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Warwick Business School Alumni Association magazine: spring 2011

WBS – we mean business wbs.ac.uk/go/afmasters

First in the worldI came first in the world in two of my professional chartered accounting exams thanks to my previous studies with WBS.

Hannah MonkmanBSc Accounting & Finance 2009 KPMG ICAEW Order of Merit 2010

First in the UKOur BSc Accounting & Finance is rated number one in all three major UK university guides. Now we’re launching our pathbreaking MSc Accounting & Finance.

Don’t settle for mediocrity. Strive for excellence.

Professor Mark P TaylorDean, WBS Ex Managing Director, BlackRock

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In the previous edition, I laid out the new and ambitious vision for Warwick Business School: to be the leading university-based business school in Europe. I am pleased to report that work continues apace to make this goal a reality. The WBS Senior Management Team and I held a strategy away day on 29 November to flesh out the key initiatives which will underpin the vision and allow us to challenge our competitors, to further establish WBS as an innovative, research-led, teaching-excellent school, and to continue to provide career-defining business education to future leaders and managers. By working with our University colleagues, advisory boards, key volunteers, alumni and associates, I am sure we will succeed. We will keep you informed of progress.

This edition of nexus focuses on innovation and creativity – values which WBS has always had at its heart.

Innovation and business• We highlight on page 13 a number of WBS initiatives

around the role of innovation and creativity in building resilient organisations, which are more crucial now than ever in the current adverse climate.

message from the dean

• Kevin Morley, eminent business leader and a WBS honorary professor explores innovation and its potential positive impact on UK manufacturing on page 14.

• Our groundbreaking new Behavioural Science group provides, on page 15, what I hope will be the first of many briefing articles on how innovative and challenging research into human behaviour could unlock the secret to business and economic success.

Teaching and LearningWe continue to explore new ways to deliver business education to respond to the needs of our students, as well as to the emerging needs of employers, the economy and society.

Grier Palmer, WBS Academic Director for Teaching and Learning, discusses another initiative, the Working Capital project, drawing on the expertise of academic colleagues across the University as well as our alumni working in the creative, arts and media sectors to create innovative teaching and learning (see pages 10–11).

You can find out more about all of the new research and activities happening at Warwick via the Knowledge Centre w go.warwick.ac.uk/knowledge, where you can also add your own contribution.

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contents

New logo, new vision, new WBSWBS research news and reviews Creativity at WBS Grier PalmerInnovation capabilities in the emerging economies: toward a research agendaProfessor Qing WangInnovation & the UK manufacturing industryKevin MorleyThe mind is flat: the illusion of depth in human behaviourProfessor Nick ChaterThe role of innovation & creativity in building resilient organisationsDr Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor and Dr Layla BranickiTake control of your personal brandLesley Everett Introducing the Knowledge CentreAlumni supporting the WBS experienceGiving back, getting involvedGlobal impactGlobal & professional networks and event reviewsAlumni news and appointments

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2021

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In this edition of nexus we focus on Creativity and Innovation

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nexus: spring 20114

2011 lies before us, and with it come challenges and opportunities for all of us.

Businesses, whether for-profit or non-profit, are facing change like never before. There are numerous driving forces behind this change including a rapidly expanding and shifting global market, increasing competition in all arenas, new technologies and a huge pressure on added-value and cost-efficiency.

Creativity and innovation are often key to the success of any type of business, particularly in times of pressure and change, and I hope that you will find this edition of nexus insightful and useful, as you consider how to navigate yourself and your organisation through this crucial year.

Most of us are being asked to do more with less. Being creative and looking for new ways of working may well be the key. Here at Warwick Business School, we are ‘looking at things differently’.

Creativity is not only about individuals doing innovative things. It is about

from the Alumni Relations Office

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contact detailsThe Alumni AssociationWarwick Business SchoolUniversity of WarwickCoventry CV4 7ALUnited Kingdomt +44 (0)24 7652 2813f +44 (0)24 7652 3719E alumni@wbs.ac.ukW www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni

Alison BondHead of Alumni RelationsT +44 (0)24 7652 4176E alison.bond@wbs.ac.uk

Kathryn Chedgzoy Alumni Relations Officer T +44 (0)24 7615 0515E kathryn.chedgzoy@wbs.ac.uk

Ann JacksonAlumni Relations Officer T +44 (0)24 7652 8197E ann.jackson@wbs.ac.uk

Tracy LynchAlumni Relations Officer T +44 (0)24 7652 8487E tracy.lynch@wbs.ac.uk

Jen YoungAlumni Relations Events and Office Co-ordinatorT +44 (0) 24 7615 0171E jennifer.young@wbs.ac.uk

Claire StevensAlumni Relations AssistantT +44 (0)24 7652 8487E claire.stevens@wbs.ac.uk

Renate MasonAlumni Relations AssistantT +44 (0)24 7615 0371E renate.mason@wbs.ac.uk

Emily JamiesonAlumni Relations AssistantT +44 (0)24 7652 2987 E emily.jamieson@wbs.ac.uk

In–house photography by John Weatherly

nexus is the magazine of the Alumni Association, Warwick Business School T +44 (0)24 7652 4306

The views contained in nexus are those of contributors and not necessarily those of Warwick Business School or the University of Warwick

Design by Morse–Brown Design w www.morsebrowndesign.co.uk

thank you to previous board members

From left: David Allan, Navdeep Athwal, Manny Coulon, Issam Hamid, Richard Hughes, Rob McCulloch, Ronan Morrissey

groups of individuals coming together to make things happen. The power of a group lies in its diversity.

Our WBS Alumni Network is true testament to the power of creative groups. Never before has our network been stronger and more diverse. We now have networks in China, India, the Middle East, Europe, North America and South-East Asia, groups who work on mentoring, on the sustainable world, on strategy and on global energy, and student and cohort representatives across the network. Our recent innovation, ‘Joining the Conversation’, is a great example of where our alumni are taking the lead to engage with the School and each other.

Our message to you is clear... We need your help... to strengthen our network further and to take forward our vision. Do get in touch.

Alison BondHead of Alumni Relations

Most of us are being asked to do more with less. Being creative and looking for new ways of working may well be the key. Here at Warwick Business School, we are ‘looking at things differently’.

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Over the last nine months since the appointment of Professor Mark Taylor as Dean of WBS, there has been an enormous amount of change within WBS – which continues unabated. Most visibly of course, is the recent rebranding of WBS with the associated ‘we look at things differently‘ strap-line, emphasising the innovative nature of our offering and underpinning the Dean’s vision of becoming Europe’s leading university-based business school.

Our new strategy emphasises the need to enhance our research reputation, further develop our reputation for developing

world class business leaders, and producing an ever-increasing return on investment for our alumni and students.

In support of these changes, your Alumni Board is working with the new leadership team and the Alumni Relations team to support both revisions to the governance structure of WBS and the development of our strategic plan.

Operationally, we have four key workstreams in development for 2011. Supportive of the rebranding of WBS, Hilary Robertson is leading a team focussed on the Alumni Association’s brand. Alison Watts has a team looking at how our alumni can be better served across the full range of continuous learning opportunities, and Julia Evans continues to develop the work of improving the interaction with our recent graduates and current students. An example of the work of this group is the recent launch of our ‘buddying’ programme for the Warwick MBA by full-time study, which will enhance the relationship with this group during their

alumni board

year here with us. Finally, Matt Stocker’s group will continue to look at how we can improve the way we communicate with our students and alumni, building on the recent improvements to our web site and introducing further enhancements across many other channels.

In closing this column, I am drawn to reflect on the recent changes to the Alumni Board membership. Rob McCulloch, Manny Coulon, David Allan, Richard Hughes and Issam Hamid have made an immense contribution to the work of your Board over the last six years and their enthusiasm and commitment will be sorely missed. With their parting comes the opportunity to welcome Rowena Hilton, Bernie Ritchie, Paul Cruise, and Francis Davis who bring fresh perspectives from local and national government, industry, and commerce; I look forward to working with them as we meet the challenges of delivering our 2011 commitments.

Nick Jessett (EMBA 1985–89)Chair of the WBS Alumni Board

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alumni members:

Rowena Hilton (MMBA 2005–09)Deputy Chief Executive, Chesterfield Borough Council.I am passionate about

lifelong learning, and am looking forward to working with the Board as it continues to develop enhanced links between WBS, businesses and the public sector.

Will Skillman Current FTMBA student.I am very excited to join the Alumni Board. I believe that it is important for a top

business school like Warwick to have an active Alumni network. As a current participant on the full-time Warwick MBA I am looking forward to engaging both current and past students in building the WBS brand.

Abed Abu-Snaineh Current MPA student.It is my honour to be elected onto the WBS Alumni Board. I wish to make an impact and

positively contribute to such a great community.

Francis Davis (MPA 2009–10)Policy Advisor, The Big Society and Decentralisation.I’m especially keen to

find fresh ways to support alumni from the MPA, all the MBAs and the other programmes who have come from the voluntary sector or who have gone on to the social enterprise, government and NGO sectors across the world. Warwick needs to make a difference in every sense of the word.

student members:

Paul Cruise (MMBA 2003–09)Head of Manufacturing Improvement – Rolls Royce.I really enjoyed my MBA

study at Warwick and I am passionate about the development of the global alumni network. I want to maximise the level of participation in the world-wide network and ensure that the Warwick experience goes well beyond the initial qualification.

Bernie Ritchie (FTMBA 1997–99)Brand, Marketing & Business Consultant, Management Sushi Ltd.My MBA and links with

WBS ever since have proved of immense value in my communications career. Being part of the Alumni Board and its Communications Group will allow me to make a contribution that I hope will add value in return.

For more information about the key role of the WBS Alumni Board w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/

alumniboard.cfm

new board members

new logo, new vision, new WBS

A s global competition for students, faculty, and funding increases, the challenges for WBS are to maintain excellence in research and teaching and to build an

unassailable position in the market.

We’ve recently re-launched ourself with a distinctive new look – you might have noticed! Changing a logo is always risky – there’s a possibility you might alienate your current customer base and throw away hard-won brand recognition. But with Professor Mark Taylor in place as Dean, with vision, ambition, and a mandate for change, it was clear that we needed something new, fresh, and bold. We needed to evolve our logo in order for it to reflect who we are and where we’re going. A rebrand provided the opportunity for revitalisation of the way we are seen in the marketplace.

