hilary [week 10]: oxford literary festival

It was time to head into town to reward myself with a nice caramel macchiato. I had just finished delivering a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation on our Darjeeling Tea Single Estate business proposal, and I was in need of some refreshment.

Every Hilary term, MBAs must pass the “Entrepreneurial Project (EP)” in order to graduate. The EP counts for one class, and is broken-up into two parts. The presentation part that I had just completed (40% of grade) lasted 30-minutes in total (i.e. 10m presentation, 10m Q&A, and 10m feedback). The second part of the EP consists of an 8,000 word paper/business plan (60% of grade), and is due on the first day of Naught Week (Trinity Term). The examiners will give us back the first part of our grade as early as this Monday, which coincidentally is the first day of finals.

But before I could start worrying about exams, I was driven by a much more important mission. To wrap my hands around a nice comforting cup of coffee goodness. As I walked through the Broad Street entrance into Waterstones bookstore in the old William Baker House, something immediately caught my attention. I came across an interesting flyer advertising the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival, which was to start tomorrow.

So, I grabbed a flyer, and made my way up the two flights of stairs to the Costa Coffee café. I couldn’t believe my good luck! I found a new reason to come back to Oxford after I graduate. From this Saturday, March 20 until next Sunday, March 28 over 300 accomplished authors will be speaking across the University.

Each event costs £10 to attend, and they do not offer student discounts (I asked). Most events will be held at Christ Church. They’ve set-up special outdoor tents near the Memorial Garden entrance off St. Aldates that extend into the Masters Garden. Other authors will speak at Corpus Christi College, the Bodleian, and the Sheldonian.

I’ve taken a break from studies to see some fellow Exonians, namely Martin Amis and Philip Pullman. This Saturday I attended “The Fantasy Tradition at Oxford” at 2pm with authors Philip Pullman (Golden Compass), and William Horwood (Duncton Wood). I bought the “Golden Compass” for £7.99 and had Pullman sign it for me. I told him about my blog, too, but he seemed…confused/disinterested.

Next Saturday, Martin Amis will be speaking on his new book, “The Pregnant Widow.” I don’t know much about the book, but it appears rather miraculous how a widow can get pregnant – surely there must be some dramatic way around this?

There are many other fun events that I wish I could attend, but just don’t have the time. For example, the Director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor spoke at the Sheldonian about “A History of the World in 100 Objects.” On a sassier note, Dr. Brooke Magnanti will speak more about her literary career as blogger-cum-author where she recounts her days as a high-end call girl to pay for her doctoral studies at Sheffield.

I strongly urge you to pick up a schedule at either Blackwells or Waterstones, or simply walk down to Christ Church and follow the signs. I look forward to making the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival a regular tradition for my family.

hilary [week 0]: entrepreneurial project

As you may already know from reading my previous blogs, the Oxford school year is separated into Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity terms. Furthermore, each term is divided into roughly 11-weeks. Week 0, also referred to as "naught week," marks the start of students returning from their holiday break. Students then attend class from Weeks 1-8, revise for finals during Week 9, and finally take their exams during Week 10. But for an Oxford MBA...the work never really ends.

I was working on several "pet projects" ever since returning to New York on December 19th. As soon as I returned to Oxford on January 13th for the start of Hilary term, I wasted no time executing my plans. In my next blog I will talk about the various initiatives I'm taking to raise the profile of the Oxford Finance Club. But for now I'll talk about the "Entrepreneurial Project (EP)" that I worked on over the Christmas break.

First, a little context. To combat the criticism that B-schools do not impart their MBAs with any practical "real-world" experience, many programs now include business plan and consulting project components. Following this logic, by the end of Hilary term Oxford MBAs are expected to pitch our EP (business plan) to a panel of venture capitalists - some plans are actually funded by the VCs. Each EP group must consist of no more (or less) than 5 people. I am pleased to be working with Adarsh, Court, Genia, and Rajeev this term. Together, we must also submit a 6,000 word report related to our EP.

After considering several options, we decided to form an EP group around the topic of Darjeeling Tea in India. I was motivated to try something new and different, but at the same time leverage my financial knowledge of auction markets, as well as my business knowledge of owning a coffee shop. To kick things off, I invited everyone to Exeter College for a formal dinner on Sunday. I brought a sampling of Darjeeling Tea products. I also shared my findings on product offerings, and pricing, from research performed in the exotic reaches of...New York. After several brain-storming sessions, we decided to focus on helping tea cooperatives in Darjeeling get a better price for their tea by arranging an online auction system. We will also help local plantations implement new technologies, as well as re-market their product so that it may reclaim its moniker of being the "champagne of teas." It will be an interesting journey, and I can't wait for my first trip to India!