DeansTalk - business management education

"Language means business" - European Commission

EU SMEs with a language strategy increased sales 10 to 25%.

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EC.europa.eu/languages/languages-mean-business/evidence-from-research/

(EC.europa.eu/languages/languages-mean-business/)

A recent study carried out in SMEs in the 27 EU member countries clearly shows that companies with a consistent language strategy have increased sales turnover by 10 to 25%.

40 companies out of 182 screened companies were interviewed for the PIMLICO study, commissioned by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture. The study was completed in December 2010.

The results show that European companies still lose contracts because of language and cultural barriers. However, some companies have learned from their past communication problems and realised how crucial language management is when operating across borders.

10 successful companies were identified as the "top performers". They share in common the fact that they have a wide and innovative language strategy in place, which they apply to most of their actions.

• Download the full PIMLICO report  [2 MB]
• Download the summary  [91 KB] 

Another study carried out in 2006 showed that companies clearly benefit from implementing different language techniques.

The ELAN study included 195 SMEs in 29 countries, focusing on small and medium-sized businesses and language strategies. The report revealed that companies applying one or more of the following practices were more profitable than the average SME:

• developing a language strategy;
• hiring native speakers;
• recruiting people with proven language skills;
• using language professionals, such as translators or interpreters.

On the other hand, the study also showed that a significant number of contracts - in some cases worth up to several million euro - were lost in Europe due to language and cultural barriers.

• Download the full ELAN report  [426 KB]   - "Effects on the European Economy of Shortages of Foreign Language Skills in Enterprises"
• Download the summary  [27 KB]  

EU researchers develop gadget that can sniff out explosives at 20 metres

EU researchers develop gadget that can sniff out explosives at 20 metres: EU scientists have come up with a pr... silrep.com/11UPU1h

— SiliconRepublic (@siliconrepublic) April 25, 2013

"European Venture Capital: Myths and Facts" - London School of Economics

Download European Venture Capital: Myths and Facts Report 21,Jan13 (PDF, 48 pages)
(Core Source: "Dow Jones VentureSource": Global Venture Capital Research Database)

British Venture Capital Association Chairman 2011/12:

so we welcome this research by Ulf Axelson and Milan Martinovic both of the London School of Economics because it challenges three key myths of venture capital performance in Europe – that the likelihood of a successful VC exit is lower in Europe than in the US; that some vaguely understood determinants of success are tilted in favour of the US and against Europe; and that there is a chronic stigma around failure which harms European entrepreneurs.

Abstract
We examine the determinants of successful exits in European venture capital transactions and compare them to US transactions. Using survival analysis, we show that for both regions the probability of exit via an initial public offering (IPO) has gone down significantly over the last decade, while the time to IPO has gone up – in contrast, the probability of exit via trade sales and the average time to trade sales do not change much over time. Contrary to perceived wisdom, there is no difference in the success rates of European and US deals from the same vintage year with respect to IPO exits, while Europe has about an eight percentage point lower probability of exit via trade sales than the US. Venture success has the same determinants in both Europe and US, with more experienced entrepreneurs and venture capitalists being associated with higher probabilities of exit. The fact that repeat or ‘serial’ entrepreneurs are less common in Europe and that European VCs lag US VCs in terms of experience explains the remaining difference in performance. Finally, and contrary to perceived wisdom, we find no evidence of a stigma of failure for entrepreneurs in Europe.

INCOOP (Inter-institutional Cooperation in the EU) + The role of social media in research and career building

www.in-coop.eu

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January 31, 2013, albertoalemanno.eu

Social media & research from Alberto Alemanno

I will give a talk titled ‘The role of social media in research and career building’ at the forthcoming Seminar on Theories & Concepts and Skills Training organised by the University of Luxembourg in the framework of INCOOP.

This multi-disciplinary Initial Training Network (ITN) on Inter-institutional Cooperation in the EU (INCOOP) brings together Universities, professional organisations and high-level officials that all share a long-term interest in a better understanding of the functioning of institutions in the European system of multi-level governance.

A copy of the provisional program is available here

LERU.org launches statements on Open Access and Open data (The League of European Research Universities)

13 December 2012, LERU.org

The League of European Research Universities (LERU) has launched two statements on the importance of Open Scholarship: ‘Open Access to Research Publications’ and ‘Open Research Data’.

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Download the LERU statement on Open Access to Research Publications (PDF 2 pages)
Open Access represents a conscious decision by the League of European Research Universities to investigate new models for scholarly communication and the dissemination of research outputs emanating from researchers.

Routes to Open Access
There are two basic routes: Gold and Green. The Gold route is concerned with publication in Open Access journals, and the Green looks to the deposit of materials in institutional or subject-based repositories. The adoption of either or both routes could lead to a transformation in the means of disseminating research...

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Download the LERU statement on Open Research Data (PDF 2 pages)

• Universities need to note the move to data-driven research and take appropriate actions:
• Universities should implement data management policies;
• Technical/support infrastructures should be created to support research
• Advocacy programmes need to be established which address all the above issues and create clarity for the researcher in how to manage their publications and their data;
• Data-driven research is a global development. Universities, researchers and research funders should work together, where this is appropriate, to share infrastructures and best practice.

LIBER - Association of European Research Libraries - Ten recommendations to get started with research data management

www.libereurope.eu/about

LIBER comprises more than 400 national, university and other libraries from more than 40 countries. LIBER's network is not restricted to the area of the European Union and the participation of European research libraries outside the European Union is widely encouraged.

www.libereurope.eu/sites/default/files/The%20research%20data%20group%202012%20v7%20final.pdf

Ten recommendations for libraries to get started with research data management

1. Offer research data management support, including data management plans for grant applications, intellectual property rights advice and information materials. Assist faculty with data management plans and the integration of data management into the curriculum.

2. Engage in the development of metadata and data standards and provide metadata services for research data.

3. Create Data Librarian posts and develop professional staff skills for data librarianship.

4. Actively participate in institutional research data policy development, including resource plans. Encourage and adopt open data policies where appropriate in the research data life cycle.

