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By Samarthd, November 19, 2009 2:10 pm

By Samarth Das, MBA ’10

The MBA International Dinner, hosted by the International Dinner Working Group, is an annual event held in early November that brings together the diverse Eller community in an informal setting. This potluck-based dinner boasts more than 60 different international cuisines, student performances, and an interesting display of culture and diversity. The dinner is equally popular among students, faculty, and staff at Eller. MIS Graduate Association also helps setup this organization along with the IBWG MBA student body.

The size, scale, and diversity displayed at the 2009 International Dinner was spectacular. Maffe Tiga from Guinea, Idly Sambhar from South India, Redang from Indonesia, and Chicken Curry from Nepal are just a few examples of the diversity of cuisines this year. I was a part of the organizing committee for this event and we put in a lot of effort and time in making this event as enjoyable as possible. I was also totally amazed by the effort put in by each and every cook to prepare food at such a scale.

The cultural events were also grand this year and I was personally excited by the musical performance by Rage Against the Case Study. The cultural events were kicked off with a Salsa event by Ritmos Latinos, who presented us with a circle-based salsa dance named Rueda. This year we also started a raffle and I was greatly impressed with the various items as gifts starting from a monkey from India to a lavish Mexican hat. Rage against the Case study was the next event and it made each and every person in the audience give a standing ovation. The guitar and the keyboard complimented each other and they presented a superb performance. I was in the audience and I could see the energy in the audience clapping and praising both of the performers. Next up there was a solo keyboard performance and a Chinese song, both were equally melodious and even though I didn’t understand the Chinese song I enjoyed it a lot. There was also Mexican dancing as well.

The Indian dance was spectacular and full of energy. I was amazed seeing my colleagues from other countries actually getting in the flow and dancing along with the girls performing on the stage. It was historical to watch the faculty members and the staff members dancing and displaying lot energy. The faces and the smile on everyone suggested how successful was the International Dinner and most of us wanted to continue dancing.

Students and faculty were also dressed in the traditional attire of their native countries and also shared the culture and traditions of their respective countries.

You can see photos from the event online here.

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By Marisa Cox, November 18, 2009 11:01 am

So you submitted your complete application, maybe you’ve already had your interview with a member of the Admissions Committee, and the Committee’s decision is to waitlist you until a later date.  What do you do now?

A waitlist decision typically means either one of two things:

1) Your application was strong, but not as strong as the general applicant pool and given the limited number of spaces available the Committee is either unable at the time or unwilling to offer you one of the remaining spaces.

2) Parts of your application were strong, but there was a serious concern about one of the following: your GMAT, your GPA, your work experience, your reasons for pursuing an MBA, or a combination of any of the above.

When in doubt, contact either the admissions director or the admissions person with whom you have been working during the process.  They should be able to shed some light and tell you whether you are in a holding pattern (situtation #1) or you have a serious shortcoming in your application that needs to be addressed (situation #2).

If there is a concern about your undergrad GPA or your work experience, you obviously will not be able to erase the past or create a position or job history that doesn’t already exist.  I would recommend that you consider submitting a letter to the Admissions Committee either offering an explanation for a poor undergraduate record, or better, conveying why you feel that you would be successful in the MBA program given either your success in the work place since graduating or some other evidence of your ability to undertake the coursework.  If you have no work experience and are applying see my “Work Experience: Knowing What You Don’t Know” posting.  If your work experience is scattered or doesn’t align with what you profess to be your future goals, help connect the dots and offer a compelling narrative.

If there is a concern about your GMAT and you’ve only taken it once or twice, my general advice would be to retake it.  I know the $250 cost is steep, but at least from this admissions director’s perspective, perseverance is well regarded and important.

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By Justin Hart, October 27, 2009 4:22 pm

On Friday, October 16^th I attended the Eller MBA Industry Roundtable and General Networking Event in Phoenix.  The event was a great opportunity for me and my fellow fulltime Eller MBA colleagues to network with students in the Phoenix Eller Evening MBA program as well as representatives from various Phoenix-area businesses.

The event started with a presentation by Brad Casper, the CEO of The Dial Corporation.  Having interned at Dial this past summer, it was great to see Brad and a few of my old Dial colleagues at the event.  Brad’s discussion covered topics ranging from his international assignments during his career at Procter & Gamble, the challenges of leading a consumer packaged goods company in the evolving retail environment, and general Q&A from the audience.

