Eclaire December 2011

VOLUME 32 > DECEMBER 2011 > NUMBER

2

A GLIMPSE BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE ERD ON PAGE 9

LOOKING FORWARD TO WINTER PAGE 17

WHY YOU SHOULD EAT LESS THIS CHRISTMAS READ IT ON PAGE 22 EXTRA CONTENT AVAILABLE ONLINE!

BREAKING TRADITIONS: LETTING GO AND LEARNING ANEW

KUNNEN WE JOU EEN LEIDENDE ROL IN ONZE MAATSCHAPPELIJKE VRAAGSTUKKEN TOEVERTROUWEN?

In ieder 8-uurjournaal zitten wel een paar onderwerpen die raakvlakken hebben met ons vak: verzekeren. Of het nu om de pensioenen of schades

KUNNEN WE JOU ONZE KLANTEN TOEVERTROUWEN?

AGIS AVÉ RO ACH MEA

gaat, ons werk heeft impact op wat er in de maatschappij gebeurt.

C E N T R A A L B E H E ER A C H M E A

En op het leven van onze klanten. Als grootste verzekeringsbedrijf

FBTO

van Nederland bieden we je binnen een uitdagende werkomgeving met

I N T E R PO L I S

eindeloos veel ontwikkelingsmogelijkheden het Management Traineeship

Z I LV E R E N K RU I S A C H M E A

aan. Een uitstekende start van een veelbelovende carrière bij Achmea.

Kunnen we jou onze klanten toevertrouwen?

Kijk op www.werkenbijachmea.nl voor meer informatie.

werkenbijachmea.nl

INDEX

&

C OLOP H ON

Index EDITORIAL

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04 > 05

PRESIDENTIAL

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AROUND THE GLOBE

07

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SPOTIFY VERSUS ITUNES: REVOLUTION IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY S

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08

THE ERASMUS RECRUITMENT DAYS: BUILDING YOUR CAREER, ONE BLOCK AT A TIME PRIVACY: A THING OF THE PAST

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11

10

We’re sharing more than ever without knowing it and things are about to get a lot worse.

EMERGING INTERNATIONAL TALENT: LENNART SCHWUNG DRIVING FULL SPEED AHEAD WHILE LAGGING FAR BEHIND

>

17

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18

ALTRUISM: FROM HOMO ECONOMICUS TO HOMO ALTRUICUS

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CHRISTMAS DINNER: WHY THE HOLIDAYS ARE MAKING US FAT EFR-BUSINESS WEEK: OUT OF THE BOX

>

23

:UISENBERG SCHOOL OF FINANCE; FOR A HEAD START IN YOUR FINANCE CAREER GADGETS TO FIND UNDER YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE

Extra Online articles: TOP LOCAL CHARITIES TO GIVE TO THIS YEAR

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>

26

27

CHINA’S EFFORTS TOWARDS A ‘HARMONIOUS SOCIETY’ STUDENT EXPERIENCES: STUDENTS ABROAD

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30

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3

20 > 22

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25 YEARS OF OPRAH

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How Nokia can catch up and get itself back into business.

>

24

28

Read more articles in our exclusive online version of the Eclaire, at efr.nl/eclaire Subscription: Price: €29 Contact EFR-Eclaire at eclaire@efr.nl

Colophon Editorial Address: Burgemeester Oudlaan 50 3062 PA Rotterdam, Kamer VB-24 Tel: 010 - 40 81 146 Fax: 010 - 40 82 892 E-mail: eclaire@efr.nl Visual styling and printing: OCC dehoog media partners www.occ-dehoog.nl

Editor in Chief: Timothy Langstraat Writers: Vanessa Abeyawardena Martin Jaakola Leigh de Jager Nicole Stelea Winter van der Vlist Ashleigh Woodend Nadia Zafirah

Marketing officer: Sten Boerkamp, marketing@efr.nl Commercial officer: Joris Winkelman, commercial@efr.nl EFR Membership: Alissa Dauer, secretary.vp@efr.nl

Frequency: Sent six times a year to all students of the Economic Faculty at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, including the one-time special edition: the EFR-Eclaire Special with a circulation of 35.000 copies.

Copyright ©2011, EFR Circulation: 6.000 units Website: efr.nl/eclaire

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IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SNOW

13 > 14

>

INTROD U CT ION

Introducing the new

Eclaire committee...

Ashleigh Woodend

21

IBEB-3

Zimbabwean

Leigh de Jager

21

Some embarrassing things I may not want people to know about me?

Well, at the age of 6 I was in love with Rowan Atkinson, and v owed to my mother that I would one day marry him. As well as watching Mr. Bean episodes back to back, I also spent my afternoons finding locusts.

I’d then bend down and begin talking to them about various issues of interest.

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20

Finnish

Nadia Zafirah

22

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What is your morning routine before school?

I take a warm shower, debate whether or not to go to bed or to class, then drink a few cups of coffee to prepare for the day

Nicole Stelea

22

Master of Marketing

20

Indonesian

Romanian

I have been born and raised in Romania, but have been living in The Netherlands ever since I was 11. Almost every Saturday morning you’ll find me at the ice rink, since figure skating is my biggest passion.

I also enjoy writing, and hope to write engaging articles for the Eclaire.

Vanessa Abeyawardena

IBEB

Hi everyone, my name is Nadia Zafirah, I’m twenty-two years old and this is my third year doing IBEB. Being an Indonesian I grew up in tropical weather and I can’t really stand the cold so you might ask, what am I doing here in the Netherlands? All I know is my love for cycling fits me well here and I just need to master the art of doing it with no hands. What about the foods? To date, I haven’t tried herring yet. I love sushi but herring just gives me a different vibe than sushi-kind of raw fish.

Why did you move to Rotterdam to study?

I came here in order to experience a new culture while surrounding myself with an international and vibrant environment.

