject materials.

In-class case discussions

During our actual case analysis, our professors discuss cases with the class. The discussions are highly interactive and my cohorts present several perspectives & angles of thought. Sometimes our views or lines of thinking are correct; sometimes they’re not. The correctness of one’s viewpoint is highly irrelevant, but we expand out perspectives by gathering the diverse angles of analysis & experiences of fellow cohorts. Sometimes, we share our experiences that are similar to the situation under discussion & we collect these experiences first-hand. Such interactions are what makes case discussions interesting. It is particularly interesting to see how our fellow cohorts deconstruct and analyze a situation by applying their skills, tools,  experiences & domain-know how. These perspectives proffer the actual learning in a Business school.

Our professors

Our professors guide the discussions, probe us with questions, test our conceptual understanding, toss in additional constraints to spice up the discussion and thereby direct the course of our case analysis. Sometimes, our professors toss in additional information & ask us for an opinion.

At times, when the professors prod us with a challenging constraint, his/her question is followed by complete silence. Once could sense that we’ve grabbed this additional constraint like a bloodhound and that all thinking, running our permutations in our head, weighing the possibilities, calculating the chances of success, etc. It’s electric… and, addictive!

In doing so, they push discussions forward towards a decision that’s somewhere close to the actual outcome. Sometimes, we actually hit the bull’s eye and sometimes we’re completely off track with out decision. Sometimes, we’re divided in our decisions with a proportion of the class for a particular position & the other half for a different position. It’s interesting and fun to be in that situation! There isn’t usually a right or wrong answer because management is all about decision-making & most decisions consider, not only the objective factors, but also , to a large degree, the subjective ones. Finally, the professor reveals the actual decision made by the managers in that particular organization, which allows us to trace back our analysis and identify our point(s) of divergence.

Sometimes, our case discussions are followed by a presentation. Here, we’re provided with a similar situation, conduct analysis & present the results – all within 30 minutes. This mimics real-life situation, where a manager is required to apply the acquired tools in crunch mode. Achieve this end requires another crucial element – collaboration & team work. Our teams are usually small with max. 5 members with different backgrounds & experiences. This allows us to draw upon one other’s expertise.

My viewpoint

In closing, I think cases are the best approach to deliver a substantial quantity of material in a short amount of time, bring in real-world situations to an academic setting, leverage the experiences of fellow cohorts and facilitate peer learning, etc. Case discussions also enforce a set of vital skills, such as collaboration, systematic analysis, assumption testing, presentation skills, communication skills, etc., which are essential for a future General Manager!

In our time

One of our Professors, Urs Müller, won the case competition. His case, “Waltraud Ziervogel at Konnopke’s Imbiss: Re-inventing a Berlin icon” is novel, both in its content & idea! Please check out this link to find Prof. Müller’s case. Also check out our news roll to see what we’re doing in the heart of Berlin.

And the adjustable heels would make life easier for some unfortunate ones like me who adore heels but can’t wear them. I start stooping if I walk in high heels for more than 10 minutes.
I may be getting too carried away but I’d say the invention of adjustable heels for me is like the invention of zipper. What could have the world been without the zipper? It is so simple yet powerful.

This got me thinking about what innovation really is. To my mind, innovation is simplicity and common sense. We all talk about why innovation is necessary but we are at a loss if we ask ourselves how to innovate. Problem is, while we are thinking, we also think of all the constraints and rules.
It’s just so hard to do. But asking these questions may help. How would our life be simpler? What if there were no constraints?

One week back from Spring Break and the pressure of the end of the module is beginning to mount, or maybe it’s that it is hard to bounce back from vacation to studying. I was lucky to have my best friend from the states come to visit me for Spring Break. After a weekend in Berlin, we traveled to Italy. The first stop was two days on Lake Como in a non-profit hostel in the beautiful town of Menaggio. The Menaggio Youth Hostel is the only Hostel on Lake Como, and it was saved from being closed by a group of dedicated travelers who wanted the beauty of the lake to be affordable to everyone. I highly recommend future students consider it for their travels.

Next up, we visited Milan. Milan is not known for being a top tourist destination in Italy however; I choose to visit it, as it is a fashion capital. The shopping options were amazing, although sadly, my student budget did not allow me to purchase the many beautiful shoes I spotted.

Two weeks left of module 2, then module 3, and then the second week in July another school holiday! I’m already looking forward to spending it with friends visiting from home, and hopefully doing some traveling with my classmates.

http://econ.st/HA082w

As a foreigner living in Berlin, I definitely agree that the service sector is massively underdeveloped compared to other developed countries. Personally, I think that this is not necessarily due to barriers to innovation but an innate frugality which seems to prohibit what could be viewed as frivolous spending. My take on spending culture here is that people have absolutely no problem spending money on tangible goods, but that services, consumables or “experiences” are subject to intense price competition.

we just finished our last exam before spring break yesterday, and what a relief. other than overflowing my brain with copious amounts of information regarding annuity cash flows and IAS accounting standards (i may have already forgotten some of that stuff to be honest…), i’ve really been enjoying and appreciating the company of my classmates. weeks like these make me grateful for the people i’ve gotten to know over the last few months, and excites me about getting closer with them in the future (IE going to amsterdam with 6 of them to celebrate spring break. woohoo!!!). the phrase “misery loves company” takes on a whole other meaning when cramming for final exams, and the company has been pretty great…

that’s all for now.

peace and love,

rafi