Next on the agenda was a series of small group discussion sessions on the topics of healthcare management, renewable energy, and small and mid-size business issues.  I attended the healthcare discussion and really enjoyed hearing the insights shared from leaders of The Mayo Clinic and the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

The event ended with a hybrid job fair/networking happy hour session.  I enjoyed conversation with representatives from companies like Stirling Energy Systems, SRP (Renewable Energy Division), US Solar Holdings, and caught up with colleagues from a number of different disciplines and backgrounds.

Overall, the event was a lot of fun and increased the networking opportunities for each of the various MBA programs and locations that exist at The Eller College of Management.  I’m already looking forward to the next opportunity to catch up with my new contacts .

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By Marisa Cox, October 14, 2009 12:45 pm

When I’m not working an Open House or traveling for a recruiting fair, I really live for weekends.  Fall weekends are especially a treat given all the great sports on television.  Between the USA-Honduras world cup qualifier, the UA-Washington football game and the MLB division playoffs I’m looking forward to a good Saturday line-up tomorrow.  Watching sports with a toddler might involve a bit of multi-tasking, but it’s still enjoyable all the same.

Similarly, if you are a busy professional who is thinking about applying to MBA programs and is trying to balance world cup soccer qualifiers, college football and major league baseball with working on your application and studying for the GMAT, here are some multi-tasking suggestions:

ONLINE APPLICATION: Most online applications, including ours, captures some basic demographic data and educational background data.  You can enter this information during the 15 minute half-time of a soccer game.

GMAT STUDY PREP: The unfortunate thing about mult-tasking is that you can’t devote 100% of your attention to one task.  If you are busy with work,  family, or whatever other obligations you have during the week and plan on studying for the GMAT on the weekend, you may have to mute the baseball game so it’s on in the background while you study.  No, it’s not the same quality experience, but at least you can be aware of what’s going on with the game while you get your much-needed study time in.  If it’s a close game, like the Dodger-Cardinals game was last night, be sure to turn the volume up and take a break during the 8th and 9th innings so you don’t miss a great finish.

ESSAYS/RESUME: Ponder the “why an MBA” and “why now” questions during the first and second quarters of the football game. Jot down ideas that pop into your head on your laptop during the commercial breaks.  Flesh out a few paragraphs during half-time.  Ponder a bit more during the second half, and then turn off the tv after the game is over and spend some concentrated time writing, reviewing, and rewriting your essays.

Ok, so maybe working on applications and studying for the GMAT are not terribly conducive to quality sports enjoyment, but that’s where the oh-so-important skill of time mangement comes into play.  A better alternative to what I suggested above is to spend a few dedicated hours on your application and then treat yourself by cracking open your cold beverage of choice, turning the volume on the television way up, and enjoying some solid hours of entertaining, mindless sports.

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By Pete Mittelholzer, October 6, 2009 3:03 pm

This summer 16 Eller MBAs and four Arizona PhDs are participating in the Advanced Technology Transfer Project (ATTP) at research institutes throughout Mexico. Our job is to conduct commercial feasibility studies of technologies created at institutions in Ensenada, Guanajuato, León, Puebla, and Mérida. My three teammates and I work at a research institute called CICESE (pronounced “see-say-say”) in Ensenada, which is located 90 beautiful, winding, coastal cliff-hugging miles south of San Diego in the State of Baja California.

I first heard about the annual Mexico internship last August from ATTP alums in their second year at Eller. While interested in the opportunity to work abroad on a consultancy project I was unsure whether my lack of a technical background would preclude my candidacy for a job that would have me analyze technologies alongside scientists. But here I am six weeks into the 10 week internship writing about what types of algae and sea monkeys are ideal to feed halibut larvae in a fish hatchery.

My teammates (Niru Baddam, Gaurav Sharma, and Alina Garcia Montijo) and I begin a typical day at CICESE with breakfast enjoying an invigorating view of the Pacific. The staff here has made our stay extremely comfortable and I am continuously impressed by the good cheer and hospitality of the Mexican people in general. Some of the local highlights in Ensenada both involve libations: Hussong’s (the oldest cantina in the Californias which is packed with locals, live music, and tourists on weekends), and the Riviera del Pacifico (a beautiful old casino that is the alleged birthplace of the margarita in 1948). The fish and shrimp tacos never seem to get old either.

While this experience will never make me an expert in fish hatcheries, groundwater exploration, fiber optic sensors, or any of the other technologies that are being developed at CICESE, it is teaching me how to manage a consultancy project and work with a team to analyze business ideas. Even more importantly to my inner wanderlust, the ATTP has given me the opportunity to explore a small corner of Mexico that I may never have seen otherwise.