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IBEB, year one

South African

Well I am never good at writing stuff about myself. I guess my friends who know me really well would describe me as insane, can’t spell to save my life, have an off sense of humour, technologically challenged, slowest runner ever and incessantly hyper. I love playing volleyball, even though my team might not be the best we still act like crazy people running around after the ball. Other than that there’s not much to say, except that I hope you enjoy reading this year’s Eclaire because it’s going to be Legendary!

One weird thing about myself that I’m really proud of: I can pinch people with my toes, and use them for just about anything!

Martin Jaakola

Master of Health Economics, Policy and Law

Master of Brain and Cognition

Tim Langstraat

24

What is the silliest thing you did as a kid?

When my sister had just been born, my elder brother and I were left unattended. Half an hour went by before anyone came to check on us.

Time enough for us to use the entire checkered duvet as a tick-tack-toe playing ground.

Where are you from?

My father’s Sri Lankan and my mother’s Trinidadian. I was born in England, raised in Sri Lanka and Singapore.

Hobbies besides writing for the Eclaire: Painting, sketching, playing the piano and watching Eddie Izzard

Dutch

What’s the furthest you’ve ever gone for a date?

In actions, I once… procured a street sign, as proof of my willingness to get a date. In distance, for my current girlfriend I flew about 13.000 kilometers, to the other side of the world, just to go on a first date.

British

What’s your guilty pleasure?

I don’t smoke or do drugs, and I drink in moderation - but I’m absolutely addicted to chocolate!

Business Administration, 2nd year

Winter van der Vlist

20

Bachelor of Fiscal Economics

Dutch

What is your New Year’s resolution?

My New Year’s resolution is to watch more movies. As it’s not that hard I’m sure I’ll keep it.

Santa Claus or Saint Nicolas?

Saint Nicolas without a doubt. Besides the better candy there is some Dutch pride in the whole Saint Nicolas tradition.

INT R O D U CT I O N

Honour tradition and question tradition Every day we are confronted with usages and practices that emanate from our history. The singing of the national anthem, the yearly celebration of festivities like Christmas (I would like to wish you all a merry upcoming one by the way) and specifically for students the life within fraternities; our existence and the way we live is largely determined by traditions.

The EFR always aims to innovate and to dispose of decayed usages. Therefore we are proud that the EFR Shell Research Project started this November and it has been received with an enormous enthusiasm. The Business Week committee as well is breaking with the past and tries to realize an evolution within the program of the EFR-Business Week; read more about it further on!

Last but not least I wish you all on behalf of the 48th board of the Economic Faculty association Rotterdam a happy new year, a year in which you break with the past, a year in which you meet your ambition!

Best regards,

Thomas Dekker President of the 48th board

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And that is exactly what is happening all around us! Our Rector Magnificus, professor Schmidt said during his speech at the Dies Natalis that times have changed and in consequence universities have to do as well to excel in the academic field. According to Schmidt the Erasmus University has to renew the international ambitions by combining the strengths of Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam.

Presidential

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It is a matter of course that traditions breed continuation and by that social stability and imperturbability. Furthermore countries unite by the solidarity they generate. Despite the social importance traditions do have, there is a detrimental aspect as well. Most of the traditions are relics of past times and it needs to be questioned if they fit within modern society.

Sometimes it is necessary to break with the past, to surmount unprejudiced the difficulties we face today.

Thomas Dekker

In general traditions are associated with a positive feeling; it is something to be proud of and something that has to be passed on to the next generation. However, during the 98th Dies Natalis of the Erasmus University, on the 8th of November professor Rachlinski emphasized in his elocution the fact that intuition may lead to misjudgment. Although professor Rachlinski’s juridical background, the point he made is applicable in a broad aspect. It is for this reason I considered this general first reaction and had some second thoughts.

Mazars is ontstaan uit een fusie tussen Mazars en Paardekooper&Hoffman

ª« :( .U 1%,- 0D< $56 x

Ga verder met Mazars.

TRADITION

Christmas traditions around the globe

M

ERRY CHRISTMAS! FELIZ NAVIDAD! VROLIJK KERSTFEEST! JOYEUX NOEL! JUST AS EVERY LANGUAGE HAS ITS OWN CHRISTMAS GREETING, EVERY REGION OR RELIGION WE GREW UP WITH HAS ITS OWN TRADITIONS. SOME SACRIFICE PIGS AND PREPARE AS MANY DISHES AS POSSIBLE, WHILE OTHERS PREFER HAVING A PRIVATE DINNER AT THE RESTAURANT. EVERY FAMILY CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS IN ITS OWN WAY, BUT IN THIS ARTICLE WE HAVE GATHERED VARIOUS TRADITIONS ON HOW CHRISTMAS IS CELEBRATED AROUND THE GLOBE.

By Nicole Stelea

On Christmas Eve, young men go around houses singing Christmas carols. While in Romania they bring along a selfmade object that is supposed to portray a star, in Bulgaria they bring a big stick with multiple kravai, which are round loafs of bread with holes in the middle, around it. In both countries the carol singers are often given money or food.

A Nordic Christmas in Santa’s town In Nordic countries the Christmas tree is usually decorated on Christmas Eve. The gifts are left underneath the Christmas tree by a mischievous gnome called (Jule)nisse. The children leave a bowl of porridge to please the gnome and to limit his jokes.

In Finland, there is even an entire town for Christmas called Rovaniemi.

According to Finnish tradition it is supposedly where Santa Claus

The nine days journey to Bethlehem in Latin America In Argentina, during Christmas time, children also write a letter to Santa, while in the other Latin American countries they rather write it to el niño Dios, or the baby Jesus.

The typical Christmas meal depends on each family. Generally, they prepare a barbecue and various meat dishes, and, it is the only occasion when garrapiñada (sugared almonds) and turrón (nougat) are eaten.

On the 25th of December, at midnight, the family toasts to a happy Christmas, and everyone hugs each other. Then, the gifts are opened and everybody goes to watch the fireworks.

In Mexico, Las Posadas is celebrated nine days before Christmas. These celebrations reenact the search for shelter in Bethlehem of Mary and Joseph. People go around houses with images of Mary and Joseph and Christmas carols are sung.

