Who's reading this blog?

Current visitor locations:

It will be interesting to learn if this reflects the mix of nationalities on the Edinburgh program.

Flat hunting

It's festival time in Edinburgh and the city is busy with tourists! I have started the hunt for a flat (that's apartment for none British English speakers). Accomodation in Edinburgh is good value in comparison to London and I'm hoping to get a room in a houseshare near the University Campus. Good search sites are the Gumtree and the List. Prices range between £200 and £400 per month and tend to be all inclusive. The regions of Marchmont and Bruntsfield are probably the best locations for easy access to the University, however given the size of Edinburgh you are never very far from the University buildings.

Company Profile: A.P Moller-Maersk Group

What do they do?

A.P Moller-Maersk Group (Maersk) is probably most well known for it's container shipping business. The familiar Maersk box cars trundle around the globe with the Maersk star emblazened on them. It is the largest container ship operator and supply vessel operator in the world. Mearsks business divisions cover Energy, Shipping & Offshore and Retail and other buisiness.

Where are They?

Maersk is a truly international company. Their head offices are based in Copenhagen, Denmark. They operate ports and shipping terminals on every continent. They have offices in more than 125 countries worldwide.

Terminals

• Europe : Algeciras, Århus, Bremerhaven (enlarged with the CT4 in 2006-2008), Cagliari, Constanţa, Dunkirk, Genoa, Gioia Tauro, JadeWeserPort at Wilhelmshaven (opens in 2009 or 2010), Kaliningrad, Le Havre, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge.
  How big are they?
• North America : Charleston, Houston, Jacksonville, Kingston, Los Angeles, Miami, Mobile (opening 2009), New Orleans, Oakland, Portsmouth, New Virginia development (opens 2007), Port Everglades, Port of Savannah, Tacoma.
• South America : Buenos Aires, Itajai
• Asia : Aqaba, Bahrain, Dalian, Kaohsiung, Kobe, Laem Chabang (Thailand), Mumbai, Pipavav, Port Qasim, Qingdao, Tanjung Pelepas, Salalah, Shanghai, Yokohama.
• Africa : Abidjan, Apapa, Douala, Port Said, Onne Port (Nigeria), Tangier (opens in 7.2007).
  

Port Elizabeth, New Jersey

Do they employ MBAs?
Maersk does not advertise specifically for MBA graduates, however in many of the openings at this 100,000 plus employ organisation list an MBA as a requirement. For many disciplines be it in information technology, logistics, finance or consulting Maersk is a company that has the scale to offer challenges to an MBA graduate.

Resources: Wiki
Maersk
competitors: CMA CGM, MSC

Reasons for doing an MBA

Apart from Travel, Learning, better career prospects, meeting new and interesting people what is the point of an MBA?

Seriously - here are some good answers to that question. One of the better answers:

I think its worth doing MBA. Summarizing, it would give you self confidence,
give you better sense to work with your subordinate and superiors. It would give
you skill to talk and talk sense. It would give you a good understanding of the
business and great leadership factors to cultivate within yourself

Another article that is more specific to the IT industry in the USA summarises research that shows candidates with a masters degree have higher salaries and are more likely to go the distance.

The trouble with a question like this is there can never be an absolutely correct answer and one can never live the alternative route having committed to the other. So it becomes an exercise in perceived opportunity cost with lists of pros and cons for a particular course of action. Speaking from my own experience of difficult choices in the past there are often consequences of pursuing a particular course that did not even occur to me at the time; it is the unknown unkowns that can make decisons the most rewarding. But as a rational person decisions have to be based on the best available knowledge at the given time. For me that means a green light.

Software tools update

UC Berkeley review of web apps explains that some leading universities are considering switching to online applications. Some leading institutions already have.

Subway Stations of the Internet

Web Trend Map 2007 Version 2.0

An interesting map showing the most popular sites on the internet organised by category, proximity, success, popularity and perspective.

And here is the original Tokyo map

Edinburgh Partner Schools: Toronto

The Schulich school of Business was ranked 25th by the FT and the Economist and it is one of the top graduate programs available in Canada. The school is situated in Toronto, Canada, and it is its financial capital. Within close proximity to three large financial centres of Toronto, Boston and New York it is not surprising that one of Schulich strengths is in the area of Finance. Students from Edinburgh are expected to take four courses.

Toronto Skyline

From the Edinburgh website

It was established in 1966 and now has strong links with the business
community and is recognized for innovation and an internationally diverse
student body. The learning approach matches that of Edinburgh with individual
and teamwork focussing on real life application, and learning from interaction
with international peers.

Climate

From Lonely Planet:

Compared to the rest of Canada, Toronto has a relatively mild weather pattern.
Summer temperatures average 20-23°C (68-73°F) and can get up to 30°C (86°F).
Autumn and spring tend toward clear, warm sunny days and winter, though the
temperature can plummet quickly, is on average a manageable -6°C (21°F). Big
snowstorms happen two or three times per winter.

