The MBA Student Voice

Unfortunately, Time To Get To Work

Firstly, I apologise to all of my regular readers for not chiming in sooner.  So much has happened since I last posted that I really don't know where to begin.  Second, a hearty thank you to my fellow first-year blogeteers for picking up the slack!  Hopefully they have entertained in my absence. 

So you are probably wondering...where have I been? 

First quarter of Year 2 is the meatand potatoes of the MBA experience.  Networking and career hunting take top billing; our field study projects -- the Anderson acronym for this is Applied Management Research or AMR -- heats up; classwork is all through electives which have a significantly different culture to the core classes.  All three of these have soaked up all of my time over the past couple of weeks.

More than anything, everyone in my year is at a high level of stress.  We all have come to realize that our MBA experience is drawing to a close, and the end product now has to justify the $200,000+ that we have spent on it. 

I wish all of my fellow second years the best of luck in their career processes.  The better that each one of us does, the better it is for our entire program.  For me personally, this all means one thing:

Time to get to work!

******

Having to get to work is something that my career shares with Wayne Rooney's. 

The Rooney fiasco was painful to watch.  Ultimately, it is now clear that (a) Rooney never intended to actually leave United, but that he was after a bigger contract, and (b) his agent has badly advised him.  Not only has Rooney lost tons of sponsorship money by damaging his brand, but also Rooney now has to contend with disapproving and disappointed teammates and fans that he will need to win back.

The only way he will be able to do that is to get back on the pitch as fast as possible, and produce goals in the way that he is capable of doing. 

******

The Glazer family took a massive public image hit as well.  Essentially, Rooney's criticism of the Glazers is the same as the fans' view. The average fan sees the amount of debt that the Glasers saddled the club with in their purchase and concluded that the lack of a "big name signing" is due to the club's debt service payments.

But let me put another spin on this issue: Since the takeover was finalized in 2005, United have won the Premiership three times, went to the Champions League final twice and winning once, and have captured both the FA Cup and the Carling Cup.  On the pitch, the case could be made that under the Glazer regime United have enjoyed their most successful five-year period in the club's rich history. 

So is it possible that the Glazers actually have done it right, that SAF truly does have the budget for any player in the world but just hasn't spotted genuine value?  Dennis Mannion, the former president of the LA Dodgers, came to speak on campus today; one of the things he mentioned was that any club that make on-field decisions based on marketing reasons is asking for trouble. 

Put another way - has Real Madrid earned anything on or off the pitch since they paid 80mm pounds for Cristiano Ronaldo?  Since Ronaldo headed for Spain, his career has plateaued - certainly not what Real Madrid thought they were getting when they broke every official rule and unwritten ethical code of conduct to get their man. 

Back to Rooney.  He will win the fans back pretty quickly, and hopefully he's bought enough rounds of (non-alcoholic?) pints to win the trust of his teammates again.  And when Real Madrid try to meddle and disrupt his career and commitment to United all over again, he can tell them to [expletives deleted].

Till next time!

-- Sreesha

A Warm Summer Day in Anaheim

Many people assume that I want to be in the sports business because I'm an obsessive sports fan that never made it as an athlete.  That's not entirely accurate: I definitely am an obsessive sports fan that never made it as an athlete, but I'm not trying to be in sports to recreate a dream that never happened.

What appeals to me about the industry is the connection with fans on an imperceptible level, a bond that unites us with a bunch of strangers who toil for an impersonal company we have no direct connection to.  Sports is one of the few markets where the end consumer actually drives the business.

We at the Sports Business Association got to see this first-hand last week when our colleagues from USC Marshall invited us to a behind-the-scenes day with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  We started with a tour of Angel Stadium by Clyde Wright, who pitched for over 10 seasons in the big leagues, primarily in Anaheim.  You could tell by his enthusiasm that Clyde had that he loved the ballpark and being a representative of the team - both on and off the field. 

Then, we spent an hour with team president Dennis Kuhl, who gave us his insights on the club, the business, baseball, and the industry.  Most interesting to me was his dedication to every detail of the fan experience.  He wanted his stadium to be the cleanest in the majors - and by my count, it was impeccable. One of his objectives was to build the brand of the club behind three logos: the name "ANGELS", the large "A" logo, and the colour red.  Every employee was dressed in all three on them in some capacity.

