Aldrich 210 (ND Press)-LEDs flashing. Buzzers buzzing. Capacitors, well, capacitating. To some RC students, this was the stuff of nightmares after Friday’s Shad Exercise. To ND’s Team D5, these were the sweet sights and sounds of victory.
“This was our defining moment. Our section was depending on us. All humanity hung in the balance.”-D5’s Asli Karahan, Procurement Specialist.
This was the group dynamic from the get-go. Innovatively grouped in true HBS spirit, the TOM Faculty had no idea that “alphabetical order by last name” would result in such a fine gathering of minds. They obviously hadn’t taken into account the superior intellectual quality, relentless spirit, and pure binge drinking ability of ND. D5’s team of Asli Karahan, James Liu, Faith Kendrick, Sal Khan, Harry Lake, Lisa Lewin, Sophia Lau, and Julian Kurz would go on to make Shad history, breaking all previous records with final Sales Revenues of $1,903,388 and annualized Net Cash Flows of $456,888. This outpaced the nearest competition by over $30K in cash. Said ND TOM Professor Lee Fleming, “This was far and away the best Shad performance I’ve ever seen.”
“Bring on TPS.”-overheard from D5 by the audit team.
During the post-Shad press conference, D5 team spokesman Harry Lake answered several questions from the audience:
Q: Was it hard damned work making everyone else look so bad?
A: With Sensational Sal in our group we couldn’t help but look good in action. He was a breadboard animal. I think we clocked him at an Imperial every 30 or so seconds.
Q: Would you rather look bad and win, or look good and lose?
A: We decided play to win or lose big. So I guess we preferred to look good and win or look like idiots and lose, there was no middle ground.
Q: What is best in life?
A: To crush your enemy, see him driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women!
Q: How did being in ND enable you to come out on top?
A: ND, simply put, is a breeding ground for greatness. Whether it is in a soccer tournament, a simple Shad exercise, or a scorpion bowl slurping competition, ND has what it takes to rise to any occasion.
Q: What advice would you give next year’s students regarding Shad?
A: Don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t go with WIP. If you feel a deep desire to build up a finished goods inventory, don’t hold back-sometimes you gotta just trust your gut instinct.
Q: How could the faculty have made the exercise more difficult?
A: I thought that there should have been a new design thrown into the mix and a simulated injury to one of the workers.
“Mr. Welch, I think it’s pretty stupid that you never broke up GE. My experience at McKinsey taught me that conglomerates are so, well, pass‚.”-Aaron Miller, not a member of D5.
Congratulations to Team D5 for their victory! Long live ND!
