So how’s that MBA thing going?

This is Chris. You could probably tell from the content of the post, but Mom wanted to know who is who. Hi Mom!

Although most people probably think we’re just going on vacation and eating Kebabs every day I’m actually enjoying my MBA program as well. It’s just usually I’m too busy between work, classes, pre/post modules, vacations to actually write about the MBA.

Here is my MBA Marketing & Sales class. It’s a small tight knit group. The first few modules of the program were twice as large as we were combined with the Entrepreneurship specialty as part of the “common modules”. Accounting, finance, operations management, etc. Subjects every MBA is supposed to be competent in. Odd story behind this particular picture in front of the Palace Lichtenstein, where the classes are held. The professor for the Innoveation module was a guest professor from a school in London (TU). He wanted to get a picture in front of the palace because, “It’s a very American thing to do, and we should all do it,” he said. But he had never been to Vienna, land of the thousand palaces and I think he just wanted to go back and brag to his faculty, “Hey I got to teach at this palace in Vienna!”

Here I am at the front of the class presenting a case study during our Strategy module. The groups are usually divided into 4-5 people, but for presentations it’s usually easiest just to have a couple presenters to keep things running smoothly. Invariably “the native speaker” (me) is always one of the 2. Side note, this above lecture room was not at the Palais Lichtenstein, but the Palais Strudelhof, as it Strategy was part of the combined Common Body of Knowledge modules

Everything in Vienna has history and the Palais Strudelhof has it’s own share. A few of us asked one of the caretakers what the palace was famous for, and he showed us a special room they usually keep locked. It’s the room where the Austrian and German generals planned the response to the assination of Arch Duke Ferdinand. They wrote the ultimatium to the Serbian countries and planned the invasion strategy that started World War I in this room. Another side note, the ultimatium was written in French, the language of diplomacy at the time. There was a copy of the ultimatium in the room along with a little plaque. This was also the room where the START I treaty was signed between the USSR and the USA back in the 70s to halt/control nuclear arms development.

Here’s the stairway up to class in the Strudelhof. It’s much nicer than the elevator for some reason…. I’ll try to get pictures of the Lichtenstein soon.