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Ashcroft International Business School Magazine|issue 2

www.anglia.ac.uk/aibs

MBACONNECT

Contents1 CMI Greenwood

Memorial Prize

2 MA GlobalCommunication –First cohort graduate

3 MBA Residential/Paris Conference

4 AIBS academicssupport VIth formers’business challenge

5 Tiger Tourism andConservationStrategies

6 Spring 2010 VenturesAcademy – Whereideas come to life

7 Business Schoolstudents adviseVirgin Money

8 AIBS develops a BA(Hons) Sales degreewith Harrods

9 MBA Alumni NetworkInaugural Dinner

10 Alumni co-authorsbook – ‘RacingTowards Excellence’

Welcome to the second issue ofMBAConnect, the new e-newsletterexclusively for YOU, our AngliaRuskin MBA graduates. It onlyseems a few weeks ago that I waswriting the alumni welcome for thefirst issue – how time flies!

Since then we have held the launch of the MBA Network witha dinner in London – you can read about the evening furtheron in the newsletter. It was great to meet so many of you andto get your feedback on what you would like. Not surprisingly,another dinner was a very popular request. We will work onthis, so if any of you would be willing to be a guest speakerthen please let me know. This network will only work to its bestpotential if you get involved and participate. John Rayment didmention an upcoming conference in his presentation, and Ihope some of you will want to come along to that. For fulldetails please contact John Rayment onjohn.rayment@anglia.ac.uk.

Another request was an MBA group on LinkedIn to give afurther opportunity for networking and exchanging ideas. Wealready have an MBA page on Facebook, but will look intoalso setting something up on LinkedIn for you. A third request,which I spoke to a few people about, was the possibility ofhaving an MBA members directory online, giving contact andbusiness information. We are looking into this to see if it isfeasible within our current web page and will get back to youas soon as we have any information. Obviously, nothing wouldbe posted without your permission.

As I mentioned last time, please make sure you keep us up todate with any address and email changes so we can contactyou quickly and easily when we need to. At the dinner severalof you mentioned friends who had not received an invite – thiswould only have been because we had no current contactdetails for them. So please pass on this message to your friendsand ask them to contact us on alumni@anglia.ac.uk so theycan be included in future mailings.

Well, I think I’ve said enough for now. Please do give us yourfeedback on content – or even send something in yourselves –so that we can tailor future issues to the type of things YOUwant to read about.

Kind regards

Sue JacobsHead of Alumni Relations

CMI GreenwoodMemorial PrizeWe are delighted to announce thatWayne White (MBA, 2010)has been chosen to receive the CMI Greenwood Memorial Prizethis year. Wayne is a Foreman in a transport depot and hasbeen a great success on the programme. His dissertation wason the effects of employing Polish drivers.

This decision has been based on the reflection of:

o His personal transformation through embracing goodmanagement

o Success on the programme

o The fact that he presented his dissertation at theInternational Federation of Scholarly Associations ofManagement (IFSAM) Conference on Justice andSustainability in the Global Economy, Paris, France in July2010. This reveals personal presence and style, reflectsthe high quality of his dissertation and indicates thesupport of his employer

o His vision and understanding of strong leadershipcharacteristics necessary within his working environment

Wayne was presented with his prize at a dinner launching theMBA Alumni Network which took place at the Royal OverseasLeague in London on the 4 August.

We offer our congratulations to Wayne.

Wayne White receiving his prize from Linda Hollingworth, Director of Human Resources at Estuary Housing Association,Southend on Sea, Essex

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MA GlobalCommunicationFirst cohort graduate

The first students from the MA Global Communication dualaward will graduate in October 2010. They have alreadyreceived their diploma from Anglia Ruskin’s partner institution,the Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmadabad (MICA)in India. The majority of the students from the first cohort arealready in exciting posts in various multinational companies.

The 14 students of the second cohort are currently workingon their MA dissertation after successfully completing theirfirst semester studies in Cambridge and their second semesterstudies in Ahmedabad. Many of them have already receivedattractive job offers.

Here are the testimonies of two students from the programme:

Pavan Choudhary

“At Anglia Ruskin University learning wasreally an enriching experience. The MAGlobal Communication course waswonderfully crafted and delivered to usby eminent academics at the businessschool. Modules like InternationalLeadership also incorporated industryexperience and we understood how thedynamics of leadership are changingtoday with the boundaries coming closer.

