Quarter 8 - Week of Exams

When you just have two subjects per quarter, you'd have had enough time to read them well in advance of the exam. Which means once the exams come up, you don't need to study. I now have an idea what the studious types in school and college felt like when exams were around. Unfortunately for me, doesn't look like the next couple of quarters will be as easy.

Ethics in Business Management

A case-based exam. One of the cases right out of our book, about an age-old conflict between a game studio and a game publisher. Interesting case, most of the frameworks seemed to apply them (or rather I made sure I fit it in somehow!). It's intriguing how a one-and-a-half page case can really keep you thinking for over an hour and a half.

Managing Offshored Software and IT Services

Yea, I don't want to talk about this one. We knew it was a multiple choice based exam, and therefore assumed that it would be easy-peasy. Let's just say the prof has seen enough batches come and go, and he knows how to set a picnic where you really feel lost.

I'm looking forward to the one-month-holiday we get now. No waking up at 6 AM, sleeping at 12 AM, worrying about how to finish the next assignment. It'll be a reminder of how life was, two years ago.

Two years. Just another six months to go, but I can't help feeling... sad and relaxed... all at the same time.

Quarter 8 - Week 9

The anticipation of the end of the quarter coincides with the realization that we're THIS close to completing two years at college. We've already spent more time here than a full-time student would, atleast in terms of calendar days if not man-days. It's like a half-baked sense of accomplishment.

Ethics in Business Management

The first session had some light reading associated with it related to guidelines with being on a board. Better put, I ignored a couple of the heavy-read articles due to the mountain of piling assignment and project (Read the singulars there? Yes, it is a great day for sloth and excuses). The prof seems quite enthusiastic about the role directors play in setting the path for the company and for monitoring it. He strongly believes that ethics starts at the top, and just one person who thinks in a particular direction sets the direction for the entire behemoth. In fact, he says that you can see a change in the company within a couple of months when a new CEO or board comes into play.

The next session was one for reflection (I love these reflection thingies... you listen to what others think, you spout what you think, and the prof spouts what he learns... and we all have tea.) The prof took us through a summary of all the topics we had visited over the last nineteen sessions, and encouraged the class to come forward with any learnings they'd want to share with the class. He even showed us an oath that is being taken voluntarily by a few MBAs once they graduate, much like the Hippocratic oath, about how they'll do what's best for society, their company, their families and themselves. Interesting how things begin, no?

Managing Offshored Software and IT services

The last two sessions of the quarter were completely dedicated to presentations. We presented our findings from our individual projects to the rest of the class, and showed the connect that we were able to observe with our learnings from class. It was a brilliant way of seeing the kind of projects and experiences we go through, in a very academic way.

Of course, NOBODY managed to finish in time, so everyone takes 15 minutes when we're allotted 10 minutes each. The result? On the second day, we were there for a full extra 45 minutes, listening to the last three projects. In the last half-hour, people started really getting fatigued, and due to the overwhelming need for lunch before the next class in 15 minutes they excused themselves... one by one. Till there were only a couple of students left with the prof listening to the last guy.

Once that got over, even the prof heaved a sigh of relief. As it turns out, this was his last set of sessions here at IIMB for quite some time as he's leaving for the US on an assignment. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but this was the prof who helped start the PGSEM programme and was its first chairperson. Listening to him talk of how the industry reacted to the programme was a revelation in itself. It became so much easier to understand how the programme evolved till its present state. It's so inspiring to see him visiting different places around the world at his age.

I'd probably be playing Farmville if it's still around in another 30 years.

Anyway, we're off to do our final project which we can tick off our list of things-to-do before we graduate. And then, it's on to the final exams...

Quarter 8 - Week 8

Two assignments and one quiz, reasonably less of a load when you consider what we typically have to do over most quarters. But then again, it may be because I've only taken two courses this quarter. The weather seems to make things slightly better too. Heavy rains over the last day made things a lot cooler, and you're thinking 'It's a beeeeeautiful day, to be in campus'.

Ethics in Business Management

The first session was around a case about the Ford/Firestone debacle. Apparently these guys released an awesome SUV onto the world, but because of the design, it's centre-of-gravity was high, and so when people take steep turns, it tended to roll over. So, while trying to figure out where the problem lay, they may have stumbled upon the fact that the tires were also contributing to the issue due to poor design and assembly. As things transpired, the reason there was an increased quality issue was that the general workforce was on a strike for two-and-a-half years, and contractors with much lesser experience were hired to keep the factory going. Turns out that over thirteen years, around 200+ people lost their lives, many more were injured due to inaction on the part of the corporations. So the class dealt with the aspects of the problem that were systemic/corporate/individual, and who COULD have done what, who SHOULD have done what, and thereby one more case to apply a framework to.

