Author Archives: kevin burke

Connecting Globally

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Prior to coming to McCombs I had extremely limited international experience. In putting together my application I emphasized that I felt this lack of exposure was a weakness and that I intended to utilize my two years in business school as an opportunity to gain familiarity with other cultures. At the time I thought that a Global Connections trip would be the perfect opportunity to combined business study with cultural experience. Having just returned from a two-week adventure in Southeast Asia with 31 of my fellow classmates I can safely say that the trip was the most influential experience that I have had in my brief time at school.

This year seven Global Connection trips were offered. Students had the option of bidding on trips to China, India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Russia, South Africa and South America. In making my selection, I focused on the current economic environment of the region, the history and the culture. If the region I chose also happened to have great food, weather and access to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world than that would just be an added bonus. So based on my criteria, Southeast Asia was my clear first choice, and after a brief stint on the waiting list, I was booking tickets to fly to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The next seven weeks were spent in classroom sessions, led by Professor Steve Courter, studying the history of both Vietnam and Thailand with the rest of the members of the trip. Groups were assigned to specific historical periods of each country and were responsible for getting the class up to speed before we left. In addition, each group was assigned a mini-Consulting project with one of the companies that we would be visiting during our trip with the idea that primary research would be completed before we left, supplemented with insights while we were on the ground and finally completed when we returned to the United States. The companies included US Commercial Services, HSBC, Ford, IBM and Intel in Vietnam and Siam Cement Group, the Thai Board of Investments and the Thai Stock Exchange in Thailand.

While we spent hours upon hours studying prior to leaving on our trip, the real learning took place once we were actually experiencing the cultures for ourselves. Beginning our trip in Ho Chi Minh we had the chance to witness the vibrancy of an economic center only a few decades removed from devastating military conflict. I think we were all amazed by the sheer volume of people, activity, motor scooters and business taking place on the streets of the city. In speaking with the US Commercial Service, and later with the Vietnamese Ministry of Trade, we gained a greater understanding of business practices within the centrally planned economy, the growth of US business presence in the country and the increasing importance of Vietnam as a trade partner.
In addition to this business learning we also had the chance to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, spend a day floating the Mekong Delta, shop in the huge market places and eat Pho three meals a day (including the same restaurant that Bill Clinton dined in during his historic visit to the country).

After seeing as much of Ho Chi Minh as we could in 4 days, we all boarded a plane and flew to Hanoi, the political capitol of Vietnam. Here we had additional opportunity to interact with business leaders and tour the heavily French influenced sights of the city. We also had the unique privilege of taking a private boat tour of Halong Bay, Vietnam’s current nomination for inclusion into the new 7 natural wonders of the world. Despite the fog covering the bay that day, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. The trip also included tours of underground canyons decorated by stalactites and stalagmites, shopping and a five-course lunch offering. A long day was then capped by second-year Travis “Danza” Preece leading a capella karaoke sessions on the four hour bus ride back to the city.

While Vietnam provided us with a glimpse into an emerging economy, Bangkok, Thailand provided a look at a mature, thriving economic center with a much more developed infrastructure. Our time in the city started with a tour of the beautiful Buddhist temples that dot the cityscape. We also had the chance to meet and dine with University of Texas alumni and discuss their experiences working abroad in such a dynamic setting. Our company visits were highlighted by hearing about the strategic challenges Thai companies face in diversifying their product offerings, expanding internationally and listing on the Thai stock exchange. All of this was in addition to experiencing the world-famous Bangkok nightlife.

The trip ended with a private dinner at Thailand’s Six-Star Peninsula Hotel. The following morning groups of students travelled independently to Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Ko Phi Phi islands. My group chose the Islands, and while I won’t bore you any longer by rehashing details of personal vacation time, I will say (and I believe the picture will confirm) that you would be hard pressed to find more beautiful and private beaches anywhere in the world.

So ultimately the trip was an unbelievable success! I was able to explore one of the most fascinating regions of the world and gain a deeper understating of the implications and opportunities for US companies expanding abroad. Even more importantly I learned how little I really know about other cultures, which has given me the inclination to complete more travel over the coming years. I have been bit by the travel bug and I am already considering which trip to go on next year!

Until next time.

Scooters crowd the Streets of Ho Chi Minh

Scooters crowd the Streets of Ho Chi Minh

Private Cruise on Halong Bay

Private Cruise on Halong Bay

Monks Chant in front of the Golden Buddha

Monks Chant in front of the Golden Buddha

“The Beach” sans Leonardo DiCaprio

“The Beach” sans Leonardo DiCaprio

MBA 2011 Jeremy Battier boldly leads us through the Mekong Delta

MBA 2011 Jeremy Battier boldly leads us through the Mekong Delta

Up for a Challenge?