By Pete Mittelholzer, MBA ‘10

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By Abhilasha Chadha, October 6, 2009 3:01 pm

By Abhilasha Chadha, MBA ‘10

After the introduction to the world of blogging through Prof. Sue Brown this is my first blog reaching a larger audience. It’s really been a wonderful journey since joining Eller and it’s a privilege to share my thoughts with you all.

The prospect of an internship was something that worried me after deciding to concentrate on marketing. My lack of marketing experience and being an IT consultant were my main worries, but without giving up, I applied for every opportunity that came my way. There were many disappointments along the way and the economic condition in the U.S. amplified my anxiety. In the mean time I decided to look for other avenues to provide me with the necessary experience. My affiliation with Prof. Umashankar gave me a break and an understanding of marketing, along with some rich experience. Through some contacts I applied to a couple of companies in India, of which two were positive and both offered me an internship opportunity. After discussions with my professors, I finalized my internship at Kellogg’s, a company known to millions of people. I was now apprehensive as to what the project would be and whether I would be able to meet the expectations.

I arrived in India and rushed home to see my parents. After a year away from them it was indeed special to be back. I joined the Delhi office of Kellogg’s and my guide Pooja Sahgal (Kids Portfolio Manager) along with Rupali Rattan (Brand Manager) gave me an overview into the project I would be handling. The project dealt with understanding the mother’s attitude towards breakfast in Delhi and to determine how the traditional breakfast items could be replaced by Kellogg’s Chocos. Unlike that in the U.S., the breakfast attitude in India varies extensively from city to city. My project focus was on Kellogg’s Chocos, which is positioned as the “chocolaty breakfast for kids.”

How about some trivia? Kellogg’s has been in India for 15 years and has been penetrating the Indian breakfast market. Interestingly, Kellogg’s India had a growth rate of 52% last year and has been the fastest growing family in the Kellogg’s world. Kellogg’s core brands in India are Chocos, Special K, Kpack and Cornflakes.

Back to my project….In order to gain insights and familiarize myself with the current perception, attitude and habits of people in Delhi, I started with the exploratory research that would give direction for later investigations. Conducting in-depth interviews with 8 mothers and 8 children of different socioeconomic class, the approach reminded me of the one I completed under Prof. Jesper Neilson for Prof. Umashankar. The experience from the marketing research project laid the foundation for the one I was about to undertake.

As a value-add, I also tried to look at the awareness created by mediums like television and the internet among the parents and children. The interviews were extensive and I was able to gather a lot of information. Next came a comprehensive survey to quantify the information and identify the key drivers and factors to help come up with viable recommendations. I went crazy with the number of variables that I had to use in my coding sheet. Over 5 days, I conducted 55 oral and paper based surveys… and I really missed having the ease of an online survey! The week after the surveys was spent in deciphering trends and patterns between the two kinds of respondents chosen, users and non-users.

All the skills taught at Eller came to good use as I went about creating graphs and tables for my presentation. After an initial review by my guides, I flew down to Mumbai where the head office of Kellogg’s is located. When I walked into the office I was ecstatic, I was going to be presenting for the top management at Kellogg’s. The first day went in putting the final touches to my presentation and last minute runs. On the day of the presentation I was calm… I guess all the presentations I gave at Eller helped me be at ease. The audience for the presentation included five heads from different departments including the CEO (Kellogg’s India), Mr. Annupam Dutta and my project guides. My findings and recommendations caught their attention and even identified some problem areas. The overall session was interactive and I enjoyed the opportunity to present to such a rich audience. I was delighted by the feedback I have received and it was indeed a pleasure to get acquainted and work with the Kellogg’s team.

I’m now back in Delhi and enjoying my last days here before the new semester starts at Eller. I can’t wait to get back to Tucson and catch up with my friends. I have indeed grown over the last year and I know I have to thank all my professors at Eller for it. For all my friends abroad who wanted to look at the cereal boxes available in India, please check out the Kellogg’s Chocos website.

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By Micky Thompson, October 6, 2009 2:33 pm

I have come to the end of my first year as an MBA student at The University of Arizona and it has been a fun, exciting and at the same time challenging adventure. As a 2nd year MBA, I’ve had the pleasure to welcome some of the great MBA students who will be next year’s 1st year MBA’s. As a welcome gift, this post will be dedicated to you the incoming class at Eller MBA.

