The SouRCe Term 4 2015 by MBS SRC

The

source 2015 / TERM 4

p0 7 mar k r itso n : What ab o ut th e m b s b r an d? p08 Th e D e an ’ s vi s io n : AN i n s i d e sto ry p 1 2 wi ll hanze ll : m b s m ba vs th e 201 6 r io o ly m pic s

table of contents Message from the Program Director

From the Editors

From the SRC President

Inside Clubs – Getting to Know the Consulting Club

What about the MBS brand?

Zeger – The Inside Story

Incoming Student Exchange – Exchange to the World’s Most Liveable City p10 Outgoing Student Exchange – The Land of a Thousand Lakes p11 Inspiring Journeys

p11

Announcement Board

p14

MBS Student Representative Council 200 Leicester Street Carlton VIC 3053 Australia t f email website

+61 3 9349 8400 +61 3 9349 8404 src @ mbs.edu mbssrc.com.au

facebook.com/MBSSRC twitter.com/MBSSRC

Message from the Program Director offer your advice and tips for success. To find out about how you can get involved, please visit MBS Direct or contact Program Services.

Joanne Vella Who is the Program Services team? This warm, friendly and enthusiastic group of people are your support team, whose goal is to provide you with a world-class student experience through student-centred support and excellent program administrative services. Our dedicated Program Managers are here to assist you with your course planning and support you during difficult times. We are your biggest fans and want to celebrate your achievements and successes. We also understand that life happens and we want to support you through it. We care about your personal and professional development. We want to know about your new job, your promotion, how you are progressing in your course, what events you are excited about attending, and what you are enjoying about your program. We are committed to continual improvement to ensure you have the best student experience. Your student experience at MBS is largely what you put into it and how engaged you are in the community. There are many ways to get involved to develop your leadership skills and personal and professional development. Be a buddy to an exchange student, join the SRC or take on a Club Leadership role; or meet new students during Orientation and

While your one-year or two-year (plus) program may feel like an eternity, your time as a student at MBS will pass quickly. As 2015 draws to a close and we plan exciting events and opportunities for you in 2016, reflect on your involvement in the MBS community thus far and plan how you want to engage with us, what areas you want to develop, and what you want to take with you when you graduate. I hope it will be a combination of new and enhanced skills, knowledge and attributes; countless amazing friends and connections; and some of the best memories of your life! On behalf of the Program Services team I’d like to thank you for connecting with us and providing your ongoing feedback. We appreciate hearing from you and the opportunity to facilitate an unparalleled student experience. Joanne Vella MBA Program Director | Degree Program Services

Where you’d find us if weren’t at work… These could be our favourite places in the world! Kelly O’Brien – Currently vacationing in Vanuatu so that could be her new favourite place! Joanne Vella – Costa Rica: an adventure traveller’s paradise – surfing, white-water rafting, rainforest walks, zip-lining and canopy tours, volcanoes, hot springs, coffee, cheese, friendly people and Pura vida! (Pure life) Yasmin Rupesinghe – Iran: the people, rich culture and landscape are breathtaking and mind expanding! The city of Tehran is truly amazing. Gerard Costello – Kotor in Montenegro: Beautiful coastal town with a magnificent ruined castle on the hill above, and nice cuisines. Shreya Masters – India: all different parts of India. The food, culture and architecture are amazing. Wendy Holland – Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island, QLD: crystal-clear freshwater lake in the middle of the island surrounded by silky soft white sand where you can even polish your diamonds in the sand!

(L–R) Kelly O’Brien (Program Manager – Graduate Diploma Programs), Joanne Vella (MBA Program Director), Yasmin Rupesinghe (Program Manager, PT MBA), Gerard Costello (Program Manager, FT MBA), Shreya Masters (Program Administrator), Wendy Holland (MBA Program Coordinator), Rachel Farrell (Student Events Coordinator) and Helen Steer (Program Manager, Master of Business Analytics).

Rachel Farrell – Val d’Orcia, Tuscany, Italy: authentic food, delicious wines, Medieval towns, colourful rolling hills and spectacular sunsets… need I say more! Helen Steer – Croatia: beautiful islands and amazing architecture.