Faculty members were well coordinated, cared about thestudents’ individual development and delivered the right mixof business and cultural education.

A lot of our modules covered the length and breadth of thesubjects. It goes without saying that the students’ personalinterest in the course helped a great deal. Each of the subjectsdemands a minimum of 9 hours of your time every week,which includes class-work and self-study.

Prof. Stuart Wall who taught International BusinessEnvironment showed us the way global business operates, thefactors that govern decision making process in such a dynamicbusiness environment and issues which leaders should beaware of in the future. To me the Cambridge teachingenvironment accompanied with the best of library facilities wasvery attractive and resourceful. The MA Global Communicationcourse was full of valuable insights. We were continuouslyencouraged by our professors to share our views with others.This way we also benefited from the thoughts and ideas of ourclassmates who came from different cultural and educationalbackgrounds. The debates and fruitful discussions made usrealise that “no answer is necessarily right or wrong” they oftensimply represent different perspectives”.

Paolin Pascot

Paolin Pascot who has recently returnedto the UK from his semester in India saidthe following about his experience:

“My experience at Mica was brilliant.First, I received an excellent formationwith a perfect mix of theories andpractices. The institute and its efficientteachers taught me foundations ofcommunication and management, andalso gave us professional projects where

we had to apply those theories. Second, I discovered a newcontinent, a new country and a new culture. My experience atMICA was more than just an international exchange; it was areal enriching human experience! I would like to thank all theteachers, administrative workers, staff and obviously all thestudents for the amazing semester. I am going back to Europewith my head full of knowledge and my heart full of warmfeelings”.

From September 2010 students who enrol in the programmewill have the choice of studying in the second semester eitherin India or in Hungary.

For further information contactDr Katalin IllesDirector of International PartnershipsE: katalin.illes@anglia.ac.ukT: 0845 196 2033

Katalin Illes with students at MICA, Ahmedabad, India

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MBA Residential/Paris ConferenceLike every year, this year’s MBA students at both campusesin Cambridge and Chelmsford had the opportunity to take partin some exciting residentials which are known to be a greatopportunity to present their work, communicate and exchangeinnovative ideas, build up networks, and give each otherconstructive feedback. Last but not least, our MBA students getthe chance to get to know each other better outside the formalclass room and develop a strong team spirit.

This year, apart from Berlin, our Chelmsford MBA studentswere offered a residential in Paris where the Justice andSustainability in the Global Economy Conference was held from8th – 10th July. Under the umbrella of ‘Global MisLeadership’,a conference track lead by John Rayment, MBA ProgrammeLeader Chelmsford, and Dr Jonathan Smith, Senior Lecturer atAIBS, our MBA students had the opportunity to present theirfirst conference papers to a wide audience including fellowstudents, professionals and academia from all over the world.

One of the conference papers, on International labour contract,was presented by Wayne White, MBA alumni of Ashcroft

International Business School 2010 and foreman in a transportdepot. Wayne has won and accepted this year’s CharteredManagement Institute (CMI) Greenwood Memorial Prize for hispersonal transformation through embracing good management,his success on the MBA programme, and his apparent visionand understanding of strong leadership characteristicsnecessary within this working environment.

“There has been an insurgence of interest from bothacademia and business practitioners on the abilityof a corporation to act ethically when in pursuit ofprofit. In today’s environment this insurgence hasmanifested itself from the global economic crisiswhich we have all witnessed over the past few years.The IFSAM conference focused upon justice andsustainability in the global environment which I amsure everyone found very informative. During theevening everyone took in the ambience and thewhole experience was an enjoyable and memorableone. It was great to network with the MBA studentsand lecturers of Anglia Ruskin University and I amsure the drive and enthusiasm for this importanttopic will continue.”Wayne White, MBA Alumni

Other MBA students presented papers included topics such as‘The role of business schools in rebalancing the global businessmorality feedback loop’ by Martin Callaghan, Karen Hull andDebbie Hamilton; ‘With Apologies to Adam Smith: An Inquiryinto the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Corporations’ byGary Wright and ‘Pakistan: Poverty and Family Planning’ byAbrar Shah.