5. Liaise and partner with researchers, research groups, data archives and data centers to foster an interoperable infrastructure for data access, discovery and data sharing.

6. Support the lifecycle for research data by providing services for storage, discovery and permanent access.

7. Promote research data citation by applying persistent identifiers to research data.

8. Provide an institutional Data Catalogue or Data Repository, depending on available infrastructure.

9. Get involved in subject specific data management practice.

10. Offer or mediate secure storage for dynamic and static research data in co-operation with institutional IT units and/or seek exploitation of appropriate cloud services.

Growing respect for the Bologna process

University World News.com, 18 November 2012

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Anne Corbett is a visiting fellow at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her latest publication is “Lisbon and Education”, in The EU’s Lisbon Strategy: Evaluating success, understanding failure, edited by Paul Copeland and Dimitris Papadimitriou and published by Palgrave Macmillan 2012.I find it intriguing that the Bologna process is not in political trouble.

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I find it intriguing that the Bologna process is not in political trouble.

Some of the participants in the Bologna ministerial meeting in Bucharest last April were muttering that the process of building a European Higher Education Area was imploding after a decade. And as for those active in European politics and policy-making: they see Bologna and higher education in general as a poor relation in the European policy sphere.

But as the debt crisis has hit Europe, and Greeks and Spaniards and Italians are made politically fragile by austerity under European Union (EU) rules, it may be that the European tide is on the turn, and that the qualities of Bologna-style governance in creating a common area by national consensus are more widely recognised....

www.StateoftheEU.eu

www.stateoftheeu.eu, May 31st, 2012

Study by INSEAD and Booz&co

The State of the European Union conference was fuelled by a study led by INSEAD and Booz&Company, which focused on the attractiveness of Europe as it is perceived by leading executives and decision-makers worldwide.

The objective of this survey is to better understand how European business leaders view the key decisions that the EU should take going forward on the economy, on social and political issues, and on the international scene. The analysis is based on an online survey sent to more than 30,000 European executives, and supplemented by interviews with European thought leaders.

The results of this study were released and debated by a panel of worldwide senior executives during The State of the European Union Forum on 31 May 2012.

To view the 2012 study click here. (PDF, 16 pages)

EXCLUSIVE STUDY

The results of a worldwide survey conducted by INSEAD and booz&co amongst top executives and opinion leaders will be revealed during the conference read more

European Commission presents new "Rethinking Education" strategy

Brussels/Strasbourg, 20 November 2012 Press Release

(Rethinking Education strategy and annexes, European Commission: Education and training)

The recommendations outlined in Rethinking Education are based on the findings of the 2012 'Education and Training Monitor', a new annual Commission survey which outlines skills supply in the Member States.

Androulla Vassiliou,@VassiliouEU, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said: "Rethinking education is not just of question of money: whilst it is true that we need to invest more in education and training, it is clear that education systems also need to modernise and be more flexible in how they operate to respond to the real needs of today's society. Europe will only resume sustained growth by producing highly skilled and versatile people who can contribute to innovation and entrepreneurship. Efficient and well-targeted investment is fundamental to this, but we will not achieve our objectives by reducing education budgets."

Rethinking Education calls for a fundamental shift in education, with more focus on 'learning outcomes' - the knowledge, skills and competences that students acquire. Merely having spent time in education is no longer sufficient....

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Rethinking Education in brief:

• There needs to be a much stronger focus on developing transversal skills and basic skills at all levels. This applies especially to entrepreneurial and IT skills.
• A new benchmark on foreign language learning: by 2020, at least 50% of 15 year olds should have knowledge of a first foreign language (up from 42% today) and at least 75% should study a second foreign language (61% today).
• Investment is needed to build world-class vocational education and training systems and increase levels of work-based learning.
• Member States need to improve the recognition of qualifications and skills, including those gained outside of the formal education and training system.
• Technology, in particular the internet, must be fully exploited. Schools, universities and vocational and training institutions must increase access to education via open educational resources.
• These reforms must be supported by well-trained, motivated and entrepreneurial teachers.
• Funding needs to be targeted to maximise the return on investment. Debate at both national and EU level is needed on funding for education - especially in vocational education and higher education.
• A partnership approach is critical. Both public and private funding is necessary to boost innovation and increase cross-fertilisation between academia and business.

Erasmus for All, the Commission's proposed €19 billion programme for education, training, youth and sport, would aim to double the number of individuals receiving grants for skills-enhancing opportunities for study, training and volunteering abroad, to 5 million people in 2014-2020. More than two-thirds of the programme's budget would support individual learning mobility of this kind, with the remainder allocated to projects focused on cooperation for innovation, policy reform and sharing good practices..

2012 CEIBS-EFMD conference Beijing (Nov 29-30) "Innovative Business in China and Europe"

2012 CEIBS-EFMD conference Beijing

The development and growth of China over the last 15 years has been remarkable and has had a profound impact on the global economy. However with continued growth comes the challenge of maintaining this in the future. China is looking to shift from being the manufacturing powerhouse of the world to being a centre of innovation and ideas and the 2012 CEIBS-EFMD conference in Beijing (November 29-30) will focus on Innovative Business in China and Europe.

Join the conference chairs Professor Hellmut Schütte and Professor George Yip (Wikipedia) to explore and discuss:

• China’s Innovative Capacity and the Growth of Indigenous Innovation
• European Companies in China: Overcoming Challenges
• Open Innovation by Western Companies
• Innovation by Multinational Companies in China: Local Adaptation or Global Platform?
• Human Resource Challenges for MNcs of Innovating in China
• Challenges and Opportunities for Innovative Chinese Companies

Academic and corporate speakers from organisations such as Booz & Company, Shell and The Boston Consulting Group will explore all of the issues that are relevant to companies, business schools, faculty and policy makers with an interest in China's and Europe's economic growth and cooperation. The conference programme will be based on the expertise of the Centre on China Innovation at CEIBS.

The 2012 CEIBS-EFMD conference will take place on the Beijing campus of CEIBS on 29-30 November and will be followed by EFMD introductory accreditation seminars which are highlighted below.