From the editors

Welcome to the second edition of The SouRCe, a journal for the MBS community, proudly brought to you by the Student Representative Council. In this edition, we explore the strategic vision of MBS by interviewing our Dean, Zeger Degraeve, about his plan and how he envisages taking MBS into the top rankings, both nationally and globally. We further explore the strategic initiatives surrounding the MBS rebrand, which Mark Ritson, Associate Professor of Marketing, and Penny Smith, Executive Director, Marketing and Communications, and their team have been working on throughout the past 14 months.

You will also be introduced to the Program Services Team by our Program Director, Joanne Vella. And finally, we invite you to get to know some of our current students, each of whom brings something unique to the MBS community. Included are interviews with Full-Time, Part-Time, EMBA, MBusA and exchange students. Thank you to all students who contributed to this edition, and a special thank you to the Dean, and faculty who were involved. If you are interested in contributing to the next edition of The SouRCe, please email <thesource@mbs.edu>

As your new editors, we are excited to bring you an edition that encapsulates many facets of the MBS community. We hope you find this edition reSouRCeful and entertaining. Smit Dave Full Time MBA Student – Graduating Class of 2015 Chelsia Tanoto MBA Part Time January 2015 Emma Young MBA Part Time July 2015

From the SRC President congratulate them on publishing their first issue.

rishi garg

Wow, it’s almost the end of 2015; another term and year have flown by! It was a fantastic 2015 here at MBS and at the SRC. So much has happened since the last edition of The SouRCe. The Class of 2015 graduated in September. One of the graduands was David Angdi, founding editor of The SouRCe. I want to thank David for all his hard work in re-starting our School magazine and I wish him all the best for his future endeavours. With this, I would like to welcome our amazing new editorial team of Smit Dave (FT MBA Class of 2016), Chelsia Tanoto (PT MBA January 2015), and Emma Young (PT MBA July 2015). I am so excited they volunteered to do this and want to

While we had a number of MBS students graduate, we welcomed a new part-time cohort and exchange students from other leading business schools around the world. We wish the new September part-time cohort all the best for their journey at MBS and hope that they will make the most out of their time here. This term we inaugurate our new student lounge – a larger and livelier place that will become a central student hub as we continue to upgrade it over the next couple of months. We encourage you to use this space and treat it well. If you have any ideas about how to make it even better, please do pass on your feedback. By now you may have noticed SRC election posters around the School. We are planning for 2016 leadership roles as current leadership terms come to a close at the end of the year. I will be resigning as the President effective 31 December 2015. I joined the SRC in 2014 as the Communications Director, went on to become the Vice-President and, subsequently, the President. It’s been such an honour to serve the MBS student body during my time on the SRC.

I wouldn’t have spent so much time on the Council if it wasn’t for all the support I received from you. In addition to our superb SRC team, I would like to thank Associate Dean Laura Bell, Deputy Dean Jim Frederickson, Program Director Joanne Vella and Dean Professor Zeger Degraeve for all their contributions. Without their support, the SRC would be not be effective in improving student experience here at MBS. I wish the 2016 SRC team all the best and I am sure that you’ll hear more about them in the coming months. There’s no doubt that the 2016 SRC will continue to work hard for you! As we approach the examination period, all of us here on the SRC wish you the best for your exams. We will be well into the holiday season by the time exams finish so I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Stay safe and enjoy the festive season, with a well-deserved break from studies. See you on campus, fresh and chirpy, in 2016! Rishi Garg SRC President | MBS SRC PT MBA/MMktg 2013

Inside Clubs: Get ting to Know the Consulting Club The MBS Consulting Club is a student-run club that assists Melbourne Business School MBAs in becoming successful consultants. The Consulting Club gives students access to networking opportunities, skillset development and interview case practices.

