Lunch with Stuart

The career services team let us out early, so I am enjoying the view of the lake from the MBA foyer just before the sun sets. Although the only visible movement are the cars passing by it reminds me that there actually is a world outside.

I spent most of the night pulling Economics professor Ralf Boscheck's model for 'Industry & Competition Analysis' (ICA) down over the container shipping industry. I am not sure that I really got it, but at least we will get some feedback so we can start covering the gaps. It is my impression that most of the class had spent the evening and a good part of the night doing the very same thing.

With only a few hours of sleep I was not feeling too fresh this morning. At lunch I managed to get 45 minutes of sleep in the dungeons. What a difference that made! I was completely reenergized. I guess there is something about that old saying that one hour of sleep during the day equals three hours of sleep at night. I have never seen the scientific evidence of that, but I don't really need to. It definitely feels as if it is true.

13 of the students in the class had lunch with Professor Stuart Read today. The 13 of us had that in common that Stuart was facilitating the case discussion on the day we interviewed on campus. For my part that was back in May. There was no particular agenda for the lunch, just a chit-chat on how we had liked the start of the program and living in Lausanne. As we parted Stuart told us that his door and email always was open if we ever needed help or good advise. That has been the general attitude for all faculty members I have met so far. I know Stuart has done several start-ups in Silicon Valley, which I find fascinating, so I might go and poke him a bit more on that one day.

Thorsten

The bubble is building

My stuff arrived from Denmark on thursday. I have finally gotten it unpacked, so now I really feel settled in. I also got my bicycle, so now I can make the trip to the school in a little more than a minute if the traffic light on Avenue de Cour is green. Coming from little flat Denmark with no hill high enough to officially qualify as a mountain I find the steep roads of Lausanne deceiving. Let go of the break for a second and you find yourself blasting down the hill at tremendous speed. 

Most importantly my motorbike also arrived. It is now standing in the basement drained for water and gas. It is still way to cold too take it out for a spin. I can't wait for the spring to be here, so I can get my first cruise in the Swiss mountains. The coming month's schedule does not leave much time for cruising, but then again; time is always a matter of priority.

The class of 2009 officially 'inaugurated' the White Horse pub last night. A big 'Thank you!' goes to the class of 2008 for the gift that they left for us there!! For those readers who may not be familiar with the White Horse I can add that it is the regular watering hole for the IMD cattle. The staff there is very friendly and clearly used to the international clientele. Some students ventured off to other places after the White Horse closed. I went home to catch the first full nights sleep in a week.

I also start getting the idea of what this famous (or infamous) 'IMD bubble' is all about. Since I walked my girlfriend to the train monday evening I have basically not been in any other location than the school, my apartment, the White Horse and the roads that connects these three places. Next week does not appear to be any different. I do not really feel it you yet, but I see how the bubble slowly is lowering itself on us.