This conference is organised in the framework of the EU-China Business Management Training (BMT) Project, www.ceibs.edu/bmt/, funded by the European Union.

European entrepreneurs - Les misérables | The Economist

Europe not only has a euro crisis, it also has a growth crisis. That is because of its chronic failure to encourage ambitious entrepreneurs

July 28th 2012 | BERLIN, MADRID AND PARIS

THE St Oberholz café in eastern Berlin is as hip as any of the area’s bars: graffiti-covered doors, in-your-face art, edgy fashion and the Beastie Boys in the background. It is not at first blush the sort of place to look for magnates in the making. But their presence makes a lot of sense. Europe’s culture is deeply inhospitable to entrepreneurs; wanting to grow a start-up into a behemoth is quite as countercultural as piercings and performance art...

"How Europe is rocking the startup world" - Prof. Entrepreneurship Martin Varsavsky, IE Business School/Columbia U.

How Europe is rocking the startup world, Fortune, August 14, 2012

Young Euros used to happily settle for life-long government or corporate jobs. European tech entrepreneur Martin Varsavsky explains how the crisis has changed all that.

Interview by Jack D. Hidary, contributor

Martin Varsavsky.

FORTUNE -- Martin Varsavsky is one of Europe's leading technology entrepreneurs. He recently spoke to Fortune about startup trends in the UK and Europe, his take on Facebook (FB), David Cameron's startup initiative, US venture capital and other tech business. Varsavsky started Jazztel, Spain's second-largest telecom firm and Ya.com, now a division of France Telecom. He is currently the CEO of FON, a company which he founded. Investors include Google (GOOG), BT, Index Ventures, Atomico, and Sequioa.

Martin, how vibrant is the startup tech scene in Europe? Where are the bright spots and what are the challenges? Quite a number of European tech startups are expanding globally including Spotify, Rovio, Hailo, Fon, Oanda and others, following in the footsteps of Skype.
Young people in Europe have traditionally opted for lifetime government or corporate jobs. The European crisis, however, is changing all that. Governments are maxed out in debt and corporate payrolls are shrinking. The three hottest startup cities in Europe right now are London, Berlin and Stockholm but there is startup activity all over the map...

Reviving Real Estate Requires Collective Action - Professor Robert J. Shiller (The Index), Yale SOM

The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices are the leading measures for the US residential housing market, tracking changes in the value of residential real estate both nationally as well as in 20 metropolitan regions

Arthur M. Okun Professor of Economics, Yale School of Management.

New York Times, June 23, 2012

...In the 1971 book “The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups,” the economist Mancur Olson argued that collective action problems are pervasive, plaguing nations and economic groups alike. “Most groups cannot provide themselves with optimal amounts of a collective good,” he said, because they cannot manage a “selective incentive” or arrange “coercion or some reward.”...

...If such mortgage principal reductions could be applied on a large scale, there could be large neighborhood effects, raising a sense of optimism among homeowners and bolstering the value of all homes and, ultimately, the whole economy. But mortgage lenders in all their different forms lack a group strategy...

Telefonica to Mrs. Kroes: How can we really drive entrepreneurship & innovation in Europe? @Wayra (download the report)

Telefonica Digital ‏@tefdigital

How can we really drive entrepreneurship & innovation in Europe? Grt blog & vid from @Wayra (download the report too): http://goo.gl/JW6YE

June 21, 2012, wayra.org/en/blog/wayra-the-digital-agenda-assembly-some-ideas-foster-entrepreneurship-and-innovation-europe-0

Wayra in the Digital Agenda Assembly: Some ideas to foster entrepreneurship and innovation in Europe.

Wayra has been invited by Mrs. Kroes to present a report of our experience in the field of foster entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems in the Digital Agenda Assembly in Brussels, opened on June 21th.

One of the main purposes we have as Wayra is foster entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems wherever we are based on. Some months ago we received the visit of Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of European Commission and a long supporter of digital evolution and growth for Europe in our Bogotá and Madrid Academies.

As a result of those meetings, we were invited by Mrs. Kroes to present a report of our experience in this field in the Digital Agenda Assembly in Brussels, opened today.

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The white paper “Suggestions for enhancing entrepreneurial ecosystem in Spain”, shared by Gary Stewart (@garystew, Executive Director of Wayra Spain) to all delegates is a brief summary of actions that, in our opinion, might be taken in order to enhance entrepreneurial ecosystem in Spain and Europe. We believe those measures might help coming generations of entrepreneurs to make their projects a reality and to place our region amongst the pole positions of added value businesses creation regions in the world.

The report is totally free and ready to download from this link. We expect you can share and distribute among all your colleagues, entrepreneurs and professionals in your networks.

"Europe: Value-creation of quoted family businesses 2001-2010" - New IE Business School study

The study, elaborated in collaboration with Banca March, analyses the value creation of family companies quoted on stock exchanges in Europe during the period 2001-2010 using a sample of 2,421 companies with a market capitalization of more than 50 million euros. The results of the of the study leave no room for doubt: family businesses have created more value for share-holders during the period of the study, furthermore contributing to a greater extent in the creation of employment in Europe.

The study of 64 pages is available for download in Spanish. The original IE Entrepreneurship blog post follows:

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19 June, 2012, LA CREACIÓN DE VALOR EN LA EMPRESA FAMILIAR COTIZADA EUROPEA

Autores:
Cristina Cruz, Profesora de Gestión Emprendedora, IE Business School
Laura Nuñez, Profesora de Direccion Financiera, IE Business School 

El estudio , elaborado en colaboración con la Banca March, analiza la creación de valor de las empresas familiares cotizadas en Europa durante el periodo 2001-2010 usando una muestra de 2.423 empresas con capitalización bursátil superior a los 50M Euros . Los resultados del estudio no dejan lugar a dudas: las empresas familiares han creado mas valor para sus accionistas durante el periodo de estudio , contribuyendo además en mayor medida a la creación de empleo en Europa.

