MBACONNECT Ashcroft International Business School Magazine|issue 4
www.anglia.ac.uk/aibs
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A very warm welcome to our fourth issue of MBAConnect, the e-newsletter just for our MBA graduates. I hope you will enjoy reading all the articles, the number of which seem to be increasing with each issue.
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No Sleeping on the Job! – High Performance Working and Wellbeing at Work
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Princess Royal attends opening of LCA Campus in Mauritius
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Annual MBA Network dinner
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Lord Ashcroft KCMG shares his views on leadership
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Surviving in business in hard economic times
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CURA-B INTERREG Bid Success
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The Big Society Challenge book
The LinkedIn group is going well with lots of you now members and several discussion groups set up. If you haven’t already joined, then just go to http://uk.linkedin.com/in/angliaalumni.
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Lastly, if you have MBA friends who do not receive communications from us it means we don’t have their email address, so please encourage them to email us so they can be included in future mailings. That’s all for now, so enjoy the articles and I’ll be in touch again in the summer – and hope to see lots of you at the dinner.
Misleadership: Prevalence, Causes and Consequences
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Volvo Construction Equipment joins growing work-based degree movement
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New Visiting Fellow – Jonathan Swan JP B.Ed(Hons) MBA MSI
As I mentioned last time, it would be great if some of our MBA alumni were also to write something for the newsletter, so we will be contacting some of you before the next issue to ask you to contribute a few words about what you are doing. This is YOUR newsletter, and real life stories are always a good read! If you have any other ideas about things you would like to see in the newsletter we’d be delighted to receive an email at alumni@anglia.ac.uk – please put MBA Network in the header. I know that some of you came along to the Financial Crisis lecture on 3rd February, which was a great evening with three inspiring speakers. Two were our Honorary Award holders – Matthew Bullock, Chief Executive, Norwich & Peterborough Building Society, and Jerome Booth, Head of Research, Ashmore Group. The third speaker was Kate Barker, former Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member and Chair of Governors at Anglia Ruskin. All are experts in their field and gave their own take on today’s economic climate. If any lectures of this type come up in the future, or indeed any other Ashcroft International Business School lectures, I’ll make sure you’re all made aware of them. You will find information in this issue about the 2011 Annual Alumni MBA Network Dinner, which will again take place at the Royal Over Seas League in London on Wednesday 3rd August. As last year was the launch of the network the dinner was free. However, going forward we will need to charge a ticket price. This is still heavily subsidised by Anglia Ruskin and is very good value for a 2-course dinner in the centre of London and a top rate speaker – and there is a 25% discount if you book before the end of April, so what are you waiting for?
Kind regards
Sue Jacobs Head of Alumni Relations
No Sleeping on the Job! High Performance Working and Wellbeing at Work It would appear other countries, except the UK and the USA, are taking these issues seriously, and take the concept of High Performance Working and Wellbeing at work more seriously, especially in larger companies that aim to foster creative, and sustainable work environments. For example, there is evidence that Australia has a long history of implementing fatigue management risk systems because of the challenges facing the country’s economic competitiveness and growth.
Dr Diane Keeble-Ramsey was recently invited to contribute to an editorial for The Times about sleep deprivation as a result of the joint research with Andrew Armitage concerning High Performance Working (HPW) and Wellbeing at Work. The editorial stressed the issues that sleep deprivation can have detrimental effects not only on individuals, but also for employees, having both an impact upon costs, in terms of absence and stress in the work workplace, but also the knock on effects of low productivity, and competitiveness.
Diane and Andrew will be presenting further work concerning HPW and Meaning in the Workplace, and Corporate Social Responsibility within contemporary organisational climates at the European Association of Management (EURAM), and Critical Management Strides (CMS) conferences in June and July this year.
