Posts Tagged ‘full-time mba#8217;

For the last 30 years EFMD has been organizing Case Writing Competitions with the aim to improve management education by developing new teaching materials and learning methodologies. This year IE Business School won the “Euro – Mediterranean Managerial Practices and Issues” category for the case “Novartis, Commercial Strategy for Success” written by professors Claire Bastien and Teresa Serra.

According to EFMD this year’s competition was a great success breaking the record in the number of submissions received. Education institutions across the globe can use these cases for teaching purposes, at IE Business School we take a practical approach to teaching focusing on the case methodology.

To learn more about the EFMD Case Competition click here.

During the International MBA program students have the opportunity to participate in several real consulting projects. The IE Consulting Project (IECP) is offered during the elective period and this April marked the conclusion of the April 2010 class’s IECP where 16 International MBA students presented their final projects to senior management at Unilever.

This year four teams of four students each worked on projects closely aligned with Unilever’s core activities such as Corporate Social Responsibility, Strategic Planning and Process Improvement. In order to complete these projects teams met with senior management but also visited Unilever facilities in Europe.

Duncan McIver, Works Director of Unilever’s Aranjuez facility concluded: “Once again I am extremely impressed with the caliber, professionalism and enthusiasm of the students and the work they have produced. Some projects were more strategic and others more operational, but in all cases the conclusions and recommendations have been practical, and applicable immediately to our business.”

To learn more about the International MBA program and our teaching methodology please click here:

One of IE Business School’s key values is entrepreneurship. The school was founded in 1973 by a group entrepreneurs and we are proud that 10% of our alumni start their own ventures after gradauation. Jeremy Melul, International MBA Class of 2009 graduate,  decided to start his own company Jogabo after finishing the program. We interviewed Jeremy where he shares his experiences with the MBA but also his current situation with his new venture:

Hi Jeremy, could you please introduce yourself?

My name is Jeremy Melul, I am both French and English and I graduated from the 2009 International MBA program. I currently live in London UK but I am a citizen of the world after having lived in London, Paris, Brussels, New York, Boston, Palo Alto, Sydney, Cape Town, Madrid and Pune. I work for my own startup, “jogabo”.

Why did you come to Madrid and IE?

I came to IE because I was looking for a more innovative program and something more geared towards entrepreneurship. I also wanted to diversify my US centric network a bit. After having done my Bachelor at Tufts, and my Master at Stanford, Europe was really my only option and I have to admit that the advantages of being in Madrid and getting to re-learn Spanish in such a wonderful environment really influenced me. Oh and did I mention the weather in Madrid?

Describe your International MBA experience
It was an amazing experience but it sure went by fast. Obviously I got a lot of the knowledge I was seeking coming in as an Engineer looking to get the bigger picture on things. But that is obviously not the only reason I decided to get an MBA.

Tell me about “Jogabo” the company you founded
Jogabo is the social and easy way to play soccer. Our aim is to make amateur soccer “bonito” by connecting soccer enthusiasts, facilitating the organization of games and adding a social layer of fun and competitiveness to the beautiful game. If you look at how people get their games organised or how they go about looking for playing opportunities it is quite astounding and archaic. It is a painful and inefficient process that requires using multiple disconnected tools and usually leads to many people actually not playing, which to me is the biggest concern. At any given time and location, there are many games being organized and many players potentially looking for other players. Unfortunately, they are just not aware of each other’s interest, and are not connected in any way. When you think about all the tools that are out there, be it smartphones, facebook, twitter, location aware devices (you name it), this shouldn’t happen! What we are doing is building a location aware web application for the soccer community that allows users to organize games, share their plans and discover opportunities to play in their area. Organizers can create games, invite players and get simple tools to manage their event. Players can follow games their friends are planning, as well as games that match their location and interests thereby helping them discover playing opportunities they would ordinarily be unaware of.

How did the program help you found your company?
We are a lean startup and are bootstrapping the company for now. This is obviously not what Business School prepares you for. However, the program has helped me prepare for steps we will take in the near future once we start looking for funding and we start hiring people. It is good to know that I am well equipped to tackle the future because it gives me the confidence I need to be able to just concentrate on “now”. And in startups, it is all about what is the most important thing that we need work on RIGHT NOW!

What is the next step for “Jogabo”?
The next step for us is to launch the site in closed beta, which is what we are working on non stop to make our deadline. I am actually in the US right now so that I can work closer to my technical co-founder. You know how the story starts right? “Two guys, in a garage…” so I guess we are trying to improve our odds a little bit that way.

What do you recommend to people starting the IMBA?

I have two main recommendations for new intakes. First of all, get involved in extra curricular activities through the Clubs and take a leadership role if you can. It really enhances yourwhole experience. For me it was the Football Club (obviously) and my MBA experience would not have been the same without it. It was a lot of work in addition to the existingcourse workload: organising the internal league, the 11-a-side team, the teams tournament travels to Paris, Barcelona and Los Angeles and starting the IE GreenLaces Cup. Looking back through, it was a hell of an experience with many opportunities to bond with some of my peers outside of my section. Secondly, take advantage of every minute of your MBA because it goes by fast and it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Work hard but don’t forget to play hard.

Students at IE Business School that are interested in Entrepreneurship can also join the Entrepreneurship Club or participate in Venture Lab where students have the possibility to develop a business idea and make it real. 