Acceder al estudio: La creación de valor en la empresa familiar cotizada europea

IndexVentures.com €350m fund to invest in early stage innovation in Europe

www.IndexVentures.com

 

 

Index Ventures blog, June 18 2012

Today we’re delighted to announce our new €350m early stage technology fund. It’s the final piece of €1bn of new capital we’ve raised in the last 12 months to complement the international platform we have been building to invest in both early stage and growth technology as well as life sciences companies.

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While technology adoption is increasingly rapid and worldwide, we continue to believe that Europe will be fertile ground to discover and help develop world beating innovations. In fact, even while Europe is facing massive macroeconomic challenges, at the same time we have seen very clearly that European startups are coming of age. In fact in our portfolio alone there are now at least 20 European born private companies with significant scale – in 2011 these companies alone had combined 2011 revenues of €1.3bn and y/y growth of around 75% – plus these are businesses which have created more than 5,000 new jobs in the last 10 years.

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"Europe's new normal - It’s Here, It’s Unclear, Get Used to It" - IE University school of arts and humanities

International Relations blog, May 18, 2012

By R. Daniel Kelemen in www.foreignaffairs.com

Professor of Political Science, Jean Monnet Chair and Director of the Center for European Studies at Rutgers University.  His research interests include the politics of the European Union, law and politics, comparative political economy, and comparative public policy. He is the author of two books - Eurolegalism: The Transformation of Law and Regulation in the European Union (Harvard University Press, 2011) and The Rules of Federalism: Institutions and Regulatory Politics in the EU and Beyond (Harvard University Press, 2004), as well as numerous book chapters and articles in journals including World Politics, International Organization, Comparative Political Studies, West European Politics, Journal of Public Policy and Journal of European Public Policy. He is also co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Law and Politics (Oxford University Press, 2008). He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of European Public Policy and West European Politics and is a former member of the Executive Committee of the European Union Studies Association.

The eurozone’s troubles no longer qualify as a crisis, an unstable situation that could either quickly improve or take a dramatic turn for the worse. They are, instead, a new normal — a painful situation, to be sure, but one that will last for years to come. Citizens, investors, and policymakers should let go of the idea that there is some magic bullet that could quickly kill off Europe’s ailments. By the same token, despite the real possibility of Greek exit, the eurozone is not on the brink of collapse. The European Union and its common currency will hold together, but the road to recovery will be long...continue reading in IE's International Relations blog, May 18, 2012

stateoftheunion.eui.eu - Politicians, prominent academics, opinion & business leaders discussing the development & future of the EU

Stateoftheunion.eui.eu: Political personalities from European institutions and national governments, prominent academics, opinion and business leaders discussing the development and the future of the EU. (9/10 May, 2012)

European University Association, Annual Conference 2012 - Presentations

www.eua.be

Annual Conference, 22 March 2012

Opening Ceremony

• Welcome by Jean-Marc Rapp, former EUA President
• Welcome by Nigel Thrift, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick (welcome speech and presentation) 
• Sir Alan Langlands, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England

Plenary Session I

Dialogue

• Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Advisor to the European Commission
• Sir Richard Lambert, Chancellor of the University of Warwick

Plenary Session II

The different dimensions of sustainability

• Rt Hon David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science
• Lord Bhattacharyya, Chairman of the Warwick Manufacturing Group
• Maria Helena Nazaré, University of Aveiro and EUA President

 

Working Group Session (I)

TRACK 1: European funding

• Marcin Palys, University of Warsaw
• Thomas Estermann, European University Association  

TRACK 2: Innovative campus management

• Alexandra den Heijer and Hans Beunderman, Delft University of Technology

TRACK 3: Collaborative research

Best practice illustrated by case studies from the EUIMA-Collaborative Research project

• Enrico Macii, Politecnico di Torino
• John Goddard, Newcastle University, EUIMA Steering Committee member

TRACK 4: The impact of technological & social change on higher education learning

• Anette Kolmos and Milan Vestergaard, Aalborg University

 

Working Group Sessions (II)

TRACK 1: Tuition fees in higher education

• International panel moderated by Dirk Jan Van den Berg, Delft University of Technology
• Christoph Badelt, Vienna University of Economics and Business
• Hannu Seristö, Aalto University
• Steve Smith, University of Exeter

TRACK 2: Sustainable campuses

• Pam Fredman, University of Gothenburg
• Sylvie Faucheux, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines

TRACK 3: Research tackling societal challenges

• Mary Ritter, Imperial College London
• Torbjørn Digernes, Norwegian University of Science and Technology  

TRACK 4: Universities engaging in shared learning initiatives with the community

• Maria Slowey, Dublin City University  
• Andrée Sursock, Senior Adviser, European University Association  
• Sabine Remdisch, Leuphana University of Lüneburg  (unable to participate) 

 

Final Plenary Session

Report

• Jon Baldwin, Murdoch University, Australia

Reflections

• Tony Chan, President of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Allan Päll, Chairperson of the European Students’ Union

EUA’s activities for sustainable universities

• EUA President Maria Helena Nazaré

Professor Mauro Guillen of Wharton bschool - The remaking of Europe needed

Faculty page

Op Eds

Korea Times | 9 January 2012 | On the remaking of Europe

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The global economy needs a renewed commitment to free trade. It also needs the emerging economies to develop their domestic consumption markets faster, allowing their citizens to buy goods and services more freely.

Horizon 2020 - EC Research and innovation budget of €80 billion

Horizon 2020 Home page

The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation

Times Higher Education, December 8, 2011, "Commission offers 2020 vision of less red tape and a lot more cash"

Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness. Running from 2014 to 2020 with an €80 billion budget, the EU’s new programme for research and innovation is part of the drive to create new growth and jobs in Europe.

The adoption of Horizon 2020 will:

• Strengthen the EU’s position in science with a dedicated budget of € 24 598 million. This will provide a boost to top-level research in Europe, including an increase in funding of 77% for the very successful European Research Council (ERC).
• Strengthen industrial leadership in innovation € 17 938 million. This includes major investment in key technologies, greater access to capital and support for SMEs.
• Provide € 31 748 million to help address major concerns shared by all Europeans such as climate change, developing sustainable transport and mobility, making renewable energy more affordable, ensuring food safety and security, or coping with the challenge of an ageing population.