Based on findings from their research, which indicates that initiatives such as HPW and Wellbeing at Work, which were designed to alleviate and promote good working practices, are becoming a secondary concern for both employers and employees, especially in the current economic climate. As Diane says in the interview with Nick Martindale of The Times, “Since 2007 we’ve seen companies give up their intention of being good employers, particularly in the private sector, because of the global financial crisis”. Diane goes on to say that, “The view is that people need their jobs so they can forget about sustainable work patterns. The result is disruptive sleep patterns and negative effects on mental health and wellbeing”.
“Since 2007 we’ve seen companies give up their intention of being good employers, particularly in the private sector, because of the global financial crisis”. Diane Keeble-Ramsey Dr Andrew Armitage E: andrew.armitage@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 196 6846
Princess Royal attends opening of LCA Campus in Mauritius Princess Anne arrived at the new location of our partner, the London College of Accountancy (LCA), in the Nexteracom building in Ebene, on the 2 December 2010 where she was welcomed by the British High Commissioner Nick Leake, Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology Dr Rajesh Jeetah and the founder and managing director of LCA, Ravi Gills. The princess unveiled the commemorative plaque of LCA and presented the Queen’s Award for Innovation to Mr Gills. Dr Jeetah told the royal visitor that the government’s vision to transform Mauritius into an education hub in the region is being realised.
Princess Royal (centre of long table) and her husband, Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence (far right of long table). Also on stage are (l–r) the British High Commissioner to Mauritius, the Minister of High Education for Mauritius and Ravi Gill, Managing Director of the LCA, plus the Vice Chancellor, Professor Mike Thorne, at the podium.
Ravi Gills said: “I am delighted to have your presence here, and would like to thank you for honouring us today by presenting this wonderful award and opening our new college in this beautiful island which I regard as my second home.”
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Annual MBA Network dinner Please save the date for this year’s Annual MBA Network Dinner. As the venue was so successful last year, the dinner will again take place at the Royal Overseas League in London (just behind The Ritz) on Wednesday, 3rd August 2011 at 6.30pm.
“Mike Southon is more than Quite Interesting. He spreads insight and cheerfulness in equal measure, like an ambidextrous chef icing two cakes at once.” John Lloyd, producer of Blackadder, Spitting Image, Not The Nine O’Clock News and QI
Following on from last year’s launch, which saw over 50 MBA alumni from around the world joining members of the Development & Alumni team and staff from Ashcroft International Business School, we again have an exciting programme for the evening. Pre-dinner drinks will be held in the gardens, weather permitting, before dinner at 7pm prompt. We will have speakers from our Ashcroft International Business School and the CMI Greenwood Prize will also be presented during the evening.
The ticket price is £20 with a 25% discount for early booking, so if you want to come along and only pay £15 you will need to book before the end of April. For those travelling a long distance, rooms at the Royal Overseas League are very reasonably priced. Check out the alumni website for up-to-date information on arrangements for the event and also who will be attending.
The highlight will be our headline speaker. This year we have invited Mike Southon – known as the ‘Beermat Entrepreneur’ – and you may wish to check out his website: www.mikesouthon.com. The following quote gives you an idea of what to expect!
www.anglia.ac.uk/alumni
Lord Ashcroft KCMG shares his views on leadership Anglia Ruskin University’s Chancellor and Chairman of Trustees of the Ashcroft Technology Academy, Lord Ashcroft KCMG, launched a new lecture series to mark the tenth anniversary of the formation of the Ashcroft International Business School. Lord Ashcroft presented a lively and polished lecture entitled ‘Aspects of Leadership’ to an invited audience in which he outlined the dozen key qualities he considers are vital for strong leadership. The inaugural lecture took place on 16 November in the Michael A Ashcroft Building at Anglia Ruskin University’s Chelmsford campus. Lord Ashcroft – who has donated £10m to establish two dedicated buildings for the Ashcroft International Business School – is one of Anglia Ruskin’s University’s most distinguished and successful alumni and has been Chancellor since 2001. He studied at Anglia Ruskin University’s predecessor institution Mid-Essex Technical College in Chelmsford before embarking on his highly successful business career. Lord Ashcroft has written six books – his latest, George Cross Heroes is the third he has written on the subject of bravery. Earlier this year he published Minority Verdict which gives his view of the Conservative Party’s 2010 election campaign. His first book, published in 2005, was Dirty Politics, Dirty Times about his battles with New Labour and The Times newspaper.