We wrapped up the session with Mr. Kuhl, then headed into the main part of the stadium for some Tennessee BBQ at Clyde's, which was named after our erstwhile tour guide.  Finally, we soaked in the fruit of the hard work put in by Mr. Kuhl, Mr. Wright, and the Angels organization: a big crowd out to see the Angels take on Oakland, a midweek game between two teams already out of contention.  The lower bowl was full, the upper deck was 40-50% there.  

That's what it is all about.

-- Sreesha

 

Diversity - in many ways

When we think of "diversity", we typically think of what I would call demographic diversity: race, age, gender, nationality, religion, etc.  However, during my summer internship at Harrah's, I had the chance to be a part of a diversity training program, where I learned that there are over 50 ways to measure diversity.

(Yes, I know I said this last year.  But last year I just wanted an excuse to make fun of my fellow blogeteers John Park and Matt Kerbel being fans of the Toronto Major Laughs Maple Leafs.  This time I actually have more to say.)

Applying that logic, here are a few different ways that you could measure the diversity here at UCLA Anderson:

* Career Aspirations: One of the reasons I decided to come to UCLA was that while there are healthy contingents of people looking for careers in finance or consulting, these two fields represent a much smaller portion of the total UCLA Anderson population than they do in other schools.  Nothing during my time here has dissuaded me of this opinion.  There are many other career aspirations on campus, including sports, entertainment, healthcare, non-profit, and education. 

* Entrepreneurship. I had heard a lot about UCLA Anderson's commitment to entrepreneurship, but I never appreciated that until i came here.  Many of my classmates are actively looking to start new businesses after graduation, and the school encourages and actively supports these endeavors -- as evidenced by the projects that came to fruition during the summer and in our second year. 

For example, one of my classmates has been working on edilex, a company offering professional grade business contract templates to legal professionals and business people over the web -- check it out at www.edilex.com.

* Previous work history: in my section last year, there were many different career backgrounds.  The usual pre-MBA careers of finance and consulting were present, but so were military (not just US), entertainment (including a feature film producer!), non-profit, healthcare, and energy, plus two Mormon missionaries and a published author.  And that was just within my 72-person section.

* Sport Activities: My regular readers will be forgiven for thinking that all we do here is drink, watch sports, play poker, and get into political debates.  I can't imagine a sport that isn't represented from both the fan and the spectator perspective.  And from those in the 1st year class I've met so far, that now includes cricket!

* * * * * * * * *

* Yeah, I'm a little annoyed at my Steelers, who managed to terrify Tampa Bay, 38-13 last week. See, I'm annoyed because we have so many holes to fill - offensive line being the most glaring - that we need a year off, get a high spot in the draft, and rebuild.  This year seemed like a good year to do that -- no Ben, no Santonio, difficult off-season.  Instead, after beating three teams we should have beaten, we're talking about making the playoffs and I can just see that 7-9 train wreck coming.  Of course if we make the playoffs, then I'll be happy to admit I was wrong.

* Great move by the NHL to get HBO involved in the Winter Classic with its behind-the-scenes documentary of the Capitals and Penguins up to the Winter Classic.  The best part is that the NHL series is being covered by broader entertainment media, such as the Hollywood Reporter - this shows that the NHL can build on the momentum of last season, arguably the best NHL season since 1994 (the Capitals' own demise against Montreal notwithstanding).

* I've seen Chicharito's goal in Valencia several times now.  What a brilliant strike!  But I still don't understand why Macheda didn't just have a shot himself!  Macheda has a lethal strike himself, surely he would have put that in.  I complain only because of United's woeful finishing this season and last.  Macheda has either lost his shooting instinct, or has gained an unworldly sense of vision. 

-- Sreesha

 

 

 

New Year, Endless Possibilities

Hope springs eternal -- first day of school and first week of NHL training camp! 

* Great to be back on campus, and now in classes that I really am excited about since they are all electives.  But the pressure is on to have a job -- and at least a shell of a career path -- lined up by end of the school year.