Europe INNOVA - The European Cluster Observatory - IT vs Education & Knowledge creation

www.ClusterObservatory.eu  (Via Michael Porter "Business Clusters" vs "Hubs and Nodes")

Interactive graph of European IT vs Education and Knowledge creation

About The European Cluster Observatory

The European Cluster Observatory is an online platform that provides a single access point to information and analysis of clusters and cluster policy in Europe. Originally launched in 2007, the Observatory is now offering a range of new services. It provides data and analysis on clusters and competitiveness, a cluster library, and a classroom for cluster education. 

The European Cluster Observatory also produces analysis and reports on regional competitiveness conditions, transnational cluster networks, clusters in emerging industries, and studies on better practices in cluster organisations. It provides information about clusters, cluster initiatives, and cluster policy throughout 32 European countries.

The Observatory is aimed at three main target groups: 

• policy makers and government officials at the European, national, regional and local levels;
• cluster management staff;
• academics and researchers.

The European Cluster Observatory is managed by the Center for Strategy and Competitiveness (CSC) at the Stockholm School of Economics, and is financed by the European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry, under the Europe INNOVA initiative, and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) (€ 3621 million), which aims to encourage the competitiveness of European enterprises.

European Commission launches new plan to promote social entrepreneurship in the Single European Market

25th November 2011.

Today in Europe, social businesses employ more than 11 million people, 6% of all workers. What are their aims, their needs and what obstacles do they face in Europe? Nobel Peace Prize winner M. Yunus, microcredit specialist Maria Nowak (ADIE), social investment pioneer Sir R. Cohen (DeansTalk August 2011, March 2009) and social entrepreneurs answer these questions and speak about the Social Business Initiative, the new plan launched by the European Commission to promote social business.

To know more about the initiative launched by the European Commission, see: http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/social_business

Professor Anna De Luca, of Law, Bocconi - EU Exclusive and Bilateral Agreements

EU Exclusive and Bilateral Agreements

Knowledge, Bocconi, 15 November, 2011.

After the Lisbon Treaty Anna De Luca, in a book chapter, discusses the extension of the Union's competence in common trade policy to cover foreign direct investments.

With the Lisbon Treaty, which came into force on December 1, 2009, EU has exclusive competence over trade policy. Such external competence is extended to foreign direct investment. On such issues, only the EU can negotiate and sign international agreements with third countries, which are also binding for member states.

In her New developments on the scope of the EU Common Commercial Policy under the Lisbon Treaty: Investment Liberalization vs Investment Protection? (in K. P. Sauvant, ed., Yearbook on International Investment Law and Policy, Oxford University Press, forthcoming) Anna De Luca (Department of Law) discusses such extension of competence to foreign direct investment. In particular, she critically analyzes the position of the European Commission...

Can Italy Be Saved? - Michael Spence, Nobel laureate economics, Professor Economics, NYU Stern bschool

2011-11-21 Project Syndicate 

Via @ProSyn

Michael Spence, a Nobel laureate in economics, is Professor of Economics at New York University’s Stern School of Business, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

Dean, Emeritus, at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University

IE Business School Blog Europe & CIS - "Our Top European Alumni at IE"

Our Top European Alumni at IE!, November 15, 2011, by Kim Goddard (Wikipedia "CIS")

Founded by entrepreneurs in 1973, the entrepreneurial vein runs deep at IE and with our European and CIS alumni. Over 10% of our over 40,000 Alumni go on to launch their own business at some stage in the career and in Europe we are lucky to have some of the most innovative and entrepreneurial Alumni. Here I would like to present some of our very top European Alumni and their businesses.

Jeremy Melul, IMBA 2008 French/English
Jogabo is an easy and social way to play soccer. It is a location aware soccer platform that allows users to organize games, share their plans and discover opportunities to play in their area. The aim is to make amateur soccer “bonito” by connecting soccer enthusiasts, facilitating the organization of games and adding a layer of fun and competitiveness to the beautiful game. We founded Jogabo because we love the beautiful game and we wanted to be able to play all the time, wherever we were in the world. We also love meeting people and we believe soccer is an amazing sport for that.

I worked in innovation and technology consulting at Altran before realizing that life was too short for that and decided to join Grassroot Soccer, an NGO that uses the power of soccer in the fight against HIV/AIDS. I hold a Master in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from IE Business School, and am also the founder of the European MBA tournament “The Green Laces Cup”.

Alvaro Osle, Executive MBA 2008 Spanish
I set up the company TelCrOSS Consulting S.L. in Spain in 2005 to cover a gap in the market for expert consultants in the OSS domain in the Telecommunications world. One of the reasons I went to IE to study an MBA was to learn the business, strategy, finance and management skills that would provide me with a clear vision and strategy for the company and what I wanted it to be. The market of Operation Support Systems (software that helps big telcos to become much more efficient in the way they run the network) was growing rapidly and there was a scarcity of resources. I used this new company to provide freelance consultancy services on different projects. In 2010 I setup TelCrOSS Ltd in the UK, which is when we started the design and development of a new software utility NetVisio which we are now hoping to sell to big telcos around the world. We have already launched the first version of the product and it’s still early days, but we’re confident we can be successful.

Olga Slavkina, IMBA 2007 Latvian
Back in 2006, I had a well-paid job at a multinational in Brussels, a safe and steady career ahead of me, a highly ranked Master’s degree in International Relations under my belt, and a daughter who had just turned 1. Perhaps not the most common combination of life circumstances that would prompt one to pursue a full-time MBA. And yet, it made perfect sense for me to come to IE and develop my interests in branding, entrepreneurship and the web.
After IE, I moved back to Brussels where I founded SCHMOOZY FOX — a brand and marketing strategy consultancy which is based on my concept of Funky Brands™ — products and services which owe their success to astonishing design and smart brand strategies. I work both with large companies, as well as startups, to help them position, launch and promote their products in real life and on the web. Besides consulting, I write about branding and marketing, and publish a Funky Brand Interviews series on my blog. The Funky Brands™ concept was nominated for the 2011 Accenture Innovation Award, and Funky Brand Interviews will soon launch in film format.

