Global Economics

As Columbia J-term MBA's, we are in the unique position of having some very interesting professors in the summer term, where things tend to feel more relaxed and less focused on grades, more so on learning.  One of my favorite classes this semester is Global Economics (Macro).  This course is completely different from any Econ course I've taken.  Our class participation points consist of weekly debates between two learning teams (your pre-established study group) on interesting topics pertaining to the global economy.  I'm currently working on the first debate we'll be having with my team.  The topic: Does France have a higher standard of living than the U.S.?  My group is assigned the "nay" position, and we are having a good time using principles we've learned in class and our individual backgrounds to come up with a convincing argument.  I'm really looking forward to it.

Just got home after working on my first Operations Management case. I suspected I would like the class (the practicality of it suits me better than...oh say, stats) and I was excited learn that the case dealt with the customer service issues of Ritz-Carlton hotels. During my pre-MBA career as a travel writer, I visited many a Ritz and have become a bit obsessed. Having prior knowledge of the hotel industry (and yes, fond memories of rooms far larger and lovelier than my UWS apartment) made the project incredibly fun.