* Maket participants will always push the market rules to the limits for their own gain.  Thus, it is unreasonable to expect the NHL -- or any governing body in any industry -- to create rules that account for every possible circumvention attempt.  Rules must constantly evolve. 

* We've created a cohesive message and mission for the International Business Association, and are already seeing the fruits of that through increased buzz on campus and exciting new possibilities. Exciting!

* For the Sports Business Association, it was clear that we took a tremendous step forward last year, so this year we will be building on the same momentum with more events, more opportunities, and more brand recognition. Equally exciting!

* Do you know who was most excited about Dimitar Berbatov''s incredible third goal against Liverpool this past weekend?  Howard Webb.  Takes the spotlight off the fact that his two controversial refereeing decisions led to Liverpool goals. 

* Two darkhorse White House candidates for 2012 that are getting more attention lately: Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley.  Imagine having to decide between two Indian-American candidates in the GOP primary -- and then have one of them square off against African-American Barack Obama?  Never thought I would see that in my lifetime.  Sadly, despite its centuries-old heritage ties with India, I can't forsee anything remotely close in the UK.

* Controversial thought of the day: in our strive for a gender-equal world, we can all agree that women should be allowed to compete and thrive for equally successful and lucrative careers in any industry; why do we then assume that men are not as competent as women when raising children?  Why can't that job be 50/50 as well? I get the sense that most women assume that they will be "in charge" when raising kids -- in today's era, could it be that this is just an unfair sense of entitlement, or a gross underestimation of the father's parenting capabilities?

The possibilities are endless!

-- Sreesha

Lack of Depth Permeates...

Like most of the entertainment industry, my blog has been on hiatus for the second half of the summer.  I wish I could tell you that this was intentional, but sadly, it was down to pure laziness. 

A lot has happened and since my audience this summer has been limited thus far to go-go dancers in sultry lingerie  Mrs. V, it’s time to catch you all up. 

In honor of my lifelong mentor and former boss Stan Fischler, here are my “impertinent thoughts on pertinent subjects”:

• DirecTV is offering a promotion where new customers get five months off of service if they sign up for the NFL package -- essentially a 100% discount; customers like me who signed up for DirecTV over the past few months get a 0% discount.  Any wonder why DirecTV has to give away rich promotions to get more subscribers?

• Last year, prior to the start of training camp, I predicted that the run to the Stanley Cup goes through Philadelphia.  Sure enough, the Flyers were the last team to be eliminated.  These aren’t my official predictions (yet), but my early thoughts are that the LA Kings will represent the West. 


  
  When healthy, Willie Mitchell is a better, younger version of Sean O’Donnell.  Though Alexei Ponikarovsky has more baggage than Heathrow, he’s still an upgrade over Alex Frolov and Fredrik Modin.  I’d be surprised if the Kings didn’t re-sign Potomac native Jeff Halpern.  


  
  Meanwhile, the rest of the West has gotten worse.  Chicago has lost a lot of critical depth.  Detroit has lost a lot of scarce youth.  Evgeni Nabokov’s departure is meant to be an addition by subtraction in San Jose.  And with Phoenix’s off-ice troubles...

• My football teams are at a crossroads.  Given Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension and the dire need of reinforcements in a variety of places, I’d be happy with a 2-14 season, a high first-round draft pick, and writing this season off.  

Slightly different story at O.T. 
  
  The Premiership is wide open this year, to the point where United could win it or finish as low as seventh.  Neither extreme seems likely, but we’re relying on a lot of young players stepping up to retain our automatic birth for the Champions League. 
  
  We’re especially struggling with depth - it wasn’t that long ago that the second-best team in English football was our reserve squad; now, our next-best options at forward after Rooney are either Macheda or Chicharito depending on Berbatov’s mood.  I’m still predicting we finish second but the race will be a lot closer. 


• Speaking of lack of depth, I’m unimpressed with the course offerings in this quarter.  There are some great professors teaching this quarter, but the overall docket is very thin.  I realize that us second-years are tied up with the field study project (AMR), and about a third of us are abroad.  But that should have provided us here in LA with a better chance to get some depth in our coursework, rather than giving the university an excuse to reduce the offerings. 