Clean but with an edge. Enquiring yet certain. Youthful but credible. The straplines, ‘we look at things differently’ and ‘WBS – we mean business’, convey our ambition and our refreshed commitment to creativity and innovation. We are reasserting our ability to challenge convention – an ability which has become synonymous with WBS and the University.

The rebranding and national media advertising campaign (pictured here and most notably in The Financial Times, The Guardian and The Economist) has been very positively received externally and internally and is emblematic of the new vision set out by the Dean.

In recent months, the Dean has shared widely his vision for WBS: to be the leading university-based business school in Europe, with a clear mission statement:

a To produce and disseminate world-class, cutting edge research capable of shaping the way organisations operate and businesses are led and managed.

b To produce world-class, socially responsible, creative leaders that think on a global scale, regardless of the size of their organisation.

c To provide a return on investment for our students and alumni over their entire careers.

One of a number of initiatives underlying this vision is the creation of the first behavioural science group in a European business school. Behavioural science, and its applications in

business, the economy, and finance is emerging as one of the most exciting intellectual and practical areas in the world’s leading business schools. See page 15 for more information.

Another element of the new strategy will be strong initiatives in teaching and learning, which will link to new research agendas

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Our vision is straightforward. What underlies everything is academic excellence with critical and creative reflection.

WBS – we look at things differently wbs.ac.uk/go/different

and will push us to be more creative and innovative in the way we teach and therefore how our students learn. A key project will be the creation of a WBS portfolio of cases, competing with Harvard’s in the use of blended learning, based on WBS research and Warwick’s critical skills. More information on creativity can be found on pages 10–11.

The new approach will also include building new stimulating relationships with our creative colleagues across the University (the Arts Faculty, the Arts Centre), and with WBS creative alumni – in digital media, art, film, music, and performance.

The University is especially enthusiastic about WBS helping develop educational creativity and innovation at Warwick, and we will be increasing our interdisciplinary work via IATL (the new Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning), which offers a special role for both our new Behavioural Science group and our vanguard corporate social responsibility work led by Dr Andreas Rasche.

For more information see w warwicknetimpact.org

In order to realise our vision, we will build on our outstanding reputation, striving after academic excellence in teaching and research in every aspect of WBS: research led, teaching excellence. We will also equip alumni to employ a range of skills for life and to become part of our global network, feeding back issues to us and continuing to engage with us for ongoing professional development.

new appointments

Dr Holly Birkett – Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour

Professor Andrew Brown – Professor of Organisational Behaviour

Professor Nick Chater – Professor of Behavioural Science and Associate Dean Corporate Relations

Dr John Craner – Senior Teaching Fellow

Dr Elisabeth Dedman – Associate Professor of Accounting

Dr Jimmy Donaghey – Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour

Professor Bruno Frey –WBS Distinguished Professorship in Behavioural Science

Dr Andrea Gamba – Associate Professor of Finance

Dr Louise Gracia – Principal Teaching Fellow

Professor Andrew Lockett – Professor in Enterprise

Dr Jenny Maynard – Senior Teaching Fellow

Professor Kamel Mellahi – Professor of Strategic Management

Professor Jonothan NeelandsProfessor of Creative Education

Professor Margit Osterloch – Professor in Management Science

Professor Martin Parker – Professor of Industrial Relations and Organisational Behaviour

Dr Juliane Reinecke – Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour

Dr Graham Sara – Senior Teaching Fellow

Professor Deniz Ucbasaran – Professor in Entrepreneurship

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We’re absolutely thrilled the new logo and the advertising campaign have met with such a positive response. Customer reaction is, of course, the ultimate test – we look forward to hearing your feedback.

You can contact the Dean in confidence at e strategy@wbs.ac.uk

More information on our new vision w wbs.ac.uk/go/different

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Kamel Mellahi Kamel joins us from Sheffield; his research focuses on organisational failure and renewal, business ethics and sustainability, and

international business strategy. He has published three books and over 60 papers in world-class journals.

Martin Parker Martin’s research explores an eclectic range of topics including social and organisational theory, market managerialism and higher education,

popular culture, utopianism, conspiracy theory, the Apollo space programme, business ethics, and alternative organisations. He has written or edited 13 books and is working on a new one about ‘economic outlaws’ – including pirates, cowboys, and the mafia.

Deniz Ucbasaran Deniz joins us from Nottingham; her research explores entrepreneurial activity, looking at identification and exploitation of opportunities for new

value creation. It draws on both economic and social psychological theories, for example: cognitive processes including those relating to expertise, heuristics and biases, sense-making, emotion and intuition.

new professors at WBS We welcome five new professors below, in addition to Nick Chater, page 15, and Jonothan Neelands, page 10. In 2011 we will also welcome: Steve Brammer, Graeme Currie, and Richard Taffler.

Andrew D BrownAndrew has worked at Manchester, Nottingham, Cambridge, and Bath; his research draws on disciplines from literary theory to

anthropology and discursive psychology to theorise processes of organising and explores topics including organisational narcissism, individual and organisational identities, and storytelling in organisations.

Andy Lockett Andy joins us from Nottingham; he has written two books and published in over 60 articles. His research relates to new ways of creating value

(economic, social, cultural) and encompasses entrepreneurship through new venture creation; entrepreneurship in established organisations; and the resource-based view of the firm.

WBS news

internal promotions

As well as excellent external appointments, two existing members of faculty have been promoted. For the start of the academic year, Peter Corvi and André Spicer were promoted to the top academic level of ‘Professor’. Peter is also taking on the role of Associate Dean for the WBS Undergraduate Programme. André has made strong contributions in teaching as an effective doctoral supervisor, as well as contributing to administrative duties.

WBS Dean Mark Taylor commented, ‘I am particularly proud to be the first Dean of WBS to see through the promotion of a Teaching Fellow – Peter – to the highest level as it underlines the importance that we attach to teaching excellence in fulfilling our mission and achieving our vision as a leading business school. André has in recent years emerged as a leading international scholar in the field of organisational behaviour, with important contributions to the study of power and resistance in organisations, in which he has developed a unique conception of power and resistance in organisational life.’

André SpicerPeter Corvi

raising the profile of WBS

In 2010, our faculty have been involved in several high-level events which have taken place on campus and beyond.

Two members of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), WBS Professor Andrew Sentance and Paul Fisher, spoke to an invited audience of students, staff, academics and business leaders at WBS in October. The meeting was opened by the Dean and chaired by Professor Andrew Oswald. The aim was to spread the word on the policies and actions of the MPC and get

local feedback for the MPC from stakeholders in the area.

In mid-November, Professor Simon Collinson was one of just two speakers invited to advise MPs at a working breakfast at the House of Commons, hosted by the Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) on the Future of Government Support for British Industry. Simon’s talk focused on the changing nature of trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) into and out of the UK. Discussions around the appropriate Government response to these broad trends followed the two presentations.

Dr Zoe Radnor is making a name for herself on the application of ‘Lean’ in the public sector. In October, she addressed an audience of over 200 delegates from a range of public sector organisations and consultancies on the topic of Lean in Government at The Barbican Centre, London. She challenged them to address the question ‘Is Lean just for efficiency, can it only ever be just for

Simon CollinsonSue Bridgewater

efficiency?’ She commented afterwards, ‘I wanted to challenge the audience not just to think about cost reduction, but more on waste reduction focusing on delivering value and quality rather than cutting corners and reducing service. There is no greater opportunity than a crisis, and the current economic climate is certainly that for the public sector organisations in the UK.’

On the ever-popular topic of football, Dr Sue Bridgewater has been commissioned to write a monthly update in The Times on a football league with a difference – The Times Financial Fair Play League. This League attempts to take into account the resources available to football clubs in the English Premier League in achieving their points and league position. Data on clubs’ wages and gross transfers are used as the basis of the Financial Fair Play index, which is used to adjust the actual league position and points totals of clubs and to show a financially-adjusted league ranking.

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the Chinese connectionShortly after Mark Taylor officially took up the reins as WBS Dean, he presented at The Warwick Commission on International Financial Reform, held in China. The Commission launched in 2009, bringing together a range of world-class economists, political scientists, and lawyers from both the scholarly and policy worlds, to explore how international financial reform can move beyond questions of architecture and towards how it may be possible to build consensus.

The Commission is especially concerned with the political economy of reform,

hot off the press

The United Nations Global Compact: Achievements, Trends and Challengesco-edited by Associate Professor Andreas Rasche. Published by Cambridge University Press. This book reviews the first ten years of the United Nations Global Compact’s

existence (2000–2010) by presenting exclusively commissioned chapters from well-known scholars, practitioners from the business world and civil society, and Global Compact staff. w tinyurl.com/3x7zbj3

Corporate Governance: Principles and IssuesDonald Nordberg MBA (Warwick) 1990 published by Sage. This book draws on the author’s many years as a journalist and his academic research to develop a strong narrative to draw both students

and practitioners into the story of corporate governance. w tinyurl.com/3xf7xqg

Implementing Models of Financial Derivatives: Object Oriented Applications with VBA Dr Nick Webber published by John Wiley & Sons. This book teaches students and practitioners the numerics and design

of a powerful pricing tool in VBA. It leads the reader through the basics, from simple procedural code to the advanced design of systems and object-style applications. It also covers Monte Carlo and lattice methods and their implementation. Full implementation methods and code are provided, making this an invaluable guide for portfolio managers, risk managers, and fund managers. w tinyurl.com/2ufzo7t

Next Generation Talent Management: Talent Management to Survive Turmoil Andrés Hatum PhD (Warwick) 1998published by Palgrave Macmillan. Andrés considers the ways firms are confronting critical

issues such as attraction, development and retention when new generations are coming into their companies during a time of economic turmoil. Andrés is Associate Professor at IAE Business School, specialising in organisational flexibility and talent management. w tinyurl.com/33w6o9g

Organisation Culture: Getting it Right Naomi Stanford PhD (Warwick) 1998 published by Profile Books Ltd. A book full of real life examples from companies including Ikea, McDonald’s, Ford, and Toyota and with a series of wide-ranging practical

exercises to help managers analyse and make their organisation’s culture a powerful driver of success. Naomi is the author of numerous articles and two books on organisation design, including The Economist Guide to Organisation Design. w tinyurl.com/2vo43ja

Global Sourcing of Information Technology and Business Processes co-edited by Associate Professor Julia Kotlarsky published by Springer. This book contains 14 carefully reviewed and selected papers from the 4th Workshop on Global

Sourcing, held in Zermatt, Switzerland, in March 2010. These have been gleaned from a vast empirical base brought together by leading researchers of outsourcing and offshoring and this volume is intended for use by students, academics and practitioners interested in the outsourcing and offshoring of information technology and business processes. w tinyurl.com/2v6qd5a

The Handbook of Decision Making co-edited by Professor David C Wilson published by Wiley-Blackwell. This book is a vital reference text for all students and professionals of management, organisation and decision-making. It offers a wide

range of theoretical and empirical approaches to the understanding of organisational and strategic decisions. To purchase, please order via Amazon. w tinyurl.com/3xmy4o7

WBS news

Small Business and Entrepreneurship co-authored by Professor, David Storey and Associate Professor Francis J Greene published by Financial Times/Prentice Hall. This exciting new book

provides the ‘big picture’ on small business and entrepreneurship and explores both the prevalence and importance of small and start-up businesses. w tinyurl.com/367rzbl

The Warwick Commission on International Financial Reform

focusing explicitly on the politics of the global financial crisis and its links to the real economy in OECD economies, as well as questions of representation for emerging market economies within international financial reform debates.