When I was first accepted to The University of Arizona Eller MBA, I remember searching the Internet looking for information on how to “survive the first year.” I don’t recall someone showing the actual contents of their backpack. Below, I will share with you the actual contents of my backpack during my first semester. My goal in sharing this information is to introduce you to the tools you will need for the MBA program and by learning this information early will help you be better prepared.

Above is the contents of my backpack during my first semester as an Eller MBA student. Below I share with you details about each item. Click here to see an enlarged picture.

1. Laptop - A laptop with Microsoft Office is a necessity for a 1st year MBA. I use an Dell Latitude equipped with 2 batteries which will last about 7 hours. Laptops are allowed during many classes and a necessity for research and writing reports. Most students use a PC based laptop. In our class, there are several Apple users and they were able to do just as much as the PC users except for the Statistics course when advance features of Excel were required. However, I think those users were able to find a work around for this problem.

2. Name Plate - Eller MBA will give you a name plate to use during class. Most professors will require the use of the name plate. I recommend get in the habit of setting up the name plate as you enter class. The professors and your new fellow students will appreciate learning your name as you will appreciate learning theirs.

You will also get a name badge for wearing on your jacket or shirt to events. Keep this name badge in your backpack at all times because you will find yourself needing it often. I recommend you wear your name badge on the same side you shake hands. This will help the person shaking your hand to quickly see your name and avoid the awkward obvious glance to the other side.

3. Laptop Power Cable – A necessity in order to keep your laptop fully charged. I would recommend labeling your power cord with your name and phone number because many people have similar power supplies. Many of your classrooms will be equipped with power for each student.

4. USB Drive – Often you will need to give someone a file bigger than email will handle or you will need to make a presentation from the computer in the classrooms. A USB drive will come in handy for these moments.

5. Business Communications Books – Business Communications was one of my favorite courses (I will actually be the Graduate Assistant next year for this course and I look forward to working with each of you from the incoming class.) These books will be used during that course and will help you learn the skills necessary to communicate professionally.

6. Bottle Water and Snack – Classes will last from 2 hours to 3 hours and will often be 2 in a row. In your first semester, it is not uncommon to be at school from 7am until midnight. Having water and a snack will become a necessity. (I often carried my lunch which isn’t pictured here. I recommend a nice insulated type cooler with a freezer pack to keep your food fresh all day. Click here to see an example of an insulated cooler.)

7. MBA Directory (aka Face Book) - When I first was accepted to the MBA program, there was emails about scheduling photos for the face book. I actually thought admissions was referring to facebook.com and even created a facebook.com account. Click here to connect with me on facebook.com. Having a facebook.com account actually became essential because I learned a lot about my classmates and the chat feature comes in nice during class and while doing homework. But know that EllerMBA was actually referring to what is called an MBA Directory (nicknamed face book) which details information about your fellow students. I recommend keeping this face book with you at all times to help familiarize yourself with your classmates.

8. Sturdy Backpack – As you can see, your backpack will hold a lot of stuff. Be sure to get one large enough to hold all this stuff as well as protect your laptop.

9. Three Ring Binders - Below you will see that I have three “3 inch” binders to hold my class handouts. I also carry a 1 inch binder with me which helps lighten the load. Several professors will handout notes and exercises during class. These notes are important because they are the equivalent to a text book. Be sure to have 3 ring binders to hold andtabs to organize these handouts to make it easy for you to find handouts when you need them.

10. Text Books - Unfortunately, MBA programs still using paper-based text books and many are expensive (why not digital based text books I don’t know). If the professor states a text book is required, then be sure to get them. If you can order them online in time prior to class starting, you will be financially better off. You will learn that campus bookstores are a monopoly (you will learn more about monopolies in Economics) and their prices are often much higher than competitive online bookstores such as amazon.com.

11. Mobile Phone - Having a reliable mobile phone is a must. I recommend a mobile phone with email, calendar and contacts because these will help you keep track of your schedule as well as be able to communicate with fellow classmates. I was surprised how many of my classmates don’t use text messaging but it is handy for communicating. Below I use a Treo 700w from Sprint but will be possibly upgrading to the iPhone from AT&T.

12. Sunglasses – Sunglasses in Arizona are a must. The sun here is beautiful but bright!

13. Thin Wallet – I use the Big Skinny wallet for keeping my student ID, money and pictures of my daughter. I like it because it is thin and doesn’t take much room. Click here to order one from Amazon.com.

Good luck in your first year as an Eller MBA and I look forward to seeing you on campus.