During Christmas Day, Mexican children are blindfolded and they have

Christian celebrations in Asia The Philippines is the only Asian country in which the majority of the population is Christian. The people celebrate the Misa de Gallo, which is a similar celebration to Las Posadas. It also starts nine days before Christmas and people reenact as well Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter. This similarity is due the Spanish influence on the Filipino culture.

In Indonesia, Christmas is celebrated by going for dinner with the family and exchanging gifts. This usually happens either on 24th or 25th of December. Also, Santa Claus is generally known as ‘Sinterklaas’. So, ‘Sinterklaas’ is there not Saint Nicholas from the Dutch celebrations. People also celebrate it by going to church, where they sing Christmas Carols. However, caroling is not done in public, as only a minority (around ten percent) of the population in Indonesia is Christian.

Even though there are different traditions for Christmas all over the world, the message of this holiday is the same around the globe: a peaceful time that you can enjoy being together as a family.

“They prepare as many dishes as possible to provide an elaborate and delicious feast”

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Typical Finnish Christmas food is Christmas ham with mustard and joulutorttu, which are pinwheel cookies filled with a prune center

to try to break a piñata.

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comes from. A nice detail is that Finnish children who write to Santa Claus actually get an answer back.

The presents are usually opened on Christmas Day, which is celebrated with the extended family.

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Slaughtering pigs in the Balkan region Balkan countries share some common Christmas traditions, which are adapted to each country. For example, villagers in the Romanian and Bulgarian countryside slaughter a pig in the days leading up to Christmas. They prepare as many dishes as possible to provide an elaborate and delicious feast. A tradition that is specific to Bulgaria is baking a large loaf of bread, koledna pitka, with a coin hidden inside. The oldest member of the family has to rotate the pitka clockwise three times and everyone sitting at the table gets the piece that is in front of him. It is believed that whoever gets the coin will be granted abundant happiness.

C O M MERCE

Spotify versus iTunes:

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Revolution in the Music Industry

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8

iTunes: Apple’s pied piper for the music industry

By Erik de Kleijn, Xenia Ryshchenko and Lin Ye

T

HE EMERGENCE OF INTERNET MUSIC PIRACY AROUND THE MILLENNIUM TRANSITION INITIATED A REVOLUTION IN THE WORLDWIDE MUSIC INDUSTRY. AS CONSUMERS STARTED TO SHARE SONGS AND ALBUMS ILLEGALLY OVER THE INTERNET, THEIR WILLINGNESS TO BUY MUSIC THROUGH TRADITIONAL OUTLETS, SUCH AS MUSIC STORES, DECREASED. AS A CONSEQUENCE, THE REVENUES IN THE TRADITIONAL MUSIC BUSINESS DROPPED DRAMATICALLY. IN RESPONSE TO THE CHANGING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS EASY EXCHANGE OF DIGITAL MUSIC, APPLE INTRODUCED THE PORTABLE MUSIC PLAYER IPOD AND ESTABLISHED THE ITUNES STORE ALLOWING PEOPLE TO BUY AND DOWNLOAD ONLINE MUSIC IN A LEGAL AND EASY WAY. THE IPOD AND ITUNES GAINED MUCH POPULARITY AND FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED THE WAY WE CURRENTLY LISTEN TO AND BUY MUSIC. WHILE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ITUNES STORE RESULTED IN MUSICIANS AND RECORD LABELS EARNING MONEY OUT OF THE INTERNET FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT HAD A DOWNSIDE AS WELL. ITUNES’ RAPID SUCCESS MADE IT A DOMINANT PLAYER THAT COULD CONTROL THE WAY MUSIC WAS SOLD. HOWEVER, TIMES ARE CHANGING. THE SWEDISH COMPANY SPOTIFY CURRENTLY BRINGS CONSUMERS A NEW WAY TO ENJOY MUSIC. MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION PAYMENTS GIVE CLIENTS UNLIMITED ACCESS TO A MASSIVE ONLINE MUSIC COLLECTION AND THE POSSIBILITY TO STREAM SONGS OVER THE INTERNET TO THEIR PC OR MOBILE PHONE. THE QUESTION IS WHETHER SPOTIFY IS ABLE TO DETERIORATE ITUNES’ MARKET DOMINANCE.

iTunes was able to fight music piracy by offering customers an attractive alternative. Apple realised early on that getting music for free was not the only incentive for consumers to download music. People wanted to listen to their music on convenient digital music players without the hassle of buying CD’s. iTunes distinguished itself trough simplicity and the quality of the digital music files offered immediately through the internet. Instead of being available for free, customers had to pay 99 cents per song. The iTunes Store reached major milestones in sales within short time after introduction, selling one million songs in the first week alone.

Apple’s strategy to gain market share involved the creation of an ecosystem around their products by introducing seamlessly integrated complementary products making the main product, the iPod, more valuable for consumers. The iTunes Store was part of this strategy, making it easy to fill up your iPod with just a few clicks of the mouse. As such, the ecosystem created considerable network effects, leading to customer preferences for iPods and making Apple’s clients less likely to switch brands.

Consequently, the ecosystem resulted in a competitive advantage and is thus one of the main reasons of the iPod’s and iTunes’ success. Only Apple could build such a seamless integration, because it is probably the only company that designs both the hardware and software. Because the profits of Apple were largely attributed to selling hardware, not music, the iTunes Store was primarily conceived to create those complementary network effects.