Just three months later, the Dean was again in China. Together with Professor Qing Wang, Associate Dean (Internationalisation), and Alison Bond, Head of Alumni Relations, he visited several higher education institutions with a view to developing collaborations. Two alumni events were held in Shanghai and Beijing at the same time.

w www2.warwick.ac.uk/research/warwickcommission/about/

For more information about WBS faculty, disciplines and publications w www.wbs.ac.uk/faculty

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Jonothan Neelands Jonothan Neelands joined WBS in November 2010 as WBS Professor of Creative Education. He is also Chair of Drama and Theatre Education at Warwick’s Institute of Education. In addition to his academic profile, he is an experienced drama practitioner and coach, with ‘acting to learn and learning to act’ as a key feature of his workshop leadership, which has helped to create a national and international reputation for

creating and delivering high quality pedagogic, professional and student training, education and development in the USA, Canada, Australia, Asia as well as the UK.

Jonothan has a close working and research relationship with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and has advised government on the identification and training of exceptionally able and motivated young performers. He is Research Consultant for the theatre industry’s National Council of Drama Training and a member of the RSC Education Advisory Group. His research interests include Open-space Learning in Real World Contexts – the theory and practice of drama and theatre education; models of cultural and creative learning; a pro-social pedagogy of arts education and artists’ work as reflective practitioners.

launch event

In November, we officially launched our new initiative in London at a very lively event. Some 40 people heard the Dean’s vision and passion for the Arts to become integral to WBS, and then explored the links between creativity, innovation, and business through a variety of guest speakers.

The artist’s craftInternationally renowned painter and sculptor Nasser Azam shared his insights about what, of an artist’s craft, could be transferred to business. An ex-Merchant Banker, Nasser has recently taken over and re-launched the Zahra Modern Art Foundries in London. w www.assam.com

His stimulating list of possible transfers included: • observation – the learning and ideas

that come to the artist from scrutiny• striving for the highest achievement• commitment – art must succeed

because of the cost of expensive materials and processes.

Contrarily, he argued what does not transfer is: • the insularity of the artist • aesthetic judgement.

Is design the link between creativity & innovation? From his wide and pioneering experiences at the Design Council, David Kester, as its CEO, proposed the wider application of design, not only in product but also to service and organisation; not only in business but also in public and not-for-profit enterprises.

David argued the power of design in two

case studies: the first explored an invention missing the market, until the potential consumer prompted small but significant changes in the product’s design and use; the second was a striking story of collaboration, with design process incorporating users plus simple prototyping.

Together we are stronger Chris Bilton is the Director of Warwick’s Centre for Cultural Studies, and author of Management and Creativity. Chris interestingly critiqued as myths a number of conventional ideas about creativity, artists and executives, referencing Koestler’s ‘bi-association’, arguing that the two different cultures of Art and Business can spark a bigger idea by coming together, and that an oscillation between idea-generation and idea-implementation is the optimum process.

working capital: creativity, the arts and performance for innovative teaching and learning

Our strategy at WBS is clearly to be world-class. But we don’t have to be like everyone else to achieve this; therefore ‘We see things differently’ and we can help others to do so too. Our new multi-project programme, Working Capital, encompasses the approaches of the Arts, creative people, and the creative sector, and applies these to the world of business to develop stronger creativity and innovation in WBS teaching, learning, and research.

Jonothan Neelands, our new Professor of Creative Education, jointly leads this project with myself. His work includes a mantra of ‘acting to learn and learning to act’, especially demonstrated in his coaching of both school drama teachers and ensembles of professional actors. His commitment also to Open Space Learning (OSL) has helped our undergraduates and participants on the Warwick MBA.

He says, ‘OSL works to open up issues with creative criticality and illustrates how the Arts can facilitate originality, higher levels of learning, and stimulate a person’s deeper development.’

‘My lifetime’s experiences, research, and practice have been in theatre, linking to democracy and education. And this triangle underpins my interest in the nurturing and stimulus that drama can bring to people’s development.’

Through Working Capital, we will link up the work of individuals at WBS to enable more collaboration and synergy, and we will link up WBS itself with a kaleidoscope of creative communities. Since August we have been inviting faculty, staff, students, alumni, and creative partner organisations to join our new network to aid our new strategic thrust.

Grier Palmer explains a major new project for WBS

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how is all this being applied at WBS?

Many of our faculty are exploring how to introduce creativity and innovative teaching into their students’ learning – from undergraduate to doctoral level. We also have a new writing programme being scoped to aid writing creatively, for academic publication and study.

Expanding accountingLouise Gracia, Director of our largest undergraduate degree course, BSc in Accounting & Finance, explains her literature and accountancy project. ‘There is a conception of accounting as a bounded, objective (cognitive), professional regulatory or reporting practice with well-defined rules and regulations giving rise to a single truth – ie ‘the true and fair view’. I have begun to use creative materials like poetry and texts to support students in challenging existing accounting knowledge and practice. Through the written and spoken word we are beginning to consider whether we can find aspects/views of accounting that are otherwise obscured.’ A new type of case studyStephen Roper and I are leading an interdisciplinary project to generate new types of cases for teaching and learning at WBS, exploiting the research being done by WBS staff with doctoral researchers, and participants on the Warwick MBA. We aim to help introduce new formats and media as well as a different kind of content in order to create more challenging studies, closer to the complex and dynamic situations executives actually face.

Taking creative risksJonathan Heron of Fail Better Productions and Rachel King, a Warwick PhD researcher and drama practitioner/coach, have been using OSL with our third year undergraduates to support and stimulate the students’ creative criticality through working

on and performing dramatised case studies. Jonathan says, ‘OSL is experiential: it’s using a kind of play space, in which they have to do it’. Rachel adds ‘We give the students a toolbox to create, and then explore with them the language and terminology used in the module. We provide a chance for them to try things, to take a creative risk.’

Working across the UniversityWe are also designing an innovative series of interdisciplinary modules for undergraduates across the University. These will encompass different subject areas but focus around single themes like decision-making with Professor Nick Chater, or creativity. This will give students a variety of perspectives and learning experiences, and encourage more original and richer interpretations of material and issues.

New partnerships We are working with Alan Rivett, Director of Warwick Arts Centre (WAC), to explore relationship opportunities with this extraordinary facility, networked as he says with, ‘vibrant... contemporary, often international artists’. WAC’s Chair, Professor Susan Bassnett , says it demonstrates, ‘a University-wide commitment to the importance of creativity to our well-being and that of contemporary society.’

We will also be working with other partners from the creative sectors and the Arts to help generate a creative atmosphere to stimulate innovation.

GrierPalmer

Grier leads the Creativity and Innovation initiatives as Academic Director, WBS Teaching & Learning. He is the first Warwick academic to gain their Masters in Higher Education

and, as well as teaching undergraduates and supervising masters students and participants on the Warwick MBA, he develops PhDs as teachers, trains executives, and coaches entrepreneurs. His research is pedagogic, including teaching with case studies, and explores how to develop students’ ‘critical creativity’.

how can you help?

Our alumni have been very supportive and many have stepped forward to collaborate including: Simon M Wood, a movie entrepreneur w www.movie-zine.comand gallery owners like Peter Quintana, w www.oc-eo.com and Olga Nefedova, w www.russianart4u.co.uk

Please do get in touch with us if you feel you would like to be involved.e alumni@wbs.ac.uk

I am convinced that engagement with the Arts is a way of nurturing the creative impulse that is within every one of our students in order to help them become outstanding business leaders. It’s a different way of approaching business and management education.

Professor Mark Taylor, Dean, WBS

the author in minute

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the author in minute

innovation capabilities in the emerging economies: toward a research agenda

Historically, emerging economies such as China have been developing their economy based on low cost production and processing trade. However, processing trade is greatly dependent on western countries to handle the upstream (R&D and innovation) and downstream parts (marketing and sales) of the supply chain. In 2009, China’s exports exceeded US$1.19 trillion, of which 50 percent was still classified as processing trade. There are variations across sectors and firm ownership; those sectors that are relatively sophisticated, such as electronic devices, have particularly high foreign content (about 80 percent). Foreign-invested firms also tend to have higher foreign content in their exports than domestic.

Many of the final products are sold under foreign brand names, even in such low-tech sectors as clothing. Nearly 200 Chinese products are top of the list in the quantities of production, but none is on the list of the world’s top 100 most valuable brands. 90 percent of ‘Made in China’ products do not have their own brands. However, brands mean profitability; for example, 80 percent of Volkswagen profit comes from the Chinese market. GM makes US$145 on every car it sells in the US, but US$2,400 on every car it sells in China.

The historical reliance of emerging economies on low cost production and low value-added economic development paths has created bottle necks for sustainable growth. Recognising this problem, emerging economies have stepped up the effort to develop innovative capabilities – evidenced by the rapid increase in the number of patent filings by applicants from China. Between 2005 and 2006, the number of filings from China increased by 32.1 percent. The US is still the largest recipient of patent filings with a total of 425,966 filed in 2006, followed by Japan (408,674), and China (210,501). There has been an increase in the level of patenting activity in other emerging countries such as India, Brazil, and Mexico, but, for these emerging countries, non-resident applicants accounted for the largest share of total filings in these countries, lagging behind leading emerging economies like China in developing their innovative capabilities.

