Serie - John Molson Case Competition - Felix Haubold Testimonial

Felix Haubold a German student at International MBA Full Time at FIA Business School give his opinion about the Competition at John Molson Business School. 

Participating in the John Molson MBA Competition 2016 was a truly inspiring and decisive part of the MBA Program. Having the chance to exchange ideas and perspectives on challenging cases with students from across the world and a variety of judges was exceptional. The cases and structure of the competition forced the team to improve and enhance its level of communication as well as improving our analytic and presentational skills, lifting our post graduate learning curve exponentially. The analyses that were required to solve and win the cases were challenging and provided a great insight into a far more competitive and professional experience beyond a purely academic factor.

An important part of the competition is the coach whom holds a crucial part to the team’s success through feedback and advice. Participating in this competition allows business schools to extend its network and outreach and creating academic exchanges which lift the competitive level of each participating school.

Competing in a global event with 36 of the best teams from globally renowned business schools spanning 19 countries and 6 continents is a truly uplifting experience, and, for an MBA, can only be described as a defining moment during his MBA program.

(Learn more about our course:http://www.fia.com.br/internationalmba)

Serie - John Molson Case Competition - Depoimento de Marco Aurélio Gehlen

Marco Aurélio Gehlen é aluno da turma 8 do Americas MBA do Profuturo FIA, e é “Reliability Engineer” na Embraer desde 2014 mas atua na empresa desde 2012. EM 2016 o aluno integrou o time do Profuturo FIA na John Molson Case Competition e deu seu depoimento de como foi esta experiência:

Marco Aurélio Gehlen is an Americas MBA student at Profuturo FIA and Reliability Engineer at Embraer since 2014, working at the company since 2012. In 2016, he joined the Profuturo FIA team in the John Molson Case Competition and gives his testimony on the experience:

“A competição de resolução de cases realizada na John Molson School of Business de Montreal é um desafio que vai além das fronteiras acadêmicas e profissionais. Trata-se de um desafio pessoal. Em um ambiente extremamente competitivo, durante uma semana, cada participante vive fora de sua zona de conforto ao ter pouco tempo de preparo para defender estratégias que são extremamente estressadas por bancas de juízes experientes de todo o mundo. Ao mesmo passo, competidores de escolas de negócios renomadas buscam dar o melhor de si para apresentarem coerência na tomada de decisão, utilizando seus melhores alunos, ferramentas e métodos.

"The case resolution competition held at the John Molson School of Business in Montreal is a challenge that surpasses academic and professional boundaries. It is a personal challenge. In an extremely competitive environment for one week, participants live outside their comfort zone, having scarce preparation time to advocate strategies that are scrutinized to the extreme by panels of experienced judges from all over the world. To the same end, renowned business schools seek to give their best to present consistency in decision-making, making use of their best students, tools and methods.

Mesmo líderes experientes encontrarão no evento um chamariz para se superar. O tempo é escasso, a vitrine que expõe a reputação da escola e do participante é abrangente e a cobrança pessoal a fim de se provar um estrategista, fazem da semana uma experiência intensa. Clichês sobre trabalho em equipe se põe a prova trazendo à baila diferenças culturais, “mindsets” provenientes de diferentes “backgrounds” e uma mistura de sentimentos e ações que rapidamente, e necessariamente, se concretizam em um planejamento estratégico para um problema complexo recém conhecido. A combinação necessária de pensamento não-linear com pensamento orientado a processo para fazer acontecer, tornam a experiência ainda mais agregadora. É preciso inovar e vender ao mesmo tempo em que a implementação deve ser viável (exatamente como o cotidiano nos exige), porém o evento extrapola um ambiente de pressão que alguém possa clamar “realidade do dia-a-dia”. Com 36 escolas e com seus respectivos melhores alunos e orientadores de 19 países somados a mais de 200 juízes interagindo, vivem-se os conceitos de liderança em ambientes multiculturais, gestão de conflitos e tomada de decisão em meio a incerteza acrescidos de um desconforto constante que só resulta em crescimento. Independente dos desafios profissionais prévios, o John Molson Case Competition é um ambiente intenso em que o aprendizado certamente acontece. ”
(Saiba mais sobre nossos cursos: http://www.fia.com.br/executivo)

Even experienced leaders find allurement in the event to overcome themselves. Time is scarce, the showcase that exposes school and participant reputation is comprehensive and the pressure to prove oneself a strategist, make this week an intense experience. Clichés about teamwork are put to the test, bringing up cultural differences, mindsets from different backgrounds and a mixture of feelings and actions that quickly and necessarily must materialize into strategic planning for a complex issue just recently uncovered. The required combination of non-linear thinking with process-oriented thought to make it happen, make the experience even more valuable. We need to innovate and sell at the same time that implementation must be feasible (just like everyday demands), but the contest goes beyond a pressure environment one can call "day-to-day reality". 36 schools with their best students and coaches, from 19 countries, added up to more than 200 judges, all interacting, participants experience the concepts of leadership in multicultural environments, conflict management and decision-making amid uncertainty, plus a constant discomfort that only results in growth. Regardless of previous professional challenges, the John Molson Case Competition is an intense environment where learning certainly happens." (Learn more about our courses: http://www.fia.com.br/internationalmba)

Serie - John Molson Case Competition - Mahindra Finance: Accelerating Growth

Saiba mais sobre os casos resolvidos por nossa equipe na “John Molson Case Competition” no Canadá em Janeiro, formada pelos alunos do International MBA do Profuturo FIA, André Felipe Torres, Marco Aurélio Gehlen, Felix Haubold, Adam Dugan Strott e pela “coach” Samantha Mazzero. Ela comenta sobre o caso “Mahindra Finance: Accelerating Growth”. 

