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Monthly Archives: January 2010

Winter Marathon Training!?

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The Tokyo Marathon is 42 days from today. Training through the Maine winter for this event is proving to be likely more of a challenge than finishing in the event itself!

With six weeks out, my training program called for an 18 miler today …. 24F, 5-10 mph winds and a hilly course. The 13:28 splits were consistent with my plan to break 5 hours in Japan. I am hoping that the weather will remain cooperative so I can do the 40-50 miles per week outdoors instead of the treadmill or indoor track. I tried the treadmill in Montreal––boring. I did a 15 miler on the UMaine indoor track two weeks ago and thought they would need to unscrew me from the floor!

Spring Semester 2010

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The first week of the new semester went much better than I had expected given the short preparation time I had due to the Montreal excursion. A few observations worth noting.

First, the students in my three courses seem far more engaged and responsive. I focused the first week on student engagement and employed some new techniques shared with me at a gathering of marketing professors hosted by McGraw-Hill. The “What Do You Know?” quizzes appeared to be most successful.
Second, the contribution of an energetic, committed teaching assistant is invaluable. This academic year is the first time I have been offered a TA and Nicole Gogan has exceeded my expectations.
Finally, I have deployed some new technology and learning support systems to provide my students with greater access and support for course content, self-learning and assessment tools, lecture podcasts and other techniques. Since I have been tasked with developing some on-line courses, I am hoping the use of these systems will both enhance the in-class experience and assist in the development of the on-line or hybrid courses for the future.

Molson Update

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I regret the delay in my Molson updates. Once the competition began, I discovered that finding the time to blog was far more difficult than anticipated.

Without question, the current team is the best prepared and most competitive team the University of Maine has sent to this competition. However disappointing the results may prove to some from a win-loss perspective, the UMaine team has done very well in this very competitive environment. I have no doubt that they will leave Montreal stronger and more confident.
Visit the Molson case competition website for complete results and details– (http://www.mbacasecomp.com/)
This afternoon we were honored by a visit from Dean John Mahon and Professor Harold Daniel. Their presence boosted the spirits of the team as they prepare to take on the final case of the competition tomorrow morning.

Molson Case Competition – Day 1

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Hello from Montreal.

Yesterday was a challenging 10 hour drive from Orono to Montreal. The roads were extremely difficult in the mountain pass from SugarLoaf in Maine to Sherbrooke in Canada. We then experienced the tail end of a windy snow storm on Rt. 10 East to Montreal. Although slow going, everyone was in high spirits and very supportive when we arrived and enjoyed a quiet dinner at Boccacino’s — a perfect ending to the long day.

Our first day in Montreal was filled with registration, a team adventure activity, the opening ceremonies, a fine cocktail party at a private Montreal business club, and a team dinner at the Keg.
I personally enjoyed seeing old friends, other coaches from past years, particularly Gerd Rainer Wagner from the Heinrich-Heine-Universitat Dusseldorf (Germany). It was also great to see our team step out to meet their competitors from around the world. The University of Maine Business School is well represented and I was very proud of their approach. Whatever the final results, I am confident that our team is as well prepared and as competent as any other entrant in this prestigious international event.
Tomorrow the case competition begins. Our division consists of the University of Porto Business School (Portugal), University of Kaiserslautern (Germany), Asper Business School-University of Manatoba (Canada), and John Molson Business School-Concordia University (Canada). Stay tuned.
On a personal note, I continue my Tokyo marathon training in the Fairmont Hotel’s health club. 17 miles was scheduled for yesterday or today. I did handle 11 miles on a treadmill today and plan to do multiple workouts each day between the case presentations and other competition activities to stay on top of my training schedule.

New Year’s Day 2010

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A new year, a new beginning.

I recently received a phone call from an old friend. We had not seen or spoken in many years. Sadly, I have often thought of him but never took the initiative to try and contact him. I was excited when his name was displayed on my iPhone. I resolved that I must make a renewed effort to re-establish contact and stay in touch with the many men and women who have been such an important part of my life.
This, of course, includes my daughters and their family. A painful circumstance that I hope I can correct in the new year.

It is my intention to make regular contributions to my blog in the hope that those who use it to stay in touch with me will find it informative, perhaps entertaining. I’ll also use it to express my opinion and views on a variety of issues.
I am also working to update my personal web site.
That’s all for now. Inspired by the “Julie and Julia” movie, I am preparing Boeuf Bourguignon for our dinner this evening!
With best wishes for the new year, Paul