The next session was related to the role of a director on a board, and how boards can influence the strategy of the company. More or less, the gist is that it's the board's role to protect the interest of stakeholders. So it's important to stop looking only at short-term quarterly results, but look at the long term and try to create actual value for society. The board's in a perfect position to do that, as they are wise,old(mostly) men who've been there, done that, and are on the board because of their experience (preferably). Hence, they need to set the direction for the company, but leave the day-to-day execution of the direction to the CEO. It's a very interesting piece of info, that I sure wasn't aware of. I did keep wondering what the board does, now I know...

Managing Offshored Software and IT services

Laid back week if u ask me. The first session had a lot to do with game theory, and the prof's take on it. So a lot about how one player's action is dependent on that of the other, and that your relationship is very instrumental in defining where you go with your outsourcing partnership. There was also some interesting talk on how you should chart your payment plans. At the beginning of an outsourcing relationship, you charge fixed-price. Once you're reasonably comfortable with their skills, you take it as time-and-material, so that you show an incentive for the person that you trust their expertise, and after a reasonably long duration, you go back to fixed-price. Why would you do that? Because by now, the party would have built up capability and reusable components, and if you charge time-and-material, your work is supposed to get over a lot quicker... AT THE COST TO THE SUPPLIER! So you basically want to encourage quicker delivery at regular prices. So be using fixed-price, you encourage them to use reusable components to get the product out faster, at a price acceptable to them. A very interesting scenario!

The second session revolved around the Bharti Airtel case of outsourcing. Everyone agrees it's a brilliant plan. I mean, you don't have to worry about tech, just your marketing strategy and day-to-day operations. It's like letting the experts do what they do best. But through the entire case, there was one question that kept bugging us. Great plan, nice follow-through, amazing growth. But how long will it last...? The outsourcing game will be fruitful for as long as Bharti grows, but once it stops that growth, will the suppliers still be in a weak position as they might have been at the start? They do control all the infra, and how heavy will that weigh against Bharti? In ten years, when they renegotiate their deal, since they're going with only one supplier for IT (IBM), what's the chance that they'll be holding a higher power in the equation? In any case, was an interesting discussion, and something that left us thinking for quite a while later.

Now, we're on for the last week, a bunch of assignments and the final project submission. Wish us luck, as we go into the eye of the storm.

Quarter 8 - Week 7

You know, when you really think about it... it's like a wave. Assume you were somehow seated at the top of the wave, lazily creeping towards the shore. And then, all of a sudden it begins to rear its head while increasing its speed, closing the gap between itself and the shore like it's life depended on it. It's silence for a short while... and then all of a sudden it goes crash! Something like this quarter. The weeks have been passing smoothly, and now you suddenly feel the speed... and you wonder, are you prepared to understand the heady stuff. Because it's all going to crash down on your head in a couple of weeks...

Ethics and Business Management

This week the topic was on consumer protection and the legalities of dealing with the end users. There appear to be three major ways of looking at it... the first says that the onus of responsibility in the buyer-seller relationship lies on the buyer, as it's nothing but a contract. The buyer better understand what he's getting into. The second says that the onus of the responsibility lies more on the seller. And the reason for this is that in today's day and age, the buyer can not be expected to truly comprehend the depth of the product. Do you really know how your laptop works, it's inner working? And the third is more from a social front... even if the seller has taken all the care he could, if there are any issues or ill-happenings, the seller has to compensate the buyer by taking full responsibility.

Honestly, I think there's a pretty big problem here. The moment we choose ONE of these options, the other side has enough reason to wash all hands off and act irresponsibly. And mixing one with the other is difficult, where do you draw the line? At what point do you say, this is common sense, protect the seller... or this is unfair, protect the buyer? Who draws the line? But then, ours is not to judge each and every situation now. Looking at the framework we had, we looked at a couple of cases, tried to apply them... and then left it at that. Not very convinced with the solution, but hey, as long as I've understood the application of the framework, the rest lies to practice. There was also some time spent on Advertising Ethics, but considering all the learning I've had from Marketing Communication last quarter, I'm totally against the accusations there. Of course some people use it for bad, but given a tool, the usage whether good or bad is determined by the user, not the tool itself. Advertising is not a bad thing, the guy who prepares the advertising, he's the one we need to look at.