A number of Chinese brands have emerged either through own development (Huawei, Haier, Baido, China Mobile, ZTE) or merger and acquisition of foreign brands (Lenovo, Volvo). The Chinese automobile industry’s new target is to increase own-brand market share in the domestic passenger cars market to 40 percent by 2013, and own-brand automobile exports to 10 percent. In the context of stimulating domestic demand, the increase in the sales of own-brand cars in the domestic market will lead to quality improvement and innovations.

To ensure this target is achieved, it is important that firms in the emerging economies develop superior products characterised by both technological and marketing superiority. These firms have the huge comparative advantage of being closer to their large domestic market and their customers. To unleash this potential, these firms must combine their innovative capabilities with a strong market orientation to reduce the risks of innovation and to meet the changing demands of consumers in the emerging markets, as their income and standard of living increase and their needs become more sophisticated. There is clearly a research agenda for academics in this area to contribute to a better understanding of this process.

For more details contact e qing.wang@wbs.ac.uk Professor of Marketing & Innovation, Associate Dean (Internationalisation), WBS.

Join the discussion online in FebruaryQing will be online at w www.wbs.ac.uk/jointhedebate from the 1–5 February 2011. Come and swap ideas and discuss the issues she raises in this article.

• What do you see as the opportunities for firms in emerging economies to ‘leap frog’ the multi-nationals, particularly in technology and marketing?

• What are the differences between the type of innovative capabilities for firms competing at the lower and higher ends of the market?

• What are the roles of users, particularly those in the emerging markets, and their behaviours in the innovation adoption process?

Qing is Professor of Marketing and Associate Dean for Internationalisation. She gained her PhD at Warwick and was a faculty member at Sussex before joining WBS. She has also been

a Visiting Professor at universities including Duke, Tsinghua, and INSEAD.

Her research draws on psychology, innovation studies, and neuroscience to understand consumer behaviour in the adoption of radical new products; the co-evolution of consumer learning and firm strategies; and the innovative capabilities and branding strategies of Chinese high-tech firms.

Qing is a Member of the Marketing Science Institute, and Director of MICE (Marketing, Innovation and Chinese Economy network). She has published in leading journals including Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Product Innovation Management, and Research Policy. She is also Associate Editor for Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing and International Journal of China Marketing.

Professor Qing Wang introduces some of the capabilities of firms in emerging economies and suggests ways in which they will need to develop in order to meet the changing demands of the consumer.

13nexus: spring 2011 creativity and innovation

the author in minuteon the knowledge centre...

innovation & the uk manufacturing industry Kevin Morley looks at how a concentration on specialised, innovative short-run manufacturing could be the answer to the UK’s current financial woes.

Kevin started his working life with Ford and was head-hunted to Rover where he quickly climbed the ranks to become Managing Director and a member of the Board. Having regained Rover’s profitability, he left to set

up his own marketing agency which became the 6th largest in Europe before it was purchased by Interpublic.

Kevin is Chairman of one PLC and Non-executive Director of two others, owns three marketing agencies, a five-star hotel, and has interests in a number of smaller companies. He continues to work as a consultant in marketing, and speaks at events worldwide. He is Vice President of the British Dyslexia Association, and a Charter Member of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Kevin is an Honorary Professor at Warwick Business School.

If this current recession has taught us nothing else, it’s that over-reliance on one sector in the economy can be dangerous, especially if that sector happens to be financial services. It’s no coincidence that casinos also use the word ‘bank’ to describe the House.

The current small but significant spurt in growth in the UK economy is almost entirely down to one long-forgotten sector – manufacturing. Germany powered out of this recession simply because of its strong manufacturing base which shows the way for the rest of the West, despite more and more manufacturing heading towards China.

Almost the entire focus of Chinese manufacturing is on Long Run Manufacturing. If you want a million mobile phones a month, indeed, if you want a million of anything a month, go to China. And this is likely to continue despite economic competitors claiming increased demand will lead to higher wages and a subsequent loss in price competitiveness. When I was on the Board of a company with a factory producing electronics in Shinzhen Province and wage increases became an issue because of increased demand for labour, we simply moved production further inland to Guandong Province, where wages were much lower. China is so huge and populous that this process can be repeated for decades.

So we in the West have to focus our manufacturing energies on the Short Run end of the spectrum. This will involve the more specialised and therefore high end manufacturing processes and must be led by innovation. Many studies have shown there is a strong and enduring link between innovation and productivity growth. The seminal study by Solow found that nearly 90 percent of the increase in US labour production in the twentieth century was caused by innovation and technical change. A recent study by Coe and Holpman (1993) estimated that the elasticity of UK manufacturing output is around 0.2 for every 1 percent increase in research and

the digital future of manufacturingBritain has been described as a ‘knowledge economy’, but is this an over-simplification?

Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, Director of WMG, believes that the importance of manufacturing has been overlooked in the UK and that the future of manufacturing lies in digital technology. WMG’s Digital Lab has proven that there are opportunities for British-based manufacturing that need to be exploited, and that our universities have a crucial role to play. w tinyurl.com/38yof9y

designing for the 21st centuryThe use of tensioned fabric in architecture necessitates a collaboration between engineers and designers from the beginning. Professor Lewis has been researching tensioned fabric structures, co-ordinating the ‘Design for the 21st Century’ project and exhibition as a collaboration between Warwick’s School of Engineering and the Courtauld Institute in 2009. Since then, her research has become focused on the potential of rigid minimal forms. w tinyurl.com/3afwcky

development capital stock, and this growth is a continual curve. The motor industry is often used as the bell weather of the health of manufacturing industry and indeed no self-respecting country that purports to be a leading force in the economic world would be without its motor industry. It is no surprise that the BRIC countries have been playing catch up with their own individual manufacturing plants. As an example; China’s car industry grew by over 60 percent in the last 12 months and it is clear that even motor manufacturing will migrate Eastwards over time. It will then be left to the more specialised and innovatory industries to provide the West’s manufacturing output.

And with manufacturing employing about 2.6 million people in the UK and accounting for 13 percent or over £150 billion of our National Economic Output, it is clear that it’s an industry to be cherished and this has to be done by innovation and new technology. As the old proverb so accurately states, innovate or die!

As the old proverb so accurately states, innovate or die!

nexus: spring 2011 creativity and innovation14

the author in minute

Nick Chater joined WBS in 2010, after holding chairs in psychology at Warwick and then at UCL. He has over 200 hundred publications to his name, has won four national awards for psychological research, and has served as Associate Editor for the

journals Cognitive Science, Psychological Review, and Psychological Science. He was elected a Fellow of the Cognitive Science Society in 2010.

the mind is flat: the illusion of depth in human behaviourNick Chater

When we choose a car, vote, or make a moral choice, we imagine ourselves driven by deep motivations and desires. But one of the insights of modern behavioural science is that this feeling is almost entirely an illusion. Rather than consulting our ‘inner selves’, we are, rather desperately, attempting to figure out, there and then, what we should do and feel. Rather than drilling down into some stable bedrock, we cook up a credible-sounding story about our behaviour, on the spot.

Let’s take an example. Suppose I ask how much TV you watch each night. I might give you options such as (a) 0–15 mins, (b) 15–30 mins, (c) 30–45 mins, (d) 45–60 mins, (e) more than 60 mins. Suppose you consult your ‘inner statistician’ and select (c). Now, I might, though, have asked you

whether the answer was (a) 0–1h, (b) 1h–2h, (c) 2h–3h, (d) 3h, (e) more than 3h. Your inner statistician should, of course, look deep within your experience, and select (a). But there is no inner statistician, peering into your mental depths—indeed, there are no mental depths to peer into! Instead, with either set of options, you actually think – ’Help, I’ve no idea! I suppose I watch a bit less TV than the average person; and these options probably cover the population at large. So perhaps I’m a (c).’ And you do this both times. Even though the answers are wildly inconsistent.

This phenomenon, prospect relativity (Stewart, et al., 2003), is ubiquitous. Perhaps it doesn’t matter much whether I know how much TV I watch. But the same problem arises everywhere. We can be induced, by similar trickery, to favour wildly risky investments (if the others are even riskier) or stodgily safe ones; to favour fuel efficiency over performance in a new car, or the reverse; to focus on quality, or price, when in the supermarket. There is no point trying to figure out what I really want, and providing it – I don’t know what I want myself.

There are limits to our flexibility and confusion. As I mentioned, one way we cook up stories about what we want is by considering what we normally do. If I usually buy quality audio equipment, I have some evidence that this matters to me – so I’d better do when next in the store. I’m like an author flicking back in my manuscript to remember a character’s hair colour; to be consistent, I have to check what I like and feel, and stick with it.

Experiments on choice blindness by my collaborator Petter Johansson show this process in operation very neatly (Johansson

et al. 2005). Petter asks people to choose which of two faces they think is most attractive; and then by a conjuring trick, presents the person with the face they didn’t choose saying ‘Tell me why you chose that one.’ This shocking thing is: (i) people don’t notice the switch; (ii) they are perfectly happy to provide an explanation for the choosing face B, a few seconds after actually choosing face A.

What does this mean for running a corporation? Don’t try to look deep inside your customers, or your employees, or yourself. Do focus on the moment-by-moment processes of buying, working or living that people find rewarding, and create more of them.

Johansson, Petter; Lars Hall, Sverker Sikström, A. Olsson (2005). ‘Failure to Detect Mismatches Between Intention and Outcome in a Simple Decision Task’. Science, 310, 116–119.

Stewart, N., Chater, N., Stott, H. P., & Reimers, S. (2003). Prospect relativity: How choice options influence decision under risk. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 132, 23-46.

A new Behavioural Science group at WBS, headed by Professor Nick Chater, has been formed to study behavioural science and its applications in business, the economy, and finance. Behavioural science is a relatively new research and teaching field that is

intrinsically interdisciplinary, lying at the nexus of applied psychology, organisational behaviour, neuroscience, sociology, management science, economics, and finance.

emotional prosperityIt is the desire to increase GDP that informs the economical decisions of Western countries. Professor

Andrew Oswald however, argues that it is time to change our way of thinking. Global warming and diminishing natural resources means that is now necessary to create fewer products rather than more, and the evidence is also stacking up to prove that old suspicion correct – perhaps more money doesn’t make people (or countries) happier after all.w tinyurl.com/3alm8zb

on the knowledge centre...