Growing a new ecosystem Spotify is a different story. Because Spotify sells no hardware, it can’t mimic Apple’s ecosystem strategy built around iTunes to fight Apple’s dominance in the music industry. Instead, Spotify’s continued existence depends totally on the money earned from the sales of music subscriptions and ads. To lure as much customers as possible to their service, the company

C OMMERC E

The more friends join Spotify,

As Spotify tries to be an attractive substitute for iTunes, it has introduced features like offline playlists and iPod-integration making it possible to upload songs retrieved from Spotify on Apple hardware, like iPods. In this way, users can still listen to music even if there is no internet connection available on their PC or phone to stream music directly from Spotify. By

the more you will appreciate

one million

the service

songs sold in the first week

The potential for growth Giving recommendations to customers is a strong instrument for companies to increase the use of their service or to sell more products. Online bookseller Amazon.com and iTunes have a long history making suggestions of books or music you also might like based on your purchase history. Yet, customers value recommendations more if they come from their friends rather than computer algorithms. Spotify can benefit from this fact because of the people connected to Facebook. Apple tried something similar when it created its own social network named Ping as part of iTunes but failed to succeed.

offering social network tools through integration in Facebook and by making it easy for iTunes clients to use their own Apple hardware, Spotify might well be able to breach iTunes’ dominance in the worldwide music industry.

Note: This article is a shortened and revised version of the ‘Best Paper Award’-winning research project the authors conducted for the course Organisation & Strategy in the first year bachelor program of the Erasmus School of Economics.

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Despite the fact that Spotify could make them less dependent on iTunes, the record companies and artists are cautious of Spotify growing too big as long as the royalties paid are relatively small. For that reason, the industry insists that Spotify reduces the availability of free ad-supported subscriptions forcing users to pay a monthly fee. This approach might, however, work against them as the availability of free ad-supported subscriptions lowers the threshold for new users to join and also seems to reduce piracy.

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In order to take this idea to the next level, Spotify recently signed a deal with Facebook. Through Facebook, Spotify is able to integrate its music service into the largest social network in the world with more than 800 million users. If you are listening to music on Spotify, your Facebook friends will know (unless you block this application). Besides, Facebook facilitates easy recommendation of new artists to your friends.

Obviously, it is only possible for friends to share in all the fun if they also subscribe to Spotify. Short after the announcement of the integration in Facebook, the use of Spotify increased considerably. It is therefore very likely that this deal leads to an exponential growth of Spotify’s customer base.

EC LAIRE

also tries to create network effects by connecting users to each other and let them share their favourite playlists. The more friends join Spotify, the more you will appreciate the service.

S T U DENT

LI FE

The Erasmus Recruitment Days: Building your career, one block at a time

By Timothy Langstraat

W

ITH PREPARATIONS FOR THE ERASMUS RECRUITMENT DAYS (ERD) WELL UNDER WAY, TWO OF THE LOVELY LADIES OF THE ERD HAVE FOUND TIME TO TALK TO US. ABOUT PREPARATIONS, WORK, AND WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT THE ERD.

Hi, and thank you for joining us. Before we start this interview, would you like to introduce yourself?

Aimee Cox (22): I am the chairwoman of the Erasmus

EC LAIRE

Recruitment Days. I just finished my IBA last summer. Two years ago I worked for AIESEC, where I looked for students in Rotterdam who wanted to go abroad. Last year I went to Central America for 6 months, to learn Spanish. I spent two months in Panama studying Spanish, and then went on to backpack through the rest of Central America.

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Kim van der Aar (23): I finished my IBA two years ago already, and after that I worked for Henkel for eleven months, first as an intern, and then as an employee. Started on my Master’s in marketing afterwards, did an exchange in Sydney, came back in July and in August I started working for the ERD as the Commissioner of Marketing.

Around the release of this issue of the Eclaire, a lot of promotion of the Erasmus Recruitment Days is going on.

For those of us who haven’t heard of it yet, could you explain a bit about the ERD?

KvdA: We chose this theme because you basically start building your career as soon as you start studying.

Nowadays you have to develop yourself besides your studies, and in the end, it exists of multiple building blocks: not just your studies, but also your extracurricular activities, work experience, time abroad, internships, everything that you do is counted. We, the ERD, are the final step that connects students with companies and develops recruitment skills; we form the final building block to your career.

KvdA: The ERD is the biggest on-campus recruitment event of the Benelux. Every year around a hundred companies and over 2000 students participate. Roughly said, it’s the final step towards getting your career started: we give you the opportunity to connect with all kinds of companies, through various activities. There are company presentations, workshops, interviews, trainings, off-campus days and informal recruitment activities. On top of that, there will be lunches, dinners and drinks that you can attend as well, to talk to companies in a more relaxed setting.

So this event is very important for anyone who wants to work on their career. Can everyone join in?

AC: The presentations and off-campus days are open to everyone, and all the rest is based on your resume, and possibly your motivation, which is optional. The selection of candidates is done by the companies themselves, so you’ll know that they’re truly interested in you when you’re selected. These workshops and interviews are more specialized, to ask specific questions to those companies and show your personal skills, while presentations and off-campus days are more orientation-based. All students can join in – it’s not just limited to economics or business students. There is good reason our name is the Erasmus Recruitment Days.

The theme for this year is “Build Your Career”. What made you choose this theme?

Finally, if there are any doubting students out there still wondering whether they should join, do you have a last message for them, why they should participate in the Erasmus Recruitment Days?

KvdA: There’s a lot that students can find at the ERD. It’s not just for people who know exactly what they want: you can also just have a look, get to know the companies and the various industries represented. It’s a good way to find out where your interests lie. You’ll get a lot more practical knowledge, like what kind of problems a marketer encounters, or what kind of work consultants do. You don’t learn that at university, which is more theoretical.

KvdA: If you already know what you want, you can contact the companies or just improve your recruitment skills through trainings. Some of the interviews have a selection purpose, so you could possibly skip several selection rounds of the company in one go. So there is basically something for everyone: if you’re not sure what you want, you can have a look, but if you already know what you want you can contact the companies in an easy, relaxed way.

AC: It’s a lot of fun to do with friends as well. You can have lunch, attend presentations, or just visit the drinks every day at five. And on the 15th there will be a special closing day drink, which will be more elaborate than the previous drinks, with special treats and, of course, as many free drinks you could want.