Managing Off-shored Software and IT services

We had a guest lecturer this week, it was very interesting to know that this prof and our actual course prof were the ones who were a part of the origin of the PGSEM programme. It's so cool to be listening to the professors who started the programme, to hear from them why they started it. And it was also insightful to see why they felt that the programme was not what they hoped it would be. As it turns out, you can't have the optimal output from the programme, if the optimal input is not there. The course was expected to start with the support of the industry, and as you probably can guess, our corporate heads were quite slow and unreactive to the programme. Kinda makes you wonder who's side the corporates are on. It's almost like they hurt themselves, by sheer inaction.

Anyway, leaving the sad stories out... this week was about partnerships. One, the infamous case of the Denver Airport, and second the growth of the ODC along a value chain. The first dealt with why the project didn't come through as initially expected. Despite the contracting to an experienced, respected firm, the project was still doomed. And it has been studied ever since, year after year, in every business school. The main problem? The major partners in the contractual agreement were looking out for their own benefits rather than the welfare of everyone involved.

The second session, while actually meant to be about how ODCs evolve along the value chain, was taken over to discuss Peopleware by popular vote in the class(Mainly because most of the class didn't read the case study or the reading, but who's going to tell the prof?). But before you begin to consider that the session was of no value, you should have listened to what the prof had to say. From personal experience, of over 20 years, consulting, starting ODCs, this prof tells us what are the basic principles we need to keep in mind. Common sense, you'd guess, but hardly common... you still see many companies struggling to rise up because of the basic mistakes they make. Funny thing is, if you're in their position, you're not sure if you'd have done the same.

A good weekend, especially since there was a holiday at work. The learning was something that'd stay with you for a good long while, and you look forward to your own time to experiment.

Quarter 8 - Week 6

Have I mentioned our new automated attendance system? It's very annoying! Here we are, loyal Bangalore citizens, trying to adhere to Indian Standard Time and come exactly 10 minutes late to class, and here's something that's not allowing me to swipe in after 8:05 AM. And so every weekend morning, scores of people drive at breakneck speeds across Bangalore streets, to reach the college within the specified time. And if that's not bad enough, the clocks are 5 minutes fast! That means, if we want attendance, we gotta be there by 8 AM! Sheesh! We might as well come on time! What kind of role model are we trying to portray to our coming generations and teams?

Having said that, there's no better feeling than rushing into class and swiping, just to find that you made it at 8:04:57 AM (which in reality is 7:59:57 AM). You'll have a silly grin for the remainder of the class. Stick it to the man!

Ethics and Business Management

The two cases this week were pertaining to the role of directors on a board, and the whole issue of corporate governance. The funda's pretty simple. You own a private company, your problem, your liabilities. You own a public company, it's the public's problem, public's liability. So you hire a board, who represent the millions of shareholders who are waiting each year for income. Now this board is meant to have some sort of motivation to think and choose a direction effectively, so you're probably compensating them for their time, and giving them a few stocks at it. In turn, these guys will provide a direction to the managers in accordance with what's best for the public shareholders, and the managers (Starting at the CEO) manage the company.

Interestingly, all the cases discussed - WorldCom and Satyam were examples where some gapla has happened at the senior management level. Maybe the CEO has been hiding important information, maybe the finance team is showing elements that portray that the company's doing well, when in fact it's sinking, and maybe the auditing firm is doing less auditing, and collecting more revenues under their proverbial mahogany desks. Which is what happened here in these two cases. First, the board appeared to go along with crucial decisions depending on whatever the CEO said, then there was some dubious entries in the books of the org which were certified as "smells fresh" by auditors. And then we wonder why's our money going down, when the market WAS going up, as was the praises for the company we invested in. And so, the sessions revolved around what boards can do, what kind of active role are they expected to play, and finally the framework for ethics comes through on what are the ethical actions the companies in these situations should pursue.

Managing Off-shored Software and IT Services

First off, we had an article that described what are the spiralling effects of outsourcing, and how the form of contracts in place can affect the working relationship. So we look at how negotiable the contract is, how clear it is, and how easy it is to interpret it. Based on these, we were able to identify where to use strict contracts, and where to allow for lenient contracts depending on the work involved.

The next two sessions were case driven, though I must say they had more to do with strategy rather than outsourcing. One was on Lenovo's global beginning, and the other was on Infosys' plans forward and how it needs to move up the value chain. Honestly, I've had better case discussions before. These cases were a lot more... freeflowing. Don't get me wrong, while the class was in progress, everyone's involved in the conversation and talking from their experience. But at the end of it, you wonder, "what just happened? What did we learn?" Reminder to self: Ask the question to the prof in class next time.

Overall, it was a chilled out week. Even though we had classes on Sunday as well. The project's going at it's own pace, so no complaints there. Let's see how things turn out. It's another three weeks to the end of Q8!