Costs
Current exchange rates for the pound are £1.00 to CAN$2.14. The cost of living is suimilar to the USA so british visitors will find that their money goes far.


Resources: Schulich MBA program
Wiki
Exchange Rates

Book Review: Blood River

Blood River by Tim Butcher is the authors story of his attempt to retrace Henry Morton Stanleys treck down the Congo. It is the authors intention to cover the distance overground wherever possible.

Butcher encounters a Congo that is possibly more hazardous to traverse today that it was 120 years ago in Stanleys day. He meets few outsiders and those that are in the Congo fly in directly to their base cities. The roads established by the former Belgian colonialists have been reclaimed by the bush. It is hard not to feel despondent about the plight of Congo, it seems like an insurmountable task to turn the countries prospects around. Butchers thoughts on this are telling. He argues that the lack of lawlessness he finds everwhere and ambition for a better future is the result of the massive majority still having no real sovereignty. Only when this changes can Congo expect better things to come.

Butcher also suggests that the problems of the Congo are true of many African nations. When independence swept through the African continent after the second world warit brought hope of a new begining to those repsressed under European Colonialism However those hopes were quickly dashed as in reality independence did not arrive. Power shifted to a new elite that contined to rely on the brutal systems of government. In Martin Merediths excellent work: The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence it is clear that a small group of greedy and power hungry despots have destroyed much potential.

Blood river is a compelling story that gives the reader a glimpse of a country largely forgotten by the west.

Reources:
Congo - wikipedia

Update: 22/07/07 Corrections made courtesy of the Author.

Must Read Business Publications

It's hard to keep up to date with the latest thinking on International Business, Globalisation, Business Strategy and international business news. There are some very robust publications available to keep you informed. Two of my favourites are sponsored by the leading MBA business schools of Harvard and Insead. The harvard Business review publishes the latest articles on management thinking as well as topics such as leadership, strategy and innovation. Inseads World Business covers real changes and events happening globally. It has an excellent section that summarizes the latest business book releases. Another must read publication is Booz Allen Hamiltons Strategy and Business magazine. Strategy and Business has considered articles that go to the heart of contemporary challenges facing business. Often citing real world scenarios it is an invaluable guide to the innovations in the consulting world.

Top Business publications

Strategy + Business - Booz Allen Hamilton

Harvard Business Review - Harvard Business School

World Business - INSEAD

Business Week

Fast Company

Business 2.0

Monocle - From the founder of Wallpaper

Edinburgh Partner Schools: Copenhagen

Part of international MBA program at Edinburgh university involves spending a term at one of Edinburghs partner institutions. The universtity has global links top ranking schools. Here I will share some of my learnings about each starting with the Copenhagen Business School (CBS)

CBS is a strong school in scandinavia. It is a good choice for candiadates wishing to explore opportunities for working in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland when graduating.

Strengths
CBS is located in a country that is regularly ranked as the most competitive in the world For it's size Denmark punches above it weight in international business. Living and studying in this environment would allow you to understand the culture that has delivered this success.

Over the years CBS have developed a unique understanding of knowledge intensive
companies and it is this focus that has created the basis for their new MBA
programme where the courses are specifically tailored to provide the
participants with the necessary knowledge to hold leadership positions in this
kind of organisation.

Edinburgh students choosing CBS are expected to take four courses whilst attending the school

Location and Climate

CBS is goegraphically relatviely close to Edinburgh being only an hours flight. It also shares a similar climate being on the same line of latitude. Denmark still has its own currency the Danish Kronor. Living costs are similar to other Northern European Countries.

Resources:
Wiki
Admissions
Exchange Rates

Boston

I recently took a short vacation to the city of Boston in the USA. Boston is home to the prestigous Harvard Business School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has a large student population.



Boston is one of Americas oldest cities and has a European feel. You can easily navigate the city on foot (Weather permitting!) calling in at one of Bostons many irish bars. I recommend trying the seasonal Sam Adams that is brewed in the city.


One thing I love about the US is its food. Boston has some great independent eateries. Brunch at S & S Deli was excellent and really good value. This is near MIT and a nice walk over the Charles Bridge.

Being a bit of a book worm I had to check out the Harvard Bookstore just outside Harvard Square. It has a basement department selling good quality second hand books as well as a good selection of new academic publications. Nearby is the international magazine stand which carrys every conceivable publication from all over the world. I felt at home reading Timeout London!


A trip to Harvard would not be complete without touching the shoe of the famous statue of John harvard. I learnt that most of what I thought I knew about him are infact myths. This was a popular tourist site and very busy.


Near to downtown Boston is the New England Aquarium. This was a hit for families with young kids. I thoroughly enjoyed the penguins and the massive marine life Aquarium. Well worth the money.