WORLD

Privacy: A thing of the past

By Winter van der Vlist

W

Chips tracking your location The RFID tag, a chip that is able to send data through radio waves, can track your every move without you even knowing. No way you’ll go out without your shoes on, right? The shoe maker can imbed a RFID tag in the shoes and load your personal information onto it at sale. Now let’s say that the supermarket incorporates RFID tag readers into their floor. Not only will they know that you were in their supermarket and for how long, they can actually tell how long you stood in front of the dairy department. When RFID tags are incorporated in a number of ‘strategic’ spots, you have become a dot on the radar, whether you like it or not.

One of the less reassuring factors about the RFID tag is the potential for abuse. A corrupt government could use this information for less desirable purposes, such as tracking dissidents. And even if you trust the companies and government in their rightful application of the information, will they be able to protect it?

Hacking of databases is a very credible threat that could result in anyone getting their hands on your information.

So what are we getting back?

We’re still economists. We want to know what we get in return for this privacy loss. RFID tags

Is it too late?

There’s no need to throw away your cell-phones and shoes just yet.

RFID tags are not yet used to track your every move. Restrictions by law might be necessary to prevent this from happening in the future, though. If you are worried about the direction privacy is heading for, now is the time to speak up.

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are now being used as a barcode replacement that allow for more efficiency because they don’t require line of sight and can be scanned hundreds at a second. Applications for tracking demand and movement will allow companies to better understand or calculate market demand, information which they can then use for decision making. It could be a good thing because it will enable a more efficient market.

You might even experience the tailor-made ads as a personal comfort!

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“Companies can track you wherever you go”

We choose to share Sure enough, you choose to share some information through Facebook, MSN and perhaps even Twitter. But those are not the only tracks you’ve left! When just using Google, a file is stored on your computer and filled with search history. This information is then used on not only Google but other sites as well, to tailor the displayed ads to your interests.

However, tracking does not stop there; it can go a lot further, and the technologies to do that are already applied in everyday life.

EC LAIRE

ITH EVER-CHANGING TECHNOLOGY, OUR WAY OF LIFE IS BOUND TO CHANGE. SOME OF THOSE CHANGES ARE MORE CONTROVERSIAL THAN OTHERS. GLOBALIZATION, DUE TO RAPID TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES, HAS CAUSED BORDERS TO FADE. WITH THE RISE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES, SUCH AS THE INTERNET, THE BORDERS THAT EXIST BETWEEN COUNTRIES HAVE BLURRED EVEN FURTHER. HOWEVER AS WE ARE ADAPTING MORE OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT THE BORDERS BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LIFE ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CHANGE AS WELL. MARK ZUCKERBERG HAS ALREADY STATED THAT PRIVACY IS A THING OF THE PAST. HOW, AND TO WHAT EXTENT, IS OUR PRIVACY ENDANGERED?

Het hele land als klant Meer weten over een baan als financieel specialist bij de Rijksoverheid? Kijk op financials.werkenvoornederland.nl.

Als financieel specialist bij de Rijksoverheid heb je veelzijdig werk. Je bereidt het financieringsbeleid voor, beheert de staatskas én de staatsschuld of je zorgt voor een correcte begroting of controlecyclus. Dat kun je doen op het gebied van zorg, onderwijs, verkeer, veiligheid, milieu, buitenlandse

www.werkenvoornederland.nl

betrekkingen, sport, infrastructuur. Allemaal zaken die van grote maatschappelijke betekenis zijn. In feite werk je dus voor alle Nederlanders. Het is hoe dan ook enorm interessant werk, waarbinnen je jezelf eindeloos kunt ontwikkelen. Meer weten?

Kijk op financials.werkenvoornederland.nl.

S TUDENT

LIFE

Emerging International Talent:

Lennart Schwung

By Martin Jaakola

H

My first performances were as an amateur DJ at school dances. These really helped me notice that I had quite a bit of control over the crowd, and how important the music is for having a good night. I liked the fact that I could have a positive influence on peoples’ nights.

This education is a basis and I want to see where it will take me. It’ll help me because if I do manage to go professional

I’ll know how to market, budget, and finance myself without getting screwed over in the industry. I have three years to test the waters to see where I am at, or get a real job.

How do you prepare for an event, and how do you choose your music?

Basically, what I do is keep myself updated on all the artists that I like.

Facebook pages, Beatport, podcasts from certain DJs, and music blogs are good places to find more music. Through those I find certain tracks that I like, and then go and find more from that artist. For specific events, I need to know the club. Once I do, I prepare a specific playlist tailored to the crowd.

What are your future plans?

Right now I want to stray away from the more commercial clubs. At the moment I accept most gigs but eventually it would be nice to play more of my own music.

I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t want to have played more of my own tracks at Riva and Global Beats. Also, I want to start producing. These days you need to do this. You need to make your own music and I have a few projects that I am currently working on, all of which I am really excited about.

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How do your studies at Erasmus help you as a DJ? What I have noticed is that getting a gig is pretty easy as a lot of student parties get organized and they all want a DJ. I have good contacts here because of that and have gotten to play at events like Global Beats or the F building party.

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What is your background in music and what specifically got you into performing?

I began playing the saxophone at the age of ten, and later joined a jazz band. When I was fourteen, my friend had a DJ setup but I had no idea how it worked; it looked cool though. When I moved from Moscow to Shanghai, my parents let me choose a gift for myself. I ended up choosing two turntables and a record-mixer, as I first played on records instead of CDs. After a while it was difficult to get music on vinyl because the record stores didn’t have the music I wanted, so I switched to CDs. My preference in music is specialized. The official term is tech house. I’d describe it as the flow of house with more edge, and a bit more electronic elements.

EC LAIRE

AILING FROM GERMANY, LENNART SCHWUNG IS AN EXPERIENCED DJ WHO HAS PERFORMED IN NUMEROUS CITIES, FROM SHANGHAI ALL THE WAY TO BARCELONA. A FIRST YEAR IBA STUDENT CURRENTLY LIVING IN ROTTERDAM, HE HAS TO BALANCE HIS STUDIES WITH HIS HOBBY OF BEING A DJ. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN HIM PERFORM AT THE STAR DJ CONTEST IN RIVA, WHICH HE WON, OR AT ONE OF THE MANY ROTTERDAM STUDENT PARTY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SUCH AS GLOBAL BEATS. WE SAT DOWN AT HIS APARTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT BALANCING LIFE AS A STUDENT AND DJ IS LIKE.