15nexus: spring 2011 creativity and innovation

the role of innovation & creativity in building resilient organisations

Private, public, and voluntary organisations are facing significant challenges as the real impact of the global financial crisis and government retrenchment are felt. Findings from the Strategy, Organisational Learning & Resilience (SOLAR) research unit, a leader in the field of organisational resilience, highlight how organisations can create capabilities to better respond to adverse and austere conditions.

The contemporary relevance of the research is reflected in an expanding portfolio of high impact projects. In 2010, Sullivan-Taylor and Branicki disseminated research findings to a wide range of practitioner (AIRMIC, Bank of England, BCM World, IPT) and academic audiences (SMS, EGOS). New SOLAR Research Associates also include Steyer, Stephenson, Cohen, Von Schwanewede, and Stolz.

The exploration of strategy, in terms of both human behaviour and organisational processes, has become increasingly pertinent not only to the UK’s recovery from extreme financial shocks but also to the potential impact and increasing frequency of events ranging from terrorists acts to severe weather events. The need for creative solutions and

flexibility to cope with extreme threats and events is a key theme in SOLAR research.

Strategic capabilitiesBridgette’s project was the first to examine the state of play of UK organisational resilience, and initial findings have wide reaching consequences not only for those organisations operating in high risk contexts but for all organisations operating within the UK public

and private sector context.

This research investigates intra- and inter organisational relationships and challenges traditional business continuity approaches to planning and preparedness which is predicated upon individual organisations operating in isolation and one size fits all organisation solutions to managing extreme events. Instead our research highlights the need for strategic decision-makers to think creatively about the resources and capabilities across critical national infrastructure and international supply chains.

This includes the use of creative scenarios using ‘Lego Serious Play’ to map out the strategic landscape as well as potential dependencies and inhibitors to achieving overall resilience.

To engage further with strategy in practice, an Advisory Board has been set up with senior corporate and government representatives, chaired by a member of the House of Lords.

Contact e Bridgette.Sullivan-Taylor@wbs.ac.uk

risky businessThe 21st century has been a time fraught with concerns about safety, from the micro level

of identity theft and credit card fraud to the threat of terrorism at the macro level. Dr Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor has recently completed a Leverhulme Trust funded research project that examined the intricate relationships between international tourism and terrorism, and looked at how managers in the travel and tourism sector cope with the uncertainties caused by the terrorist threat. w tinyurl.com/356aao3

Social networking technologiesLayla’s new two-year inter-institutional project combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine the impact of technological innovations, such as social networking technologies, upon emergency management. It looks to explore smarter and more creative solutions for city evacuation.Contact e Layla.Branicki@wbs.ac.uk

Organisational learning A new PhD project which explores how companies have managed during times of crisis. Gareth’s research focuses on how companies learn and whether, during times of extreme events, companies learn more efficiently when working with direct government input (public private partnership-style) or if they are more efficient when operating independently. Contact e Gareth.Owen@warwick.ac.uk

SOLAR research themes remain timely and its research activities continue to attract academic, government, and industry support. It is only through academia, industry, and government working creatively together that innovative solutions can be found to the problems challenging a post financial crisis landscape.

For more information on SOLAR research and activities see the SOLAR web site or contact Dr Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor, Director, Solarw www.wbs.ac.uk/go/solar

SOLAR events for 2011 • Organisational Resilience Project: policy and practice

impact events, hosted by partner organisations, Summer.• Secure Outcomes Breakfast Series: organised jointly by

SOLAR, the Industry & Parliamentary Trust (IPT), and the University of Warwick, held at Westminster, Jan-June.

• Security Conference, June, Westminster Contact Bridgette or Gareth for further information.

on the knowledge centre...

Dr Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor and Dr Layla Branicki summarise some of the current research emanating from the Strategy, Organisational Learning & Resilience research unit.

Special offer

Access over two hours of unique video training from Lesley, separated into 12 modules and delivered to your inbox over four weeks via the 8.45 Club, for the discounted rate of £27 (normal price £47)

To purchase, login to your Alumni website, click on the careers link under Develop and click on ‘Buy Services Online’.

take control of your personal brandIf you’re serious about your career, you need to take control of your ‘Brand Me’.

We all have a personal brand; it’s just like a corporate or product brand. It’s how you make others feel about you, what people say about you, and the words they use to describe you.

We don’t always cultivate our brand image though. It’s often left to chance. But, the impact of considered branding cannot be underestimated –just look at the success of brands like David Beckham, Apple, Coca Cola, and even the Queen.

Take control of your brand with these essential tips, 7 Big Strides to Walking TALL®, from personal branding expert Lesley Everett.

Stride 1: Who you really areUncover your personality, values, individuality and your unique selling points. We often lose track of our identity in a busy business world and when we’re focused on career progression.

It’s important to get feedback from others on how they see you – analyse appraisals and personal development plans.

Ask others around you for three words to describe you. Do these correlate to how you see yourself? Are you happy with them? This collection of perceptions from others is your brand, so make sure you manage them.

Stride 2: The first seven secondsIt takes just seven seconds for people to judge us.

How often do people get the wrong impression?

There are three steps to a first impression:

1 What you look like2 What you sound like3 What you say

First we take in non-verbal communication, then we assess vocal quality, and finally we hook into content if we like what we see and how we hear it. First impressions are incredibly powerful in defining how we feel about somebody.

Stride 3: Dress like you mean itStyle and grooming are the packaging of your brand. Do you present yourself in a way that invites trust and credibility? Your dress should be an extension of your personality and brand.

Stride 4: Silent indicators‘Body Talk’ speaks volumes. A genuine smile, a good handshake and positive eye contact are essential – you will be judged on them so take time to get them right.

Stride 5: Speak easyWhat does your voice convey about your brand? Have you listened to your voicemail message, to hear how professional you sound? Don’t underestimate the power and influence of your voice.

Stride 6: Be interested & visibleBeing genuinely interested in others will make you more interesting, and more memorable.

How visible are you? Do people know you or do others have to describe you in detail for people to know who you

are? Having a great brand is not enough; you need to manage your visibility to project it.

It’s not always about seeing people face to face; you can be visible in other ways. Think

about your profile online and how you interact and contribute your expertise.

Stride 7: Each time, all the timeConsistency is crucial. For any brand to be 100 percent successful, it has to be 100 percent consistent.

Lesley Everett is author of Walking TALL – key steps to total image impact and founder of Walking Tall – The Personal Branding Company. w www.walkingtall.org

personal & career development

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The Knowledge Centre is a major new initiative designed to provide you with a continual source of research and learning materials to support your professional and personal development. This new web site provides a digital gateway to Warwick’s knowledge delivered by your academics and fellow alumni.

Under five broad themes and through a range of exciting projects, the Knowledge Centre provides content of interest to alumni and associates including exclusive interviews with Warwick academics; topical news analysis; specially commissioned videos and podcasts; archive material and online learning resources.

Recent contributors to the Knowledge Centre include Professor Andrew Oswald, Professor Andrew Sentance, and Professor Abhinay Muthoo, as well as Warwick graduates, including former Apprentice candidate Howard Ebison, and prominent figures from the world of business and finance.

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‘ The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it.’ Samuel Johnson

Visit w go.warwick.ac.uk/knowledge

visit the Knowledge Centre: w go.warwick.ac.uk/knowledge

Warwick Live: The Future of the UK EconomyProfessor Andrew Sentance and Paul Fisher, both Members of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee recently gave their views on the UK economy and the work of the MPC at an invitation-only event at WBS.

Watch a video of the event via the Warwick Live section on the Knowledge Centre site.

Warwick MBA by distance learningRay Irving, Head of Learning Resources Development for WBS, discusses the importance of online learning and explores how the internet and technological advances in online learning have revolutionised how this course is delivered.

The Knowledge Centre welcomes contributions from alumni so if you would like to contribute, please contact us e knowledge@warwick.ac.uk

Projects and resources featured on the site include: WRAP Unwrapped: access to journal articles and working papers by Warwick academics and PhD students; The Book Club: extracts from publications by Warwick academics and alumni; and the Communication Matters Blog: providing tips and advice on writing for publication.

Check the Warwick Live page on the site for details of upcoming live events being streamed by the Knowledge Centre. You can also watch videos of past live events.

Triodos – The Transparent BankTriodos is one of many ethical banks providing a refreshing change to the way our money is invested. Charles Middleton, Managing Director of Triodos Bank UK, discusses Triodos’s recent developments and plans for the future.

These articles can be found in Business and Economics on the Knowledge Centre site.

Book Club: Leadership – A Very Short IntroductionProfessor Keith Grint, Director of Governance and Public Management group at WBS, considers the role of the social, economic, and political context undermining particular modes of leadership.

This book extract can be found in The Book Club section in The Projects on the Knowledge Centre site.

some featured content on the Knowledge Centre:

alumni supporting the WBS experience

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Over the past year, increased importance has been placed on return on investment for students and alumni and we are thrilled by the support we have received from both communities to make this happen.

in support of recruitmentOur undergraduate open day in September saw Nicola O’Dea (BSc Management, 2006) address prospective students. She said, ‘Being asked to present was a real

privilege and very rewarding. It was a great honour to share the stage with Professor Peter Corvi and give something back to the University. I enjoyed helping prospective students see all the amazing things WBS has to offer.’

Peter, Associate Dean for the WBS Undergraduate Programme, commented, ‘Nicola covered every conceivable aspect of what a WBS education can do; she is a tremendous ambassador for us. Showcasing undergraduate alumni to prospective students is an excellent way to integrate the two communities.’

To volunteer to help at undergraduate recruitment events contact Oliver Walmsley, Undergraduate Programme Manager w oliver.walmsley@wbs.ac.uk

To volunteer to help at recruitment events for the Warwick MBA contact Heather Broadbent, Assistant Manager – Marketing & Recruitment, the Warwick MBA w mba.ambassadors@wbs.ac.uk

in support of talentEight first year undergraduates won prizes for outstanding performances in last year’s Financial Management and Foundations of Financial Management modules. The awards ceremony was sponsored for the third year by UBS who are keen to recognise WBS talent.