Maxim Kondratyukin , IXMBA 2010 Russian
I have never thought to be an entrepreneur myself. My ideal professional path has always been linked to a career in some large multinational company. I perceived myself as a good manager and poor entrepreneur because of lack of intuition and being risk averse. It was in IE when I started to think that there might be other ways to grow. Starting my own business became a real alternative for me and no longer a taboo. I was able to see that it works more often than it seemed to me before. Moreover, I was able to see that it does not require being something special to start something new. By some lucky accident crisis happened, and as I was working in real estate sector I did not see any significant opportunities within my industry. Same time an opportunity came to start a new company, which seemed interesting to me. I made one of the most difficult decisions in my life and started to build the company I wanted to have. After a couple of months Boombate.com appeared. It was a struggle for long time, but we were lucky enough to break even in the eighth month of operations. We are growing very fast and I still have so many ideas to implement.

Kim Goddard

The European Business Review

  www.europeanbusinessreview.com

Professor Jean Pisani-Ferry (Uni. Paris) - Series: Reuniting Europe - Project Syndicate

Jean Pisani-Ferry Series: Reuniting Europe

Jean Pisani-Ferry is Director of Bruegel, an international economics think tank, Professor of Economics at Université Paris-Dauphine, and a member of the French Prime Minister’s Council of Economic Analysis.

Professor Javier Carrillo (IE Business School) ¿Cómo hemos llegado hasta aquí?

El 19 Julio 2011 por Javier Carrillo

Professor Nouriel Roubini (Stern) - The Eurozone’s Last Stand

2011-07-18 Project Syndicate

...The answer is to emulate the response to sovereign-debt crises in Uruguay, Pakistan, Ukraine, and many other emerging-market economies, where orderly exchange of old debt for new debt had three features: an identical face value (so-called “par” bonds); a long maturity (20-30 years); and interest set well below the currently unsustainable market rates – and close to or below the original coupon...

...To revive growth, the ECB needs to stop raising interest rates and reverse course. The eurozone should also pursue a policy – partially via looser monetary policy – that weakens the value of the euro significantly and restores the periphery’s competitiveness. And Germany should delay its austerity plan, as the last thing that the eurozone needs is a massive fiscal drag...

Mainstreaming eLearning in education and training is key - European Commission

20 May, 2011, Digital Agenda for Europe blog.

On 16 June, in the framework of the Digital Agenda Assembly, we will have the opportunity to discuss with Member States’ representatives, experts and stakeholders how to support the mainstreaming of eLearning in national policies as an agent for modernization of education, for all subjects and skills.  Mainstreaming eLearning is one of the key actions of the Digital agenda for Europe.

...

The Digital Agenda Assembly workshop dedicated to the eLearning thematic is a good opportunity to build momentum for change; the times are difficult, budget cuts are present everywhere. The challenge is greater …

You can take part in the debate before the Digital Agenda Assembly (#daa11eu) sharing your ideas on Twitter with the #daa11learning hashtag!

European Business Summit 2011 - “Europe in the world: leading or lagging?”

www.ebsummit.eu

PRESS DOCUMENTS

Opening Plenary: Europe in the World: positioning for tomorrow's leadership - (Download Word document)

INSEAD’s Dean, Dipek Jain, explained that in India education is the top priority for every family. But he pointed out that education is not unified in Europe. He went on to say that Europe needs to develop an entrepreneurial spirit. “In China and India young people want to be like young people in Europe, they see the grass as greener but in Europe we need to look at the colour of our grass and look to the future not back into the past.”

European Business Awards 2011 - Last call for entries

www.businessawardseurope.com

Group 2 Countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden.

June 23rd
- Entry closes for Group 2 of the competition, candidates are short-listed.

First female president of the European University Association

New Leader in European Higher Ed, April 28, 2011, Times Higher Education

The first female president of the European University Association has vowed to use her term of office to smash the glass ceiling for women working in higher education.

Maria Helena Nazaré, former rector of the University of Aveiro and the first female rector in Portugal, was elected by a narrow margin at the EUA 2011 conference in Denmark this month...

...Professor Nazaré said there was room for improvement at the EUA, although she emphasized its success in developing from an "almost nonexistent" entity to the lobby group for more than 800 European institutions in just a decade...

EU Consultation: Green Paper on a Common Strategic Framework for future EU Research and Innovation Funding

European Commission Research and Innovation

On 9th February 2011, the European Commission presented a Green Paper ( Green Paper EN 70 KB ) which proposes major changes to EU research and innovation funding to make participation easier, increase scientific and economic impact and provide better value for money. The changes, to be introduced in the next EU budget after 2013, would bring together the current Framework Programme for research, the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme, and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.

The Commission is seeking the views of all interested individuals and organisations on these proposed changes and on the specific questions set out in the Green Paper. The deadline for contributions is Friday 20 May 2011.

Strategy Professor Freek Vermeulen (LBS) - his blog Random Rantings - Crisis

Freek Vermeulen´s blog Random Rantings

In a crisis, innovate, 9 January 2009
...So, when you’re down: innovate. Don’t just wait for the inevitable to happen; prolonging your decline out of some false hope that you’ll weather the storm. Storms kill; get out of it while you can.

CEOs and their stock options… (oh please…), 23 December 2008
...No I am not so sure. Also because two strategy professors actually measured this stuff: Gerry Sanders from Rice University and Don Hambrick from the Penn State University. They examined 950 American CEOs, their stock options and their risk taking behavior. They found that CEOs with many stock options made much bigger bets; for instance, they would do more and larger acquisitions, bigger capital investments and higher R&D expenditures. That is, where CEOs with few stock options would prefer to invest $50m in a particular project, they would plunge in a $100m.