Driving full speed ahead while lagging far behind:

EC LAIRE

How Nokia can catch up and get itself back into business

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By Martin Jaakola

F

ROM NOKIA’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS IN SOUTHERN FINLAND PRODUCING PAPER AND RUBBER, NOKIA HAS RELENTLESSLY EXPANDED INTO DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES UNTIL THE EARLY NINETIES, WHEN IT DECIDED TO SOLELY FOCUS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS. SINCE THEN, IT HAS BECOME A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. BUT, AS BUSINESSWEEK PUTS IT, “ALMOST EVERYTHING NOKIA HAS DONE SINCE 2007 HAS BEEN WRONG.”

C OMMERC E

In an act of what seems like desperation, former Microsoft manager Stephen Elop has been hired as their new CEO. Elop has developed a new three stage comeback plan in order to get Nokia back on track. The first stage is to ditch Nokia’s previous attempts at smartphone operating systems, Meego and Symbian; both of which have been highly innovative, but costly and fraught with bugs. Switching to Microsoft-based smartphones theoretically saves money in research and development, injects fresh talent into Nokia’s smartphone program, and eventually will give Apple and Android direct competition.

"The problem is that Nokia seems to be shooting in the dark with their strategy"

rate, blurring the line between the simple handset and smartphone.

A new age of interconnectivity... argued that switching to a Microsoftbased operating system, while ditching Meego and Symbian, is only going to make things worse. Besides the initial layoffs, there will be a learning curve for existing employees who must learn to work with the new Microsoft operating system, requiring extensive training. Furthermore, part of the deal to use Windows means that Nokia must abide to a long list of stringent restrictions. For example, all Windowsbased phones must include three hard buttons: start, search, and back. While this may seem trivial, Nokia’s designers see these types of specifications as heresy and this may cause conflict within the organization.

Even if the switch is successful, with so much focus going into increasing their smartphone market share, what will happen to Nokia’s profit margins regarding their phones which run the lower-end s40 operating system?

The second stage in Elop’s comeback plan addresses this. Status-conscious emerging markets, such as India, are increasing demand for phones as incomes rise and telecommunication infrastructure is built. Introducing a range of Asha phones, Elop plans to reclaim the simple handset market, which has been flooded by cheap Android and Asian substitutes. Aimed at those who can’t afford smartphones, the Asha line of handsets will have the capability of holding multiple SIM cards while providing internet access and valuable information at an affordable

The partnership with Microsoft was not received well by investors, with shares falling 14 percent the day the Microsoft deal was announced. The abrupt abandonment of both Meego and Symbian seems to have upset many loyal fans, with the damage running deeper than simply upsetting a few groupies. The problem is that Nokia seems to be shooting in the dark with their strategy, without a concise plan for the future and willing to simply abandon years of work in order to play catch up. It is no wonder why there is an air of uncertainty for Nokia’s investors.

However, there is hope for Nokia. If the Microsoft partnership is successful, Gartner Group predicts that the Windows phones could get 19.5 percent of the market share by 2015, thus placing them ahead of Apple; Nokia could be back in business. The Asha lineup of phones (meaning “hope” in Hindi) certainly hold potential to sell millions, especially in the emerging markets. Nokia seems to have decided that choosing between the smartphone market and the lower-end emerging market is not necessary. There is no reason why you cannot have your cake and eat it too.

EC LAIRE

The third stage of Nokia’s comeback plan is the establishment of a research and development team called New Disruptions. Exclusively employing top talent from the now-defunct Meego and Symbian efforts, they will try to find “the next big thing”. What that means may not be inherently obvious, but presumably it is a project aimed at finding something that completely blows away Apple, Android, and even Microsoft, without having deadlines or other such limitations.

Even with a solid three step plan in place, Nokia faces difficulties ahead.

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A myriad of problems have plagued Nokia, many stemming from the introduction of the iPhone in 2007.

Taking them by surprise, Nokia has watched its share of the smartphone market drop from 49 percent just before the introduction of the iPhone to about 25 percent in the first quarter of 2011.

As a result, cost-cutting has become commonplace with 7,000 jobs cut in Denmark, the UK, and Finland, and a further 3,500 jobs axed in Romania last September.

One such phone, announced in November, is the “Lumia 800”. Running Windows phone 7, this smartphone offers a sleek design and a wide variety of innovative features. One such innovation is that the phone integrates social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter into your phone, allowing you to receive and post status updates without requiring separate applications. Moreover, this phone refers to “contacts as people”. This means each contact on your phone has their own profile consisting of data gathered from these various social networking platforms, sparking a new age of interconnectivity.

On the other hand, it could be certainly

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When a company circulates a memo warning employees that they are standing atop a burning oil platform, inches away from being consumed by flames, an employee would naturally question the stability of their job. Combine downsizing, the implementation of a foreign CEO, and plummeting stock, and the outlook would seem nothing but grim for the poor employee of this doomed company. However, when the company in question is Nokia – the world’s largest manufacturer of mobile phones, by volume – the future of that company becomes increasingly complex.

W W W.G A A A N . N U

Van scriptant tot trainee “IK HEB EEN

een groep studenten in de afstudeerfase bij elkaar zit,

GEWELDIGE

kun je met elkaar sparren en informatie uitwisselen.

Ook kreeg ik een coach toegewezen die mij wegwijs

WERKGEVER

heeft gemaakt in de organisatie en waarbij ik met al mijn vragen terechtkon.

LEREN KENNEN.”

Je krijgt de tijd en mogelijkheden om het bedrijf, de werkzaamheden en de collega’s te leren kennen.