What is Consulting Club all about? The Consulting Club was largely formed to create an environment where students would be able to learn how to navigate through the dreaded ‘case interview’. Case interviews are essentially a test of everything you’ve learnt at Business School wrapped up in one seemingly innocuous business-related question. They are designed as a test to determine how your mind solves a problem, how you handle stress and whether or not you can think on your feet. Interviewing at a top consulting firm is not only difficult but well-quoted statistics state that firms typically take only about one per cent of those interviewed. Questions can range from general business questions, such as “What should be considered before changing the price of a hotel room?” to oddball estimation questions, such as “How many people work for Australia Post?” In addition to case studies and interview preparation, the Club also offers a multitude of events. Past events have ranged from informal ‘Case & Pizza Boot Camps’, to more formal events such as the ‘Breakfast with McKinsey’ event or ATK’s ‘Crack the Case’. Finally, the

Alan Agon, Nakul Maheshwari, Ciara O’Sullivan, Dean Zeger, Kieran White, Michael Petrovic Club aims to give opportunities to connect with MBS alumni who are currently in consulting roles, thereby giving students an opportunity to get information first-hand.

who is it for? Anyone considering a career in consulting, an ex-consultant or an MBS alumnus is more than welcome to come along to the weekly case sessions. The Club recommends that applicants sit through at least 10 live case interviews before applying to a firm. You will be paired up with someone to both take and receive a case interview. Case practices are usually held in the Amcor Theatre from 1.00pm to 3.00pm on Saturday afternoons.

recent and upcoming events The most recent event included the ‘Dean Consulted’, where Dean Zeger shared his opinions on his experience while at McKinsey, and also gave some insider tips on how to do well in a case interview. Upcoming events will include another ‘Case & Pizza Boot Camp’ (dates will be announced in the coming weeks) and will concentrate on basic case problem solving skills, including the various frameworks that can be used to solve ambiguous business problems.

Moving forward, the Consulting Club will host further events mainly focused on top strategy firms in Australia. These will include familiar case workshops, information sessions, meeting with MBS alumni and breakfasts. Look out for these in the Club’s emails and student bulletins closer to the recruiting season early next year.

success stories Last year, the Consulting Club helped over six members to secure offers at top strategy firms around Australia. Consulting Club members from last year are now at firms such as BCG, Deloitte and McKinsey. All successful candidates have been seasoned veterans in case interviews and have attributed a large part of their success to being active in both the case practice sessions and networking through the Club’s events. The Consulting Club believes that its high hit-rate is a result of the dedicated Club members who are present every Saturday afternoon, as well as the devoted leadership team who can be contacted at consultingclub @mbs.edu.

What about the MBS brand? campuses on either side of the park demanded a renewed, shared revisiting of the MBS brand strategy. The good news was that our Dean decided this was a good idea and commissioned your humble marketing professor and a small research firm in Sydney to go out and do all the stuff I teach you about in class. Yes, you read that right: we actually did what we teach for real. Imagine.

Mark Ritson, Professor of Marketing, is overseeing a new brand strategy for MBS that will cement its reputation as the best business school in Australia over the next decade. What about the MBS brand? It’s the inevitable question at every brand management elective I teach at the School. At some point – usually on the first day, occasionally the second – a curious eyebrow and a raised hand signal that ‘The Question’ is about to appear, right on cue. For a marketing professor like me, it’s always going to be a tricky question to answer. We obviously all care deeply about the MBS brand but, like most of the major companies we study in class, there are good things and bad things swirling around the MBS brand. It has been almost eight years since MBS last revisited its brand strategy. I was a much younger, thinner faculty member back then and we did a good job (I thought) of setting the brand on its course through the Noughties. We fixed the brand architecture, protected and revitalised Mt Eliza and opted for a new positioning suggested by a student – Global Business Leaders. Almost a decade later, it was clear that the brand needed to revisit its strategy. The collaboration between the MBS

We ran half a dozen focus groups, with both full timers and part timers, to get an initial sense of their feelings about the School. We also recruited a broader group of 120 students and alumni to complete a qualitative touchpoints study, in which they told us what were the big moments when they experienced the MBS brand and then how that made them feel about the brand. That really pulled out a strong list of key themes that we could use to build our quant survey. We recruited a representative sample of potential MBA students from Australia, UK, USA, Singapore, China and Indonesia, and had them complete the survey that we built. We asked for brand awareness, consideration, preference and then a host of attribute scores based on the qual data. We then correlated the attributes to preference to get a sense of what really drives student preference across these very different markets. Throughout this process I was working with the MBS marketing team, which, during the process, was taken over by the extremely impressive Penny Smith. At various stages over the 14 months we worked on the project, the results and decisions were reported back to Dean Zeger and a senior executive team from MBS and the University of Melbourne. About one month ago, we got strategic sign-off on the new brand architecture and positioning for the School.

