Posted by: Mustafa Abbas on June 22, 2020
It was just after the summer of 2018 when our cohort met for the first time at the Saïd Business School. The class of September-18 came from all over the world and from every walk of life. There were doctors and lawyers, sportsmen and bankers. This eclectic bunch bonded immediately. We would share stories from […]
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Posted by: Mustafa Abbas on May 4, 2020
In honour of John Lucas (June 1929- April 2020) I was just a spry lad of 18 when I arrived for my first philosophy tutorial at Merton College. I was in awe of John Lucas’s capacity to think. I was quite terrified about the prospect of learning through his interrogation. His office was messy, and […]
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Posted by: Mustafa Abbas on March 31, 2020
I was most excited to be visiting Palo Alto in March and after receiving permission from my better half, my flight was booked and I was invited to stay in a fabulous house with party-loving friends from my cohort. I was going to Silicon Valley to learn about entrepreneurial finance and meet some of the […]
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Posted by: Mustafa Abbas on March 5, 2020
As a boy, I enjoyed considerably shaking a snow dome, which we purchased during a family holiday in Bergen, on the west coast of Norway. My pleasure was that my sister was possessive of her beautiful souvenir and I could (lovingly) tease her. More insightful, I could unsettle the resting snow, creating havoc, at least […]
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Posted by: Mustafa Abbas on January 23, 2020
An “heroic” turnaround manager arrived with his brigade only 100 days ago. A poem was discovered in the drawer of a former middle manager, who was understood to be the victim of this aggressive corporate turnaround. Wretched (Turnaround) Man (after Stevie Smith) Wretched man that thou art How thou piercest the corporate heart With thy […]
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Posted by: Mustafa Abbas on October 31, 2019
What was it exactly that Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus did to negotiate a greater outcome from an initially weak position? In our negotiation classes we learnt about dividing and growing the pie. We delved into possible and probable causes of impasse. We role-played together and scored points with and against each other. We […]
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Posted by: Mustafa Abbas on September 16, 2019
“I can no other answer make but thanks, And thanks; and ever thanks.” Sebastian, Twelfth Night, Shakespeare We are a year into our EMBA programme and have learnt so very much and made such great friendships. We have given tremendous time and energy to […]
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Posted by: Mustafa Abbas on August 15, 2019
We learnt about Governance and Ethics. Not only was the module insightful and interactive with group presentations, but it also served to enrich our critical faculties and moral compass. The Board of a corporation is the most important element of the ‘corporate mind’ because it sets the corporation’s objectives. We might further add – as […]
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Posted by: Mustafa Abbas on July 18, 2019
A sudden Farewell Fragility and Power Japan, Forever.
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Posted by: Mustafa Abbas on June 3, 2019
Marketing could be described as the art and science of persuasion. And in order to persuade, one must have an understanding of human nature. As we plunged into marketing, it seemed to encompass almost everything under the sun. At one moment we were psychoanalysts for commercial ends, at another, financiers calculating the lifetime value of […]
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