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Congratulations to
all our new MBAs who are receiving their degrees at
different ceremonies this month.
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Al Shah,
Graham Leather and Carlo Ennio Stasi, alumni advisory
board members, at the Versailles ceremony last week
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Alumni
Advisory Board
New alumni members have been appointed to the
School's alumni advisory board - they are:-
John Pierce, based in Dublin,
Carlo Ennio Stasi who is Italian living in Luxembourg
Graham Leather living in the SE of England
Graham Dixon from Nottingham, AMBA chair of West and East Midlands regions
Elisabeth Hiller founder member of the Stuttgart alumni network
Olivia Roberts working in Belfast
Celine Normandin who has relocated from Germany to the UK
Asi Panditharatna living in Surrey
joining current members Tom Metcalfe, Al
Shah, Tony Mansey and Phil Augur. The next board meeting is at Milton Keynes
on 12 November 2010.
The board provides strategic advice,
ambassadorial support and practical assistance to the alumni association.
Profiles of all the advisory board members
can be found on the new alumni website which will go live next month.
Many thanks to previous members Neil Hutton,
Bridget Grenville Cleave, Nils-Carsten Huber, Kjeld Jespersen, Stephen McKay,
Phil Parvin and Robert Davies for their support and expert advice over the
last three years |
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| Regional
evening events:
Guests
welcome, Certificate of attendance available. For more
information or to make a booking, click on the events below or
ring Janet on +44(0)1908 659262. Please
do make an effort to support your local alumni group
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Alumni
Association Lecture 21 October
at the Kings Fund, 11/13 Cavendish Square London
W1G 0AN
buffet and networking from 6.30pm Guests welcome. For info and
booking click
here >>
Public services in a time of economic
uncertainty presented by Professor Malcolm Prowle
In developed and developing countries public
services can be wide ranging and are of importance to many parts of society
including: Recipients of public services (e.g. patients, children etc); Public
sector employees who plan and deliver such services (six million people in the
UK); Businesses who are large scale suppliers of basic goods and services used
by public bodies and businesses who deliver public services on contract to the
government (e.g. private hospitals on contract to the UK NHS for the delivery
of surgical services)
In this lecture, Professor Prowle asserts
that the danger is that we regard the current fiscal crisis as one which will
simply "go away" in a few years, and that we will then return to
"business as normal" involving ongoing real terms increases in
public expenditure each year. He argues that the current situation might
instead be seen as a watershed in our social and economic history and one
which requires considerable thought about, among other things:-
- the role of the state in public service
provision,
- the balance between the private and public
sectors of our economy
- individual and collective responsibilities
in relation to public services
- the structure of public services,
- how public services should be paid for.
Professor Prowle will provide an in-depth
analysis of the current situation and will then explore alternative scenarios
for the future of public services which he strongly believes must be
considered and debated. Finally he will look at some specific public services
as examples. Although the thrust of his lecture will concern the United
Kingdom, his lecture will also consider situations in other countries.
About the speaker
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Professor Malcolm Prowle is professor of
business performance. He has over 30 years experience of the public and
private sectors (in the UK and overseas) gained through a combination of
senior management experience, management consultancy with KPMG and PWC and
academic teaching and research at several universities. Thus he combines
extensive practical experience at a senior level with academic rigour.
He has worked at the highest levels of government and has advised Ministers,
Ambassadors, senior civil servants, public service managers and service
professionals on a variety of public policy and policy implementation issues.
He has held a series of prestigious external positions including that of
adviser to the House of Commons Select Committee and adviser to two shadow
ministers. He has spoken and presented papers at a wide range of events and
conferences including: the Prime Ministers Policy Unit, the Government
Accounting Service, the CBI, the World Health Organisation and the Karolinska
Institute (Sweden).
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Half
day professional development workshops
Half day professional development workshop
Friday 8 October OU Campus Milton Keynes
Cutting the cost of conflict and managing difficulty. To make a booking click
here >>
All people at work will at some stage have to
handle conflict - difficult conversations and disputes about performance,
perceptions of inequality and clashes of communication and work styles. Staff
expect to be heard when they are unhappy, and know their rights. Recent
legislation and ACAS guidance (2009) gives managers responsibility for
resolving conflict at work early and effectively. Some HR departments are
shrinking back to the centre, and local managers are expected to handle
Employee Relations and Human Resources issues more and more.
If conflict at work is handled badly it can
be costly and drastically impair performance. If handled well it can save
money and resources, rebuild trust and help maintain engagement.
