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Have you wondered about what it would be like to participate in one of the UMBS project courses, working on KitchenAid's entry into Asia, or AT&T's Internet strategy in Europe? In the past few years, evening students have worked on projects for the Ford Motor Company, Steelcase and the country of Croatia. This year may be your turn. The Global Projects Courses are being opened for applications by Evening MBA students through three kickoff meetings to be held the week of October 11th.
There are two courses which are available for which evening students may apply. Both courses target an issue, problem, or decision that is central to a company's near-term international strategy. The projects allow students to increase their understanding of core MBA teachings in an applied, global business context. Past projects have dealt with such issues as market entry, product line extension, industry analysis, and retail, industrial, and consumer market research. The mix of available projects changes each year, and a history of the course projects will be distributed at the kickoff meetings.
Both courses are executed in Ann Arbor and in an international setting, with between one and five weeks of international field work. Students taking Global Projects Course I should be prepared to take a seven week leave of absence from their employer in order to participate in the course, as this 7.5 credit hour course will require 100% of their time through the Winter B term. Evening MBA students have often found that Global Projects Course II's fourteen week format fits their schedules better. This course requires only a ten day leave, but still involves substantial classroom and team commitments. Both courses are open via application only to Evening MBA students who have completed all core course requirements. Students may not simply bid the course without an invitation and applicants must attend one of the kickoff meetings.
Students can also lead projects by developing project sponsorship through their companies. Several projects each year come through employers of UMBS students, including recent projects with Lilly,Procter & Gamble and Ford Motor Company. The Global Projects Faculty will work with students to help them develop these opportunities through their companies. If you would like to pursue a sponsorship through your company, please contact Paul Velasco at 734-763-4469 or via the e-mail address listed above.
We look forward to seeing you next week!
| Matjaz "Taz" Korosec, MBA2, is immersed in his MSJ reading while touring the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam this summer. Taz sure knows how to get around in style! |  |
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Jimmy Boyle (left) and D. Greg Kikorian, MBA2s, know that trail maps are okay, but if you really want to know what's going on, you can't beat the MSJ! |
Traveling Man!Derek Martin, MBA2, wins $25 by braving a pride of lions, they are in the background near the "r" inJOURNAL and carrying the most effective tool for safari- the MSJ! |
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At this time last year, while most of my classmates were deciding whether to pursue marketing or consulting for their summer internships, I was searching for something completely different. I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for, I just knew that the internship would comprise three months that I would never get back and that the decision was completely up to me. I went to the company presentations and I talked to my friends and former colleagues. I did research. I didn't find "it" whatever that was.
Then I learned about the African Business Development Corps run through the B-school. I went to the presentation and I watched the video. I talked to the people. I found "it"! Six months later, I was on a plane to South Africa for what I honestly can say turned out to be the best three months of my life.
While my friends were at home watching the Lion King, I was watching the real thing lions and elephants and penguins, oh my! I went on safari, fished the mouth of a river emptying into the Indian Ocean, watched whales playing in the bay, and stood on the top of Table Mountain. I ventured to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, went to the second largest arts and jazz festival in the world, toured wineries and hiked to the highest point in the Cape (3001m up!). I even went snow skiing! All within an eight-hour drive of my "home-away-from-home" in the beautiful, coastal city of Port Elizabeth, RSA.
Oh, yes--I worked, too. My seven-member team (four Michigan MBAs and three South Africans) created a social investment strategy for emerging markets for Ford Motor Company, and reported directly to the head of Ford/Africa. We implemented this strategy in South Africa by creating a community development program co-administered by educators, community project managers and big business. Our project covered everything involved in starting up a business business plan writing, marketing, finance, human resources and much, much more.
The best part, though, was meeting people. My eyes have been opened to dealing with issues that you will never see in this country and some that you will only see in South Africa. I made friends that will last a lifetime.
I could fill volumes with tales about my experiences, but I don't think the MSJ has budgeted for this. So, I'll just tell you this: Get out of the box! Think Africa! Your life will never be the same.
(The African Business Development Corps will be holding its informational meeting on October 29. Stay tuned for details!)
| Characteristic | Yes | No | Maybe |
| Business? | * |
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| Big name company? | * | ||
| Entrepreneurial? | * | ||
| Marketing? | * | ||
| Human Resources? | * | ||
| Finance? | * | ||
| Consulting? | * | ||
| Conventional internship? | * |
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| Domestic? | * |
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| International? | * |
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| Get paid? | Stupid Question... | ||
| Way-out opportunity? | ABSOLUTELY!! | ||
Looking for a new or broader perspective on current issues relating to women? Check out the following list of upcoming events on and around the University of Michigan campus:
Calendar of Upcoming Events:
Monday, October 5, 1998
Institute for Women's Policy Research presents: Heidi Hartman
"Women in the New Welfare Regime: Employment, Education, and Affirmative Action."
