A bit of this and a bit of that » MBA

Study Weekend

owen — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:51:09 +0000

I’ve just spend the whole weekend studying for my Negotiation and Influence exams. They’re actually quite interesting, with my favourite section so far being on streetwise negotiation. It’s interesting to see what techniques used car salesmen and foreclosure help specialists will use to try and get you to use their service. The texts however also outline the real need for some sort of formality in the field, especially where you want to set up a long term relationship with your customers.

The interesting thing is that organisations are cottoning on to this and reading these books has helped me see where companies are in that maturity cycle.

P.S. These are my last 2 MBA exams! Wooppiie!

Camille & Arthur in Malta again

owen — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:55:35 +0000

Camille and Arthur have flown to Malta today for a wedding of a family friend. I decided not to join them, partly because I want to save up my holidays and partly because I REALLY need to get down and study hard for my final 2 MBA exams in the first week of June. They’re actually my last two exams so I’m quite keen to get them done! I’m not really planning any major changes once I finish. Although I could get a job as a futures broker or something exotic, I’m perfectly happy with my job at Solidsoft and the growth opportunities I have here in the Isle of Man.

I don’t think this will be the last degree I take though .. wonder if you can get a doctorate in something Internet based …

B in Organisational Behaviour

owen — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:37:30 +0000

Yesterday I found out I got a B in my Organisational Behaviour exam, which means I only have 2 exams left to finish my MBA. I must say, I’m getting tired of the pressure now, so I’ll be pleased to get it over and done with. Though I’m sure that once it’s done I’ll probably get bored!

The great thing is really how much I’ve learnt in this period. I believe my people skills have improved, I can make head AND tail of financial reporting and I can understand how organisations work better. I’m no expert, but I think I’ve grown personally through the process. Although I have lost some hair in the process …

Organisation Behaviour coming up

owen — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:40:17 +0000

Hmmm, it’s amazing how fast time flies when you’re havin fun .. and when you’re not! You see, I have an exam in a couple of weeks (Organisational Behaviour) andI’m doing my best to get through my books and start working past papers. The problem is that there’s not much time before the exams, and I would really hate having to do it again. So, it’s “push everything aside” time and focus on the exam.

Wish me luck!

Online Classes

owen — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:39:50 +0000

Another approach to remote studying is one that is used by http://www.mcintoshcollege.edu/ (another website I came across). While some schools let you download books and proceed at your own pace, Mcintosh College organises virtual classes so people can meet up electronically and have lessons together. It’s an interesting idea that pulls back the social element into studying, rather than dealing with it on your own. If you’re interested in that, check out this page on Virtual Learning Environments on Wikipedia

I must admit that doing my MBA on my own has been a bit lonely at times. It’s totally different to sitting in a classroom, where there’s social interaction that helps the learning process (I feel). Sure, there can be more disruption with everyone sitting physically next to one another, but I think the whole experience is conducive to better learning. What do you think?

IADT – Mobile version

owen — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:30:39 +0000

*chuckle* Don’t you love it when you finish off a post, then find there were other things you wanted to add? As soon as I finished my previous post about IADT in Chicago, i noticed they had a site called http://online.academy.edu/ which offers some cool stuff for people studying there. I particularly liked MobiClass that lets you download your lessons to your mobile and watch them on the move.

I must say I have found having my course material available electronically has really helped with my MBA. I can download all my course material as PDFs and I’ve been taking my “books” wherever I go. That way I don’t have an excuse not to study. It’s ben particuarly useful while I’ve been on holiday. And I can print out sections of the book and just throw them away when I’m finished with them (or recycle them of course)

IADT Chicago

owen — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:22:13 +0000

Since I’ve been doing my MBA, I’ve been keeping a look out at how different educational institutions use the Internet not only to market their services, but also to provide facilities for their students to learn and interact with one another. I’ve been surprised at the range and scope of different schools and courses online. For example, http://www.iadtchicago.edu/ is the International Academy of Design and Technology in Chicago and offers courses ranging from Fashion Design to Computer Forensics. Interesting combination I thought.

I’ve always been curious about computer forensics, especially how you formalise something like that. Do students just learn about the tools that are available, or do they study the psychology of a hacker. Hmmm, maybe when I finish my MBA I might look into something like that …

One week left

owen — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:50:02 +0000

I only have around 1 week left before my Project Management exam. I should be able to get a good grade, but I don’t think I know the material in enough detail to get an A. I’m working through past papers at the moment, but it’s taking time and I don’t seem to have enough of that

Anyway, once this is over, I have 3 exams left and my MBA will be over. Maybe I’ll throw a party when that happens? Woohoo!!

Taking a break

owen — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:12:14 +0000

Well, I’m supposed to be studying, but I need a break, so I thought I’d take some time out and blog a bit. It’s not quite the same as talking to someone, but in a way, I’m talking to a number of people, so it feels good. It’s great that I can study online for my MBA, and if I wanted could also do other courses, from an MSc in Beer Brewing to attending Video Game Design school.

It’s just getting to the nitty gritty that’s getting to me. I’m working past papers at the moment, and while I feel I know the subject matter, I could do with being able to go into ore detail on certain topics and I’m sure those are the ones I’ll get in my exam. Still, there’s nothing for it, just keep reading and go for the exam in two weeks time. Wish me luck!

Still studying Project Management

owen — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 10:54:46 +0000

I might have posted previously that I have a Project Management exam in December? Well, I’ve been coming in early to work so I can study a bit before the day starts. Unfotunately, I’ve been having varying levels of success. The main problem is that there’s so much to read on the Internet I get distracted really easily, I could end up reading about the Human Genome Project, Boulder real estate, catching up on wacky news or just about anything.

Back to Project Management, these are the topics I’m reading at the moment:

Individuals and team issues.
Project risk management.
Project management.
Organisational structures and standards.
Project time planning and control.
Project cost planning and control.
Project quality management.

Should be interesting enough, just need to keep focused for a bit longer! Oh, and once I do this exam there’s only 3 more for me to finish my MBA.