Stay tuned to this space to hear about updates on the International Business Association’s career trek to London!  This year, as last year, the trip will be held over Thanksgiving weekend and will give us the opportunity to meet with a variety of companies in investment banking, consulting, sports, energy, and entertainment.  Stay tuned!

-- Sreesha

In the desert is a Mirage -- and a Paris, a New York, a Mandalay Bay...

Many people have asked me this summer, what’s it like to live in Las Vegas?  I’ve struggled to find a way to describe it.  I think I would explain it like this. 

 

 

Living in Las Vegas and being employed in the industry in Las Vegas is a completely different experience to being a customer here. 

 

 

Things that happen in other industries happen here, too, but in an entirely different environment.  I met a colleague for a coffee at Starbucks at 10 AM – just as you would if you worked at, say, Dunder-Mifflin – but in the line are families with young kids just getting their day started, drunk partiers taking a breather from the perpetual nightlife, and lingerie-clad go-go dancers whose shift just ended.

 

 

(Yes, they are kind of everywhere. Like I said, surreal.)

 

 

(No, we didn’t pick our table based on where they were sitting; it was just coincidence that those were the only available seats.)

 

 

(No, I really wouldn’t call it an “added bonus” or “perk”.  Certainly not if you are Mrs. V. and you are reading this post!)  

 

 

Another surreal sight: if I drive a couple of blocks west of the Strip, such as on my drive home from the Harrah’s gym across the street from the Palms, the streets become homogenous; I can’t tell one from the other and invariably drive past the one that I need to go on because the sign is shielded by the sun.

 

 

But you know what?  I’m really enjoying living in Las Vegas.  It has all of the amenities of a big city bar public transportation, but it still feels very small – especially as a resident.  

 

 

Like New York, almost all of the Vegas nightlife is within walking distance or a short taxi ride; unlike New York, when you want a relaxed meal and time to decompress, you only have to drive a couple of blocks away.

 

 

Sure, all of the restaurants are imported from other places; but that does mean that the best restaurants of Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York are here, too, not to mention every major celebrity chef bar Gordon Ramsey. 

 

 

Even the heat is bearable.  I walked from my office to a meeting in another casino 15 minutes away, in a full suit, when the temperature outside was 120 deg F / 43 deg C – and felt far more comfortable than the 15-minute walk I did in a full suit to work in the summer in New York. 

 

 

The sad thing, though, is that I’m already halfway through the internship, so the surreal experience will soon be at an end.

 

 

Or at least on hold.  Touch wood!

 

-- Sreesha

It's been awhile since my last post.  Lots to talk about. 

 * The Class of 2011 is off on summer internships.  I started a couple of weeks ago with Harrah's, the gaming company in Las Vegas.  It is a tremendous opportunity to see the gaming industry from the inside, and to get some experience with the entertainment firm that is best known for marketing and customer loyalty.  There are three Andersonians in three different divisions there this summer which also helps because we'll be able to share experiences and insights.  

* Most Andersonians have internships in Los Angeles, but quite a few people have scattered to the winds, including Europe and Asia.  It feels as though the big investment banks and consulting firms have started to hire MBA talent again.  Other classic MBA hirers have also increased ranks - the market feels more positive. 

* A lot of Andersonians are starting businesses this summer, or working on business plans.  I'm really excited about these opportunities for them.  They are really engrossed in their businesses - which is what it takes to make a small business successful.  I'd love to start a business as well but I don't have that one idea that I would dedicate myself to.  Don't make the same mistake I did this year - you can go to the Fast Pitch 101 seminars held by the Entrepreneur's Association even if you aren't presenting yourself, you can just go and listen.  I didn't realize that and regret not taking advantage of those seminars.  Suffice it to say I intend to rectify that this upcoming year. 

More updates soon! 

-- Sreesha

The Dangers of Twitter

Yours truly learned a new lesson yesterday: don't use the twitter when agitated.  