Xuewen Liu, Boon Guan Kua, Benediktas Petkevicius, Zhanbota Mukasheva, Vlad Teodorescu, Vivian Li, Natalie Pilling and Giedrius Satkauskas, shared the prize money. The prize–giving was followed by a guest lecture by Tobias Wagnert (BSc Management Sciences 1996–99) a Director at UBS, who commented, ‘Recruiting the best graduates is critical. We are very excited about our strong relationship with the University of Warwick, which is one of our key target universities. In 2010 our Investment Banking Department recruited more graduates from here than from any other university in the UK.’

in support of learningGraduates from our Msc in Information Systems & Management returned to WBS to work with the current cohort on a five-week Business Systems Integration & Consultancy module.

Vinod Vijayan, who graduated in 2010 and recently started a new career with Barclays, says, ‘This course helped me a lot in getting employment; the WBS brand is well known in the UK. I volunteered to give back to WBS - but also because it helps me to pick up mentoring skills.’

Daniel Gozman graduated in 2008 and has worked for several large consultancies but has now returned to do a PhD. He said, ‘This course was essential to me in getting the graduates role that I did which subsequently led to my gaining a scholarship to return. Now back I am keen to develop contacts which can help with my research and ultimately aid me in finding new employment. Giving back through this process in terms of advice and suggestions is for me a given.’

in support of changeOur enhanced careers provision and mentoring programme supports graduates at all stages in their personal development. Two of our new initiatives are the establishment of the Cohort Representative Network (CRN) and the start of a pilot buddy scheme, see mentoring on page 19. The CRN is aimed across all programmes and the representative for this year’s Msc in Management Johanna Wissing commented, ‘I am honored to be a cohort representative.’ In 2011 we will be looking at ways to support more recent graduates, for example by establishing a network especially for those who have graduated in the past 10 years. If you are interested in helping, please do get in touch. w alumni@wbs.ac.uk

The mentoring steering committee welcomes four new members: current mentors Laurence Pearce MBA (Warwick), Chris Beer MBA (Warwick) and Sanjiv Patel MBA (Warwick), and also Steve Martin MBA (Warwick) who is leading the entrepreneurship programme and will maximise synergies between the two programmes.

A new buddy scheme, aimed at informally supporting participants on the Warwick MBA by full-time study, has launched with three small groups sessions to take place during the year. We had lots of positive feedback after the first group meeting, and participants were quick to thank the Alumni Board members and other volunteers for giving of their time

and support. We are now also facilitating informal mentoring for our current undergraduates, with third and fourth year students offering support to first year students.

alumni supporting the WBS experience

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After 25 years of successfully putting participants through their paces, 2011 sees the Warwick MBA by distance learning launch a revised structure to retain the flexibility and quality which participants have come to expect whilst offering greater control in terms of pacing study and attendance of events at WBS.

We’re moving to two distinct intakes, with each year of study being notionally split into two six-month semesters; this approach allows participants to complete their studies in a shorter time frame.

New developments in the use of technology have been at the heart of our innovative approach to teaching and learning. Our online live classroom, wbsLive, is now an integral part of programme delivery, with each module providing carefully timed live lectures and tutorials during the semester. All supporting module tutors will speak to participants in their own live tutorial sessions. These moves will create greater opportunities for learning support and help participants maintain their schedule of study.

Learning materials are migrating towards a web-based electronic form, rather than paper-based, to enable us to provide much greater support with archived video lecture material and audio content. Participants still prefer paper-based text books rather than the e-book format so we will continue to use these, although this is something that will be under continual review.

Both Dean Mark Taylor and Professor Andrew Oswald will welcome mentors and mentees onto the 2011 programme on 11 February 2011 at WBS. Plans for 2011 for the development of our mentoring programme involve expanding it globally by enlisting support and expertise from non-UK based mentors.

w www.wbs.ac.uk/go/mentoring

supporting entrepreneursOur new bespoke entrepreneurship mentoring programme, created in conjunction with WBS-EN, our Entrepreneurship Network, is designed to provide guidance and non-financial support to alumni close to launching a new business.Funding has been secured from the London Chamber of Commerce and will be used to aid the personal growth of individuals selected for the programme. Steve Martin, see above, is leading this project, supported by Rebecca Smart MBA (Warwick) and Rob England MBA (Warwick).

mentoring goes from strength to strength

Face-to-face contact is also being enhanced; in the first year participants will attend two shorter ‘Warwick Week’ sessions where they will receive a wider range of new study and career support events as well as lectures and tutorials from faculty.

Commitment to the programme will be reinforced by enabling participants to visit the campus and meet faculty within 10 weeks of starting their studies. Additionally, they will all study a single face-to-face module before they graduate.

Paul Walley, Academic Director for the Warwick MBA by distance learning, explained, ‘We are introducing some very exciting changes aimed at increasing interaction with participants all the way through their studies. These innovations are state-of-art and enhance the Warwick MBA by distance learning in its position as a world-class programme.’

‘The distance learning programme just does so well in the rankings – they must be doing something right! Already, studying for the qualification has opened up opportunities for me within my company.’ Jean-Fabien Renard, Project Manager, Capgemini

the Warwick MBA by distance learning – a new structure for the 25th anniversary

giving back, getting involved

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Cranfield TrustWe are pleased to announce a partnership with The Cranfield Trust, the UK's leading business volunteering charity. The Trust has a 20 year history of supporting charities by matching them with skilled volunteers, most of them alumni of leading business schools; we are promoting the Trust’s business volunteering opportunities to our alumni.

The Trust works with 200 charities and other non-profit organisations each year, addressing issues of poverty, disability and social exclusion, and supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. Volunteering with them is a stimulating and inspiring way to use your professional skills to make a valuable difference to society. Trust Project Managers work with client organisations to define their needs, and to support clients and volunteers as they work together.

Projects cover a wide range of management issues, working at a strategic level. Your skills in business and strategic planning, financial management, human resources, marketing, mentoring, coaching and facilitating could make a long term difference to a Trust client organisation. Volunteers usually give five to ten days of time to each project, spread over two to six months.

More information w wbs.ac.uk/alumni/cranfield

We recognise that the motivations and means of giving back to WBS differ widely across our community. You may wish to give back to make a difference to WBS because you identify with our values, because it benefits you in some way, or because you simply wish to see WBS advance. All of these motivations are valid and in recognition of that we offer many ways in which to get involved, volunteering your time, expertise and knowledge.

For further information please visit w wbs.ac.uk/alumni/givingback.cfm or contact us e alumni@wbs.ac.uk. We would love to hear from you.

Robert Deriawish (MSc Information Systems & Management 2009) received his final degree results whilst at WBS supporting the current cohort through a course module.

Robert commented, ‘I wanted to give back to the University and to WBS because I learnt such a lot during my time here. I found the recent practitioner event I attended at WBS in November excellent and have really enjoyed re-living part of the WBS experience again today. I hope that the current students will continue to benefit from our input.’

Our congratulations to Robert on getting distinctions in two of his modules!

who’s been joining the conversation? ’Joining the conversation is about you, me and others sharing what we’re up to now and how studying at Warwick helped us get there’ says current participant on the Warwick MBA by full-time study, George Berezhnov.

‘Joining the conversation’ is a pilot initiative which allows the whole WBS community to share their thoughts about Warwick on video and in podcasts. Talking points have included the benefits of being a mentor and mentee, how completing the Warwick MBA gives you the knowledge and confidence to challenge others in business, and how the start-up space is so exciting.

Fiona Williams MBA (Warwick) [pictured with Geoff Cousins], came up with the idea and has led a team from across WBS to get the pilot off the ground. Fiona says, ‘Let us know if you like the concept, have a look at what others are saying, and join in by posting your own comments or video’.

Alumni who have contributed include:

• Paul Kehoe (CEO, Birmingham Airport)• Geoff Cousins (Managing Director, Jaguar UK)• Tom Poon (Co-founder of Express Golf, Hong Kong)• Gerardo Montoya (Vice President, Volvo Financial Services,

Brazil)• Emma Hardy (Commercial Manager, Mouchel, UK)• Steve Hales (Founder of Sapien Innovations, UK)• Dr Sue Bridgewater (WBS Associate Professor and Director of

Centre for Management in Sport).

Join the conversation w www.wbs.ac.uk/conversation

‘Coming from a low income, disadvantaged background, knowing about the Alumni & Friends’ Scholarship gave me the confidence to apply to WBS instead of a local university (where costs would be much lower). Knowing I have the money to buy what I need, without having to struggle, has lifted a big

weight from my shoulders. The scholarship has paid for course books and materials, helped me to purchase a laptop, and covers day -to-day costs such as paying for food. It has directly allowed me to concentrate on my education and make the most of my university life rather than having to spend the majority of my time working to earn money.

‘For the coming academic year I aim to perform stronger academically. I also want to take part in the Warwick Entrepreneurs Society and Global Entrepreneurship Week. I aim to take full advantage of this in the coming year by building relationships with fellow entrepreneurs and business people, discussing business ideas with them and possibly setting up my own business.

‘The Alumni & Friends’ Scholarship has given me the opportunity to gain a high quality education at a top university that would otherwise not have been possible. I know that WBS will offer opportunities and the chance to meet people who will be very beneficial to my future, which would otherwise not have been possible. For all this I am genuinely very grateful to the alumni & friends. There are many young people in the UK who are capable of a high quality education but cannot access it, simply because of their financial background. I would greatly encourage alumni and friends to donate generously as they are directly helping dreams to become a reality.’

Aqsa ChaudharyCurrent student on our BSc in Law & Business Studies Undergraduate Scholar

global impact

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WBS needs YOU!At the time of going to press, the precise impact of the Lord Browne review of higher education funding and the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review on undergraduate tuition fees is unclear. However, the Warwick experience is about opportunity – the opportunity for anyone with ability to benefit from studying at one of the UK’s top universities, regardless of economic or social circumstances.

Working towards this aim starts with schools – long before pupils apply to university. One of Warwick’s leading initiatives is the Goal Programme – a national scheme that is part of IGGY, the International Gateway for Gifted Youth. The Goal Programme supports 800 disadvantaged gifted and talented pupils aged between 14 and 18 and helps them gain the knowledge and confidence to apply to the top UK universities.