Chad Dixon, graduate of the International MBA program, class of 2009, was interviewed by TopMBA.com to share his professional experience post MBA.

Chad is employed by Calderys, a refractory solutions company that offers services to a broad range of industrial sectors. He was  able to secure a position combining both his favorite interests: finance and leadership. He explains the importance that the program played in helping him to achieve this  position:

“As an MBA student I was forced to develop positions on topics, under a wide range of scenarios, and quickly. An intense 15-month MBA helped me develop a certain tact, or even confidence, to move through any unknown territory I encounter.”

For the complete article please click here.

Last weekend IE ‘s Football Club became Champions when travelled to London to compete in a football tournament hosted by London Business School. Today we interviewed IE FC’s coach and International MBA 2009 graduate, Luis Arreaza.

Hi Luis, thank you for accepting doing this interview. Could you please introduce yourself?

Hi, my name is Luis F. Arreaza, Alumn from the 2009 International MBA class and coach for the current IE Football Club Men’s team. At the moment, I’m working at Horwath International, a financial consulting firm in Madrid.

Tell us more about this MBA Tournament and why IE Business School participated?

This tournament was organized by London Business School with the idea of contributing to eradicate poverty in Africa. The tournament “Tackle Africa Cup” promoted greater emphasis on investment in the African Continent.

IE Football Club participated because we are committed to causes that promote the greater good, beyond the scope of profitable business. For this reason we were keen on supporting LBS in their efforts. In 2009, LBS also supported our tournament, “GreenLaces Cup”,  aimed at raising environmental awareness. Additionally, it was a great opportunity to network and meet new people from different countries and different business schools.

What do you need to do to join IE Football Club?

IE Football Club is more than just a place where everyone comes in and plays the game. Our idea is to have dedicated individuals inside and outside the field, who represent values such as integrity, respect, honesty, dedication, determination, fraternity, and sportsmanship.

To be involved, players need to come to practice, show commitment to our cause, and help the club with extracurricular events such as fundraisers, tournaments, and charities.

Since IE Football Club is one of the most popular clubs within the IE community, it’s important to honor IE when representing all our students at international tournaments, which is another reason why we choose players that embody the values mentioned above.

How many people were selected to play the tournament and what do you look for when you make the selection?

I chose 18 players initially, based on their commitment, skills, and availability to travel.

Given that the International MBA program is quite intense, how do people manage to coordinate classes and football?

This is an interesting question because it’s one of the main reasons behind players leaving the team. IE FC staff has made sure to plan ahead our practices and training sessions so we expect students can also plan their activities.

I have told my players that this is a situation where they have to show off their management skills, and prioritize their goals. In my opinion, this experience with IE Football Club will have a huge impact during their professional lives because players will know the true identity of their characters, and realize that when they set a goal for themselves, it can materialize with hard work and determination.

A good example of this philosophy is our Championship win this past March 6^th at London Business School´s Tackle Africa Cup. We brought a group together with our willingness and dedication to succeed, everyone put their best effort forward and took the trophy home.

What is the next goal of IE Football Club?

We intend to keep training hard and recruiting students that represent IE values that we want to spread. Through this, we are confident to win upcoming tournaments such as IESE´s Spring Games and HEC´s MBA Tournament; along with other ambitious tournaments such as UCLA´s MBA World Cup.

Richard Barnard – Current student of the International MBA program Class of 2010 and Fellow student at IE Business School, writes about his experience during Core Period 1 of 13 month, intensive program. 

IMBA Program – Long days and late nights, Core Period 1 draws to a close.

As Core Period 1 draws to a close the days are getting longer and the nights later. Project deadlines, presentations and revising for the final exams have taken over our IMBA student lives.

As promised when the IMBA began, the programme has taken off with regard to workload. Deadlines are converging and with exams starting this week it is now common place to have classes all day, followed by work group meetings into the late evening, and then onto the library for late night study group sessions sometimes through until the library closes at 3am. Surviving on 4hrs sleep is becoming an art form, if not a necessity.

In sync with the workload the learning experience has accelerated. A vast quantity of information is being provided which we have to absorb and process “on the run”, learning the skills of assimilating information at high speed.

In addition to the academic work the IMBA students have enjoyed visits from Director-level representatives of Google Europe and Paramount Pictures Europe. The talks they gave have highlighted the dynamic corporate world that awaits us upon completion of our course. The speakers also reinforced the belief that we are on the right track, enhancing our professional skills in a diverse environment where the expectations of success in all that we do are sky-high. It’s always good to have some reassurance when times are getting tough.

The week ahead for me: Information Systems graded presentation on Tuesday; Marketing Fundamentals mid-term graded presentation on Wednesday; Organizational Behavior final exam on Thursday and to finish off the week in style I have my Quantitative Analysis final exam on Friday. It’s going to be long week!

To all my fellow IMBAs – good luck in your exams. Let’s stay strong, make it through the next 10 days and celebrate in style on the other side.

In addition to being ranked 3rd in Europe last month, Financial Times has ranked IE Business School full-time International MBA program 8th worldwide in the Global MBA Rankings 2011.

For the full rankings please click here.

IE Business School’s International MBA program was ranked 3rd in Bloomberg Businessweek’s latest ranking of international full-time MBA programs.

For more information click here.