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A couple of weeks ago Deloitte Consulting came to campus for their annual Consulting Case Challenge- one of the most highly anticipated challenges of the year. Twenty teams battled for the top prize, setting a new record for participation in the process. In addition to the overwhelming turnout of first-year students, Deloitte added a wrinkle to the competition by placing BBA Honors students on each team of MBA’s. This change expanded each team and added the additional dynamic of incorporating a younger team member that the vast majority of teams were meeting for the first time.

The competition also presented me with my first taste of the challenge environment. Earlier in the semester I had to back out of the Global Challenge due to a bout with the (non-swine) flu. I had high expectations entering the night and having survived 37 straight hours of academic induced adrenaline I can now confidently say that it was a tremendous experience all around.

The energy surrounding the kick-off of the challenge was palpable as representatives from Deloitte gave us the rundown of how the night and following morning would play out. Cases were distributed at 7:00 pm and the final deck outlining each team’s solution to the case was due at 7:30 am the following morning. There is no sleep. There is no rest. There is only caffeine, trail mix, battles with Powerpoint and the constant struggle to keep each other focused on putting together a coherent solution to a real business challenge. You really learn a lot about your fellow classmates by spending 12 hours together in a confined space, both good and bad. In my case the former drastically outweighed the latter as we were able to draw on each of our unique strengths in creating our presentation. We left my apartment a mess of storyboards and empty red bull containers confident that we had positioned ourselves for success once we stepped in front of the judges.

And then the waiting starts. The gap between leaving for campus and stepping into our designated cohort room for our first round presentation was nearly three hours. More than enough time to become even more fatigued, second guess your content and trip over your lines a few dozen times. I even had to walk out of our last “dry run” when, at 26 hours with no sleep, my brain and mouth refused to collaborate on an explanation of competitive forces.

But when the actual time to perform came our team came through. While we were not able to see any of the 4 other teams that we competed against in the first round, we left the room feeling as if we had presented ourselves well enough to advance. During lunch we found out that not only we had advanced to the final round, but also that team member Josh Thacker took home the Best Speaker Award for our section.

A couple of more walk-through’s and we were presenting to a now full-house of Deloitte judges and fellow students. The final presentation carried a new level of intensity as everyone knew how close to the finish we all were. We were the last group to present so unfortunately we did not get to watch any of the other, however by all accounts each team performed extremely well.

Ultimately we came up just short, finishing second in a tight vote. It was a strong finish and reinforced my desire to work in the consulting industry. It also generated a new level of respect for my classmates as I was immensely impressed with their ability to perform under such difficult conditions. Special shout out to fellow team member and McCombs blogger Kalin McKenna for her resounding performance opening and closing our arguments. And congratulations to fellow blogger, Dirk Hallen and the rest of the “After School Specials” for taking home first place. Last, but not least, thank you to Deloitte Consulting for continuing to support the McCombs School of Business and for putting on such a great event.

And if you have made it this far into this blog post, congratulations to you too, since you are probably as tired as I was after 37 hours.

Until next time.

Making up for Lost Time

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So let me start off by saying “My Bad.” Apparently things get quite busy during the first semester of business school and unfortunately my blog posting suffered dramatically as a result. I apologize. But now I am back with a renewed dedication and plenty of stories to share about the fastest seven weeks of my life.

First some updates on how I have decided to allocate my time on campus. After some serious deliberation I decided to join the Graduate Consulting Group, Graduate Finance Association and the Sports, Entertainment and Media Association. All three of the group’s offer unique career preparation and resources to prepare individuals both inside and outside of the classroom. Just this week the GFA lead a career trek to Wall Street, the GCG rolled out their new Case Preparation Mentorship program and SEMA finalized the details on the SEMA ’09 Sports Entertainment and Media Business Conference. The breadth and quality of these offerings speak volumes about the passion and leadership abilities of the students who run the organizations.

I also was fortunate enough to be selected for the McCombs Admissions Committee. The MAC plays a crucial support role to the Admissions staff in cultivating relationships with prospective students. It is a great opportunity to give back to the program as well as aide in the formation of the next class. My interactions with MAC members, while I was deciding on which business school to attend, were huge factors in my ultimate decision to come to McCombs.

