You know what? It is hard to not become complacent when you have a few days off and January seems so far away. Well, I have tackled statistics (yuck, it seems "obvious" when I am in class, but not at all when I am at home trying to do it) and some marketing. And I got some of the HBR reading done.
Well, I must get focussed. I have a survey due in less than a week. Two assignments due in 10 days. Another assignment and an exam due 8 days after that. Fun, wow!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Take Home Exams...
I am at school trying to get myself motivated to write two papers: one on microeconomics and the other on macroeconomics. It's a take-home exam worth 40% of my final grade. And I can't get focussed. I think it would be better if I was with the folks in the Cornell-Queen's MBA program who are writing a sit-down exam as I type this. 10 questions. 10 marks each. 2 hours.
I have the outlines for both papers done. And about half of the "meat" for the first one done, too. I am not terribly passionate about either of the topics, so that might be part of the problem. When I wrote my paper for Global Business Environment, the issue was not my ability to use the frameworks, it was to narrow my scope. I had LOTS of passion for the topic. With Economics, I really think the issue is the lack of passion and the ability to apply the frameworks. Yikes!!
Well, I guess I better get my act together and make up some stuff. I can't tell you about what because that might be considered "talking with someone" and be considered academic dishonestly.
I have the outlines for both papers done. And about half of the "meat" for the first one done, too. I am not terribly passionate about either of the topics, so that might be part of the problem. When I wrote my paper for Global Business Environment, the issue was not my ability to use the frameworks, it was to narrow my scope. I had LOTS of passion for the topic. With Economics, I really think the issue is the lack of passion and the ability to apply the frameworks. Yikes!!
Well, I guess I better get my act together and make up some stuff. I can't tell you about what because that might be considered "talking with someone" and be considered academic dishonestly.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Some Quotes to Keep Me Motivated
"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjust the sails."
- William Arthur Ward
"Live with vision and purpose. Resilient people don't wait passively for the future to happen to them--they become the future by consciously creating it."
- Joan Borysenko
"Discipline is remembering what you want."
-David Campbell
"Resilience is a reflex, a way of facing and understanding the world, that is deeply etched into a person's mind and soul. Resilient people face reality with staunchness, make meaning of hardship instead of crying out in despair, and improvise solutions from thin air. Others do not."
-Diane Coutu
"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it [and persist at it] you can make it so."
- Belva Davis
- William Arthur Ward
"Live with vision and purpose. Resilient people don't wait passively for the future to happen to them--they become the future by consciously creating it."
- Joan Borysenko
"Discipline is remembering what you want."
-David Campbell
"Resilience is a reflex, a way of facing and understanding the world, that is deeply etched into a person's mind and soul. Resilient people face reality with staunchness, make meaning of hardship instead of crying out in despair, and improvise solutions from thin air. Others do not."
-Diane Coutu
"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it [and persist at it] you can make it so."
- Belva Davis
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Creative Destruction
So... I haven't been here as much as I thought I would. School really made me drop the less important things, which unfortunately included this blog. I could tell you about how I seriously considered quitting the program when I had 4 assignments and an exam all within a 10-day period. That was taxing. There were also some issues with the team and one of the assignments. Our team coach had to come in and assist with an intervention. At the time, I really wondered if it was worth all the hassle and if it was worth it to miss seeing my kids and husband. I still wonder about it. They say we have completed 25% of the program. OK. I can do this.
Anyway, I have an exam due on Saturday (take home) and I have been reflecting on its macro topic: Managerial Economics. Within managerial economics, we studied microeconomics and macroeconomics and I have to write an essay on each one for the exam. In our last class, we had team presentations on selected topics in macroeconomics. One was on creative destruction, which was a theory proposed by Schumpeter (who must have been a brilliant guy because The Economist recently named a section of the journal after him).
In one of the many newsletters I get to stay on top of things, it was brought to my attention that Seth Godin has put together a free book. Yep. Free. And it is good. I see this as an example of creative destruction. Seth put together a similar book a number of years ago, which had a ton of obstacles that had to be gotten through for "payment" to be made to the various charities of choice of the essayists. It was apparently painful. In this situation, he made the book free and somehow encouraged the essayists to share their intellectual capital for free. Seth Godin is changing the landscape of book writing and publishing before our very eyes. This is an example of creative destruction. Here is the link to his blog and his free book:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/what-matters-now-get-the-free-ebook.html
Anyway, I have an exam due on Saturday (take home) and I have been reflecting on its macro topic: Managerial Economics. Within managerial economics, we studied microeconomics and macroeconomics and I have to write an essay on each one for the exam. In our last class, we had team presentations on selected topics in macroeconomics. One was on creative destruction, which was a theory proposed by Schumpeter (who must have been a brilliant guy because The Economist recently named a section of the journal after him).
In one of the many newsletters I get to stay on top of things, it was brought to my attention that Seth Godin has put together a free book. Yep. Free. And it is good. I see this as an example of creative destruction. Seth put together a similar book a number of years ago, which had a ton of obstacles that had to be gotten through for "payment" to be made to the various charities of choice of the essayists. It was apparently painful. In this situation, he made the book free and somehow encouraged the essayists to share their intellectual capital for free. Seth Godin is changing the landscape of book writing and publishing before our very eyes. This is an example of creative destruction. Here is the link to his blog and his free book:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/what-matters-now-get-the-free-ebook.html
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