Half day professional development workshop
Friday 5 November, OU regional office East Grinstead. To make a booking click
here >>
Re-evaluating Competitive Strategy in B2B
markets
The recent economic turmoil has resulted in many changes - not the least in
how your customers have re-evaluated their product and service buying options.
So what does that mean for your competitive environment? Old competitors may
have disappeared; new competitors emerged; geographic shifts have occurred in
many global industries and changes in customer behaviours have created new
indirect competition.
This workshop will concentrate on three important aspects of understanding
your competitive environment. We will:
- Begin by defining your markets, developing
market maps and competitive frames - from the customers' perspective. How
do your customers view the alternatives to your products and services in
addition to the direct competition?
- Evaluate differing information sources.
Finding external information today is comparatively easy, but how can we
evaluate what is most important, integrate it with internal knowledge and
maintain a competitive watch?
- Finally, and most importantly, how can we
convert competitive intelligence into competitive strategy?
Applying the theory and putting it into
practice in complex B2B markets isn't always as easy as it sounds in the text
books. This workshop is designed to be practical and applied. Using theory,
models and case studies, participants will be able to take time out from their
day to day activities and work through the key components to re-evaluate their
sources of competitive advantage.
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A
new OU/BBC series on DVD sees business expert Theo Paphitis argue that the
recession is a great time to expand businesses overseas.
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Best known for his role in Dragon's Den, Theo has
spotted growing markets in Vietnam, India and Brazil, which are booming despite
the global slowdown. "The recession has hit British businesses harder than
most. While other economies around the world are booming, ours seems to have
stalled." However, slow sales at home can suggest that now is a good time
to take a calculated risk internationally. "A sluggish domestic market and
a weak pound mean that now is the perfect time for UK companies to do business
abroad."
In the three part series on DVD, Theo follows
nine brave and bold businesses hoping to make it big in emerging markets, from
ambitious small starters to household names such as Marmite and Cadbury. They
need to work fast to get the hang of different working cultures, customer
habits, sale seasons and red tape. Theo's guidance helps them avoid making
costly mistakes and he offers vital tips on finding the perfect market for their
products and services. Theo offers tips on how any savvy and persistent business
can stack the cards in their favour.
The three hour DVD is available from OU
Worldwide, costing £17.62 (£15.00 + £2.62 VAT).
For more information, call +44 (0)1908 858 785, visit www.ouw.co.uk
or email ouw-customer-services@open.ac.uk
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First Class shutdown - move to
LinkedIn
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Over the next weeks/months the OU First Class
system will be phased out.
Course conferences for students will continue
in the replacement VLE but at present there is no facility for wider
discussions. Therefore we strongly encourage you to Link In to the OUBS
conference at
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2297&trk=anet_ug_hm
If you are not already a LinkedIn user you
will first need to sign up at www.linkedin.com.
Then go to "Groups"
To ensure you continue to receive the monthly
Alumni Newsletter please make sure you have ticked the appropriate box on OU
material to receive the OU mailings. Thanks for all your contributions over the
years and look forward to these continuing through LinkedIn.
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Discounted
Management Books
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Get the latest business thinking at a great price! McGraw-Hill is pleased to
offer a 40% discount on the Book of the Month and a 20% discount on a
selection of best-selling titles. Just click on the 'buy book' button on this
page to take advantage of this offer.
For more details and bulk sales discounts,
please contact Jon Shipley via email: jon_shipley@mcgraw-hill.com
or
phone +44(0)1628 502950
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MBA
promotion events - your help is needed
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Please contact the relevant people below if you
are able to attend the following MBA promotional events. The aim of the
events is to promote our MBA programme to new potential students and your
presence would add true value.
We would also be grateful if you could
promote these events to colleagues or anyone you feel would benefit from
attending.
Date, time, location, Regional
marketing manager
21.09.2010, Belfast, Regional office,
Kristine Harding, K.E.Harding@open.ac.uk
21.09.2010, 16.00 - 19.00, Milton Keynes,
MYB - presentation area level 2 Hanne Gouveia, h.j.gouveia@open.ac.uk
21.09.2010, Timings TBC, Birmingham
Tom Bonner, t.bonner@open.ac.uk
23.09.2010, Timings TBC, Nottingham
Tom Bonner, t.bonner@open.ac.uk
27.09.2010, 17.00 - 19.00, London,
Regional office Hanne Gouveia, h.j.gouveia@open.ac.uk
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News
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Click here for the News section of
the Alumni website
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Quick
Links
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Membership directory
This secure online directory
is a great tool that will enable you to network with fellow OU
Business School alumni. The directory is an opt-in service only, so
if you would like to give us permission to publish your details,
please register online.