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By Justin Hart, September 28, 2009 12:08 pm

The summer internship is an important and defining moment for MBA students. It provides opportunities to network with new colleagues, grants exposure to different industries, and allows students to practice some of the new concepts taught during the first year of business school. That’s why I was so excited to have the opportunity to complete a brand management internship at The Dial Corporation in Scottsdale, Arizona this summer.

I was one of seven interns at Dial that represented MBA programs from The University of North Carolina, Duke University, UCLA, Arizona State University, and of course The University of Arizona. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Dial, I’d bet that you are already a consumer of some of their products. Dial is a major consumer packaged goods company that owns the following well-known brands: Dial, Tone, and Coast soaps, Purex laundry detergents, Right Guard and Soft & Dri deodorants, Renuzit air fresheners, Soft Scrub household cleaners, and Combat pest control products.

For my internship, I joined the Home Care marketing department and focused on the Renuzit brand and the consumer aircare category. During the summer, I worked on a number of projects, but focused primarily on two key initiatives. The first was a competitive analysis of the aircare category and the second project involved quantifying the impact of a recent packaging redesign.

The experience that I had this summer at Dial was unique for a few reasons. First, I had access and exposure to very high-level executives. For example, I had a number of meetings with various brand managers, directors, VPs, and even presented my final project to the CEO. Second, the internship provided me with an overview of so many different aspects of brand management in the CPG industry. I learned the nuances of various product categories ranging from household cleaners to personal care products and laundry care products. Finally, Dial really pulled out all the stops for the interns. Members of various cross-functional teams organized a number of social events that allowed both full-time staffers and interns to mingle in casual settings that included group dinners, rock concerts, and extended happy hours.

Overall, I had a great experience at Dial and can’t wait to pursue a post-MBA career in brand management. I feel very fortunate to have had such a great experience and would encourage other MBAs to pursue an internship at Dial if you have an interest in brand management and the CPG industry.

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By Justin Hart, September 22, 2009 1:06 pm

The assignment for my career development class this week was to craft and deliver my “elevator pitch” to a number of career mentors. The elevator pitch is a common sales, entrepreneur, and career development term that refers to a short overview or value proposition for a person, product, or service. During the process of prioritizing and streamlining my value-adding skills and experiences, I pondered why more things in life don’t have an elevator pitch.

So, wouldn’t it be nice if everything did have an elevator pitch that you could listen to at any time? It would make decision-making so simple! Whether you’re deciding which movie to rent, or what dish to order at a new restaurant, you could simply listen to the item’s elevator pitch and learn what the key features, benefits, and points of differentiation were. You wouldn’t have to ask a friend for a recommendation or scour the web for product reviews. While the internet, Wikipedia, and iPhones have done much to assist in identifying the elevator pitch for countless items, sometimes there’s just too much data to really make the process easy.

Then I realized that most things in life just don’t have an elevator pitch that is relevant to everyone. To demonstrate this fact, I’ve written a few elevator pitches for some of the things in my life:

Donovan the labradoodle: Donovan is my 18 month old, blonde labradoodle. He has a great smile that he wears nearly 23 hours of the day and a little piglet tail that wags at roughly 66 beats per minute. This highly athletic individual excels at fetching various rubber dog toys for hours on end and has a vertical leap of 42 inches. He’s completely house-broken and can drag you home during a long walk if you’re too tired to walk.

The City of Tucson: Tucson is a unique southwest city. Tucson is located in the Sonoran desert, so the weather is hot for most of the year. However, thanks to the proximity of the Santa Catalina Mountains, 70 F degree weather is never more than a one hour drive away, regardless of the time of year. Tucson is a down-to-earth city that has the feel of a large college town with a significant snowbird population. Finally, it has an off-the-beaten-path vibe and more rustic charm than many other large cities in the southwest.

Coffee: Coffee is the the original low calorie energy drink. It provides roughly 150mg of caffeine with no sugar and just 2 calories per serving. Coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide and is the most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Coffee also improves productivity in many workplaces and enables 1st year business students to survive on 4 hours of sleep per night.

So, as you can see, the value of an elevator pitch is dependent on the degree to which the message is catered to the audience. While it might be interesting to know that my dog, Donovan, has a vertical leap of 42 inches, it doesn’t really have an impact on most people. So as you go through your day, I’d encourage you to consider what your elevator pitch might be to various people in your life. You never know when you’ll need to articulate your unique positioning to someone regardless of whether an elevator is involved.