Yesterday was the culmination of an excited Premiership season and it took the entire schedule to determine a winner.  Chelsea needed to win to take the title and that's exactly what they did, thumping 10-man Wigan 8-0.  The big scoreline was exactly how dominant Chelsea were yesterday.  My beloved United won as well, but came up a point short in the tables. 

Disappointment became agitation after Chelsea's sixth, seventh, and eighth goals.  I was not impressed by how the goal-scorers celebrated those goals.  

I will never begrudge a goal-scorer from celebrating when the score is close, or when a goal puts a game out of reach i.e. a goal that gives a three-goal lead in the later stages of the game.  

But (Ashley) Cole and Drogba went too far with their celebrations after goals 7 and 8.  Cole jumped around screaming and running back to the touchline and nearly to his own half of the pitch.  Drogba played air guitar with the corner flag.  Completely unnecessary and disrespectful to the opposition.  

(My regular readers are probably thinking this is contradictory to my support of Alex Ovechkin's celebrating after his goals.  The difference is that Ovechkin celebrates when his goal is the difference-maker or game-changer in the game - not in a blowout.  Remember when the Caps tied the franchise record for consecutive wins in Boston earlier this year?  Ovechkin scored the empty-netter and barely flinched afterwards.  Wigan had a player ejected earlier for a red card, and when Drogba and Cole scored the match was out of hand; no need to bop around like it's injury time or golden goal in the World Cup.)

So in this state of agitation, I sent a tweet saying that Chelsea had won the title unprofessionally.  However, the problem is that I'd let Drogba and Cole's antics after goals 7 and 8 overshadow the 100+ other goals Chelsea have scored this season.  That's grossly unfair on my part. 

I genuinely think Chelsea's accomplishments this season are nothing short of spectacular.  They have been the best team throughout the campaign -- consistency has been the hallmark of their success in my view.  Whereas United and Arsenal wobbled through streaks all year to finish second and third, Chelsea have been consistently performing at a high level despite off-the-pitch distractions like Terry/Bridge, the transfer investigation, and gripes about the manager from his former club.  They deserve to lift the trophy. 

Ultimately, my tweet was innocuous - I'm not a celebrity, nor did I offend anyone I knew because it came off as just another sports fan babbling on.  So it was an easy way to learn the lesson of the day -- be careful about when you are using the twitter as much as what you are saying. 

-- Sreesha

UCLA Anderson Entrepreneur's Conference

This Friday, May 7, UCLA Anderson will be hosting its annual Entrepreneur's Conference.  This is the 25th year of the conference, bringing together budding entrepreneurs, small businesses, financiers, and established businesses under one roof to discuss entrepreneurial ideas in various industries.  

Because so many of my classmates here at UCLA Anderson are eager to start their own business either now or in the future, this conference has become the signature event on campus each year.  There are some incredible speakers coming to the event from all angles.  It's open to the public as well -- you can get your tickets online -- so if you are planning to be in the Los Angeles area this weekend, it's definitely worth checking out. 

I'm organizing a panel focused on new media technologies in the sports business.  The panelists include folks from the NFL, ESPN, a division of CAA, plus a consultant and a digital media venture focused on the sports industry.  The other panels are also very fascinating for their industries as well, from finance to green tech to entertainment to fashion! 

As a first-year student here, there are many opportunities to be involved in organizing the conference.  It also is a great opportunity to meet people in the industry that you want to work or start a business in -- UCLA Anderson has many opportunities for that, but you can never really have too many. 

* * * * * * *

Thank you to everyone for their kind condolence messages on Thursday and Friday.  After the Capitals lost Game 7 to Montreal and were knocked out of the playoffs, I received so many thoughtful messages from family and friends.  At some point, I had to laugh; I don't know anyone on the team, no one died...but when you are emotionally invested in something that is taken away from you, it does leave you feeling very hollow for awhile, as Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post noted on Thursday. 

Most inspiring was Brooks Laich, who stopped to change a flat tire on the way home from the arena that night.  Here is someone with so much on the line in Game 7, with so much on his mind, and he still took the time to help a stranded motorist change a flat tire.  Incredible story. 

What can I say about my beloved Capitals that hasn't already been said?  