Besides the conference, there was still plenty of time forsightseeing and great food! All in all, all the students enjoyedthe Paris residential and gave only positive feedback throughout.Hence, it can be said to have been a great success!

Bianca Schottstedt, MBA StudentE: Bianca.schottstedt@anglia.ac.ukT: 0845 196 6842

Bianca (4th right) with fellow MBA students and lecturersfrom AIBS

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Spring 2010 VenturesAcademyWhere ideas come to life

Cambridge is spearheading an exciting new entrepreneurialinitiative which aims to provide young entrepreneurs with theultimate opportunity to learn more about start-up finance,become investment ready and connect with potential backers.

In April and May the Hauser Forum hosted the Spring 2010Ventures Academy for NACUE, the National Consortium ofUniversity Entrepreneurs in partnership with Anglia RuskinUniversity and the University of Cambridge.

There were three strands to the Ventures Academy – a start-upfinance masterclass; an investment readiness day and a DealDay bringing investment ready ventures face-to-face withinterested investors.

Convinced of the potential of the Ventures Academy ProfessorTerry Mughan at the Ashcroft International Business School(AIBS) said:

“During these events the venture-owners have demonstratedthe tenacity and drive they need to succeed. With the help ofentrepreneurs such as Dr Chris Mitchell, a graduate of AngliaRuskin University and now CEO of Cambridge based AudioAnalytic, producers of software that automatically classifiessounds by means of computer analysis, these individuals willhave the motivation and commitment they need to take their

business ideas to the next stage. They will need sharply honedskills to rise to the challenges that they will face as they bringtheir business ideas to fruition.”

Many Cambridge entrepreneurs are supporting the inventiveprogramme including Professor Alan Barrell, a Cambridgebusiness angel and entrepreneur in residence and ModwennaRees-Mogg, CEO of Angel News, Gareth Roberts, CEO ofPneumaCare, Miranda Weston-Smith of MWS Consulting,Jack Lang, a serial entrepreneur and business angel, andAmy Mokady, i-Teams Director.

Professor Barrell said the Ventures Academy was highlysignificant for entrepreneurs in the UK. He predicts that theinitiative will become a nationwide and then a worldwidemovement and activity. The advisory board of NACUE isalready a phenomenon in its own right – now with 35,000members in less than a year.

The stunning new Hauser Forum, at the science and technology campus of the University of Cambridge.

Young entrepreneurs with Professor Terry Mughan (3rd right)and Professor Alan Barrell (2nd right)

Tiger ConservationStrategiesBuilding on existing research into tiger tourism, Simon Evansand Graham Webster recently applied for, and have beengranted, a university research grant under the Deputy ViceChancellor’s Research fund. This has enabled the study toexpand its focus to issues surrounding the economicramifications of tiger conservation strategies in two key tigerrange states – India and China. Interim findings have beenintroduced within an open presentation to Anglia RuskinUniversity staff and students on Tuesday 4th May at AIBSentitled ‘Tiger Tourism and Conservation Strategies’.

Recent decades have witnessed a significant decline in tigernumbers across their range, influenced by issues relating torapid population growth and attendant agricultural developmentand forest utilisation. This has led to habitat fragmentation,compounding conflicts between local inhabitants and wildlifecommunities. At the same time, additional anthropogenicpressures have intensified, not least in relation to the poachingof tigers to supply the lucrative traditional Chinese medicine

market, sparking a poaching crisis in which the potentialextirpation of tigers in the wild has become a critical concern.Various solutions have been proposed to address this downwardtrajectory in tiger numbers, ranging from a regulatory,protectionist stance employed in India to a more free-market,private sector-driven policy direction preferred in China. Thecurrent research seeks to analyse the efficacy of these rivalapproaches and to make recommendations as to the mostviable programmes available to policy makers and practitioners.

Research visits have recently been undertaken inRanthambhore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, Northern India andHarbin Tiger Park and Farm in Heiliongjiang Province in North-East China. Utilising surveys and interviews with keymanagement in each of these venues.

A series of academic papers are currently in preparation,focusing upon the conservation: tourism: economy interfacethat will prove crucial to the long-term success of efforts toprotect and expand endangered tiger populations into thefuture.

