INSEAD Blog by Zanat0s the INSEAD(er) @ Tokyo ! The Biggest among INSEAD MBA blogs. Insead is over, blogging not.

New Horizons: Entry into Japan

So here I am. My first blog entry from my permanent (?) base in Tokyo, Japan, is being written. In less than 11 hours I will enter the office officially.

I had a rough night last night and I didn’t sleep at all. It had to do with the build up of the anxiety I was feeling the last days. Moving is difficult. I came to this trip with 3 pieces of luggage which made packing and commuting an experience in hell. At 6.20 I left the hotel in a really bad mood with rain failing like cats and dogs. When I arrived at the airport the taxi driver asked for 30 YUAN more than it was written on the taximeter. I wasn’t in the mood for arguing so I paid him. Maybe 10 was for going through tolls, who knows?
At the airport I had to make use of all my charm to get onto the plane without paying a lot of excess charges. When I travel with Lufthansa I have not a lot of problems since I enjoy some privileges there. I ended up paying only charges for the 10Kgs(managed to save 40Kgs), which will probably be reimbursed by the company.
At the airplane I had a choice of many movies to watch but I decided to take the chance and rest (I even skipped lunch). ANA definitely deserves it reputation for excellent service. When they saw me waking up, an stewardess came immediately to ask me if I still want my lunch.
Getting to the hotel was tricky. I had to take a limousine bus (a bus which drops guests at specific hotels) then get a taxi to my hotel, which is close to my offices. All the way though people, simple bystanders were helping with my luggage non stop. I am just finishing this entry and will go to grab something to eat in shibuya and then walk around there. I will spend the rest of the night contacting friends in Japan. Lets see how it goes from here!
PS if any1 knows any good language schools or teachers to recommend drop me a line.

Zanat0s Out

Relax take it easy!

I am now getting ready to sleep the last day in China, the last day before i venture into the depths of the Japanese culture. The lies are over. I am listening to this song and I am touched by the lyrics. By the way this song is also INSEAD's J07 theme!

Relax take it easy

Took a ride to the end of the lane
Where no one ever goes.
Ended up on a broken train with nobody I know.
But the pain and the longing's the same.
When you're dying
Now I’m lost and I’m screaming for help alone.

Relax, take it easy
For there is nothing that we can't do.
Relax, take it easy
Blame it on me or blame it on you.

It’s as if I’m scared.
It’s as if I’m terrified.
It’s as if I'm scared.
It’s as if I’m playing with fire.
Scared.
It’s as if I’m terrified.
Are you scared?
Are we playing with fire?

Relax
(Love) There is an answer to the darkest times.
It’s clear we don’t understand it, but the last thing on my mind
Is to leave you.
I believe that we’re in this together.
Don’t scream – there are so many roads left.

Relax, take it easy
For there is nothing that we can't do.
Relax, take it easy
Blame it on me or blame it on you.

Relax, take it easy
For there is nothing that we can't do.
Relax, take it easy
Blame it on me or blame it on you.
[Relax, Take It Easy lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]

Relax, take it easy
For there is nothing that we can't do.
Relax, take it easy
Blame it on me or blame it on you.

Relax, take it easy
For there is nothing that we can't do.
Relax, take it easy
Blame it on me or blame it on you.

It’s as if I’m scared.
It’s as if I’m terrified.
It’s as if I'm scared.
It’s as if I’m playing with fire.
(Relax)
Scared.
It’s as if I’m terrified.
Are you scared?
Are we playing with fire?

Relax
Relax

[spoken:]

Same day I want to dress for wedding
Same day while i won't married
What happened, He's go meeted another girl
While he was married another girl, I was very very sad
I can talk like God take my legs
How he's made a different lady, I no believe.

After one month i am send out to balcony
Some bomb, come for my eyes. My eyes gone.
My eyes gone in bomb, now i have only one eyes.
I am sad, until now I no married any man after.

A bad moment!