KPMG organiseert bijvoorbeeld diverse activiteiten voor scriptanten, zoals de Landelijke ScriptantenStijn van der Heijden (27) heeft zijn scriptie bij KPMG

dagen, etentjes, borrels, etc. Daarnaast heb ik via

geschreven en is onlangs gestart als trainee in

KPMG kunnen deelnemen aan golflessen en kon ik

Rotterdam. We vroegen Stijn naar zijn stage-ervaring

binnen een paar maanden mijn GVB halen.”

en start bij KPMG. En nu aan de slag als trainee?

Waarom heb je ervoor gekozen om je scriptie bij

“Ik kijk terug op een geslaagde scriptiestage bij KPMG.

een bedrijf te schrijven?

Mijn Master is met succes afgerond en ik heb een

“Ik heb na mijn Bachelor Economie de Master

geweldige werkgever leren kennen. Sinds september

Accounting, Auditing and Control gedaan. Tijdens een

werk ik fulltime als trainee; ik ben sindsdien al veel

inhousedag ontdekte ik de mogelijkheden om je scriptie

leuke ervaringen rijker. Ik werk in wekelijks wisselende

bij een groot accountancykantoor te schrijven.

teams aan opdrachten voor verschillende bedrijven.

Naast de theoretische kennis die ik in ruim vijf jaar

Hierdoor leer je snel veel collega’s kennen en is het

had opgedaan, wilde ik graag praktijkervaring op-

werk erg divers. Mijn scriptie is dus een mooie eerste

doen. Ik ben daarom alvast op zoek gegaan naar een

carrièrestap geweest en ik kan iedereen dan ook

potentiële werkgever om daar mijn scriptie te schrijven.”

aanraden om met KPMG kennis te maken en te gaan voor je scriptie!”

Waarom KPMG? “Tijdens mijn studententijd was ik erg actief als

Wil jij ook je scriptie bij KPMG schrijven? Neem dan

wedstrijdroeier bij ARSR Skadi. Ik zocht een werkgever

contact op met het KPMG Recruitment Centre via

waar je mensen vindt met dezelfde drive en passie.

recruitment@kpmg.nl of schrijf je in op www.gaaan.nu.

Tijdens mijn kennismaking met KPMG vielen de

Kijk voor tips op facebook.com/kpmgscriptiecoach.

gedrevenheid en no-nonsensementaliteit mij op.

Niet alleen mooie verhalen, maar vooral daden.

Ook de Talentpool van KPMG vind ik erg aansprekend.

Dit houdt in dat je eerst een heel divers klantenpakket hebt en dat je daarna een keuze maakt voor de sector

KPMG Recruitment Centre

waarin je je gaat specialiseren. Voor mij voldoende redenen om mijn scriptie bij KPMG te schrijven.”

Laan van Langerhuize 1 1186 DS Amstelveen

Hoe heb je de scriptiestage ervaren?

(020) 656 7162

“Ik kreeg alle ruimte om mijn eigen plan te trekken.

recruitment@kpmg.nl

Zo kon ik het schrijven aan mijn scriptie afwisselen

www.gaaan.nu

met het opdoen van praktijkervaring. Doordat je met

© 2011 KPMG N.V., alle rechten voorbehouden.

WORLD

It’s all about the Snow

By Nadia Zafirah

A

Even if you are not into winter sports, you can still have all the fun in the cold. Taking the train in a snowstorm is no pleasure, but when the coast is clear, it is remarkable. Little snow patches make for beautiful scenery and the view of the Alps from the

Compared to spending the holiday in warm countries, vacationing in cold countries is much more affordable if you stay in Europe. The price range depends on your type of holiday.

If you have more time and dime, taking the train from Holland to Switzerland or Austria would be a good idea. Otherwise, many low cost airlines fly to the nearest airports of your ski destinations and if you book your accommodation early, you can get a good deal.

"The view of the Alps from the train is all the more gorgeous"

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What's more, the winter holiday is the time to do all those winter sports we’ve been planning to complete. We’ve all been waiting eagerly to Ski, snowboard, ski jump and ice-skate once again. Aside from the EFR ski trip’s place at Les Menuires, Soll, in Austria, and Avoriaz, France are also good spots for skiing.

There are gentle slopes for beginners and night skiing for a different ambience. For those of you who are crazy enough, you can give ice swimming a try, which is pretty common in Scandinavia. Just make sure you do not get stuck under the ice and only swim in the water hole. Jumping into the sauna would be a good idea afterwards.

train is all the more gorgeous. You can also get to see steam locomotives in operation through the Austria rail line among the mountains. Or, take a cruise in the Rhine Valley, passing by terraced vineyards and medieval castles. The Christmas markets are not to miss, and sipping Gluhwein and tasting the winter foods is to die for. No one can pass on a good snowball fight or building a snowman, no matter how old you are. In addition, the chalet has a lot more to offer. Should you give up skiing after your first fall and get stuck in the hotel, you can still enjoy partying with your friends and family. Dipping in the outdoor hot tub with the view of snow certainly has a different sensation.

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Spending your winter break in cold countries just makes sense.

There is a time for holidaying in shorts and flip-flops, and that is in summer. Although the cold weather might make you just want to snuggle in bed or have beers in front of the fireplace, it is also a good time to travel. When else would we have snows and frozen lakes, if not in the winter? Building snowmen indoors in Dubai is not as fun as doing it in your own backyard or at the park. Watching snowflakes fall is a thrill on its own, not to mention sledding down the small hill nearby; those are just the small things that make winter worth the cold..

EC LAIRE

FTER A BUSY SCHOOL YEAR, THE LONG AWAITED WINTER HOLIDAY FINALLY ARRIVES. SURE, CHRISTMAS IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER, BUT THERE IS MORE TO WINTER HOLIDAYS THAN THE FAMILY VISIT OR GRANDMA’S COOKING.

E N T E RTAI NMENT

EC LAIRE

25 years of Oprah

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By Ashleigh Woodend

G

O ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AND YOU’RE ALMOST GUARANTEED TO FIND THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON KNOWS OPRAH WINFREY. HAVING THIS LEVEL OF FAME FOR A SUSTAINED PERIOD OF TIME IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. YET OPRAH, A SMALL-TOWN GIRL FROM KOSCUISKO, MISSISSIPPI HAS MANAGED TO ACHIEVE THIS WITH STYLE.