Mullin-Welch Lecture, 3:30p.m., Rackham Assembly Hall
Wednesday, October 7, 1998
The Michigan Initiative for Women's Health presents: Laurie Zabin and Maris Vinovskis
"Girl youth: First sex, first contraception, first pregnancy"
East Hall, Room 1324, 7:00p.m.
Friday, October 9, 1998
The School of Art & Design presents: Susan Meiselas
Internationally known photographer whose books include Nicaragua and Carnival Strippers. She works with Magnum Agency in New York and is an activist on behalf of democracy in Central America.
Friday, October 16, 1998 Saturday, October 17, 1998
Feminists At Work: Multicultural Feminist Influences on Practice
Within an overall, feminist context, this conference is designed to highlight the relationship between theory and practice. Sessions and panels share a political position that lies at the heart of feminist scholarship. Feminism is committed both to studying the world and to changing it.
Kay Hagan, Keynote Address
4448 East Hall, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 17, 1998
Panels and Presentations by Graduate Students from a Variety of Disciplines
4th Floor, Rackham Building, 8:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.
Sessions on Saturday will include:
Feminist Practice in the Physical Science
Negotiating Community Activism
Listening to Women
Women Writers in the Romance Languages
Practicing Feminism in the Community
Renovating Practice Models
Subverting "Traditional" Roles
Opening up New Paths
Punching the Time Clock: Another Day, Another 75 Cents
As your schedule becomes increasingly demanding, don't let your health
pay the price! University Health Service 
(UHS), a few-minutes walk from UMBS, offers a wide array of programs
to help you develop and maintain a healthy life balance. As a University
of Michigan student, you can take advantage of many free UHS services including
nutrition consulting, blood pressure screening, confidential HIV antibody
testing, and gynecological exams.
Have a health question? Anonymous answers to your health-related questions are available at the UHS website, www.uhs.umich.edu.
Cough! Sneeze! Sniffle! Flu season is upon us...give yourself a better chance of avoiding the next big "bug" with a flu shot from the UHS. Flu shots are available starting in mid-October for $9. Call the UHS information line at 764-8320, or access the UHS website at www.uhs.umich.edu for details.
Feeling stressed? Are personal issues interfering with your ability to meet the demands of school? The University of Michigan Counseling and Psychological Services, located in the Michigan Union, provides free personal counseling and short-term psychotherapy for individuals and couples. In addition, group counseling and crisis intervention is offered, along with workshops for topics such as stress management and test anxiety reduction. Learn more about the program and services at 764-8312. A 24-hour Crisis Line is available at 764-8433 or 485-3222.
Late-night transportation is available to ensure a safe ride home. "Nite Ride" is offered by Ann Arbor Taxi Service. Just $2 will take you anywhere in the city between 11:00 p.m. 5:45 a.m. Call 663-3888.
As autumn sets in, MBA2's start their interview process. One of the main goals is to create a good impression on prospective employers. By this time, all those job searchers should have spent some time thinking of how to ace the interview. Some job applicants however go light years beyond this. What follows is a survey of top executives of 100 major American corporations who were asked for stories of unusual behavior by job applicants. This is an unbelievable list of what we can only call candidate "low-lights."
1. (The candidate) said he was so well qualified that if he didn't get the job, it would prove that the company's management was incompetent.
2. Stretched out on the floor to fill out the job application.
3. Brought her large dog to the interview.
4. Chewed bubble gum and constantly blew bubbles.
5. Candidate kept giggling through a serious interview.
6. Interviewee wore a Walkman and said she could listen to the interviewer and music at the same time.
7. Bald candidate abruptly excused himself. Returned a few minutes later wearing a hairpiece.
8. Applicant challenged interviewer to arm wrestle.
9. Asked to see interviewer's resume to see if the personnel executive was qualified to judge the candidate.
10. Announced she hadn't had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and french fries during the interview.
11. Without saying a word, candidate stood up and walked out during the middle of an interview.
12. Man wore a jogging suit to interview for the position of vice president of finance.
13. Said if he was hired, he would demonstrate his loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm.
14. Interrupted to call his therapist for advice on answering specific interview questions.
15. Wouldn't get out of the chair until the interviewer would hire him. The police had to be called.
16. When the interviewer asked him about his hobbies, he stood up and started tap dancing around my office.
17. Had a little pinball game and challenged the interviewer to play with him.
18. Bounced up and down on the carpet and told the interviewer he must be highly thought of by the company because he was given such thick carpet.