As students, you will be among the first to have this all explained to you in the New Year, and Penny and I will be on hand to walk you through every step of the journey in detail. But there is still a lot of work left to do before we unveil anything – specifically the internal arrangement that will enable Marketing to operate at a higher level and the external communications platform which top-quality creative and digital agencies must now take control of. I can tell you that the world of business schools is getting more competitive, that our existing architecture and position was ill suited for the decade ahead, and that I think we have a foundation which will do the business for the School going forward. One finding that will delight most students (while depressing them at the same time) was the confirmation that, even in Melbourne, our brand awareness is not as high as many had assumed. A big part of the new strategy will be a refocusing around the MBS brand and simply making sure that everyone knows who we are and what we do. Like all marketers, I am a shit creative but at least I know it. Penny has produced a tight, very clear brief that captures all we need to achieve, and she will now head off to brief and manage the agencies to execute our strategy. It’s all looking good. All will be revealed in 2016 but rest assured that good work has been done and the first, the best and the most respected business school in Australia is in good shape for the future. Watch this space. Mark Ritson Professor of Marketing | MBS

Zeger: The Inside Story The editors of The SouRCe sat down with Dean Zeger Degraeve to find out what he thinks makes MBS one of the best business schools in the world, and where he sees the School heading in the future.

How is MBS different from other business schools around the world? To understand how MBS is different, we must first start with its DNA. At the School’s origins, there were a number of business managers in Melbourne who went to Harvard Business School for an executive education course and decided on return that Melbourne should have a similar offering. They got together with the University of Melbourne and established the Melbourne Business School. A joint venture between the Melbourne business community and the University of Melbourne has distinguished MBS from other business schools, emphasising its blend of business relevance and academic rigour. Secondly, MBS classrooms are unique. Our teachers create a participatory and collaborative learning environment where they try to draw from the experience in the class. As a result, the synergy in class generates a learning experience that is so highly engaging. Again, we have this seamless blend of theory and practice, where our educators discuss business issues and use that to illustrate theory. And that’s quite exceptional, at least in Australia. Thirdly, MBS differentiates in size.

By virtue of our size, we can offer a learning experience that is highly personalised and tailored to identify students’ needs. Our careers team has the mentality of, “What is the best job that I can find to cater for that person?”. For instance, in the Personal Effectiveness Program, some students need to sharpen their presentation skills while others need better negotiation skills or influencing skills. Fourthly, the factor that sets us apart is our globally diverse community. We have students come from around the world, which creates our diversity, and we are located in Melbourne, a highly diverse city. The same goes for our world-renowned faculty, who represent various nationalities. And finally, our diversity serves a purpose in working with teams. Companies will put the right team together to get the job done effectively. They look for the best talent to get a project done right, and they recruit that talent on a global scale. So we will end up in teams consisting of people from all over the world, and if we can demystify multicultural differences,

our students will be better prepared for working in diverse teams.

The curriculum at MBS includes a lot of case studies and syndicate work. Why is that? Case studies are an extremely effective way of teaching business and business practices. Again, our practices are very much rooted in the DNA of the School, which is that we want to have something like Harvard Business School here in Melbourne. And then it’s fairly matched case studies, case discussion left and right, and syndicate work. But that’s not enough. I think there should also be theory in the classroom. And we have tried to influence that so there is also room for theory discussion, because research can address issues that you are seeing in cases. I think that a lot of structure and framework or models to think about, such as the four Ps, that is a structure to develop a marketing plan or you

do a net present value to analyse profitability of a project and that is a piece of theory that needs to be developed and that complements the business practices and the cases in the classroom.

How do you interact with students at MBS? I welcome new students at orientations, and whenever I run into a student, I always ask them how their time has been at the School. I also do full lectures with our students; in fact, I took an entire course for the Part-Time program, which was great. I run all kinds of student events such as the Dean’s Leaders Forum, which I chair; the Alumni celebrations; and the MBSAGSM Cup celebrations. Plus, I host a series of lunches with students from various programs. It’s usually me alone with around 25 students so they are free to voice their concerns and suggestions. It’s a way for me to keep my finger on the pulse and learn about their experience – for example, it allows me to find out if they have too much work, or not enough work, and to give them more work if necessary. I mostly get suggestions around the improvements of the learning experience or questions regarding jobs for the students, sometime in Europe, or Belgium in particular, from where I hail. I also get compliments for the teaching and program staff as well, which is always a pleasure.