Simon EvansSenior Lecturer in Leisure and TourismE: simon.evans@anglia.ac.ukT: 0845 196 6875

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Business Schoolstudents advise VirginMoneyAshcroft International BusinessSchool impresses Virgin Moneywith boardroom skills presentation

Ashcroft International Business School students studying on theBA (Hons) Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management havecontinued to build on their successful working relationship withVirgin Money.

Last year, for their first-year module 'Enterprise in Action',the students worked on a project to help Virgin Money withtheir investigation of the pet insurance market. The projectconcluded with a presentation to the main board at the VirginMoney headquarters in Norwich.

Virgin Money was so impressed with the students' presentationsthat they asked to continue the working relationship with them.Now in their second year, the BA (Hons) Enterprise andEntrepreneurial Management students were invited to workas consultants, advising Virgin Money on a new product to belaunched later this year. The project was linked into the second-year module 'Being Enterprising', and the students againpresented their ideas in the Virgin Money boardroom.

Rather than working on a potential product idea, this time thestudents were actually advising Virgin Money on a 'live' new

product launch. The product is top secret and each student, allthe lecturing staff and the entrepreneurs from the 'entrepreneurin residence' network brought in to advise the students had tosign a non-disclosure form.

Virgin Money was enormously impressed by the high standardof the students' presentations. David Buxton, Managing Directorof Virgin Money Cards and Loans, commended them at theconclusion of the presentations by saying, 'I have sat throughmany presentations by businesses pitching to us in thisboardroom that have been nowhere near as professional asyours. For second-year students, the standard is remarkable,and you should all be very proud of yourselves.'

"The fact that Virgin Money came back to us for asecond time and asked our students to work on anactual new product launch represents a fantasticvote of confidence both in the pathway and in thestudents themselves."Professor Lester Lloyd-Reason, Pathway Leader for theBA (Hons) Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management

E: lester.lloyd-reason@anglia.ac.ukT: 0845 196 2479

Anglia Ruskin University's Lester Lloyd-Reason (fourth from left) with Virgin Money's Head of Loans and Cards, David Buxton,(next but one in line) and students pictured after the recent presentations.

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AIBS academicssupport VIth formers’Business ChallengeThe challenges of globalisation

On 16th June, John Rayment, Principal Lecturer (AIBS,Chelmsford), ran a two-hour session introducing the issuesof globalisation to a packed room at Moulsham High School,Chelmsford. This was the first stage in a project involving theirstudents in a business challenge – to prepare and present areport on the future role of UK PLC to university staff – thewinning teams to receive boxes of Celebrations chocolates.

Content ranged from group discussion to Q+A but the focuswas on the need to change current approaches of bothbusiness and government if a sustainable, just and fulfillingpresence for humanity on the planet is to be achieved. Johnoutlined the concept of MisLeadership and illustrated with theLeadership Fitness See-Saw, Global Fitness Framework andASK SIR L decision making model.

30 students were expected but well over 50 crammed intothe room, with all seats taken including the window-sills.

Alan Routledge, Head of Business Studies at the school statedhow important it was for close ties to be developed betweenthem and our university, particularly given our close proximityand joint concerns for global green growth. Progression fromMoulsham High to Anglia Ruskin University was a natural routefor students and exposure to the participative style of universitylearning helped challenge any concerns they may have as toability to cope.

Students appreciated the dichotomies of global business suchas excess competition, exploitation of resources and people,and growth v sustainability. Concepts such as physical andmental fitness were readily accepted but spiritual fitness causedmore debate, partly due to the initial misconception that itwas similar to religion. John explained his approach hadan extremely broad definition of spirituality as covering suchaspects of humanity as care and concern for others, anorganisation's role, mission and ethics, a group's values,morals, team morale and spirit, and an individual's personaldrive, determination and charisma. Achieving a sustainable,just and fulfilling human presence would require positive,rather than negative spirituality.

Positive spirituality implies overall objectives, philosophiesand values focusing on ‘we’, not ‘I’. Such an approach leadsto fair treatment of others, searching for common ground andenlightenment, open discussion of beliefs and philosophies,success measured in terms of happiness and fulfilment,

corporate social responsibility, ethical altruistic behaviour, selfbelief, confidence, friendship, honesty, trust, collaboration, andsearch for opportunities to grow and develop. These are thekind of attributes we admire in others.