Flying to Boston took 61/2 hours from london and with the exchange rates currently £1.00 for $2.00 it is very good value. Your money goes far. It can be cold but with clear blues skies it is a beautiful historic city.

Resources:
Boston wikipediaExpedia - Get there and away
Exchange rates

Tangiers - a new contender in the worlds container ports

An excellent article from World Business profiling business development in North Africa includes a section on Tangiers free zone. $100 million development capital from UAE and a $200 million government loan started a massive construction effort at port Tangiers in Moroco.

Development
Construction has been underway for three years.

Tangiers is finally enjoying something of a renaissance and Tanger-Med is at the heart of it.

The port's container activities will be complemented by a series of free zones, which will develop the country's import and export capacity. "The philosophy is to take advantage of our geographical location, but the objective is to fuel the development of a real industrial platform for Europe, North America and West Africa,"

Growth

It comes at a good time. Morocco's trade with the EU is booming: exports rose from $7.1 billion in 2001 to $11.3 billion in 2006, while imports soared from $11 billion to $22.4 billion. Trade between Africa and Europe is also rising: African exports to the EU doubled between 1999 and 2006 to $113 billion. The country also signed a free trade agreement with the US in January 2006 that is expected to lead to an increase in exports to North America.

Some of the worlds largest shipping lines are already customers: AP Moller-Maersk , MSC and CMA-CGM

Building local industry
Officials are optimistic of the long term benefits to manafacturing and just in time deliveries to Europe

But Mouilek says that it is the possibility of working 'just-in-time' with Europe that constitutes the biggest draw. "Take a retail business such as a consumer goods supermarket chain. It consolidates orders at Shanghai out of products originated from China and neighbouring Asian countries. The order preparation is labour-intensive. If you ordered directly from China, it would be cheap, but it would take a month. If you did it from here, you could have your order sent directly to the supermarkets at a competitive labour cost. We can deliver anywhere in Europe within 12 to 48 hours."

Challenges to come
The unique economic environment has expediated the development of the port but there are still significant challenges ahead

First on the list is the workforce: the local population is poorly educated,
even by Morocco's low standards. The literacy rate was just 53.5% in 2005, and
many of the workers on site are from the better educated south. Finding the
required level of skills for the 150,000 or so jobs will be difficult; Sylvain
Gimenez, project director for Bouygues Construction, says that it's at
supervisor level that skills are lacking.

Tangiers has ambitions be to be a top ten container port in terms of capacity. It faces strong competition from the worlds established container ports.

THE WORLD'S TOP CONTAINER PORTS

Country Port Capacity2006(TEU m)

Singapore Singapore 28.7
Hong Kong Hong Kong 26.1
China Shanghai 19.1
China Shenzhen 17.9
S Korea Busan 12.7
Netherlands Rotterdam 11.8
Belgium Antwerp 11.2
UAE Dubai 10.4
Germany Hamburg 10.1
Taiwan Kaohsiung 9.4
US Los Angeles 9.3
China Qingdao 9.2
US Long Beach 8.6
Malaysia Port Kelang 7.9
Malaysia Tanjung Pelepas 6.7

Source: Drewry Shipping

But in this industry lates comers have been able to leapfrog to the lead in the past. So far Tangiers is off to a great start. It could have significant impact on the trade agreements between the EU and the USA if it successful bringing more economic benefits to North Africa and Europe.

Resources:

wiki Tangiers

World Business Magazine

Free software tools for students

Once I have left the workplace I won't be able to rely on my companies software library for the latest tools to manage my work. The good news is that there are a wide variety of free and open source software tools available that can be used instead of your staple microsoft office suite. Here are some of the best:

Office tools

Open Office - a comprehnsive alternative to Microsoft office. It has familiar graphical user interfaces for users used to the ubiqutous microsoft office suite

Google Docs - Google docs is a light weight set office of office tools. It is perfect for when you need to access your information over the internet and store it in the cloud

Zoho - comprehensive online office toolset. This is a formidable contender to the tradional desktop office software suite.

Email

Google mail - excellent free email tool that allows you to easily search and label your email

Microsoft office live - free email tool

Project management tools

basecamp - manage your essays, group projects and presentations online. This excellent tool lets you collaborate online - perfect for group projects

ta-da list - from the makers of basecamp is this handy task tracking tool. Easily record outstanding tasks online.

Invoicing and accounts - lucky enough to be raising invoices whilst studying?

Blinksale - no nonsense invoice generation tool. Lets you email invoices direct to your clients

Freshbooks - a fuller online invoice and time tracker tool for managing billable hours.

Web browsers

Firefox - lots of free useful plugins available for this google sponsored internet browser

Opera - a simple, lightweight internet browser


So whether it is email, word processing or project collaboration there are a variety of completely free software tools available. Not only will they spare your bottom line, they could also improve your productivity during your studies!