What is your vision for MBS? Where are you taking us? When you say to somebody, “I have an MBA from the Melbourne Business School”, they should say, “Oh wow,

that’s a great school!” That is what I want to achieve. I want the School to be held in high esteem because if the School is held in high esteem, then you will be held in high esteem as a result of getting your degree from MBS. In order to have esteem, we need to continuously strive for excellence. That’s what I want to instill in each and every member of our community. Excellence is important for two reasons: excellence is never complete and there is not an absolute standard for excellence. You can always improve. Excellence follows from asking little questions. What are we really trying to achieve? Why are we doing what we are doing? Is this the best way to do it? Can we do something else or can we do this in a different way? It forces everybody to be reflective and to be aware of how we’re doing. Excellence creates a sense of responsibility. When you decide to do an MBA at MBS, you attach your future hopes and dreams to your education; you’re preparing for your future. It is our responsibility to do our best to prepare you for that future. So striving for excellence is because of the responsibility we have for our students. And that’s why I think excellence is critically important because it’s to help our students be successful. Now, if you’re successful and people say, “Oh wow, MBS”, then you can link it to rankings – the next step. Excellence also has wider societal externalities, particularly for fellow institutions that also strive for excellence and being perceived so. When you set a benchmark or an aspiration level for other institutions, it has a benefit for them as well. They get inspired to achieve excellence,

thus the entire student body in the larger community benefits, which is not our goal but a responsibility.

How do you plan to achieve your vision? It will take a long time to achieve those rankings. I think it often takes more than a decade for any actions to be reflected in the rankings, so it’s a long-term process of never-ending improvements. We achieve excellence by doing what we do really well – everything from our admissions process to program management to career services under one strategy. We bring people from the world’s top business schools to add their expertise with our excellent staff. For example, I come from London Business School, Joanne Vella comes from Rotman and John Gurskey from Georgia Tech. We bring in that talent in various facets of the Melbourne Business School and that makes a difference in the long term. We absolutely have the capabilities to be in the top 25. We are as smart, well organised and well connected as any of the top 25 schools. We can absolutely do it and we will.

What is your message to the student body? We will work together for your success because your success will lead to our community’s success. And that is the best thing you can offer to this community in return. continued on page 10

Five things you don’t know about Zeger Degraeve Malaysia, Russia, the Middle East and Europe.

1. I have a soft spot for a car with the engine at the back. I’ve done a bit of racing in Belgium, and in the UK on Donington Park Race Track and Silverstone. I had a Porsche 911 until the hobby became so expensive that I had to quit!

3. My favourite restaurant is 10 minutes from MBS, although there are so many that I like here, especially Donnini’s on Lygon Street.

2. I’ve lived in Chicago, London, the Middle East and I’ve taught at Harvard, Tuck, Colombia, as well schools in Singapore, Hong Kong,

4. On weekends I switch off. I do quite a bit of running or walking. I walk from my house to Middle Park along the beach and

through Brighton. That takes me about three hours. 5. I read The Economist and novels when I am on vacation. One of my favourite books is The Goal by Eli Goldratt. For personal development, I like to visit other Deans at different universities to understand how they work.

incoming student exchange

Exchange to the World’s most liveable city

Nicole Balane Nicole Balane, a Full-Time MBA student at Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines, is completing her degree as an exchange student at MBS. Why did you choose MBS for your exchange experience? I selected my school of choice for our International Student Exchange

p10

Program at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). MBS is recognised as one of the largest and most respected business schools in Asia Pacific. I also received feedback from a fellow student who came to MBS and he only had great things to say about the courses he took, the campus and, most especially, the community. Also I have always wanted to experience living in the city awarded ‘World’s Most Liveable City’ by The Economist for the fifth consecutive year. What has been your best experience so far? The MBS community – staff, faculty and students – has extended such genuine hospitality and kind assistance as I settled in to life at MBS. If I had to choose, my best experience so far would have to be my first ever “Aussie barbie” with Part-Time MBA and exchange students. We all got to know each other over ciders, beers and the smell of veggies, sausages, chicken