19. Took the brush out of the interviewer's purse and brushed his hair and then left.
20. Pulled out a Polaroid camera and snapped a flash picture of the interviewer. Said he collected photos of everyone who interviewed him.
21. Candidate asked the interviewer if he would put on a suit jacket to ensure the offer was formal.
22. Said he wasn't interested because the position paid too much.
23. While the interviewer was on a long distance phone call, the applicant took out a copy of Penthouse and looked through the photos only, stopping longest at the centerfold.
24. During the interview, an alarm clock went off from the candidate's briefcase. He took it out, shut it off, apologized and said he had to leave for another interview.
25. A telephone call came in for the job applicant during the interview. It was his wife. His side of the conversation went like this: "Which company? When do I start? What's the salary?" The interviewer said, "I assume you're not interested in conducting the interview any further." He promptly responded, "I am as long as you will pay me more." I didn't hire him, but later found out there was no job offer. It was scam to get a higher offer.
26. The applicant came in wearing only one shoe. She explained that the other shoe was stolen off her foot on the bus.
27. His attaché case opened when he picked it up and the contents spilled, revealing ladies' undergarments, assorted make-up and perfume.
28. The candidate came to the interview with a moped and left it in the reception area. He didn't want it to get stolen, and stated that he would require indoor parking for the moped.
29. He took off his shoe and sock, applying medicated foot powder, dusted it on the foot and in the shoe. While he was putting back on the shoe and sock, he mentioned that he had to use the powder four times a day and this was the time.
30. Candidate said he really didn't want the job, but the unemployment office needed proof that he was looking for one.
31. He whistled when the interviewer was talking.
32. Asked who the lovely babe was, pointing to the picture on my desk. When I said it was my wife, he asked if she was home now and wanted my phone number. I called security.
33. She threw-up on my desk and immediately starting asking questions about the job as if nothing happened.
34. Pointing to a black case he carried into the office, he said that if he was not hired, the bomb would go off. Disbelieving, the interviewer began to state why the applicant would never be hired and that he was going to call the police. The applicant then reached down to the case, flipped a switch, and ran. No one was injured, but the interviewer needed to get a new desk.
and topping the list....
35. Asked if the interviewer if he wanted some cocaine before starting the interview.
Editor's Note:
Julie Bick received her MBA at the Wharton School, worked as a marketer and team manager at Microsoft on the Office and CD ROM businesses from 1990-1995 and is author of, "All I Really Need to Know in Business I Learned at Microsoft ." (Pocket Books 1996)
Is there really a secret to landing your dream job and having fun in your career? Maybe not, but these tips adapted from the national best seller "All I Really Need to Know in Business I Learned at Microsoft" could help you plan your Road Ahead.
Tip #1
Have your own personal board of directors
Fortune 500 companies have them. Start-ups have them. How about you? Find three to five people and ask them to be on your board. They should be senior to you and in jobs related to yours whether it's by function, company size, industry or lifestyle. Corral them for brainstorming when you have a big decision to make or a thorny problem to solve at work. Take each of them to lunch periodically to keep them updated on your career progress.
Ask your board of directors for feedback and advice. Make them your informal guidance counselors, mentors and career advisors. They may point out your Achilles heel, find you new job opportunities, or hook you up with their "uncle in the business" when you need your new venture funded. Your success will be their reward (although a nice dinner every now and then wouldn't hurt.)
Tip #2
Figure out what you'd actually do in the job before the job interview
To ace the recruiting game, think of the industry challenges you'd face, product changes you might make, or marketing programs you'd suggest if you got the job. Often, your interviewer will ask you about their own job/company/industry and pose questions about what you'd do in a variety of its aspects. Basically, your interviewer could ask you how you could make a difference if given the job.
So have an opinion on the company's products, processes or marketing efforts. Going for a job in brand management? Before the interview, sketch out a marketing plan for their product and come up with a list of features that might be cool to add or an interesting advertisement. Think about the competitors and how you'd combat them. Hey, resort to the Four P's, Porter's 5 forces or Maslow's hierarchy of whatever for a framework, but just think it through before you show up.
Tip #3
"If you were a small animal, how small would you be?"
