Oxford Odyssey

Author: cowleycorporateclimbers

  • Why employees slack off (rationally)

    —

    by

    in

    Elon Musk famously claims to sleep and live in his factories to work longer hours and drive his companies forward. This relentless dedication has paid off for him; he is now one of the wealthiest people on the planet. However, the same can’t be said for everyone. Take Nico Murillo, for example. He followed a…

  • On ESG: Stakeholder theory and why it is flawed

    —

    by

    in ,

    Friedman’s Shareholder Theory Milton Friedman’s Shareholder Theory asserts that the primary responsibility of a business is to maximise profits for its shareholders. Friedman argued that businesses are essentially tools of their owners (the shareholders) and should focus exclusively on generating the highest possible returns, provided they operate within the bounds of law and ethical norms.…

  • Using collectible experiences as a marketing tool and how to hack productivity in customers

    —

    by

    in

    Have you ever dreamed of staying in an ice hotel, or perhaps sampling exotic delicacies like balut or Casu Marzu? While these experiences might not be on everyone’s bucket list, there’s a fascinating reason why they captivate so many people. Keinan and Kivetz (2011) argue that consumers often approach unique experiences as collectibles, much like…

  • When to fire your customers: The Pyramid

    —

    by

    in

    Customers seem to equate with revenue, and one might be forgiven in assuming that the higher the growth of customers, the merrier. Unfortunately, this is not always true.The Customer Pyramid (Zeithaml, Rust & Lemon, 2001) is an essential part of marketing that is covered in the Oxford Economics & Management course. A major insight is…

  • How to choose an Oxford college to apply to (Masters and Undergrad)

    —

    by

    in , , ,

    As an Oxford applicant, choosing a college might seem like a secondary concern. The big shiny thing is the “Oxford” brand that spans college-wide. I personally didn’t care too much about which college I got into, as long as I was admitted. In fact, I submitted an “Open” application, and allowed the Oxford system to…

  • Should I pursue full-time entrepreneurship coming from Oxford?

    —

    by

    in

    The allure of entrepreneurship is strong, especially for those graduating from a prestigious institution like Oxford. The idea of forging your own path, creating something new, and potentially achieving significant financial success is appealing. There is an incredible startup ecosystem, and it’s very easy to become a part of that exciting scene. With incubators, startup…

  • Why entrepreneurs have to be technical

    —

    by

    in

    With the rise of Bubble and other no-code platforms, it seems like you be technical to start a company. In fact, “vibe coding” with Cursor and Windsurf allows people to instruct an LLM to build entire code bases with a few prompts. For entrepreneurs and startups, this means rapid prototyping and MVP development with significantly…

  • Why you should never accept exposure/experience as payment

    —

    by

    in

    Have you ever been offered a job or project where the main reward was “exposure” or “experience”? It’s a common tactic, especially among smaller companies or in creative industries. The promise sounds tempting: take on a variety of tasks, develop new skills, and boost your CV. There are those companies that encourage employees to seek…

  • Can I leave the office before my boss?

    —

    by

    in

    When you don’t get paid for overtime, but companies are still insistent that you spend time in the office when you have nothing to do, how is this fair? First, it is clear that most work is based on business needs, which ebb and flow as the year progresses. The lack of forecastability means that…

  • Entrepreneurship – an option and not an all-in

    —

    by

    in

    Entrepreneurship is seen as an inherently risky proposition. The Europe start-up ecosystem in particular has been criticised for being risk-averse in comparison to their American counterparts. The risks of entrepreneurship Wasserman (2013) found that the self-employed tended to have 35% lower earnings compared to if they had been in a paid job. Given that there…