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OU
Business School group
4123 members |
Your alumni association has
launched a dedicated OU Business School group on Linkedin. Linkedin
is an online professional networking service, used by over 8 million
professionals worldwide. It allows members to connect with each
other and expand their business contacts. Through this website you
are able to search and view OU Business School group members'
profiles as well as their networks. You see much more than a
name. All connections are controlled by you, this is an opt in
only.
How to join: Joining
LinkedIn is free, as is membership of the OU Business School group
in Linked In. You are pre-approved as a member of the OU
Business School alumni association and can join the group immediately by clicking on
this link:
https://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/2297/739F3E3270B6/
You will need to use the same e-mail address with Linkedin as the one to which
this e-newsletter is sent. You can add this address
additionally to your existing
LinkedIn account.
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Other Useful Links
Continuing
Professional Development
Read newsletter online
Browse
past newsletters
Latest News
OU Business School alumni Website
OU Business School
Website
OU Alumni
website
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Update your details!
If you wish to receive our monthly
e-newsletter and other regular
communications such as invitations to relevant events, please register
or update your details online now and keep connected to this
thriving international network!
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| Workmaze
is a career coaching and information company which works with
leading business schools worldwide, delivering career
services, information products and recruitment services.
Workmaze coaches have extensive experience in both MBA and
executive level recruitment and hold internationally
recognised qualifications in career coaching and guidance.
They are supported by a team of researchers drawn from
blue-chip information management and head-hunting
environments. Our subscription to Workmaze gives you free
access to the following guides: MBA Recruitment in the Top 100
Global MBA Recruiting Companies (Updated monthly) and MBA
Recruitment in the FTSE Euro 100 Companies (Published in May
& October). In addition, you benefit from discounted rates
on coaching services such as career assessment and 'getting
interviews' programmes. For full details, click
here |
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Alumni
Offers
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Magazine subscription
offers
Take advantage of the lowest prices available on subscriptions to
magazines such as The Economist, Time, National Geographic, Vogue and
many others. www.alumni-subscriptions.co.uk
Get your own website for £99 -
ideal for
small businesses and consultancies, add pages and features as your
business expands. Details and enquiries: www.getsetup.net.
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Continuing Professional
Development
Make the most of your OU Alumni status by taking advantage of a special
course fee with the OU which allows you to study our short, online CPD
courses at a discount of 10% off the published course fee. For more
details, visit http://www.open.ac.uk/cpd/
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About
this newsletter
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This newsletter's purpose
is to keep you updated on news about the OU/OU Business
School and its various products, the alumni association,
offers and affinity deals, alumni events and just about
anything else that you request. Offers have been
selected as appropriate for our readership. The
companies and people offering them are not necessarily
connected to or endorsed by the OU Business School.
You will see that many
of the items link back to the alumni website www.open.ac.uk/oubs-alumni,
where you will also find news and events listings, the
detail of all our services and benefits, as well as
useful links and the online membership directory.
If your details don't
appear in the directory, it is probably because you have
not opted in yet. For data protection reasons, we need
your permission to publish your details in the
directory. You can register online at (check link)
We would also like to
receive news from you (with web links) that we can
circulate to the rest of the alumni association, as well
as your comments and ideas for improvement. Please send
your suggestions using our online feedback form (check
link), or email me at c.sargent@open.ac.uk
E-mail
newsletter format and unsubscribe requests
You are receiving this
newsletter because you have supplied your e-mail address
to the OUBS Alumni team. Your e-mail address will not be
passed to a third party without your permission. We
would like as many people as possible to be able to view
this newsletter in formatted HTML (i.e., with a better
layout, colours and links to online resources). If your
e-mail program cannot read this, or you would prefer to
receive a text-only notification when the newsletter is
ready to read online please click
here or e-mail oubs-alumni@open.ac.uk.
If you currently receive the text reminder and would
like to start receiving the HTML version via e-mail
please click
here.
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Christine Sargent (c.sargent@open.ac.uk)
Alumni Relations Manager
OUBS Alumni Office,
Michael Young Building,
Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA
Tel +44 (0)1908 652874 Fax +44 (0)1908 655102
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School 2007
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