Read more about the cases solved by our team in January for the the "John Molson Case Competition" in Canada. Composed of Profuturo FIA’s International MBA students, André Felipe Torres, Marco Aurélio Gehlen, Felix Haubold, Adam Dugan Strott and Coach Samantha Mazzero. She comments our team’s experience in the case "Mahindra Finance: Accelerating Growth". 

“Vencemos nosso terceiro caso, que solicitava o desenvolvimento de planejamento estratégico para operacionalizar o crescimento na Índia e região por meio de diversificação e foco no cliente. O caso demandava uma forte análise de posicionamento e competição, onde “timeline” e a viabilidade precisavam ser coerentes para ação imediata. Em adição, requeria o uso de tecnologia para alcançar um maior número de clientes. Um dos mais complexos e difíceis da competição. Os “feedbacks” oficiais dos juízes, disponibilizados para os “coachs” pela organização da competição, elogiaram mais uma vez a forma criativa de pensar soluções e recebemos duas notas 9 no “Q&A” sobre capacidade de argumentação e defesa das proposições. Também demonstramos forte capacidade em demonstrar a viabilidade do projeto proposto, um dos itens de maior peso na avaliação dos juízes.
Ganhamos a última rodada dos casos, mas pela somatória de pontos não conseguimos alcançar a liderança da chave. Todavia, fizemos nossa melhor pontuação e alcançamos a melhor colocação de nossa participação. Nosso histórico é positivo, em 2014 ficamos em 29º, em 2015 em 23º e agora em 2016 em 18º com 3 vitórias e uma pontuação de 110 pontos (1 ponto a mais que 2015). Segundo os próprios organizadores, o evento fica mais competitivo a cada ano, especialmente com um preparo cada vez mais forte por parte das equipes. Em nossa divisão ganhamos inclusive dos líderes que foram às semi-finais deste ano e os vice-campeões de 2015: Porto Business Schools."

(Saiba mais dos nossos cursos: http://www.fia.com.br/executivo)

"We won our third case, which required the development of strategic planning for operational growth in India and the region through diversification and customer focus. The case demanded strong positioning and competition analyses, where timeline and viability should be consistent for immediate action. In addition, the case required the use of technology to reach more customers. One of the most complex and difficult cases in the competition. The official feedback by judges, made available to coaches by the competition, once more praised the creative thinking and solutions presented by the team, receiving two “9”s for the Q&A on argumentation skills and defense of propositions. We also excelled in demonstrating the feasibility of the project proposed, one of the most important criteria in the judges’ evaluation.
Although our team won the last round, the sum of points did not grant the lead in our division. However, we won more points and had the best performance ever. Our trajectory is positive: in 2014, ranked 29th, in 2015, 23rd, and now in 2016, 18th place, with 3 wins and a score of 110 points (1 point more than in 2015). According to the organizers themselves, the event becomes more competitive each year, especially due to the increasingly tougher preparation of teams. We even won against our division’s leader, who went to the semi-finals this year and were runners-up 2015: Porto Business School."

(Learn more about our courses: http://www.fia.com.br/internationalmba)

An Unforgettable Trip to Vancouver

The FIA students went to Vancouver for the first international week of the AMERICAS MBA. The experience has been great.

First of all, the opportunity  to meet the colleagues of Simon Fraser University (Canada), Vanderbilt (USA) and ITAM (Mexico). The integration with the colleagues from the other schools was great. Most of the students stayed at the DELTA HOTEL, 2 minutes walking distance from SFU. Working together on the different assignments and also relaxing together after the work had been done. Downtown Vancouver is wonderful, offering an international environment.

Second, challenging classes focusing on Cross Cultural Teams and Strategy with Professor Dani Shapiro, Dean of SFU Beedie School of Management. Interesting classes, challeging assignments and lots of discussions and cases. In an intense program students stayed from 8:00 to 21:00 hours inside the SFU building, working hard and interacting with different business cultures and cases.

Third, last but not least, the Capstone Project: 7 challenging and interesting projects which will enable the students to develop the international consulting projects during the next 8 months. A great opportunity to practice the theoretical baggage in real life cases, with international teams. Each team has students from all 4 business schools. Great business challenges, combined with an academic background, manage a crosscultural team, up to 6 hours of time difference and interaction with real clients.

And let us not forget the moments spent with colleagues from all over the world, the leisure moments, the barbecue, the soccer game and the city tour! An opportunity to build links, a network thqat will last for the rest of the life.

A great introduction to an unforgettable experience. 

The FIA AMERICAS MBA!

by Prof Dirk Thomaz Schwenkow