Graduate Studies Blog
Introduction of our Beer, Wine and Liquor Appreciation Co-chairs, Oliver Milius and Harrison Moore, Nanyang MBA 2016/2017:
Oliver and I are the co-chairs of the “fun” group Beer, wine, and Liquor Appreciation club. Naturally we like to drink and we tend to organise more relaxed events, but with this initiative we decided to get our cohort talking, as during your MBA, and it is an intense period, we realised we had started to overlook the need for discussion of current issues.
Every couple of weeks we meet and chat over a couple of bottles of wines and snacks and we learn about each other’s views and cultures, as day to day we read the news, but it’s our colleagues who can help give us context and what people from these places really feel about the situations.
Naturally we are also planning a visit to the Tiger Brewery too, so don’t worry, it’s not all hard work and no play at NBS! – Oliver and Harrison
Reflection on one of the events by Vishwanath Sreenisavan, Nanyang MBA 2016/2017: “Thanks to Trump”
I was sitting in my usual cosy corner seat in the MBA lounge working through my assignments and pre-reading for the next day classes. Going through this ritual has become a routine for every member of the cohort. It was a normal Wednesday evening and I had lost track of time. I was brought back to this world when I suddenly heard familiar voices at 7.45 PM. Harry and Oliver, our Beer and Wine Club Co-Chairs made their way into the MBA lounge. They are the party guys and our saviours who keep us spirited and cheerful with parties and fun-filled dinners. I didn’t remember any such party being announced today and I am confident about these details as I might even forget a class but not a party! (Isn’t that what doing an MBA is all about!?) I walked cheerfully to the two gentlemen, hoping they were making arrangements for a surprise party.
It wasn’t so and they reminded me of the evening talk series they had arranged with a few of our classmates. I had waived off the mail they had sent as there wasn’t going to be a party and the topic they had chosen was about what the whole world was screaming about – You guessed it right, its Trump!! In my defence, what new could these guys discuss and bring to the table that the Wall Street Journal (provided free to us – privileges of being an MBA grad) couldn’t. So I politely refused their invite to join the discussion and went on to continue with my pre-readings again in my cosy corner seat. My fellow classmates started coming in after a few minutes and the interesting point is that, it was not only the Americans who had come, but there were Swiss, British, German, Filipino, Indians and a few others who represented almost a majority of the world map.
Sitting in my seat I was half debating to myself if I should participate as well, while the other half convinced me to finish my readings. The discussion started, Harrison poured a glass of fine Australian wine he had brought along but no one seemed to be focussed on the wine, which was surprising. Cord (An American Democrat! I pity him, he was almost moved to tears when the results were out) started talking about his view points on the election results and how he saw the future of America and the whole world politics. Suddenly Harrison (From Britain) drew a parallel between BREXIT and US Elections, Oliver (From Germany) put forward his perspective when BREXIT was on the table and unexpectedly, what started with Trump wasn’t focused on him (for once!!) and the topics were flying all around the world. From refugee crisis in Germany, London wanting to stay out of BREXIT, to the Philippines President who is fighting against drugs, the group members were sharing their thoughts and opinions on world’s current issues.
Passively listening from the corner of the lounge, it suddenly struck me, this is the exposure I have come here to experience, and the Wall Street Journal cannot offer this experience! This is what MBA is about and not just about reading Harvard cases. I neatly folded my case sheets, accepted my defeat to Oliver who had challenged me at the start of the discussion that I wouldn’t last long sitting in the corner and not participate in the discussion. I poured myself a glass of wine and moved my cosy seat to sit with the rest to listen and participate in the discussion.
I have heard a lot of people say MBA is not about learning from books but learning from experiences and I only realised how true the statement was that evening!! We have to experience MBA and I am thoroughly enjoying mine! Thanks to Trump for without him, I doubt whether the discussion would have happened.
The discussion evenings happen every fortnight and it is a great way for people of the MBA cohort to come and discuss the current events happening across the globe. Only in these discussions do we come to realize how interconnected many of the global events are and how much we are not aware of them. Time flies in these discussions and it’s a great opportunity to gain knowledge about countries that you otherwise would not have.
Vishwanath
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