The ABCC of events

 

For someone who doesn’t too like events, the number of which I have attended this week is suffice to lock myself in room for the next few weeks to recover all the peace I had missed during those times.

But suprisingly, ABCC has been fun.

We had to mimick tour guides for this crazy bunch of people:

 

Yellow-capped Brandon has a policy of deriving themes for each photo taken. I believe this was finally "Kung Fu's" turn

Flyer!

Watching the case competition itself was a strange experience. On one hand, I wonder if I could have done better than the flusterred speaker. On another, I might have peed just imagining myself standing infront of the stage. While largely limited to such internal struggles, it was a good learning experience. 

While networking is still kinda awkward for me, the past few days spending with these people have sure shore up my conversational skills. Catherine whom I met during the gala dinner told me that I have improved a lot since my AB214 days. I tried lying to her that I think she teaches a terrific course.

The conclusion of ABCC carried a mixed feeling. On one hand, it’s kinda sad seeing the guests off, but on the other, I can’t wait to get back to the normal life.

Filed under: Life

Brick walls

Randy Paush once said “Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things.” This week I have met mine, but I am not even given a chance to climb it. 

Brick wall 1

[Your resume is clearly wide ranging and impressive, and you show capabilities of a high order.  Your details have been reviewed and after careful consideration we regret that the recruitment panel has decided not to take your application further. Please accept our apologies that we are not able to provide feedback on your application due to the large number of applications we receive. Should you wish to re-apply, please leave a two year timeframe from this application....]

Brick wall 2

[We have carefully assessed your application, and regret to inform you that we will not be able to start the interview process.  Please be assured that this is not a reflection on your fine achievements.  Unfortunately, we can only call a very small percentage of the highly qualified candidates who apply....]

Curtains to a career in business consulting? Closed for now.

I am really thankful to BCG and Monitor for at least showing me the door out. The only thing that is ever worse than being rejected is to be kept in the dark as the world moves on. I experienced that with another company and honestly it was painful. 

Sometimes I wonder what really sets us all apart. I would imagine that when all else are comparable, words such as MBA and Business Cases would particularly stood out in these resumes. Comparisons are rife when submissions amounts to the hundreds. It is understandable, that’s how life works.

So goodbye to Mckinsey, Bain, BCG and Monitor; hello to the Big 4. First few years are going to be tough, but I will do what I have always done and continue to work hard, build up my portfolio and pick up a third and fourth language. This is not the end yet and I do not have any intention of Ietting it end. There really hasn’t been many lucky breaks for me in life, so when the lime light finally shines my way, I hope it’d be good. 

Brick wall 3

Studies!

Filed under: Life

Sustainability as you see it

If there ever were any talks that sustainability is something that can be taken for granted, they would have been all but torn apart after the recent events. Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, with more than 200 years of history between them, were hastily wiped off from the Wall Street following a bad turn in the economy. One cannot help but wonder- what really is sustainability if even the largest firms can fail following a few bad decisions?

Sustainability as you see it? More like a case of “Now you see it, now you may not.”

All firms exist to create value, and while there are some that rely on fads to make quick profits and exits, most businesses operate with the intention to be sustainable and profitable in the long run. Sustainability and growth are therefore dependent concepts. Businesses cannot possibly be sustainable if they fail to grow, nor can growth be achieved in the long run without having sustainability in mind. In a survival for the fittest contest, sustainability is also relative. A firm’s success may inevitably result in another’s failure.

While successful firms may adopt different business strategies, a common trait among them is in having a favourable internal environment as a sound foundation for business progress. In this era of information explosion where successful business models can be easily copied and replicated, having a capable management team, a positive corporate culture, and good control systems are no longer a competitive advantage but that of a necessity to attaining sustainability.

The importance of having an acute understanding of the external environment is something that simply cannot be understated. Firm’s ability to identify trends, opportunities and threats are often a deciding factor to determine who can remain in competition. Conversely, with the shrinking effect brought by rapid globalisation, some markets have transformed into a nexus of large companies where the survival of one hedges on another’s- a grim characteristic of the collapsing U.S. Financial market. Being sustainable may well depend on the sustainability of your nearest competitor.   

Lastly, sustainability is the testament of a business’ ability to make the hard decisions. The natural cycle of the economy means that it is not a realistic notion for any company to remain on top forever. Inevitably, there will be a stage where a firm needs to make difficult changes, a result of their undoing, or simply a matter of the changing external environment. Dell Computers, in establishing its first physical store, took the unpopular step back from its core competency that made it so successful in the first place. But the perfect example may as well be that of Lehman Brothers’ and Merrill Lynch’s approaches. The former refused to sell its business when it had the chance to, while the latter could not have done it sooner.

Whether John Thain’s (Merrill Lynch CEO) decision is the right one remains to be seen, but at least he is left standing. 

Filed under: Commentary