* we desperately needed a second scoring threat so that Montreal (or any other team) couldn't focus on Ovechkin and Backstrom.  Thus, it's hard to see where Alex Semin fits into the picture when he's gone goalless in 14 playoff games.  He's the most talented player in the NHL when he's on, but when he's off it's a struggle to see why he's in the lineup.  Not sure how much more patience Boudreau is supposed to have. 

* it didn't help that Semin didn't have a proper second-line center: Morrison has looked off since the Olympics, and Belanger never gelled with Semin the way he did with Fehr and Chimera.  Laich is better suited to the wing, and Fleischman is better suited to the press box.  Compare centers with Pittsburgh (Crosby, Malkin, Staal), Detroit (Datsuyk, Zetterberg), Chicago (Toews, Sharp) ... 

* Mike Green has been awful in the playoffs in the past two years as well -- I would argue that he's been passed on the depth chart by Tom Poti, John Carlson, Jeff Schultz, and possibly even Karl Alzner.  

* Boudreau was out-coached and had no good ideas other than the obvious, of putting Semin with Backstrom and Ovechkin.  I would have used Belanger-Chimera-Fehr on the power play with the first unit struggling.  I also think Knuble needed more ice than he got. 

* the only person with a Stanley Cup ring on the team is spare part Scott Walker. (Knuble was a spare part with Detroit in 1998, so I'm not counting that one). 

In all, this clip pretty much summed up the playoffs. Absolute bummer.  Can't wait for the slate to be wiped clean in a few months! 

Golden Briefcase, Silver Chalice

It's no Stanley Cup, but winning the Golden Briefcase for UCLA was a thrill. 

A small army of Andersonians, including me, have just returned from the Challenge For Charity (C4C) Weekend hosted by Stanford University.  C4C is actually a year-long competition amongst the west coast business schools to see who can raise the most money and donate the most hours for charities.  The culmination is a mini-Olympics hosted by Stanford.  The winner of C4C gets the coveted Golden Briefcase, which is just what it says on the tin. Inscribed on the side are all of the schools in each year of the competition. 

The Olympics consisted of typical sports like (American) football and basketball, plus things like dodgeball and Trivia Bowl.  I contributed a small part to the Trivia Bowl team, which consisted of second-years David and Kevin and fellow first year Erin; we brought home a silver medla for UCLA - but this was serious stuff, like 18th century physics theories and 13th century British poets.  I wish I had studied! 

This year, we split the title with USC, which thrilled USC but bothered us as we thought we had won it outright. Next year's competition is bound to be more intense! 

* * * * * * * * * 

Speaking of athletic competitions, two of my favourites are well underway.  My beloved Manchester United got a massive gift from Spurs this week, who took home six points from Arsenal and Chelsea - that puts us just one point behind Chelsea with two games to play.  Both of us have one difficult opponent and one mid-table opponent - we have the aforementioned Spurs and Sunderland; Chelsea have Liverpool and Stoke.  Unlikely Chelsea will drop points from their matches, but if they do I daresay we have a great chance.  

The hockey playoffs have been absolutely exciting.  My beloved Washington Capitals played miserably in Game 1 against Montreal Canadiens, and were even worse for the first 38 minutes of Game 2 - even needing to replace Jose Theodore in goal with Semyon Varlamov.  Suddenly, everything clicked, and we ended up winning Game 2 6-5, then winning in Montreal 5-1 in Game 3.  My view: it's not that Theodore is a worse goalkeeper than Varlamov, it's that the team plays smarter defensively in front of the 22-year-old Russian, in part because he's a 22-year-old Russian and Theodore is a veteran. If we played as we did tonight with Theodore in goal, we still would have won. 

Closer to UCLA, Los Angeles Kings played very well in their first two games in Vancouver against Vancouver Canucks, winning Game 2; as I type this, they are leading Game 3, 4-2, with about 23 minutes left.  Most impressive is LA's speed and aggressive forechecking, which is causing Vancouver Canucks fits.  The crowd at Staples Center in LA is amazing, too - very loud, cheering and shouting.  Phenomenal atmosphere! 

This is just the first round - there are three more rounds after this! 

-- Sreesha