In a downturn, manage your revenues, not your costs 18 December, 2008

...So why does spreading one’s revenue base in meagre times make more sense? It is, among others, because no job will be big enough to sustain the whole firm. What keeps firms afloat is accessing a variety of smaller pockets of revenues. Hence, rather than focus on job 1, hoping it will be enough to sustain the firm, the company’s effort should be aimed at identifying and creating additional sources of revenue

What really caused the 2008 banking crisis?, 16 November 2008
When you compare the 2008 banking crisis with the Enron debacle, with Ahold’s demise or even with the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal in 1984 some surprisingly clear parallels emerge. Various explanations have been offered for each of these crises, ranging from top management greed, failing watchdogs to insufficient government regulation and inappropriate accounting and governance structures. Yet, there is one common cause underlying all these symptoms and triggers, and that is the structural failure of management.

New EUA report: “Financially Sustainable Universities: Towards Full Costing In European Universities”

Click here for the press release on the EUA website, 13 November 2008.

New EUA report calls on universities and governments to do more to implement full costing

Faced with rising costs, stagnating public investment, and the current global economic crisis, Europe’s universities have never been more concerned about their financial sustainability, an issue now also high on the political agenda.

EUA, in a report published today, gives an important new insight into how higher education institutions are responding to financial pressures. Based on an in-depth, European-wide study, the report explains that the first step for universities in addressing these challenges is to identify the full costs of their activities for both internal and external purposes. Moving to full costing is thus essential to reinforce their financial sustainability.

The report calls on national governments to recognise the importance of granting autonomy to universities and to assist in the implementation of full costing. The authors also recommend that European funding schemes further simplify and develop their funding rules to meet universities’ needs and hence to strengthen their contribution to the European Higher Education and Research Areas.

This is part of EUA’s ongoing work on financial sustainability. It will be completed by a new study focusing on universities’ diversification of income streams (EUDIS), which is the second step in consolidating higher education institutions’ financial structures in times of global economic turmoil.

Please click here to read more or here to download the full report.

An executive summary can also be downloaded here.

Discussing Social Responsibility in Shanghai - Santiago Iniguez

www.SantiagoIniguez.com, Dean of IE Business School 
Click here to download the Conference presentation  (4.9 MB)

Every other year, the vibrant city of Shanghai becomes the venue of several major management education conferences arranged sequentially in one week.  These conferences -organised, respectively, by Antai Business School, EFMD, AACSB and APBS - congregate a good sizeable number of scholars, business school officers and corporate managers, particularly from China and South East Asia.

This year, the Antai Conference –the first of the weekly intense networking events- focused on the social responsibility of business schools and I was invited to speak at the opening session. Normally, when I address issues related to business ethics or social responsibility I try to avoid the overselling of my school. I believe that if I would speak profusely about the different initiatives related to social responsibility at IE Business School I could be compared to those individuals who show off when practicing charitable deeds. In this respect I find pertinent the popular quote from the Gospels that says “when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do”.

Indeed, social responsibility initiatives should not be merchandised as communication or marketing tools by business school representatives. What is decisive is that those initiatives permeate the curriculum and the experience that students learn and live. Actually, students themselves should be the ones who testify if their schools and professors have influenced positively their views and lives. After all, educating is about moulding better persons, good citizens, promoting good habits and behaviour, isn´t it? If the MBA is a transformational experience, and participants learn new knowledge and acquire new skills, they should also be encouraged to improve their ethical attitudes and their business deontology. For those who may be still sceptical about the teaching and the learning of business ethics at business schools, or those who may hold the Freudian thesis that individual ethics is formed in early childhood and unchangeable afterwards, I recommend the classical and stimulating book “Can Ethics Be Taught”.

When I am asked summarily about what is the social responsibility of business schools, like I was at this Shanghai conference, I respond with a simple statement: It is nothing less than preparing leaders, managers & entrepreneurs who transform the world. Interestingly, Francis Estrada, Dean of the Asia Institute of Management in Manila, who made a very interesting presentation after mine, formulated a very similar statement.

My presentation, which you will find in the PDF attached- covered three main challenges that business schools managers have to face if they aim at achieving their social responsibility goals. First, choosing the strategic group that better suits their schools in the global context. Second, the role of business schools in the new knowledge value chain. And thirdly, the ideal profile of the faculty in order to achieve the intended results in the learning process. Many thoughts delivered at the Shanghai conference have been previously shared with the readers of this blog and I thank them for their valuable comments.

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lightening of a fire”, a favourite and evocative quote from the Irish poet William Butler Yeats You may disagree with me, but I hope you will acknowledge the passion for education that I try to convey in my addresses.

Happy Europe Day!

Happy Europe Day!

On the 9th of May 1950, Robert Schuman presented his proposal on the creation of an organised Europe, indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations.

This proposal, known as the "Schuman declaration", is considered to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union.

Today, the 9th of May has become a European symbol (Europe Day) which, along with the flag, the anthem, the motto and the single currency (the euro), identifies the political entity of the European Union. Europe Day is the occasion for activities and festivities that bring Europe closer to its citizens and peoples of the Union closer to one another.

David Schmittlein, dean MIT - on the future of management education

Article of Della Bradshaw of The Financial Times, April 13 2008

“The future of management education is not the future of the MBA,” he says – a statement that would horrify most of his US peers, as he well knows. “I would like to be the first North American school that gets this,” he adds...

...For Prof Schmittlein, there should be an appropriate programme for managers at every point in their careers. “We will be driven by growth in the number of programmes [we offer], not by a bigger MBA.” True to his word, he intends to launch a one-year masters programme in management – similar to many offered in Europe – for those who have just finished an undergraduate programme. The school has already announced that it will launch a specialised masters degree in finance and more specialised masters look set to follow...

...While many top business schools – Harvard and Stanford to name just two – are working hard to get other university departments, such as engineering or medicine, to work with them in offering joint courses, this is second nature to Sloan. “Our graduates are close to graduates from other departments,” explains Prof Schmittlein...

Economist - News from the schools December 2007

News from the schools, Economist, 18 December.

European Qualifications Framework

Povl Tiedemann, Head of Department, Danish Business Economists

26 October 2007

From EU-press release it should be noted that on 25 October 2007 The European Parliament voted in favour of adopting the Recommendation on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF), proposed by the Commission in September 2006.