Quarter 8 - Week 5

I seem to be really slacking in terms of these posts. The effects of a whole year of classes appear to be showing through! All we need to do is hold it together, just for another four weeks. Nothing that appeared to stand out this quarter, so, life is on auto-pilot.

Ethics in Business Management

This week, we continued to deal with the issues surrounding the environment. Looks like it's a pretty big topic. (It better be, businesses have been ruining the environment for more than a century now!) A couple of cases this week, the first was about a company that was trying to cut costs in chip-production. And turns out that their competitors had already begun outsourcing to cheaper countries where the wages are low, regulations even lower, and so the company could afford to stay within the requirements of the law, without paying the current costs. So then, the basic question that arises is should you go and do your business in another place, just because it can be deemed legal there? Sure, you might be just within the reaches of the legal requirement, but you would know that you're harming the environment anyway. It's not like the earth is a lot more tough and resilient in the Phillipines now, is it? This is also the time our prof takes the time out at the end of the class to say, the options that are available to you in this case are NOT the only options... as a manager, you need to also consider alternatives that might not be present in these sets of cases. That's why you're getting paid anyway.

The next case was more to deal with the troubles an energy corporation had to deal with. The story goes that this corp found a junglee area with no people, and only junglee creatures. This area has a hugeee repository of natural gas right under it. So the corp goes about trying to get this gas out. While they're getting the gas out, environmentalists find out that there is a close-to-endangered species (not yet endangered, but close.) that lives in the area. And the poor thing was apparently in a very uncomfortable place. Too much noise from the drilling locations, lesser amount of plants and therefore food for this bird, so the environmentalists took up their cause. On top of it, this area was also a migratory location for deer and other wildlife, and these animals were also getting significantly affected due to the drilling. Now, the corp comes up with a unique solution of a different mode of drilling which could be used to reduce their footprint on the land. But they want to operate all around the year, instead of stopping during migratory season. So the question arose, in man's quest for cleaner and more efficient fuel, which will also save foreign exchange reserves, should it care much about the indigenous wildlife? A little here, a little there, and let me remind you, we're only looking at a framework here, and not passing personal judgements... we find out what was the more efficient option and then, rest with it. All till the next news story comes along, calling us callous capitalists and then changing the textbook!

Managing Off-shored Software and IT Services

Cross-cultural management was still the order of the day. A lot of theory and articles on studies that people have conducted that show differences amongst people. Nothing much to talk of here.

The second session was to do more with contracts. How do contracts get drawn, are they flexible or need to be, are the requirements clear or vague, and what are the potential implications of the various combinations between contracts and initial requirements. Interesting little framework which led to a very weird battle between a student and the prof. about something, which I unfortunately slept through. I think the end out of it was that this was a framework and is bound to have a couple of loopholes, and Indian companies apparently need to get more assertive. Looking back, especially at the second part of the conclusion, I now wish I had stayed awake.

All in all, an uneventful week. The oft-spoken-about calm before the storm?

Quarter 8 - Week 4

The effects of this week's classes were so strong, that this post didn't make it till Thursday! We had classes on Friday, Saturday AND Sunday. It's the anomalous quarter, where we just have nine weeks of classes, so we make up with two Sundays to match a week. I see the weeks rushing by, and I realize... it's just another 5 weeks to a well deserved vacation! The same time, next month... I'll be so chilled out.

Ethics in Business Management

This week had some flashback memories, as we studied about Demand and Supply and some of the other basics from MicroEconomics in our first quarter. But this sessions put a twist on it. At the time, we had studied about how you would charge people differently based on their capacity to pay, and on the power a monopoly and oligopoly have. And now, we hear about why most of these are unethical. Goes to show that the stuff we find ethical and awesome in quarter 1, might not necessarily be so. Wonder if the converse is also true?!?

The last session was about ethics and the environment. It revolved more around the ways in which we harm the environment, and how people are now waking to the fact that we need to preserve and maintain the environment. It's our responsibility. It was a good class where we saw various aspects from the angle of nature.

Managing Off-shored Software and IT Services

The week had a lot to do with respect to understanding cross-border issues. One of the articles was on "Following the Sun". It discussed how people could efficiently get a product quicker out of market, when teams in different parts of the world work around the world on a single project. The remaining sessions were more about Cross-Cultural Management and the types of issues that can crop up.

It's also the time when we realized that the interim reports for our course-required-project was due. And so, me and my team-mate get together and hash together a report based on our findings so far. It's a good feeling when we do some sort of work on our project, feels so much more.... deserving... than our regular projects! :)