Lord Ashcroft KCMG with our Vice Chancellor, Mike Thorne and Chairman of Crimestoppers, and the Chairman of Trustees of the Ashcroft Technology Academy in South London. After attending the lecture, Anglia Ruskin University’s Vice Chancellor Professor Michael Thorne said: ‘Lord Ashcroft’s lead on this annual lecture gives an indication of the calibre of speaker we will have each year. This dynamic event will further raise the growing worldwide reputation of the Ashcroft International Business School which is now marking its ten-year anniversary.’
Lord Ashcroft supports a wide range of charities, most notably covering crime prevention and education. He is the Founder
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Surviving in business in hard economic times Robert Jones, Programme Leader Executive MBA, was interviewed by Jeremy Sallis in his BBC Radio Cambridgeshire "Cambridge Breakfast" programme at 6:20am on Monday 7th February 2011. This is the regular weekly business slot. The theme of the interview was on how to survive in business in hard economic times. An extract is given below: Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
My advice is always to stay focused on what you do best "stick with your knitting" – and keep close to your customer. I am a firm believer in "thinking INSIDE the box", which goes against conventional business school advice but is actually quite sensible. The temptation when the going gets tough is to diversify, to try something new. This sadly is the classic killer of businesses large and small. In effect you move into something that you do not really know, and move away from your area of competence. This is very risky and often results in damage to your firm. If you must diversify, then do it in small steps. Try new things on a small scale, this limits the demand on your resources and it is less risky. So-called incremental diversification is the basis of test-marketing. If the test is a success then you invest in doing more of this new activity. If the test fails, it has not cost very much and you live to try something else.
If we do not respond positively, the test is quickly abandoned, with no real loss to the company. Finally, remember, it is always darkest before the dawn. Economic downturns reverse and prosperity returns, only until the next cyclical change.
My local supermarket does just this. Every week as you enter the store there is something new on the right hand side near the entrance. If we respond favourably and buy this new offering, the supermarket expands this into a new department.
E: robert.jones@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 196 2549
CURA-B INTERREG Bid Success The Ashcroft International Business School (AIBS) is part of a consortium which bid successfully to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Interreg IV A “2 Mers Seas Zeeën” Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013. The objective of the Accurate-Business (CURA-B), project is to improve innovation and business development in the healthcare sector.
Terry and his team are looking forward to doing some great work across the borders of the UK, Belgium, Holland and France, which complements the investment the university is making within the Post-graduate Medical Institute (PMI).
‘Our role in this project is to advise on how collaborative networks can help small companies grow and get innovate products to market on a cross-border level. Improving the impact of new products and technologies in healthcare is vital for all European countries’
Prof. Terry Mughan, Professor of International Management in AIBS, was invited to join this bid by Suffolk County Council to provide expertise in the conduct of research among SMEs and other parties, to advise on internationalisation and to carry out an evaluation of the overall project, with a specific view to advising on the health economics cost and benefit assessment.
Prof. Terry Mughan Professor Terry Mughan E: terry.mughan@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 196 2248
The project team started work on the project in January 2010 and will work on it for 3 years. The total value of the project to AIBS is almost half a million pounds and the other partners come from Holland, Belgium and France.
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Misleadership:
The Big Society Challenge book
Prevalence, Causes and Consequences
Andy Brady from AIBS, Programme Manager – 3rd Sector Futures, has contributed a chapter entitled “Social Enterprise and Big Society” a new publication by the Keystone Development Trust: The Big Society Challenge.