The EQF will link countries’ qualifications systems, improve their transparency and so act as translation device in order to help Member States, employers and individuals compare and better understand qualifications held by individual citizens from elsewhere in the EU.

The EQF is a translation grid for qualifications around Europe. It has two principal purposes: (1) to promote mobility between countries, and (2) to facilitate lifelong learning. Both are indespensable for achieving more and better jobs and growth, as Europe faces the challenge of becoming an advanced knowledge-based economy.

At the core of the EQF are its eight reference levels, from basic to advanced – combined with corresponding demands for Knowledge / Skills / Competence. These describe what a learner knows, understands and is able to do, regardless of the system in which the learner’s qualification was acquired.

The EQF therefore shifts the focus away from learning inputs (such as length of a learning experience, or type of institution), to learning outcomes. Shifting the focus towards learning outcomes brings significant advantages:

•    It supports a better match between education and training provisions and the needs of the labour market (for knowledge, skills and competences).

•    It facilitates the validation of non-formal and informal learning.

•    It facilitates the transfer and use of qualifications across different countries and education and training systems.

As an instrument for promoting lifelong learning, the EQF encompasses general and adult education, vocational education and training, as well as higher education. The eight EQF levels cover the entire span of qualifications from those achieved at the end of compulsory education, up to those awarded at the highest level of academic and professional or vocational education and training.

The recommendation approved by the European Parliament foresees that Member states relate their national qualifications systems to the EQF by 2010, and that individual certificates or diplomas should bear an EQF reference by 2012.

From the statement of Commissioner Jan Figel: “People in Europe too often face obstacles when they try to move from one country to another to learn or work. They sometimes also face obstacles when they want to move from one part of their own country’s education system to another, e.g. from vocational education and training to higher education…”

For further information, please check:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/educ/eqf/index_en.html

Slow pace of reform in education and training threatens Europe’s competitiveness in the long term

Full report available in the: Measuring progress through indicators and benchmarks section.

There is insufficient overall progress in Europe’s education and training systems towards the goals set in the Lisbon strategy for more jobs and growth. This is the main finding of the 2007 edition of the European Commission’s annual report on progress towards the Lisbon objectives in the field of education and training, which is published today. The report charts progress since 2000 in the light of key indicators and focuses on five education benchmarks agreed by the Member States. On the positive side, the number of tertiary-level maths, science and technology graduates continues to increase. However, progress was only moderate for the other benchmarks.

The Lisbon Strategy aims to make the EU into a dynamic, knowledge based economy with more and better jobs and growth. In the area of education and training, the Member States agreed to implement the Lisbon Strategy by working towards common objectives for their education and training systems. Their progress in this work would be monitored against a set of five benchmarks for improving education and training in Europe agreed in 2002. Every year, the Commission monitors the progress made by the Member States. The report published today shows that while some areas showed positive developments, overall progress was found to be lacking.

Ján Figel’, the European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, said that “Top-quality education and training is vital if Europe is to develop as a knowledge society and compete effectively in the globalising world economy. Regrettably, this report shows that the Member States need to redouble their efforts to make the EU's education and training meet the challenges of the 21^st century. The message to policy makers in the Member States is clear: we need more efficient  investment in our human capital."

The main findings of the report include:

Choosing an MBA - other opinions

From the "Choose your MBA" section of the MBA Center Magazine.

Getting an MBA in France
by Maria Yusakova, Director, MBA Center Paris

Future Can't Be Brighter for MBA Grads
by Hubert Silly, Founder, MBA Center

Why get an MBA?
by Daniela Venturi, Director, MBA Center Milan

The European Advantage
by Giuseppe Ruggieri, Director, MBA Center Rome

...

...

"Graduate education and Innovation" - Ricardo Perez

Via Digital Convergence blog (IE)  - "Graduate education and Innovation" (permanlink)

Ricardo Perez Garrido

Irving Wladawsky-Berger, one of the key innovators at IBM,  has a long post in his blog about a report by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) that covers Graduate Education: The Backbone of American Competitiveness and Innovation (1.8MB). The report, presented to the US Congress, covers the changing role of graduate education. One excerpt selected in the post on the key issues for the future:
"    -  Develop a highly skilled workforce by fostering collaboration among leaders in higher education, business and government
- Expand participation of underrepresented groups in all fields, especially those essential to America’s competitiveness and national security
- Create a vision for all US students that portrays careers in the STEM fields as engaging, compelling, transparent and remunerative
    -  Attract and retain the best and brightest students from around the world, and
    -  Enhance the quality of graduate education through ongoing evaluation and research"

STEM= Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. With a high percentage of doctorates in these fields being from outside the US, and the increasing problems to get the necesary permissions to go there or stay there, plus the fact that the country wants to focus on those areas and get more interest from young students in the research fields, marks clearly the transition to, what everybody has been preaching for years, to a knowledge-based economy. This new big reality will take most countries by surprise if they are not ready to have a lot of young people ready to innovate and take risks.

Lets celebrate Erasmus!!!!! Share Your Erasmus Experiences!

Ewa Krzaklewska, Vice President of Erasmus Student Network

In the year 2007 also the student organisation Erasmus Student Network is organising celebrations around Europe. They will consist of Erasmus Days in several locations around Europe, and the Erasmus Van touring around more than 30 countries!

We invite everybody to the ESN 20 Years of Erasmus website www.20erasmus.eu

On the website, you can:

• upload your personal living story about Erasmus and contribute to create a strong documentation to leave to the next generations of Erasmus students.
• read other Erasmus students testimonies
• find your Erasmus Friends by connecting with those who were Erasmus in the same place, in the same year, had similar experience

See here: www.20erasmus.org/experiences/browse

We are celebrating 20 Years of Erasmus Programme... and what is a celebration without presents? Every month the nicest, most original, most moving, most funny experiences will receive prizes.

Lets celebrate Erasmus!!!!!  Share Your Erasmus Experiences!  (on BizDeansTalk as well)

Ewa Krzaklewska, Coordinator 20 Years of the Erasmus Programme Team

Erasmus Student Network www.esn.org