drumsticks and kangaroo cooking over the grill! To make the day even more special, we also had a taste of a traditional home-cooked Russian meal by our friend on exchange from Moscow! Tell us something about the Philippines, especially for those interested to visit. While popular tourist spots are truly worth visiting, there are more sites to see other than the beaches – Batanes, Sagada and Mactan, to name a few. With an average temperature of 30°C, the summer months from March to May would be a good time to visit. Great nightlife awaits in Metro Manila, with bars and clubs open until 4.00am. Be sure to try Philippine mangoes and famous dishes like Adobo, Kare Kare, Sinigang and Pork Sisig. For the more adventurous, I would recommend trying Balut and Pork Dinuguan! I would be happy to extend the same hospitality to anyone who visits the Philippines, the same way the MBS community has to me!

Outgoing Student Exchange

The land of a thousand lakes Moi (hello)! A big part of going on exchange for me is the cultural experience.

aaron yeak Aaron Yeak (Part-Time MBA) hopes to blend classroom learning with cultural and real-world experience during his upcoming exchange trip to Helsinki’s Aalto University.

During my undergraduate degree I spent some time in Europe and found the various viewpoints on business eye-opening. Case studies and examples drew on local experiences and companies, which was fantastic for my learning. This time around I will be going to Aalto University in Helsinki. I was drawn to Europe, and in particular Scandinavia, over the more typical MBA exchange locations because it is culturally very different for me. Aalto is also one of the top business schools in Europe and holds the ‘Triple Crown’ of accreditations – AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA (recognition that is only bestowed upon 0.4% of the world’s business schools). Aalto offers their MBA program in only Part-Time and Executive modes. Because of this, I have

found they have been able to relate to my situation as a part-time student exceptionally well. Aalto offers its courses in two-week modules, which are designed for managers in middle and higher management. The modular approach is attractive, as I am not intending to take an extended period off work for exchange, very similar to the Part-Time Program at MBS in general. I expect my trip to be approximately one month, with hopefully some additional time to travel. This will allow me to blend classroom learning, cultural and real-world experience into the one trip. I am looking forward to this experience, as I think it will both challenge me and also allow me to grow personally and professionally. Moi moi (bye)!

inspiring journeys Two current MBA students – one Full Time, the other Part Time – share the challenges and rewards of their MBS journey.

Khushan Yuldashev, Uzbekistan (Full-Time MBA, Class of 2016)

Why did you choose Melbourne Business School for your MBA? The duration of the full-time program suited me perfectly, allowing me to stay out of the workforce for only a year – a really important advantage for a father of two kids. Additionally, the Asia-Pacific and China are playing an ever-growing role in shaping the future world, so as a future leader I wanted a better understanding of these cultures. I felt that the MBA program with a specific focus in these countries would be of great help, especially the China Field Trip that is included in the program. Having limited global exposure, I had a craving

to explore new cultures, so I decided to apply to the program in Australia, home to many international students. What are the greatest challenges of doing a full-time MBA? I would say it is a challenge to manage your time effectively to be successful academically and simultaneously put sufficient effort to build a network. Add to that maintaining a social life, personal issues such as moving your family along, and the problem grows in complexity. It is really difficult to find a balance in the hectic schedule, but it definitely makes you grow as a person, continued on page 12

p11

and understand and work on your weaknesses irrespective of whether you get the balance right. What will you use your MBA for? The MBA program will provide me with knowledge and skills to be successful

William Jehan Henzell (Part-Time MBA, April 2015) I moved to Europe to play table tennis professionally when I was 14 and spent the next 12 years grinding out a living on the Pro circuit. I was too busy to do Bachelor’s Degree and had to sit a GMAT exam to gain entry to MBS,

in my future career. Instant returns from MBA are quite tangible and doing a MBA converts to career changes or advancements most of the time. It will transform you as a person, bring you to a new level, change the way you think about global affairs, and help you to

become a distinguished leader. Last but not least, MBA allows you to form lifelong friendships and with MBS you get access to a network of great people with great ideas.

so my journey to get here has been unconventional!