I am so pissed now. I have been working NON stop for the last week from 09:00 to 22:00. Some days I worked till 03:00. I enjoy my current project. I have been doing this kind of work for the last 4 years and I have been good at it more or less. I cannot disclose much but let me tell you it has to do with a good taste and ability to form relationships.
Today which was the last day I decided to indulge in a nice buffet dinner(although alone) at the hotel. I was hungry. Since the morning I had eaten only one banana, one ice cream and 4 pieces of chocolate. I was starving around 21.30. I told my boss that I will take a 30 minutes brake to go and have a fast buffet dinner. He paid for my food most of the times(this included).
After I had settled down at the restaurant I was ready to go prepare my dishes. I prepared 3 kind of dishes: Japanese fish(sushi & Sashimi), Western delicacies and Chinese cuisine(since I was in China). At one moment due to my haste I accidentally touched smb with my elbow. It was more or less like pushing his hand with my elbow. I said a simple sorry and continued.
Out of the blue this Immature gentleman(someone around his 50s) then came behind me and ON PURPOSE he hit my hand, said sorry and left. I was so angry. I found his actions indescribable. I wanted to grab his head and start crushing it against the wall to check which would break first, his head or the wall. I had other choices if that failed, the tables, the chairs. I am one of the most peaceful persons and I have never picked a fight. But he chose the worst moment. Of course after the first 10 seconds(my rule) I calmed down.
Then I wanted justice. His behavior showed a bad person with an evil heart. My action was unintentional while his was on purpose. He didn’t need have done that. I followed it to let him know that he had behaved like a spoiled arrogant kid and that it doesn’t suit his age.
When I approached him and reproached him in a very kind way. He didn’t even look at me. He continued enjoying his food(alone). As for me I decided that continuing this process would get me nowhere nor would I get any satisfaction. I dropped the subject and try to enjoy the last minutes of my fast feast.

Zanat0s

Appartment Hunting in Tokyo

Hi Everyone,

It is high time I get an appartment in Tokyo. I will try to use all available resources, including my blog. A nice and affordable place is a cornerstone of a good life. I implore all my readers to either mail me, or send me comments on what I should be aware of(like hidden costs, good areas and etc), whom I should ask, what I should avoid.

Experience is a valuable asset. Until now I either had something waiting for me (there is an appartment waiting for me but i have to leave it within 1 or 2 months) or somebody else did the searching for me. I do not know a lot about appartment searching in Tokyo nor do i have the Time luxury to invest a lot of effort.

I will gladly accept any help or tips form anyone willing to share his/her experiences with me. Some prerequisites, anything within the Yamanote line will be considered.

Ties that bind!

As Oscar Wilde said, "a well-tied tie is the first serious step in life"

some videos to help you improve.

I hate Sunday Evenings

I hate sunday evenings.. I should say Sunday evenings get the worst out of me

not all of them..

those evenings which make me feel that the week has come to an end everything will be reseet. There is nothing to look forward to. The air is described by a nauseating atmoshere which just adds to the melancholy.

being with friends doesnt help much..there will be this gnawing feeling of loneliness..I end up pushing myself trying to waste the time until Monday morning. I enjoy sunday mornings but not the evenings

and I dont understand why does this happen only on sunday evenings..so much so that I have a name for it..the sunday evening syndrome..

I feel time is not enough. Read the newspapers, excercise, go out, meet people. There is something that just doesn't click right. EVERYBODY understand that right now I am not feeling well. It is Sunay and there is this creeping sensation that not everything is over yet. Is it lazyness, idleness or plain anxiety?

Felt that may be this is a common thing and searched for 'sunday evening syndrome'..turns out that 82% of people feel down or depressed on Sunday evenings..but I am sure that the reasons to feel so are different..

