May Update

Well it’s been a bit since my last post, so I figured it was time to give a little update. There have been a few interesting transitions in my life since the last time I wrote anything here, in most of the big areas:

Thesis – My partner and I have signed the paperwork with the University and IBM, meaning it’s done and dusted. Our thesis will examine the financial and non-financial incentives in Smarter Cities projects, and we have begun exploratory research into collaborative models, stakeholder networks, incentive frameworks and exploratory interviews, amongst others. It’s still early, but it’s an absolute pleasure to focus in such an exciting area for my thesis – I feel genuinely lucky. I’ve mentioned before that I’m interested in a technology-related field, and it’s no coincidence that I end up with an IBM Smarter Cities project for my final thesis. If you don’t know much about these projects I highly encourage you to check out some videos, there’s plenty of material on the internet. Basically cities are using data to create societal advances in safety, comfort, environmental friendliness, efficiency and speed.

MBA – The program is over, sort of. The traditional lecture blocks are over and we’ve moved into our elective lectures, (I just finished my sustainability course last week with a presentation to Interface Flor, a company that seriously changed my perception of the carpet industry), and now we’re nearing our two remaining international modules, (China and South Africa for me), and a few remaining lectures. Then we focus solely on our final projects until graduation in September.

Arsenal – A huge win over Newcastle, (did I mention I saw my first live Arsenal game vs. Newcastle at the Emirates this season?), secured the fourth and final Champions League spot, pending a qualifier. It’s been a crazy year, with a dreadful beginning and an incredible finish – Arsenal finished with the best end-season form in the Premier League. The financial tide appears to be turning as sponsorships are renegotiated, (Emirates Airlines + Puma are the two big deals, with the Airline signed on but no formal agreement with Puma as of yet), providing the foundation for an aggressive approach in the transfer market. The annual war-chest rumors appear to be hovering between 70 and 100 million pounds, giving Arsene Wenger plenty to work with. Personally I think we need to reinvest into two, maybe 3 positions. I’d like to see a new starting striker, (Higuain and Jovetic have been linked, happy with both), a new defensive midfielder, (Gonalons and Capoue rumored, don’t know enough of either to make a comment), and potentially a new right back pending Sagna’s contract negotiations. With the right acquisitions I could see Arsenal making a strong push for silverware in 2013/2014, but a complacent and lazy summer could see the team stretch it’s luck a bit too far and lose out on the Champions League.

Job Search – Not much progress here. Projects, examinations and a wrist injury have kept me busy and unable to make serious advances in my search, but I’m beginning to feel a lean towards management traineeships. The cross-functional experience and (potentially) international setting combine to create a very attractive proposal for me, but I want to make sure the culture is a fit. I’m a long-term planner and I’m looking for an opportunity that extends past the short-term.

I’ll leave you with a quote I find worth remembering – “Work hard in silence, let your success do the talking.”

-Harry

Arsenal in Top Form

Arsenal beat West Ham 3-0 today, and while most reports today concerning these two teams will be over the apparently imminent sacking of WH boss Avram Grant, I’d like to focus on my favorite team, the Arsenal Gunners! They played a fantastic game today, which is a relief. We couldn’t score a goal against Man City, in a disappointing 0-0 tie. We barely recovered for a 1-1 tie with Leeds, and then we lost to Ipswich! Needless to say, it was a rough period for gooners, and the last thing we needed was a loss or a tie today. We needed all three points, and we got them. Yes, we played West Ham, but we played them magnificently. It was one of the better performances I’ve seen from Arsenal lately. Robin van Persie appears to be back in full form, which is crucial to Arsenals success. Walcott let us down a little bit today, especially with his huge chance in the first half. Nasri played well, dummying a defender to allow RvP’s first goal. Van Persie played a quick cross from the byline back to a speedy Walcott who tapped it up into the roof of the net for the second goal. And then in the second half, Walcott’s pace led to a penalty which RvP slotted in easily. It’s good to get a win, but there are still some problems Arsenal need to shore up.

1. Defenders need to improve. Djourou played an awful back pass to Sczesny, who was fantastic in his save to recover.
2. We need to be ruthless. Arsenal appear to lack that killer instinct at times. RvP was superb today in his chances, taking his first goal extremely well, and then nicking a later attempt off the post. Nasri could have taken a few opportunities, Eboue had a great chance and he froze up, and Walcott had a fantastic chance in the first half, (the one I linked to), which he completely missed.
3. What’s our goalkeeper situation? Almunia appears to be on the out, which is fine by me. Fabianski does not impress me. He makes silly mistakes, and he seems scared. It terrifies me when we’re defending and someone takes a shot at him. Sczesny is my favorite for the number one position, but Arsene Wenger knows better than I do!

If you didn’t catch this game, I recommend you attempt to watch a replay. It was a fun game to watch.