Manager at Slater and Gordon Lawyers is great fun but also demanding. Finally, I’m trying to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, so I’m investing my last time and energy each week into training. It wouldn’t be possible without the support of my wife and cohort mates.

The advice I received from friends, family and colleagues was the biggest influencer. School rankings, good course availability and network building were other factors for me. I was getting to a stage in my professional career where I needed to build on my skills, having moved from a technical role to a management role. MBS was the best option to maximise the substantial investment we are making. What are the greatest challenges of doing a part-time MBA? Time is the biggest challenge in my MBA journey. I’m taking my studies very seriously and am aiming to achieve as many H1s as possible, which takes time and effort. My job as Analytics

What will you use your MBA for? I’ve gotten so much out of the MBA already, even though I’m only five subjects in. I don’t have firm plans postMBS as yet, although I am interested in exploring management consulting. I’ve worked at Slater and Gordon for six years, and have experienced the transformation the firm has gone through. The firm has been very supportive and it is a great place to work, so I’d like to continue to advance there.

EMBA and MBUSA STUDENTS EMBA student Mhairi Donohoe and MBusA student Pui-Ching Lee explain how they get the most out of their MBS course.

Mhairi Donohoe (EMBA student) Why did you choose a Melbourne Business School EMBA? I found the structure of the program appealing. I have a young family and it felt more achievable to dedicate four full days per month over a long weekend

p12

to attend class as opposed to evenings after work. In addition, as the course is 18 months long, the end is in sight fairly quickly! I am not sure any other program exists in Australia that offers this combination with an international component too. I should also mention being enrolled at Australia’s best university was a large driver and the School was highly recommended to me by a number of colleagues.

What are the greatest challenges you’ve faced during the program? Showing up?! I was worried about how I would cope with the workload before the course started but it has become more manageable with time, as a rhythm has set in and my family has adjusted. I found some of the syndicate work initially very challenging, particularly when we were filmed during one exercise and

then had to replay the film and provide feedback to one another. But I have found subsequently that my self-assurance and poise at work has increased dramatically: situations that previously I would have found challenging are no longer so. What will you do when you finish your program? How will the EMBA benefit your career? I am very passionate about medical / pre-clinical research and the application of scientific breakthroughs to improve human health. With a background in biochemistry and drug discovery, working within an administrative setting can be challenging if you do not have the business knowledge and tools to effectively communicate with those from a financial or legal background. My intention is to continue working in the medical research industry in the not-for-profit sector. I am considering applying for a Fulbright Professional Scholarship, as I am interested in spending a couple of months in the USA

exploring the industry collaborations with not-for-profit medical research institutes and the potential benefits this brings in the commercialisation of new treatments. The EMBA is already benefiting my career as each module passes, and I am directly

applying what I have learned in class immediately at work. I have still have 10 months to go, but applying for this program is undoubtedly one of the better decisions I have made in my life (and I don’t really consider that I have made any very poor decisions).

Why did you choose a Melbourne Business School MBusA?

up various programming languages within the course – Python, R and SQL just to name a few – has definitely been challenging, but very worthwhile at the same time. Having said that, the support we get from MBS is incredible.

MBS has always been a very prestigious and highly reputable institution. They offered up a new course – the MBusA – that allowed recent graduates (like me) into the course. So I thought, why not? And of course, the program sounded really interesting. What really appealed to me was the commitment MBS has to us as a cohort. They told us that they would do almost anything to help us secure a job at the end of our course. What are the greatest challenges you’ve faced during the program?

Pui-Ching Lee (Master of Business Analytics student)

The amount of programming involved! Coming from an Accounting and Finance degree from the University of Melbourne, I was exposed to virtually no programming, and having to pick

What will you do when you finish your program? How will you use your MBusA? Before entering the course, I did my research and thought that Analytics could be one of the gateways to a consulting career, which is something I’ve been wanting for a while. The capabilities and tools that MBusA has equipped me with are very valuable, as has been pointed out by various firms who understand the power of analytics as a key competitive tool. Fingers crossed, I’ll be able to land a job where I’ll be able to do Consulting and Analytics!

p13

Announcement Board halloween

p14

Wine club

Stakes day

p15

Happy Holiday Season! From the SRC p16