MIT Sloan Master Feed

One Year Ago Today....

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:11:46 GMT

One year ago today, I was registering for classes at MIT Sloan as a first year MBA student. Without sounding too dramatic or profound, I can honestly say that my life has undergone a quite a transformation. What I have...

"And that was when I ruled the world"

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:43:49 GMT

I am now officially a graduate of MIT Sloan. But it doesn't mean that the hanging out with Sloanies has ended! It's been a great summer and the last few months have also shown me that the Sloan bond lasts...

Meeting of the minds

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:46:03 GMT

Sunny, warm. There are three people meeting in the lobby of E51. There is an international student focused on making sustainable business a core subject taught in business schools. There is a New York Times subscriber with a pulse on...

Witnessing History: The MIT $100K Competition

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:38:59 GMT

The MIT $100K competition is one of the largest entrepreneurship competitions in the United States and in the world. Hundreds of ideas that come out of MIT?s labs and from all over the country are measured, weighted and eventually founded....

Summer in San Francisco

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:48:13 GMT

"The coldest winter I ever knew, was summer in San Francisco" ~ Mark Twain So, I've moved over to San Francisco for the summer (haha) for an internship and so far I'm loving it. Loads of my classmates are also...

Professor Thurow/Summer Internship

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:34:26 GMT

Rule Ten: The biggest unknown for the individual in a knowledge-based economy is how to have a career in a system where there are no careers. Building Wealth: The new rules for individuals, companies, and nations in a knowledge-based economy,...

Spring is here!

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:47:56 GMT

I?m proud to report a beautiful day of 75 degree weather?the flowers are blooming?.birds are singing. It?s a lovely time of year in Boston. I am into the final weeks of my Sloan career with just three more weeks of...

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Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:29:30 GMT

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Student Stories: Matt Weiss

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:35:35 GMT

mitsloan posted a photo:

See the "Student Stories: Matt Weiss" video

While in the process of applying to business school, he and a partner got a business up and running. Figuring that it was the perfect time to deepen his marketing and strategy skills, Matt Weiss left the business in the care of his partner and fully immersed himself in the entrepreneurial culture of MIT Sloan. While earning his MBA, Matt also kept time as the drummer for the student band, The Rolling Sloanes. And he timed his wedding to occur one week after graduation, giving the newlyweds plenty of time for a summer honeymoon in Australia. Prior to his graduation and his nuptials, Matt talked with correspondents Scott Rolph and Michelle Choate about bridging the gap between marketing and technology, his fondness for the marketing club, and the special camaraderie that exists between Sloanies.This video was originally shared on MIT TechTV by srolph with a No
license (All rights reserved) license.

The Benefits of being a Sloanie - IAP

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 20:47:00 GMT

Finally done with the Core! Thinking back on the last semester, I can see that I?ve developed quite a bit. First of all, I?ve gotten used to academia again. I can sift through books and documents quickly, skim read and...

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:44:22 GMT

I am on my way back to Boston after an exciting 3.5 weeks in ?Hella? for my GLAB project. For those of you are like me, I found out that Greece is also called Hella. And Greek is called Hellena....

Finals Finality

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:42:43 GMT

The Core is done. Rejoice. Since my last post, life has taken on a slower pace (not slow, but slower). Sure, there were 3 finals to study for, but they were spread out over a 10 days. All of the...

The Truth about MIT Sloan

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:25:51 GMT

Was it fun? It was, by far, the best three months of my life. Every day, I walk into our beloved yet crammed and congested E-51 building, and I am inspired by the people around me and energized by the...

A new breed: MIT Sloan Class of '09 MBAs

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:17:01 GMT

MIT Sloan Director of Career Development Jackie Wilbur is quoted in an article about this year's MBA class.

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Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:29:30 GMT

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Retsef Levi and coauthers were chosen to receive the INFORMS Optimization Society Young Researcher Prize

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:58:55 GMT

Retsef Levi and his co-authors Mahesh Nagarajan from UBC and Ganesh Janakiraman from NYU Stern, were chosen to receive the INFORMS Optimization Society Young Researcher Prize at the INFORMS annual conference in October for their paper entitled "A 2-Approximation Algorithm for Stochastic Inventory Control Models with Lost Sales" that appeared in Mathematics of Operations Research.

Why Bad Things Happen to Good Technologies

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:16:16 GMT

John Sterman pokes holes through some popular proposals for addressing climate change, with sobering case studies that demonstrate why "technological solutions are not enough to address the problem of creating a sustainable world."