Negative spirituality would include deliberate exclusion ofother approaches, philosophies and values; misconstruingother’s beliefs or demonising their followers; being exploitative,prejudiced, parochial, nepotistic, corrupt or hypocritical. Thesemay be the kind of attributes we expect of successful businesspeople! Some traits, like being selfish and competitive,may not be easily classified as positive or negative, or theirclassification may depend on circumstances and scale.

The event concluded on the 15th July with the studentsreceiving a keynote lecture from Professor Stuart Wall, Professorof Business and Economics (AIBS, Cambridge) and thenworking in their small groups to finalise their presentations,supported by our student ambassadors. Five groups ofpresentations were delivered, and judged by Dr Rob Willis, andMrs Jill Baldwin, and they were all of a pleasing high standard,making it very difficult to separate them out for prizes! In theend one overall prize winner was presented, whilst the other4 presentations each received a prize for a specific elementof strength in their presentation. Overall the standard ofresearch, teamwork, quality of content, design and deliveryof presentation were very strong. Many students commentedon how they had enjoyed the day, and the teachers concludedthe day with a request for a similar event next year!

Christopher Nicholls, Head of Moulsham High School said:after the event:

“I understand the day to have been a big success –I am very grateful to the individuals concerned andto Anglia Ruskin University for allowing this to takeplace.”

Christopher NichollsHead, Moulsham High School

AIBS develops aBA (Hons) Salesdegree with HarrodsThe course, developed with academics at Anglia RuskinUniversity, will teach students "the art of selling", with moduleson human behaviour, psychology and business enterprise. Staffwho are employed in sales roles at the department store andhave at least two years of relevant work experience are beingencouraged to apply for the degree, which they can study foralongside their work.

AIBS has designed a new work-based undergraduate pathwayin Sales for Harrods which is the first of its kind in the UK.

The degree will teach students "the art of selling", with moduleson sales skills, sales psychology and business enterprise. Salesstaff within the department store who have at least two yearsof relevant work experience started the degree in May 2010.

Jon Salkeld, Director of Corprate & UK Education, said: “Thenew sales degree is an exciting and innovative new programmewhich we believe will make a significant contribution toHarrods and to the wider Sales sector”.

Arkin Salih, Harrods learning and development manager, said:“As a business, we are wholly committed to investing in our

sales force and by creating a degree tailored to the needs ofthe luxury retail environment, we are proud to be setting newstandards in our sector.

"This will be the qualification for retail employees wishingto bolster their sales professionalism whilst investing for theirlong-term career planning.”

The executive students and line managers arrived at Rivermeadcampus on 24 May for their corporate student induction day,prior to embarking on the new work-based BA Sales degreecourse.

Jan Skene, Deputy Head of Higher Skills@Work, said, “TheHarrods induction day proved a fantastic opportunity for thenew student cohort and their line managers to be introduced toour University and to gain a clear understanding of what it willbe like to study at undergraduate level with Anglia Ruskin.”

For further inform contact John Salkeld, PostgraduateProgrammes Leader.

E: John.Salkeld@anglia.ac.ukT: 0845 196 6855

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MBA Alumni NetworkInaugural DinnerOn 4th August we were delighted that over 50 MBA graduateswere able to join members of the Development & Alumni teamand staff from Ashcroft International Business School for thelaunch of our MBA Alumni Network. The inaugural dinner washeld at The Royal Over-Seas League in London and we weremoved that many alumni had travelled long distances to bewith us, and not only from within the UK. Alumni alsoattended from ten countries worldwide, including Belgium,Germany, Spain, Iran, Mexico, India and Brazil.

The evening started with Pimms, though sadly not on thelawns due to the first rainy day for weeks. A buffet dinnerfollowed, with plenty of time to network, catch up with oldfriends and make new ones. One of the first guests to arrivethought he would not know anyone there, but was thendelighted to meet Udayan Raut-Roy (Principal Lecturer, AIBS),whom he had not seen for some years.