The University wants to ensure that wherever possible financial circumstances do not become a barrier to studying here. Donors can play a vital role in helping students by donating towards undergraduate scholarships.

If your time at WBS has changed your life, please think about giving back. Donations of all sizes can make a huge difference.

how to giveGive online via our website, where you’ll find lots of further information – but our Development team would also love to speak to you if you have any queries.

w warwick.ac.uk/go/givenowT +44 (0)24 7657 4375E benefactors@warwick.ac.uk

International Gateway for Gifted YouthIGGY, the International Gateway for Gifted Youth, was established by Warwick in 2007 to provide the top 5 percent of 11–19 year olds from around the world with an environment to encourage, nurture and challenge them in ways unavailable elsewhere. It links them with the world’s leading universities, businesses and cultural organisations to help stimulate their education, and to expose them to a culturally diverse and exciting community.

IGGY has been very active in 2010, expanding particularly its work in Africa. As well as working closely with the Warwick in Africa scheme to establish a community of students from the townships of Johannesburg, IGGY also ran a two-week residential programme (an ‘IGGY U’) in Gabarone, Botswana, in partnership with the Botswana Ministry of Education.

Since IGGY’s inception, courses in entrepreneurship, leadership and business have been at the forefront of provision and are often run by WBS academics. Professorial Fellow Roger Mumby-Croft has run courses for IGGY students on entrepreneurship, and our 2010 Warwick IGGY U featured a hugely popular course called ‘Global Leaders’, run by Associate Professor Sue Bridgewater. The Botswana IGGY U also featured a course on marketing which was run by academics from Monash University, one of Warwick’s key strategic partners.

You can find out more about IGGY at w www.warwick.ac.uk/go/iggy

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global networks

introducing five Warwick AmbassadorsGermany

Jan-Olaf Barth Director of Materials and Production Management, Evonik Degussa GmbH. Current participant on the Warwick MBA by distance learning. Frankfurt Am Main. ‘I have always enjoyed going to WBS

and meeting fellow participants from different cultures and parts of the world. I enjoy being part of this community and have profited from it in my personal and professional life. Consequently, I am more than happy to be an Ambassador and facilitate meetings and exchange of alumni, fellow students and friends of the University of Warwick in Germany.’ e jan-olaf.barth@t-online.de

Simon Champ MBA (Warwick)Marketing Manager Product Launch Task Force, BASF, Ludwigshafen. ‘WBS gave me the experience and contacts to widen my horizons. Now a WBS alumnus,

I am keen to continue expanding my world and becoming a WBS Ambassador provides me with a unique opportunity to do so. My goal now is to help create a dynamic community here in Germany that creates extra value for alumni.’ e simon.champ@basf.com

More information about the Warwick Germany Alumni Network w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/germany-group.cfm

SingaporeTim Lui MBA (Warwick). Head of Tender Management, South East Asia, Panalpina World Transport (S) Pte Ltd, Singapore. ‘I decided to become a Warwick Ambassador as I feel the University of Warwick and WBS is a good place to study. I will promote lasting

and supportive relationships among Warwick alumni members and provide opportunities for social, cultural, educational and networking activities among alumni, students and staff.’ e timothywmlui@gmail.com

SpainElena Martinez Alvarez-Baron MBA (Warwick)IT & iTV Training Manager, Volkswagen Audi Espana, Barcelona, Spain. ‘Before becoming an Alumni Ambassador, I was not aware that Warwick could have such

an impact beyond my years of study. In Spain there are around 500 graduates from a variety of backgrounds, located all over the country. Establishing the Warwick Alumni Spain Network committee will help us to organise professional and social activities for all current and future graduates of Warwick.’ e martinez@vw-audi.es

DubaiDavid Pryer MBA (Warwick). Vice PResident, Technical , Polarcus DMCC, Dubai, UAE. ‘The value of an MBA is heavily influenced by the reputation and visibility of the school and the activities of its alumni. By being an

Ambassador I hope to help raise the profile of WBS and facilitate networking opportunities for Warwick alumni in the region.’ e david.pryer@polarcus.com

new online ambassador toolkitWe are delighted to launch an online toolkit for University of Warwick Alumni Ambassadors. Developed by WBS staff, our Ambassadors, and Board members, this kit aims to assist Ambassadors with setting up and expanding Warwick alumni networks. Access the toolkit online w wbs.ac.uk/go/toolkit

Warwick alumni network continues to expandThanks to our dedicated alumni volunteers the Warwick network continues to grow. There are currently 70 geographical alumni networks, 22 professional interest groups, and many special interest groups active across 47 countries.

Typical activities include:• lectures • teleconferences • seminars • conferences • business networking • online networking • sports events • formal dinners • social events.

Photos and reviews of events w tinyurl.com/24kqynv

get involved Groups are set up by alumni, for alumni and students, with support and guidance from our Alumni team. Membership is free and open to all Warwick alumni and students and there is no restriction on the number of groups you can join. Each group works in a slightly different way, depending on the interests of participants, coordinators, and their location.

If there is no formal group for your region or area of interest, you might like to set up your own group – just get in touch with us to talk it through.

If you would like to become a University of Warwick Alumni Ambassador and connect with people in your geographical/interest area then see our instructions at w tinyurl.com/36bcma3

For a full list of all Warwick Ambassadors please visit w www2.warwick.ac.uk/alumni/networks/international

nexus: spring 2011 23

global networks

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SpainIn October Elena Martinez-Alvarez-Baron MBA (Warwick) organised the launch of the Warwick Spain Alumni Network. Nearly 30 alumni and friends listened to a video link welcome from Ann Jackson, Alumni Relations Officer, WBS, and then enjoyed lunch at a traditional restaurant in Barcelona.

TokyoMBA alumni and students met at the Sheraton Miyako Hotel in Tokyo in November to network and catch up over a drink. A very enjoyable evening was had by all.

Cyprus A Catamaran Trip in September kicked off events for the new network in Cyprus. It was an opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones with delicious food and drink, music, and, of course, swimming!

Malta The Warwick Malta Alumni Network organised informal drinks at Guze’s, overlooking the beautiful Valletta harbour, in October. Guests came from a variety of backgrounds to enjoy themselves against the scenic backdrop of medieval Valletta.

Beijing At the end of October, the Beijing Alumni Network was visited by the Dean and Professor Qing Wang who presented to an international audience of 40 Warwick alumni, students and guests in the beautiful French lounge, Domus, in central Beijing.

Singapore In July, Warwick Singapore Alumni organised a picnic in the Singapore Botanic Gardens for alumni, current students, and their families and friends to catch up on Warwick news. Lovely food and children’s activities complemented the peaceful surroundings.

Germany Sue Beech from WBS had dinner with Warwick Germany Alumni at the former tram garage Depot 1899 in Frankfurt in October. A lively group of 16 alumni and current students discovered common interests while enjoying good food and beer.

Mumbai The second annual monsoon trail, organised by Warwick Alumni Mumbai gave alumni an opportunity to catch up, relax and unwind at Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Another nature trail is planned for January 2011.

London (UK)The London Alumni Network, led by Richard Goodwin MBA (Warwick), offers a series of emerging markets seminars in 2011, starting with the SME sector discussed by Patrick Flockhart, MD, Steel Business Briefing, on 6 February. w wbs.ac.uk/alumni/london-group.cfm

TorontoKrystal Monteith MBA (Warwick), launched the Toronto Alumni Network at the Azure Bar in September. All who attended were keen to become involved in further events. Keep in touch via the Warwick Alumni Toronto Facebook page w tinyurl.com/2uhscax

Midlands (UK)Despite freezing weather conditions, the Midlands Alumni Network’s 2010 festive event saw 30 alumni get together at The Almanack, Kenilworth, where they also welcomed a group of visitors to WBS from the Indian Institute of Management. More information on the Network w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/midlands-regional-group.cfm

the WBS Forum at WBSIn partnership with Wright Hassall, a leading Midlands law firm, the WBS Warwick Forum series has kicked off for 2010/11.

In October, Mark Skilton, Director, Capgemini and Global Director, Capgemini Applications Outsourcing, presented on Transformation through collaboration: The impact of technology on business strategy. On the Knowledge Centre w www2.warwick.ac.uk/alumni/knowledge/

business/cloud_computing

Tony Thorne, former Group Chief Executive, DS Smith PLC, shared some of his experiences in Taking a UK PLC abroad. Full script w tinyurl.com/36jattj

Guy Esnouf, Head of PR and Public Affairs, E.ON UK, gave a thought-provoking exploration into Who’s responsible for making Britain green – energy companies or energy users.

Slides and podcast available through the Global Energy Professional Network on LinkedIn w tinyurl.com/32ay3a6

Francis Davis, Ministerial Advisor on the Big Society and Decentralisation, and Fellow of The Young Foundation, presented on The business of social change – social enterprise beyond bureaucracy. Slides w tinyurl.com/395luz5For further reading w www2.warwick.ac.uk/

alumni/knowledge/culture/bigsociety

coming soon at WBSForthcoming speakers include: • Antonio Horta-Osorio, former CEO Santander UK and new

CEO, Lloyds TSB• Ed Sweeney, Chair of ACAS• Mark Heraghty, Managing Director of Virgin Media Business • Benoit Testard, Managing Director of United Biscuits UK.

Full details of the entire WBS Forum series are available online w wbs.ac.uk/go/fora

network news

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keep up to dateThe monthly WBS eEvents email highlights all the career workshops, executive courses and alumni events taking place around the world and at WBS. If you are not receiving these emails, please check we have your correct email address by visiting w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/update_details.cfm or email e alumni@wbs.ac.uk

As well as the monthly eNews and eEvents communications, all our events and news can be found online at w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni along with access to the services and networks offered to you as an alumnus of WBS. Why not join our groups on LinkedIn & Facebook, follow us on Twitter and access presentations and photos through SlideShare and Flickr. These sites can all be accessed via the homepage of our web site w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni

the WBS Forum in LondonIn the autumn, Andrew Sentence, WBS Professor of Sustainable Business, and Jon Miles, Group Director for Arup,

paired up to deliver a talk on the climate changes facing our economy. The discussion showed that key findings from experts in both the academic and practitioner fields are centred on two main areas of equal importance, nuclear energy and behaviour change, in the light of the government’s targets for energy reduction by 2020 and again in 2050.

