Peter Drucker Forum 2013: “Public Policy Effectiveness and Complexity” panel discussion

At the Peter Drucker Forum 2013, Adrian Wooldridge, Management Editor of The Economist, led the panel discussion concerning issues of Effectiveness and Complexity in Public Policy. The five panel speakers were, Yves Doz, Professor of Technological Innovation at INSEAD,  John Elvidge, Chairman of Edinburgh Airport and former permanent secretary to the Scottish Government, Michael Hallsworth, Senior Policy advisor at Cabinet Office UK, Mikko Kosonen, President of The Finnish Innovation Fund, and Ben Ramalingam, Independent Consultant of Overseas Development Institute.

Peter Drucker Forum 2013: “Addressing complexity: the next challenge for governments” by Yves Doz

On the second day of the 2013 Peter Drucker Forum, Yves Doz, Solvay Chaired Professor of Technological Innovation at INSEAD, looked at the existing challenges that governments face in an increasingly complex world.

A friend in change is a friend indeed

During the holiday I had a very pleasant surprise. Over the last 2 years I have looked at other blogs when writing my own to get ideas and inspiration. One of the best blogs I have seen in higher education is written by Martha Graham at James Madison University. We had both left several messages on each other’s blog (which included me stupidly calling Martha “Graham” for the first couple of months!) Even though we have never had the chance to meet we have had many exchanges over the past year or so.

Martha had written an excellent article on Bob Reid, former Dean at JMU and who is now Executive Vice President and Chief Accreditation Officer AACSB. Bob and I met up at the EFMD Annual Conference 2013 in Brussels and I send Martha the photo never expecting her to publish an article on it! I am very flattered indeed by what she has said.

An article in “The Economist” this week discusses research that shows the more time people spend on Facebook the less happy they are. Like Martha, I totally agree with this. However, technology today means that we can communicate with people without ever meeting up and I have been delighted to have many exchanges with Martha. As she says, we have become friends without ever seeing each other. 

There is another positive side. In her article, Martha refers to a friendly bet that we had concerning Greenland. Because of that, I did some quick research and was lucky enough to stumble upon a wonderful blog called The Fourth Continent. This is written by a lady who has emigrated to Greenland and gives some amazing insights into life there. I have become an avid reader of her blog which is quite a unique blog and well worth a read. So even a friendly challenge with someone you have never met can have a positive effect. 

The start of the coming academic year will be a little different for me this September, so I have asked a member of my team to begin writing another blog to take up some of the themes I have explored over the past two years. “Mainly International” will begin publishing in just over a week. When my colleagues and I started talking about the layout and the themes, I first asked them to look at the one Martha writes. My basic message was that I wanted the blog to be as good as “Be the Change.” That is just how highly I regard the blog. Not only does Martha write quite beautifully, the warmth and the attachment she feels towards students, staff and other members of the JMU community is quite evident. It makes it great reading. 

So, many thanks to Martha, not only for this post but also the the inspiration you have provided me in writing over the past year or so. I am sure that you provide the same inspiration to many other as well.

James Madison University's Be the Change

Go to any discussion board about social media or modern communication and you’re bound to find comments about the dismal state of interpersonal communication. Parents decry watching their children and friends sit side-by-side texting each other instead of talking face-to-face. And who among us has not doubted that one person can have 986 friends?

While the discussion is valid, it’s also worth noting that adaptation is a significant component of change. And what we are experiencing in the fast-changing realm of communication requires — demands, actually — an adaptation.

As a devotee of handwritten letters, I love getting real letters in my real 3-D mail box. Much history has been recorded by such letters. I’m reading a book by Dava Sorbel (Galileo’s Daughter) based on letters written to Galileo by his daughter. I’ve also written here about Dorie McCullough Lawson’s book (Posterity) a compilation of letters from…

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Danger on the Horse Highway: a slightly skeptical tourist remembers why the car replaced our equestrian friends.

It is a long forgotten fact that when cars were first introduced into cities in the late 19^th Century they were welcomed as an environmentally friendly alternative to horses. With the help of two economists, a short trip around a ‘secluded’ island is a fun day out and a sanguine reminder of just why that might be.

Didim. Did it. But I didn’t do my research.

One of the things professors are constantly telling students is to make sure they read the entire exam paper before starting and never sign an employment contract before they have studied it several times. The same logic works for a holiday destination and this professor might think about taking his own well meant advice. 

Gallipoli: Drawing different lessons from history.

300 kilometres south west of Istanbul lies the small seaside town of Gelibulo. With a population of 30 000, this friendly little town has the makings of the perfect place to get away from the noise and the bustle of Istanbul. The sun never stops shining and the temperature is a near perfect 30°C. Only the incessant wind prevents it from being the ideal tourist location.

If this small town is practically unheard of under its Turkish name, its English translation, Gallipoli, is known to all historians of the First World War. Depending on where you come from though, you might not come to the same conclusions. The French have all but forgotten this 8 month campaign and the British view it as a foolhardy side show that was championed by Winston Churchill. To Australians and New Zealanders it is the symbol of the devastation suffered by their ANZAC soldiers for a colonial power. For the Turks, however, the campaign is one of their greatest victories which the rise of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and ultimately saw the birth of the Turkish Republic. 

“Very Friendly, Very Living, Very Moving” : Philippe Gradt, a GEM student talks about studying at Newcastle University.

A student from GEM, Philippe Gradt, has been at Newcastle University since September, in Newcastle upon Tyne, a city he describes as one with rainy weather yes, but with its charm of always being “very friendly, very living, and very moving.”

STUDY ABROAD / INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE : Petr Jiskra gives a Czech view on life and study on a double degree programme in Grenoble

My way to GEM was pretty straightforward. Since my first year at my home university, I knew that I want to do a double degree program abroad. When I reached the end of second year and was about to choose which school to go to, I paid good attention to the recommendations from professors and GEM´s past students. I did not regret it, GEM was a brilliant choice.

Photos and text by Petr Jiskra

From Queen’s University through Grenoble EM to PwC, Toronto : A Canadian view of studying in France

         

   

For the last few months I have been publishing a series of discussions and photos from French students that have been studying at our partner institutions. From this week, I will be publishing a series of stories from international students who have come to study in France.

The first of these is from Trisha Egberts, a Canadian who used her study abroad opportunity at Queen’s University to come and find out about life in a French business school.     

   

STUDY ABROAD / INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE : MEXICO, Guadalajara

Léa Gaillard, a graduate management student from Grenoble EM, talks about her experiences at ITESM Campus Guadalajara.

       

I had an opportunity to study at ITESM Campus Guadalajara for one year. It is easily possible that the year in Mexico is going to be the best year of my life because of the things we can afford to do, unlike in Europe. In fact, Mexico is a perfect place combining cheap costs and outstanding landscape.  

Photos and text by Léa Gaillard                          

ITESM