Try to read this as it will probably benefit you

The Job Interview that just didn't happen

I will write about this story since I am sure it has happened to most of my friends/readers of this blog. All human being need to work for at least some period in their lives (unless they inherit a trust fund and they have someone managing it, or when they marry a $$$ loaded spouse). So we can divide productive workers into these categories: Employees, Entrepreneurs(or Owners), Professionals and Housewives(yes they are productive). The hugest group I will call it Employees. This group encompasses all human being who work for somebody else whether it is the government, a corporation or even an old lady who needs attention.
The focus will shift to the core group of private sector employees(the ones most MBAs are also interested in). Before employment into the private sector an interview has to be passed. Most interviews are based on the need to weed out “bad” candidates and let good ones. The more important the decision the bigger the need for results. As most HR managers will say “It is better NOT to hire an able person, than to hire a mediocre once”. Therefore interviews at corporations are evolving non stop over the past years. Nowadays interviewers do not focus on your CV and your experience(unless it is relevant). Companies give the interviewees the opportunity of a “clean slate”. There is no traditional interview anymore.
The last year I had various experiences and also heard from my classmates about various questions/situations/puzzles they had to face. Consulting interviews per se are mostly about intelligence and the ability to reason within a specific context. How one candidate will approach a problem and his ability to try and find a solution with the constraints he has. IB type jobs would like to see some innate characteristics (mostly ruthlessness) and how someone can handle stress. At large corporations when a candidate has been preselected and managed to do well at the phone interview they will be flown in for one day full of interviews. The companies don’t have the luxury to interview every single candidate. Huge corporations receive thousands of CVs per day.
One specific day the HR department(mostly) arranges to bring in all the successful candidates and put them through a grueling day of non stop interviews. These interviews last mostly a day (really they do). Sometimes the candidate will be aware of his program one day in advance. There are exceptions where the companies will impromptu give to some “unlucky” candidates their program when they arrive at the company early morning. So here is how the program goes normally. A preliminary interview with a random person from a specific department(mostly a potential co-worker or a manager for whom the candidate has to work). The next interview will take place with somebody from the HR department. After the second stage is cleared(still no feedback) the candidate will have his 3rd and if he has done abysmally, last interview. This one lasts longer it is the last chance for redemption. It may be a panel of interviewers or just a senior manager. This interview is the most technical/skill based part of the day. The subject may be a presentation, or to write a code(programmers), make a financial analysis and valuation(IB), prepare a case study ( Consulting, Marketing, GM).
If I am not mistaken most people will wait a bit for their 4th interview. It must have happened to most of us at least once where the last person on the list would have something happened to him/her. Isn’t it strange? Have you ever thought about that? The last person is 100% your “would-be boss”. Let me make the assumption that if that has happened to somebody(daughter got sick, or an “urgent emergency” was underway) The candidate didn’t receive an offer. So let’s replay the day and give a solid explanation about every step. First of all according to 2 psychological studies humans most of the time form an idea about a person within the 15 first seconds. So a handshake, a smile, elegance and good appearance are boosting somebody’s chances for a good impression. The first interviewer will then try to convince himself/herself that her assessment(based on the 15 first seconds) is right. This phenomenon is called the self-fulfillment prophecy. How does this work? If the interviewer has a + impression then he will be disposed to weed out all the negative signs he sees and pay extra attention to good responses. On the other hand this can work as a boomerang. When the interview is over he will write a quick assessment and notify the next person in line.
The HR department is mostly interested in fit with the organization and general various traditional HR questions. They are probing to reveal your flaws and pick holes in the candidate’s story. One should know during that day one of the interviewers (mostly the HR) have to play the role of the obnoxious person who bullies everyone in his wake. The HR is the most independent one when it comes to recommendations. Recommendations (HIRE or NO HIRE) are its specialization. It is not influenced with what others may say. Other managers do not want to go against the tide (say HIRE when others are saying NO HIRE or the opposite). Remember it is better to leave out a good candidate rather to let bad ones crop from the inside. As a rule of thump the HR’s assessment is the the one that leads to the EXIT or to an offer.
Of course the HR department is not like the pope who is never wrong. Therefore there are some technical parts where the candidates have the chance to turn the tide(for better or for worse). The last person the gets the assessments and either grants the candidate the final interview and possibly an offer or he/she has an emergency.
I can give you specific examples during my job search or my friends’ job search which will make your skin shiver. SO if you ever during your interview hear that the manager had something to take care off, consider yourself DINGED!

One Great step towards Capitalism!

The Coup de grace of Capitalism was(and still is) the introduction of Limited liability. The ability to raise cash with only limited liability. Capitalism is based on the need to exchange goods; namely to buy sell products/services. To sell a product, great idea or not, you need first to produce it. To produce it you need money up front to cover allt he relevant expenses. If you have money and no great ideas, you need to get someone else to use your cash and ear a return. The capital is brought to the ones who need it through the capital/money markets. The limited liability company is though created.
The act which allowed this to happen, The Joint Stock Companies Act(1855), permitted such companies to limit the liability of their members, shareholders, to the nominal value of their shares. In effect, by applying for a 1€ share, a shareholder agreed to subscribe for 1€ and was not liable for any further contribution in the event of the company going bust.
Leading from the join stock company is the need for a set of rules that managers must obey so they can give a just picture of the financial health of the enterprise. This is called the audit.
The repercussions of the simple idea of shareholder investment are manifold. Ideas would have never got funding or even possible without the current system of capital markets wasn’t in place.
Takeovers became possible. Takeovers are a fantastic business idea especially if you belong to the army of professional accountants, bankers and fat lawyers who charge the relevant fees for “allowing” them to happen sometimes, many would say, at the expense of shareholders. Takeovers also allow managers/directors to have a larger slice of the pie.
How great is that? Limit your losses but allow yourself to profit handsomely! Capitalism is the system of freedom.