The above line from a past Wharton MBA follies points out the absurdity of some interview questions. And while some are truly patently nutty, some are standard and expected. Practice the following out loud (really!) to a friend who won't laugh or to yourself in a mirror. If you've got the basics down pat in a concise digestible form, you will have more latitude to freelance on the more far out queries. Since you know these questions are coming, it's worth the time to prepare rather than to think on your feet.
Give me an example of:
- your leadership
- your creativity
- your problem solving
- how your experience relates to this job
- a time you had to overcome great odds
- a well-marketed product and why you think its well-marketed?
- an ad you think is good and why
- your biggest strength and weakness
When you get a far out question, don't lose your composure. Take a minute to think about it. Silence is okay in the interview room. And don't forget ... "The Case"
Why are CD's round? How many times does the average person use the word "the" in a day? This is not a test of your trivia knowledge, but your deductive reasoning (and your composure.) Break down your answer and think out loud. Your tormentor, (I mean interviewer) can hear your thought process.
For example, in the old "how many gas stations are there in the U.S.?" question, you may start out with, "Well, there are 260 million people in the U.S., 100 million households. Of those probably X percent have 2 cars, Y percent have 1 car and rest don't own a car. If they fill up the tank once a month, etc." You do not have to be super detailed, precise or know the driving habits of America, you just need to stay calm and work through it.
You may get Case questions about things going on in the job you are applying
for. Just work through it out loud, pointing out your lack of knowledge
in the industry or data, or other information 
you may need. Again, this is not a test of your exact knowledge of
the company's business it is a problem solving exercise. Sometimes
data is left out on purpose to see if you'll ask for it. Please do.
Tip #4
Think two jobs ahead
So now you have aced the interview and gotten the offer from the hot company on campus. But is it going to take you where you want to be in the long run? Maybe that other job title would look better on your resume, but does the group that you would be joining have the resources and backing to succeed? What is going to happen when you want to move on? Don't think about what your next promotion or step up the corporate food chain will be. Instead, think about where that job is going to get you. Think two jobs ahead.
Say you want to run your own company five years down the line. What are the jobs that will best prepare you for that? Want a stint in Europe as soon as possible? Which job will take you down that path? It's hard to escape the peer pressure of taking the most prestigious position or promotion you get your claws into, but keep your eye on the long term goal and prepare to achieve it.
Tip #5
Switch Lanes Every Now and Then
You may not want a permanent place on the fast track. You may take a break, want to see your kids more, or just need a change of pace every few years. One Microsoft manager left his post at the billion dollar Office software business to go work on the company's nascent baseball and basketball CD ROM's. After a year and a half of meetings with the NBA, tickets to all-star games and generally living the ultimate sports fan's fantasy, he returned refreshed and rejuvenated, to a more strategic high-pressure business area. A turn around the not-so-fast-track can have its advantages too. Your career may span 50 years, (subliminal message: unless you join Microsoft and retire in 5 years with a million dollars in stock options just kidding or maybe I'm not!) so wrestle the challenges, grab the opportunities and have fun.
I knew Andy Kim's performance had been well received by the audience
as I moved through the wall of females and tried to congrat 
ulate him on his great performance with the band Solstice. Andy and
Solstice had just completed their set for "Jazz on Main Street",
the annual Ann Arbor jazz celebration, and the groupies surrounding Andy
wouldn't let me through.
Andy Kim (BBA2), is the lead guitarist for Solstice, a band that also includes Lisa Nelson (BBA2) as female lead vocalist. "The other members of Solstice are Jim Carey on drums, Kevin Lentz on bass guitar and Tom Fivenson, lead male vocalist," Lisa Nelson
commented. "Solstice is composed of Tom and Lisa. Jim, Kevin and I were
just sitting in," Andy corrected.
Andy has no formal musical training on the guitar though he has played the violin since the 2nd grade. "I have been playing guitar for about three years now, ever since I left high school" says Andy who currently plays a 1957 Fender Stratocaster Reissue. "It has an old school look, a nice sound and it plays well. I have a couple of other guitars, but mostly I would like to get a nice, Taylor acoustic guitar." When it comes to the type of music he likes to play, Andy is very particular. "My favorite songs to play are the blues. I really like the Texas-style blues, the real low, down in the alley, searing sh-- that screams and moans and makes you wanna (expletive). I also like to play some rock n' roll, punk, grunge and acoustic stuff as a nice, occasional change of pace. I would like to learn a little jazz."
The first band he played with was Running with Scissors, in a short stint last year. "However, we never got to play any gigs and finding time to practice became increasingly difficult. Other than that, I have sat in with other bands, and played open mic nights."
Andy does not have another performance scheduled yet, but when he does, you will find it here first.
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