Fall election may improve economic outlook, say new MIT Sloan students

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:03:35 GMT

The fall presidential election will mean not only a new president, but fresh career opportunities for management school graduates, according to some MIT Sloan School of Management students beginning their MBA studies this month.

We're Baaack!

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:53:57 GMT

En route to a meeting across campus yesterday, I found myself standing face-to-face (or more accurately, foot-to-face) with the first signs of the new academic year's arrival. On the sidewalk--in brightly colored chalk that pleasantly accented my painful-yet-pretty summer sandals--were the words, "MIT Sloan New Student Orientation," accompanied by arrows pointing the way to the festivities.

All summer long we prepare for the students' arrival. Our office, while not directly involved in recruiting or orientation, is busy preparing publications, web features, and multimedia presentations for just those occasions. But it still comes as a bit of a surprise once the new class actually lands in Cambridge, mixing in with the second-years fresh off their summer internships and vacations. Parking becomes scarce--or scarcer--and area restaurants become more crowded.

But along with that, there is new life in Kendall Square, a new buzz of energy, a new hum of excitement that for once has nothing to do with jackhammers and construction cranes. We get caught up in the optimism and possibility of a fresh start, the ideas and motivation are at their peak. We've got plans here in the Office of Marketing and Communications folks, big plans.

I can't go into much detail here because it would spoil the surprise (and because my colleagues Scott, Anthony, and Tina won?t let me), but suffice it to say that it will involve some audio, some video, and a heck of a lot of students from all corners of MIT Sloan.

Anyway, as they say in the business, stay tuned. We've got some good things up our sleeves. We're excited to spend another year getting to know MIT Sloan through the eyes of its students, its faculty, and its staff. And equally excited to show it all to you!
- Posted by Michelle Choate

Not Just Another Opening to Another Show

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:53:55 GMT

The film "Kung Fu Panda" has been popular in China but has also caused some concern. It is funny, and emotionally satisfying, and achieves these goals through a sensitive exploration of Chinese culture and consciousness, and so has led some Chinese observers to ask "Why don?t we have our own visual artists in China making such popular and powerful images from our own culture?"

Those observers need not worry.

The Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad delivered on all these dimensions, and added a few of its own. Because of MIT Sloan's close collaboration with China's Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management I was invited to attend the ceremony in Beijing. Artistic director Zhang Yimou's vision came beautifully to life, showing rather than telling why China matters. Many pitfalls lie on the road to such a ceremony, from the use of spectacle simply for spectacle's sake, to breast-beating nationalism, Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-style mawkish romanticism, cute and infantile imagery, and being boring by "leaving nothing out". This ceremony came within sight of each of these risks, but avoided them all, with a grown-up show for a growing-up world. It offered spectacle with real surprise, emotional depth, and thoughtful commentary on the sources of China's strength and role in the world.

The "four treasures" of China's 5000 years of civilization, writing brush, ink, paper and inkslab (printing) were depicted with grace and creativity, and visions for the "new era" touched naturally on harmony with nature, peace and community among humans, and aspirations toward higher greatness only dreamed of now. For China as host, these are what a figure skater would call the "required elements". But what really defines a great skater is the "free skate" portion, where he or she can make those jumps and turns into a memorable and unique impression.

What are these lasting impressions, the unique views of China, from this Ceremony? For me there are two.

The first is a Surpassing Creativity. With China's prowess in engineering and manufacturing, the looming question for continued economic development has been "Will China be able to lead in innovation, in adding new kinds of value to products and services?" This show seems intended as a direct answer to that question. A giant globe arises out of the stage, with humans "standing" on it, feet-to-ground, some of them nearly upside down as seen by the audience. The viewer is impressed at the size, at the technical ability in anchoring these actors to the globe. You ask yourself what will happen next, and expect sound, music, perhaps the globe will even rotate. You are already impressed, and satisfied. Then you discover that the people are not anchored to the globe as you originally expected -- they can walk on it! The collective gasp, mouths falling open in amazement, is a real signature of this ceremony. Set the bar high, but then instead of leaping it, use it as a springboard to a higher bar still, that previously was out of sight. This was a theme, not just a singular showpiece: glowing Olympic rings that lie across the floor of the stage and glow (and we are amazed and satisfied) -- and then levitate. And perhaps most memorably in the torch-lighting. A long torch relay, leading to Li Ning, and then he rises in the air with his lit torch -- we are impressed. We are satisfied. This is a great (and scary) achievement. Then for the jaw-drop moment: he runs around the inside ring at the top of the stadium, "around the world" as the scenes of the torch relay project below his feet. How brave he was! Who had the optimism to dare to dream this? To dare to risk making it happen? Does China have the right predisposition for creative innovation? Of course.