Student Apparel!

Application Tips

It has been argued that the hardest part of business school is the application process. Business schools around the world are raising the bar as more strong candidates apply for a limited number of places at the best universities.

My own application was a long affair that helped my focus and ultimately get into what I beleive is the right school for me. Here I share my top tips

1. Time

Give yourself lots of time before your planned start date. The application process involves lots of steps including gathering references, requesting grades from your undergraduate university, taking the GMAT, preparing personal statements and visiting potential schools. You should also be applying as early as possible to your chosen institutions because whether they have a rolling application process or a series of rounds the earlier you get your application to them the better chance you have of getting the prized place.

More crucially giving yourself plenty of time to apply allows self reflection on your own reasons for doing the course. I was able to really mull the options over and properly evaluate the opportunity costs and to focus my plans.

2. Know yourself

Closely linked to time is knowing yourself. What drives you? What are your true motivations for applying, for taking the course? In the time from starting to investigate the possibilities of an MBA to actually applying I reflected many times on my true reasons for heading in this direction. I grew as a person and this self knowledge was ulimately reflected in my application. It also helps you target the appropriate school for you. Factors such as country, city, the course class size, length of program wiill all be linked to the kind of person you are.

3. Visit the school

Visiting my chosen school swung it for me. Getting to meet the enthusiastic staff and students really motivated me to send in my application. I sat in on a strategy seminar where current students presented in teams. The substance, professionalism and enthusiasm that the current students displayed made a lasting impression on me. I could really see myself in this place. If you can - make the effort to get to your chosen school and talk with current students about what it is like to actually live the life. It's also a great opportunity to impress the entrance directors and show that you are committed to the program.

Related books: How to Get Into the Top MBA Programs (How to Get Into the Top Mba Programs) (Paperback) by Richard Montauk

Top job sites

I've been Contracting in IT on and off for over six years now as as I prepare to take time out of the job market I've been considering the possbility of getting some Freelance work to fit around my studies. At the moment I'm not sure how feasible this will be given the heavy workload associated with the intensive course. That said here are my top freelance work sites that I have used in the past and will no doubt be using again:

No Agencies Please - this is a UK focussed site, fast moving and it shows jobs and short term peices of work

37 Signals gig board - largely US focussed with the occasional advert for UK based work

Jobserve - Probably the largest in the UK and Australia for IT jobs. Always has the latest contracts

Crunchboard - US focussed job board for Web 2.0 style permanent jobs, occasionally short term work

Book reviews

I've just finished The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger by Marc Levinson.

The Box chronicles the history of container shipping from the middle of the last century and explains how the technological innovation has revolutionised global business. It might just be one of the least inspiring topics of books ever but the book is well written and very readable. Marc Levinson tells the story of the rise and rise of shipping magnate Malcolm Mclean. This central figure had the vision to pursue a radically new way of operating cargo shipping. He persisted in the face of tough union opposition and government sceptisim to create new shipping services that massively reduced international shipping costs. What struck me about the introduction of this new technology were the parallels with the internet boom. Early pioneers had vision for a different way of doing business but this shook the boat (pun intended) of existing business models. Large, slow moving business were reluctant to adopt the new technology, instead attempting to undermine or impede the changes through strikes or legislation. Consequently the new innovations went elsewhere, creating new ports in Seatlle, Felixstowe and Rotterdam and took jobs and business with them. The early adopters sunk millions of dollars into developting ports, ships and cranes to cope with the new systems but they lost out after their industries became commoditised giving way to successors that were not burdened by the heavy debt of investment to achieve the technological break throughs. All sounds like Nicholas G. Carr argument in Does IT Matter?: Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage. It seems that any technological innovation follows a distinct business cycle. Globally, the countries participating in the revolution have benfited greatly: Singapore, Hong Kong, Europe and North America. And as always the countries that didn't play fall even further behin - most notably Afica. Interestly Levinson notes that Africa loses out doubly, once for missing the beneifits that hosting international shipping ports bring to a local economy such as jobs in the construction and shipping industry but also becuase African export markets cannot compete internationally becuase their high shipping costs become a barrier to entry in the global market place.

The Box and container shipping has significantly shaped the world we live in having paved the way for Just In Time management and fast global supply chains. We still benefit today from the vision of a the early pioneers over 50 years ago.

Management Consultants Get a Bad Rep...

Business blogs

The Times online has compiled a list of the top 50 business blogs. There are some great blogs list here - notably Techcrunch of which I am an avid reader and also the Fake Steve Jobs blog, this one is very funny! Unfortunately the dilbert blog was missing although I'm sure this will make it into next years list.

Monday is the deadline for any budding business week MBA bloggers. I'll be spending saturday writing my entry and I'll post here shortly after.