By John Rayment and Dr Jonathan Smith, Lecturers in Ashcroft International Business School Published by Gower, 2011 This book is for those wishing to reflect on and develop their own and others’ leadership abilities. It introduces a new approach to a key element of management thinking in a way that encourages and empowers individuals to think on a different scale and challenge assumptions. The authors take a fundamental and critical approach, arguing that a lot of current ‘leadership’ is in fact MisLeadership, evidenced by the global financial crisis and range of urgent major issues facing everyone and everything on our planet. A wealth of examples and case studies relate the authors’ ideas to practice and enable leaders, followers and trainers to gain insights into the prevalence and causes of MisLeadership and ways in which it can be identified and overcome.
The Big Society Challenge brings together a range of authors to explore the issues surrounding the Big Society, including the economic crisis, housing, finance, the environment, and localism. Contributors include academics from Anglia Ruskin, the University of Cambridge, the Open University and the LSE, and leading practitioners from government and the third sector. Keystone Publications are intended to be thought provoking interventions in policy debates, as well as reporting on primary research. The publications are co-authored by academics and practitioners, often with the support of volunteer researchers and editorial assistants.
John and Jon have identified four types of MisLeadership: missing, misguided, misinformed and Machiavellian. The first three are unconscious, embedded in us throughout our upbringing, socialisation, education and employment such that they can be seen as Institutional MisLeadership. Machiavellian leadership is perhaps even worse – a deliberate attempt to deceive followers so as to achieve hidden agendas. It is commonly recognised in individuals attempting to achieve personal agendas within an organisation, but can go as high as the leaders of one group of countries or organisations attempting to achieve advantage for themselves and selected followers by exploiting others.
The book was launched at the RSA in London on 13 January, with a debate between Elizabeth Truss MP, Steve Wyler, CEO of the Development Trust Association, and Sarah Benioff from the Office of Civil Society. The book is available at a price of £10 or can be downloaded as a PDF from: http://www.keystonetrust.org.uk/communities/index.php? page=21
The four forms of Misleadership are matched by the four elements of Holistic Leadership introduced – effective decision making, adoption of a global perspective, move to a new economic and social paradigm, and commitment to a contemporary mission. Decision making approaches currently available to leaders may omit some of the most important facets of humanity, be based on invalid assumptions and targeted at invalid objectives. The requirement for a global perspective includes the need for a world-wide viewpoint but also consideration of all aspects of humanity including the physical, mental and spiritual fitness of individuals, groups and societies.
Andrew Brady, Programme Manager – 3rd Sector Futures E: andrew.brady@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 196 6888
For more information or to purchase a copy please contact either: john.rayment@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 196 6859 or jonathan.smith@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 196 2069
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Volvo Construction Equipment joins growing work-based degree movement Ashcroft International Business School (AIBS) at Anglia Ruskin University is working with Volvo Construction Equipment Division, Volvo Group UK Ltd, which is centred in Duxford, Cambridgeshire, to launch a work-based learning degree in line with a growing number of top named businesses in the UK.
Rachael Hall commented: ‘It has been so rewarding to work with Volvo CE in developing this programme. This new partnership is an indication of the innovation that has gone into the design of the work based pathways. The corporate programmes team look forward to working with the Volvo CE managers and helping them to further develop and refine their business knowledge and skills so that both the employees and the business will realise tangible benefits. I am sure this programme will be successful for both the individuals and Volvo CE as an organisation.’
The highly-acclaimed business school has been working with the company since the summer to develop this initiative and this has culminated in a scheme that will offer managers the opportunity to enrol on a BA (Hons) Management and Leadership. A group of 10 managers will be among the first group to embark on the course.
Speaking about the launch of the degree, Val Ledden, Managing Director of Volvo Construction Equipment Division said: ‘We are passionate about developing the talent working within the team here at Volvo CE. For many years we have searched for a degree programme that meets our needs and I am delighted we have found a solution. The benefits to both the individual and the business are significant and we look forward to working in partnership with the team at Anglia Ruskin University.’