Finally, I was given the opportunity to lead a Plus Project with Deloitte Consulting. As a career switcher, wanting to transition to the field of Management Consulting, I am excited about the real-world experience the project provides. Working closely with an elite consulting firm such as Deloitte is both rewarding and challenging and has offered me a glimpse into what my future career may entail. It is this type of real world application that makes the Plus Program such a differentiating feature of McCombs.

So now that everyone is caught up on what I have been doing (I know – try to contain your excitement), here is a little preview of what I will be blogging about over the coming weeks:

• Finals week survival kit
• MBA’s take 6th street
• The Red River Shootout and Texas State Fair
• The Deloitte Consulting Challenge
• Why Austin is Awesome

And of course I am always ready to answer questions or go into more detail about my experiences here at McCombs. Until next time- Hook ‘em Horns!

Survive and Advance

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Despite the fact that I went to a D-3 University without a football team, I am a die-hard college sports fan. Whether it is a meaningless spring practice or the national championship game I am all in when it comes to athletics. However, there is one particular event that rises above the rest every year, and that is the Men’s NCAA Basketball tournament. Personally, I think March Madness is the single greatest event in all of sports and I have been known to forget birthday’s and blow off dates in an effort to catch a miracle upset during opening weekend.

But I digress. There is a saying that announcers, coaches, and players alike are fond of echoing after hard fought wins in the NCAA tournament, “Survive and Advance.” It is essentially a way of acknowledging that while it may not be pretty or easy, just getting through the game is what matters in a quest for a championship. After having just made it through a week where I handed in 3 accounting cases, took quizzes in 3 of the 4 core classes, applied to multiple student organizations and read roughly 700 pages of textbook material, I can safely say that I can relate to the phrase.

As I alluded to in my last post, the biggest challenge I am going to face in my two years at McCombs is the allocation of my time to all of the activities that I want to complete. In week 2 of classes, the heat really got turned up and I had to start making choices about what I had to cut from my daily routine. Since I haven’t been willing to make any academic concessions yet, these cuts have come mostly in the form of less food, less sleep and less working out (which ironically enough fits in well with my current state of less money). So while my general health suffered during the week, I made it through the gauntlet relatively unscathed, with only a slight cough and a less than stellar accounting quiz score (15 minutes??), detracting from an otherwise productive 5 days.

So the question is how to handle the workload and maintain a balance for the rest of the semester. Luckily, McCombs and the greater Austin area provide an excellent support system for a stressed-out MBA student. The list below provides a brief glimpse into what I have utilized to navigate the intensity of the initial weeks of the program.

Continue reading →

Swimming in the Flood

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Over the last couple of months I have had “Manners”, the debut full-length release by current indie favorite Passion Pit, in heavy rotation on my Ipod. I guess I have a thing for synth-heavy electro pop. For more on their awesomeness, check out Paul Shirley’s blog on Espn.com.

Anyway, one of my favorite tracks on the album is “Swimming in the Flood,” and I have realized over the past couple of weeks that not only is the song a great five minute escape from the rigors of Financial Accounting, but also a near perfect description of my first three weeks at McCombs.

A packed week of orientation activity, followed by an intense week if pre-term academic boot camps, leading up to my first week of classes, has left me feeling like I am swimming in a flood. It has been a flood of people, places, experiences, concepts, cultures, classes and, most importantly, of opportunities. It has been simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting. Since we started three weeks ago there has rarely been a moment of rest, and as I look at my schedule for the next week I realize that we are only getting started.

This is a good thing. This is why I removed myself from the workforce and came to a place like McCombs. I wanted to be challenged and I wanted to be taken out of my comfort zone. So far neither desire has gone unfulfilled. A rapidly escalating load of course material has provided ample academic challenge, while presenting during orientation’s Executive Challenge and defending my (sometime erroneous) opinions to my study team have forced me to both embrace constructive criticism and approach problems from a different perspective.

It’s all happening very quickly now, but I feel great about being in Austin. My decision to come here has been constantly reinforced through interaction with my classmates and professors alike.  Before I got to campus, people told me that the biggest challenge would be finding time to do everything that I hoped to accomplish in two years. I can see that this is clearly going to be the case as I make tough decisions regarding the allocation of my time across groups, organizations, Plus projects and academic challenges over the course of the semester. All of this while trying to enjoy all the vibrancy of Austin!

So while it feels like a bit of a flood now, it is a great one to be swimming in. I’ll do my best to keep my head above water and communicate what the first year experience is all about. In the meantime, if there is something you would like to see me blog about, or if you have any questions about life at McCombs, drop me an email at Kevin.Burke@mba11.mccombs.utexas.edu (or follow me on Twitter – kburke1).

Until then, hook ‘em!