The second, and for me most important, lasting impression is in a way the opposite of the creative use of technology. It is rather the power and promise of over a billion people, in harmony, with shared values, in driven dedication and sacrifice toward a common purpose. The sound of 2008 drummers was not nearly as loud as the stadium-shaking fireworks, but people felt it more deeply. The large-scale demonstration of printing process was beautiful and creative, but much more memorable when each of the many hundred moving parts was shown to be a separate person. Again and again, the audience was amazed by the achievement of multitudes in unison. The beauty of the individual human form, the elegance of its movements, and the intelligence of its control, can produce something much, much more than the sum of these parts, with will, and practice, and creativity, and many many many actors in concert.

This is a power. China must understand the anxiety of the world, as it watches this power come forward, into influence and application across the globe. China will reclaim its historic leadership role in world GDP; and not just due to its size, but because its people adapt, sacrifice, and work in shared values. But the power is not just economic -- it is social, cultural, and yes, military.

Which of the many Chinese values will direct this power? Nationalist superiority, or harmonious collaborator? Both were on display in the Olympic ceremony, in the show itself and perhaps more predictive, in the crowd. For while the formal presentation left indelible memories about China?s past, and present, the best indications for its future may come from the crowd itself. National superiority, even the early signs of hubris? Sure. Consider the "welcome" for the Russian team, and a couple other examples. But consider also the warmth in the welcome for Australia, and the surprisingly balanced welcome for the Americans. And even more, consider the dignity and respect accorded the multicultural attendees. The offer of the Chinese attendee in the adjacent seat to loan her binoculars, to better see Li Ning's "world run". And the insistence when a foreigner demurs: No, no, you really have to see this, it is special, it is now, and we are together. That?s the China that keeps me coming back. And keeps much of the world optimistic, most of the time, about China?s coming leadership role.

In Action: Luxury Beauty and the Multicultural Consumer

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Dinner with Mike Brown from Foundation Capital

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:51:48 GMT

?Last Tuesday I attended the talk of Mike Brown, principal at Foundation Capital. After the talk, he invited 15 entrepreneurs from MIT to have dinner at Legal Sea Foods (mainly CS and Engineering students that have been working on their startups during the last year: mobile games, open source, etc.). Foundation Capital is a tier 1 VC firm in the Valley. In the past they invested in companies like Netflix, EnerNOC, Atheros,?or PowerSet (acquired by MSFT last summer for $100M). Foundation Capital currently manages $2.7B.Mike has an MBA from Stanford and is also a McKinsey alumni. He?focuses on consumer internet (e.g., he talked about companies Foundation Capital has invested in, like Bella pictures, which has 1% market share?of the? ultra local wedding photographer market). He said that in 6th grade he already knew he wanted to be a VC when his friends wanted to be a cowboy or?astronaut. The reason is that he lived in CA and his neighbor, who was a VC, always went on nice vacations.?It is funny because in Spain?kids want to be astronouts?or soccer players (I wanted to be a?bullfighter though).??He gave the typical recommendations to entrepreneurs:Choose ideas that lower costs or facilitate transactions Choose business models that facilitate existing user behaviours (i.e., you do not have to educate users about a behaviour). It is easier to enhance a user behavior that teach a new behavior Get a partner or twoRun lean and mean. A typical (internet) SW company does not require more than 6 or 8 peopleDefine 3 to 5 key milestones. At least one for team, product development, sales and marketingBuild a strong network of active advisors and top notch experience entrepreneurs. Call on them dailyTest! test! test! nowadays is easy to do pilotsOnly hire the best. Specially the first 10 people who define the cultureDo not raise too much capital if you do not need it. It forces you to exit at a much higher value. He gave the example of a company (I guess it is Xobni) that could have sold to MSFT for a nice valuation but since they had raised so much funding, they were too diluted.Be prepared to ask help to everybody you pitch your company (e.g., 3 things you are desperate for, e.g., a good engineer, etc.)Pick the right really really big marketFollow the IDEO way on customer research: observe customer behavior before starting developmentDefine the culturePay bonus-based compensationBe metrics drivenLaunch fast, iterate fastVCs? in the valley gossip a lot (e.g., he goes to dinners with other VCs continuously). You do not get a second chance if you piss people off and fail. If you just fail, it is fine. So be nice to everyoneConsulting is not the right path to create anythingThe dinner was also nice. He talked about the current economic conditions to raise capital and become an entrepreneur. Below pictures of the talk and the dinner.?