To read in depth Andrew’s latest research, on the Knowledge Centre w tinyurl.com/37g6fdn

coming soon in LondonWe are delighted to announce that in February 2011 we will be joined by Otto Frommelt, Managing Director, Volvo Austria GmbH. Otto is himself a WBS alumnus, and an honorary WBS professor, and is keen to host a hotly argued debate on his theories around:

• What does the future herald for the automotive industry?• How can scenario planning help us change the way forward?• What part to play will alternative energy have in our industry

sector?

visitors to campusIn November, Alison Bond and Nick Webber welcomed to WBS a delegation from the National Science Council of Taiwan. Led by Professor Chuang-Chang Chang, former Dean of the Management School at the National Central University of Taiwan,

the visitors came to gain a better understanding of current research trends at WBS, in particular accounting and finance.

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professional networks

professional networks

The start of the Autumn term has seen the launch of three new and exciting professional networks.

Warwick Strategy & Consulting NetworkThe Strategy and Consulting Professional Network, headed up by Lead Ambassador Nigel Brownbill, was launched on 1 September 2010 to enable individual students and alumni to achieve their goals within the strategy and consultancy sector both during and after their degree.

The network, working closely with WBS and other collaborative partners, exists to add value to its members, through focused support and advice.

Discussions online have so far included ‘Job Satisfaction: A Realistic Expectation or Utopian Myth?’, ‘What would you ask Robert Kaplan (Father of Balanced Scorecard, ABC etc) if you were to meet him?’ and ‘Values in Leadership: Is Humility Becoming a Lost Art?’ One of our fastest growing groups, it is quickly becoming a valuable resource for anyone wishing to move into the sector.

Become part of the LinkedIn network w tinyurl.com/355xa48 Follow Nigel’s blog w bethebestinbusiness.blogspot.com

Warwick Global Energy Professional NetworkThe Warwick Global Energy MBA is now in its second year and the Warwick Global Energy Professional Network seeks to share some of the news, discussions and requests that have been happening within the programme. Through this group all our Alumni community can join participants on the programme in sharing thoughts on what’s happening across the energy industry. In addition to discussions, many of the energy-related events taking place at Warwick are recorded and can be accessed via the network.

Join some of the discussions taking place online such as; ‘The Slim to Win strategy’, ‘Energy Crisis Over! – says Steve Forbes’ and ‘NOC View – Shokri Ghanem of Libya’ and access the slides and presentation that Guy Esnouf, Head of PR and Public Affairs, E.ON UK delivered at WBS on 22 November 2010. w tinyurl.com/32ay3a6

Full list of Professional Networks w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/networks.cfm Join the WBS LinkedIn group w tinyurl.com/35jlu3z.All Warwick online networks w www2.warwick.ac.uk/alumni/networks/professional

Warwick Net Impact ChapterIn October, WBS hosted an event to celebrate the official launch of the Warwick chapter of the organisation Net Impact. The chapter was launched thanks to the efforts of a group of our students and alumni who got together to plan and gather support for this initiative.

Net Impact is a non-profit student-led organisation with a mission to inspire, educate and equip individuals to use the power of business to create a more socially and environmentally sustainable world. With more than 20,000 members in 260 chapters, it is one of the most influential networks of professionals and students in existence today. Professional members include leaders working in corporate responsibility, social entrepreneurship, non-profit management, international development and environmental sustainability.

Over 180 students, alumni, teaching and support staff registered to attend the chapter launch, held on campus on 14 October. WBS Dean, Mark Taylor, opened proceedings, and speakers included Charles Middleton, Managing Director of Triodos; an ethical bank investing only in socially and environmentally sound projects, and Muriel Johnson, an independent ethical trading specialist who set up and managed an ethical supply chain for Marks & Spencer.

Liz C. Maw, Net Impact Executive Director based in San Francisco, sent this message to the gathering, ‘I am thrilled to welcome WBS to the network. With more than 260 chapters, reaching 20,000 people, you have joined a powerful network of leaders inspiring the future of business. We look forward to supporting your chapter, and we are excited for your members to leverage Net Impact’s resources and network to maximise their impact on campus and in the community. Good luck!’

Anyone interested in getting involved or seeking information on future events and developments can access the Warwick chapter at w www.warwicknetimpact.org or contact Barbara Janker e barbara.janker.09@mail.wbs.ac.uk

Congratulations to Alex (Hai) Gong MBA (Warwick) class of 1999, on the birth of his baby daughters, Rebecca and Vivien. We wish Alex and his family the very best.

Peter Summerfield MBA (Warwick) class of 1975, Chair of the WBS Mentoring Steering group, proudly celebrates the birth of his first grandchild, Sophie Charlotte.

For more information about our Mentoring programme please contact e tracy.lynch@wbs.ac.uk

WBS alumnus completes the ‘toughest footrace on earth’

Congratulations and admiration go to alumnus Ralph Dixon, (BSc Management Sciences 1983), Director of Environmental Investments, YTL Corp Berhad, who completed the Marathon Des Sables 2010.

Ralph ran 245km over six days in the Sahara desert, where temperatures reach 45°C, to raise over £50,000 for the Malaysian AIDS Foundation. For more information, visit w ralphmarathondessables.blogspot.com

alumni news

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wedding bellsMark Shortt and Becki Roberts met on the second day of the BSc Management Sciences course back in October 2001.

‘After three years of working hard and playing harder (most of which we can remember) we both graduated and started our careers at Deloitte in London. Mark is still there, but I am now with Camelot. We bought our first home in Hertfordshire in 2006 and have been very happy together.We had a beautiful winter wedding with

family and many of our friends from WBS and beyond, followed by a blissful honeymoon in the Maldives.’

Fabio Franco (BSc Management Sciences 2000) and Mia Gannedahl (BSc Chemistry with Management 2000) met in the Students Union of the University of Warwick more than nine years ago and married in a small fishing village in Sweden this summer.

Their wedding was attended by many friends from the University and the ceremony and party was a fusion of Brazilian and Swedish culture.

Fabio is now a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young in London and Mia works for Amgen, a biopharmaceutical company, in Uxbridge.

and the award goes to...Nadza Abdul MBA (Warwick) class of 1995, Chief Operating Officer of PosLaju National Courier, Malaysia’s national and largest domestic courier company, who was awarded the 2010 Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award, one of Asia Pacific’s most prestigious entrepreneurship awards. Given by Enterprise Asia, a leading NGO on entrepreneurship, it is bestowed to outstanding individuals who have demonstrated entrepreneurial attributes that make them role models for emerging entrepreneurs, including the tenacity and perseverance to continue innovating and making a difference under adverse situations.

baby news

We send many congratulations to Dr Evangelia Kasimati (MSc Economics & Finance 1998) and her husband Niko Veraro on the birth of their daughter Flora Erietta Verarou.

Jargon Public Relations wins Amplify Trading briefJargon Public Relations has been hired by Amplify Trading, an innovative new proprietary trading company specialising in training new trading talent for the financial markets. The remit for Jargon PR is to raise awareness of Amplify Trading and the traders being trained.

Simon Corbett (MSc in Organisational Studies 2001), founder and Managing Director of Jargon PR comments, ‘Amplify Trading is perfectly placed to take advantage of the unprecedented changes within financial services recruitment. Our campaign will enhance credibility and increase awareness by cutting through the noise surrounding training and recruitment.’

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alumni news

appointmentsMohamad Djahanbakhsh MBA (Warwick) class of 1996, Managing Director of e-learning and management solutions at Serco Learning

Dr. Michael Zobel MBA (Warwick) class of 2002, Head of the Semi-Crystalline Products (SCP) business unit at speciality chemicals group LANXESS

Callum Wynne (BSc Management, class of 2003) CMI Executive – Ice Cream, Unilever.

Arun Vellayan MBA (Warwick) class of 1974, Chairman, The Fertiliser Association of India, New Delhi

Bernardo Hees MBA (Warwick) class of 1997, CEO, Burger King Holdings, Inc.

Martin Hagleitner MBA (Warwick) class of 1998, CEO, Austria Email AG

Russ Houlden (BSc Management Sciences 1977) Chief Financial Officer, United Utilities Group PLC

Erwan Martin MBA (Warwick) class of 1989, Chief Financial Officer, Genomic Vision

Laurence Huntley (MSc Management & Business Studies 1973) General Manager, Mimio

Chris Edger PhD (Warwick) class of 2000, Professor of Multi-Unit Leadership, Birmingham City Business School

Dr. Okezie Aruoma MBA (Warwick) class of 1992, President, Oxis International’s Scientific Advisory Board

Adrian Woolridge MBA (Warwick) class of 1999, Chief Commercial Officer, Navios Acquisition

For more news of WBS alumni visit:w www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/news

WBS alumnus Paul Kehoe welcomes Birmingham transport improvementsPaul Kehoe MBA (Warwick) class of 1989 is interviewed by The Birmingham Post’s Business Blog following the recent announcement of planned improvements to the Midlands’ transport infrastructure. This, coupled with the runway extension – cleared by planning and environmental scrutiny and with investment now in place – could have a transformational effect on the wider Midlands economy.

‘All the ingredients are starting to come together.’ says Paul, Chief Executive of Birmingham Airport. More information: w tinyurl.com/3yk684j

nexus onlineFuture issues of nexus may be delivered electronically. We would value your opinion as we look to shape this service. Please take two minutes to fill in the online survey w www.surveymonkey.com/s/5SL2ZLV As any future online publication will be delivered to you via email, please check online that we have your preferred email address W www.wbs.ac.uk/alumni/update_details.cfm

the Warwick MBA & marketing excellence!Edmund Bradford MBA (Warwick) class of 1993, was delighted to hear that his company, Market2win Ltd, had been chosen as a finalist for the CIM Marketing Excellence Awards 2010. ‘These are the Oscars of the marketing world’, says Ed, ‘I will be joining companies like Cisco, Coca Cola, Deloitte, and Shell at the awards.’

Edmund in conjunction with Professor Malcolm McDonald, Honorary Professor at WBS, developed a marketing game to teach strategic leadership. ‘It’s been a great success and is being used by the most innovative business schools in the UK. It’s great to have put my MBA to such practical use. For more information contact Ed e e.bradford@market2win.com

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