Sandra Hollis (Pro Vice-Chancellor, International &Development Services) welcomed everyone and highlighteda few of Anglia Ruskin’s many successes and our campusdevelopments. As some attendees had studied back in theearly 1990s it was interesting for them to be brought up-to-date with the changes. John Rayment (Principal Lecturer,AIBS) then spoke about developments within the BusinessSchool.

The highlight of the evening was our guest speaker, alumnusGeoffrey Dovey, Chief Executive of DPP Ltd (Dovey PremiumProducts) and a campaigner for ethically sound products andservices. Geoff graduated from Anglia Ruskin University’spredecessor Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology(CCAT) with a BA in Economics and History in 1980 and wewere delighted that he had agreed to travel up from Dorset tobe with us for the evening. Geoff gave a vibrant presentationabout the complexities of running and transforming a familyenterprise and his beliefs on how businesses should be run,sharing his presentation with Robert Jones (Field Leader,International Business, AIBS). The theme was ‘Thinking Insidethe Box’, and was both amusing and thought provoking. Geoffand Robert’s notes from the presentation can be accessed viathe MBA section of the Alumni web page.

We were also delighted that the CMI Greenwood MemorialPrize was officially awarded during the evening to WayneWhite, whose dissertation was judged to have the bestchance of driving forward innovative education in the areaof leadership and management – there is a write-up for thislater in the magazine.

This was a very successful evening with a good mix ofinformation, entertainment and time to network. Many alumnihad not seen each other – or their lecturers – for quite a fewyears, so there was much reminiscing alongside enthusiasticdiscussion on how their MBA studies had helped in their jobs.We have had many emails in from alumni saying how muchthey enjoyed the evening… and when will the next one be!

Sue JacobsHead of Alumni Relations

Sandra Hollis, Robert Jones, Geoffrey Dovey, John Rayment

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Alumni co-authors book‘Racing Towards Excellence’

The life of young people around the world has become morecomplicated in the past two decades. The pressure is on:expectations are increasing and the race for children tooutperform and succeed in life starts earlier than ever before.Increased access to education and career opportunities hasbeen one of the greatest benefits of the wealth creation thathas occurred across the world in the last two decades. It alsomeans, however, that young people today are growing up inan environment that is much more highly pressured than theone in which their parents or grandparents grew up.

Unfortunately, the teaching of life skills required to succeedin this new competitive landscape has, in general, not keptup with these developments. Our schools and universitiesfocus primarily on academic disciplines and rigorousscientific analysis. Consequently, the students have to takeresponsibility to prepare for the other challenges of life andwork themselves – a difficult task at that age. The outcomeis inevitable. High expectations, both of the individuals andthose around them, collide with a lack of relevant preparationand this can result in unhappiness.

With this situation in mind AIBS’ graduate, Dev Singh, BA(Hons) Accounting and Finance, has co-authored a book withJan Sramek, an LSE graduate, which explains how and whenoutperformance happens, how it creates a virtuous cycle withhappiness and how to achieve both in practice. The book isavailable through Amazon (£11.73) with a dedicated websiteat www.racingtowardsexcellence.com.

Testimonials:

“Racing Towards Excellence makes essentialreading for anyone stepping out into the big wideworlds. My only lament is that this advice was notavailable many moons ago when I left university!”Chris Howland, CEO, Mount Row CapitalPreviously Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

“This book should be mandatory reading for allstudents and graduates pre, during and postuniversity.”Hermione Way, entrepreneur and journalist, named as oneof Spectator Business’s Stars of Tomorrow

“I wish I had read this book when I was 17, andagain at 19 and again at 24! Congratulations onan outstanding book. Buy it for any young personwhose future you care about.”Peter Harrison, CEO HarrisonCareers.comPreviously Executive Director, Goldman Sachs MBA

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TIf you have any news orinformation you feel wouldbe of interest to your fellowMBA Alumni please send yourcopy to me. The next issueof MBAConnect is due outin December 2010 and thedeadline for copy is the 20October 2010 (good qualityimages to accompany yourarticles would be good too).Additionally, if you have anysuggestions as to the type ofcontent you would like to seein the newsletter then pleaselet me know.

Editor:Christine Durrant(Communications, Marketingand External Relations, AIBS)

E:christine.durrant@anglia.ac.uk

Websites:www.anglia.ac.uk/alumniwww.anglia.ac.uk/aibs

MBACONNECT