Maxine Knowles, HR Manager at Volvo CE, is already looking forward to the direct benefits the course will offer the managers and the business. Speaking about the set up and running of the programme, she said, ‘Anglia Ruskin University had a flexible approach whereby they worked closely with us to map the Degree Programme content with the competencies that we wished to develop in our business.’ ‘We chose a work-based degree programme specifically as it is perfect for experienced managers who can draw on real situations and can very quickly apply what they have learned. A big positive of choosing a work-based programme is that the work carried out by participants can link back to ‘real’ business issues and therefore add value back into the business. With our first workshops complete, I have heard nothing but praise about the quality and relevance of the tuition!’
Vice Chancellor Professor Michael Thorne, Anglia Ruskin University, said in response: ‘This is another superb example of businesses doing what they do best, leading by example. This degree programme will bring benefits to both the employees and the employers which is why this will be the natural choice for work-based learning for the future. Volvo CE has joined Harrods, Barclays and UPS in teaming up with Anglia Ruskin University to increase efficiencies and staff motivation through higher education.’
The programme’s potential to demonstrate added value to both the individual and the business was important to Volvo CE. Delegates experience a blended approach to learning which combines a mix of face-to-face contact, access to online learning materials and personal support provided by the tutors.
Paul Kersley, Service & Engineering Director and course delegate, said: ‘We had been searching for a degree programme that suited our specific needs in terms of content, time required and learning style. For me, the degree offered an ideal blend of workshop activity, theory and work-based learning that will provide both experienced and developing managers with the leadership skills that are vital to the future success of our business.’
Delegates on the programme undertake a series of work-based projects which form the assessment strategy for the degree. Programme Leader for Ashcroft International Business School,
‘The individuals in the group have different skills and experiences and already the group has started to gel where delegates are helping and learning from each other, which can only be of benefit to the individuals and to the company.’ Paul Kersley Rachael Hall, Principal Lecturer, Corporate Education E: rachael.hall@anglia.ac.uk
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MBA CONNECT
New Visiting Fellow Jonathan Swan JP B.Ed(Hons) MBA MSI We are delighted to announce that Jonathan Swan JP will be joining us for a period of five years in the first instance as a Visiting Fellow to our Faculty.
MBACONNECT
Jonathan is a director of Operis TRG Limited, a specialist financial modelling and advisory firm working in the project finance and public-private partnership industry. He gained his MBA at the University of East London (UEL), is a member of the Securities Institute and author of the standard textbook on financial modelling – Practical Financial Modelling: A Guide to Current Practice. He is currently a governor of Anglia Ruskin University and a Justice of the Peace, and has previously served on the boards of several charitable and voluntary bodies. Jonathan has extensive experience of corporate governance in the public and private sectors, with particular expertise in audit and compliance.
If you have any news or information you feel would be of interest to your fellow MBA Alumni please send your copy to me. The next issue of MBAConnect is due out in June 2011 and the deadline for copy is the 1 June 2011 (good quality images to accompany your articles would be good too). Additionally, if you have any suggestions as to the type of content you would like to see in the newsletter then please let me know.
Jonathan will be supporting our accountants through his significant knowledge of this area, informing our curriculum through the expansion of our module provision and contributing to the development of our research agenda. With his extensive experience of skills and knowledge transfer in the PPP industry sector Jonathan is keen to add a practical element to the student experience and also says that:
“By stimulating debate and dialogue between academics and practitioners, I hope to contribute towards bridging links and removing some of the barriers that exist between the private and public sectors.”
Editor: Christine Durrant (Communications, Marketing and External Relations, AIBS)
Jonathan's spare time is taken up by his three passions – bag piping, fishing, and boating – in each of which he continues to demonstrate an astonishing lack of ability. His wife and two sons tend to maintain a safe distance!
Websites: www.anglia.ac.uk/alumni www.anglia.ac.uk/aibs
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Publishing & Advertising 4841/3.11/DS
E: christine.durrant@anglia.ac.uk