Entering last quarter of the first year at BC

We have finished 3/4 of the first year of the MBA program. Here are some reviews of the last quarter:

- Operations Management: for some students, this is probably one of the most challenging classes. The MCQ exams have a lot more calculation and formulas compared to other courses. That being said, if you practice enough, you will be fine. I learn good operation concepts and ideas from this class which would be useful for my future career (e.g. Six Sigma quality, process and supply chain design for manufacturing versus for service industry, demand forecasts)

- Global Strategy is a continuation of the Strategic Analysis class we had in the first semester. The course focused more on global perspectives as its name suggests. I have gained more understanding of the benefits and challenges when a company chooses to globalize (e.g. headquarter and subsidiary relationship, geographic, economic, cultural, and administrative distances from one country to another, Michael Porter's Diamond Framework). 

- Corporate Finance: you will learn more about different financing strategies a company can choose from and their pros and cons (agency issue, shareholder and bondholder conflict, venture capital/IPOs and potential dilution for existing shareholders), Adjusted Present Value, options, M&A, FX, etc.  By solving quantitative problems attached with these concepts I could understand the concepts better. 

- Modeling and Decision Analysis: the course introduced some useful systematic methods for managers to make informed decision in their work (linear programming, expected values (with and without perfect/sample information), Monte Carlo simulation, and Multiobjective Decision Analysis).

- And yes, the MPII - Business Consulting project is still going on till the end of the next quarter. I am with a team of smart, open-minded people who came from different backgrounds (IT, sales and marketing, operations, finance) and countries (U.S., Philippines, and Vietnam). We have conducted project planning, primary and secondary research for our project in the first half of the semester. We will be working on the solution with our client in the second half.

Finally, Spring is coming. I could not wait to do more jogging and exercise at the beautiful Chestnut Hill Reservoir near the school.