Early history Winfrey was born to a teenage maid in 1954. She spent her childhood in deep poverty and often had to wear dresses made from potato sacks. In her teenage years she was reportedly raped by her cousin, her uncle and a family friend.

At the age of 14, while under the care of her father, Oprah fell pregnant but lost her son almost immediately after his birth. Despite this tragedy, she managed to pick herself up, becoming an honours student and subsequently securing a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. There she studied communication and got her first job at a local black radio station.

She was now well on her way.

Career beginnings In 1983, Winfrey began hosting AM Chicago, and brought it from being the lowest ranking talk show to overtaking the famous Phil Donahue in the ratings.

This success led on to the creation of ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ in 1986. In the beginning, there was so little hype that Winfrey’s team had to stand in as the audience, and much of her content was tabloid related. However after a 1988 episode in which a group of Nazi youth used the show as a platform for recruitment, Oprah realized that she needed to change her approach. She decided that she would never allow her show to be used as a medium to spread hate and negativity.

Winfrey takes on the world Since then she has managed to sweep a veil of enlightenment over America and the world. She has discussed and educated viewers on the issues of child abuse, manic depression, gender identity, AIDS, the environment, spirituality, health, finance and racism.

Thus it is hardly surprising that Oprah is considered by CNN to be ‘arguably the world’s most powerful woman’ with ‘a voice larger than a hundred senators.’

Maureen Dowd (New York Times) observed that the majority of internationally successful women have had to be publically slapped down

ENTERTAINMENT

A sad goodbye Unfortunately however, Oprah’s show came to an end this year, marking a change in the lives of every-day people world-wide. So intense is the sense of loss for some ardent fans that psychologists have expressed concern about what they call ‘Empty Oprah

Syndrome.’ There are even reports of fans seeking psychological help in dealing with ‘Life after Oprah,’ and there is little hope of anyone filling the large void. All I can say is that I’m quite disappointed that I didn’t manage to snag one of her extravagant audience gifts. Imagine getting a free car, an Australian holiday, or meeting your celebrity idol! Just like many hopeful businesses, we too will have to accept the sad reality that we will never be able to shine on the Oprah stage. It is a gloomy prospect indeed.

Oprah’s influence does not stop at word creation. Over these twenty five years she has become a house-hold name.

In 2000, her monthly O magazine was published for the first time, and in 2006, she began airing Oprah radio.

She has also featured and acted in numerous films, most notably ‘The Colour Purple,’ and more recently has launched Harpo Productions.

OPRAH’S 5 MOST MEMORABLE SHOWS 1. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama appear on the show (2011) 2. 200 adult men who were molested come forward (November 2010) 3. Tom Cruise jumps on the couch (2005) 4. Oprah gives her entire studio audience a car (2004) 5. Truddi Chase: The Woman with 92 Personalities (1990)

EC LAIRE

…more credibility than the President.

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One explanation for the strong influence that Oprah is able to exert is that she has always been a pioneer. By transforming her show in 1988, Oprah revolutionized the talk-show form of media communication. A new level of intimacy was formed between the host and the viewer, and this has continued to be the charm of her show. She has encouraged openness and fearlessly shared much of her own life. This has led the Wall Street Journal to coin the term ‘Oprahfication,’ which is defined as public confession as a form of therapy.

The Oprah Effect Oprah’s huge brand image has made it every business’s dream to be mentioned or publicized on her show.

Her ‘million-dollar touch’ is now widely known as the ‘Oprah effect’ and has been investigated by CNBC to see how she changes no-names into brand names. Besides lending huge exposure to the Amazon Kindle and various books through her Book Club, Oprah’s Midas touch has transformed businesses operating out of small kitchens into household names. A good example is Carol’s Daughter, a beauty product company that was started in a kitchen in Brooklyn. When business owner Lisa Price appeared on Oprah in 2002, her website hits went from 200 to 17.000 in a day! Her sales later grew from $2 million a year to $20 million. As a result some American firms have changed their marketing and advertising strategies. So profound is the Oprah Effect that a number of firms essentially strategize on how to actually get onto the show, with one American firm chasing the dream for more than seven years!

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before progressing further, however Oprah has been the exception. Dowd goes on to make the bold statement, ‘she has more credibility than the President.’ So it comes as no surprise that in the 2008 presidential elections many called for Oprah to run for office; a rather outlandish suggestion given her lack of political experience, but a good illustration of her fame and influence among the American population. Oprah is not only credible, but she is also highly influential. During a 1996 show on mad cow disease Winfrey publically declared that she would stop eating hamburgers. This spur of the moment comment caused Texas cattlemen to sue Oprah for defamation of perishable foods. They claimed that beef prices had plummeted in response to her statement and called for $11 million in damages. The case was dismissed, but will forever serve as proof of Oprah’s reach.

S T U DENT

LI FE

From Homo Economicus to Homo Altruicus EC LAIRE

By Vanessa Abeyawardena

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IKIPEDIA DEFINES ALTRUISM AS "CONCERN FOR THE WELFARE OF OTHERS". IT'S A VERY OBJECTIVE DEFINITION, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHAT KIND OF PERSON WROTE THE ENTRY. I IMAGINE A YOUNG FIRST-YEAR STUDENT, PEERING AT THE SCREEN THROUGH GLASSES WITH EYES THAT STILL CARRY SO MUCH HOPE FOR GOODNESS IN THE WORLD. ON THE OTHER HAND, I CAN ALSO IMAGINE AN OLD, CYNICAL PHILOSOPHY PROFESSOR WHO SINCERELY BELIEVES THAT ALTRUISM IS DEAD... OR WORSE, THAT IT NEVER EXISTED IN THE FIRST PLACE. I've often mentioned evolution in my psychology articles, and for good reason. My teacher for that module left a deep impression on all of us. He enjoyed stirring up fierce discussions in his classes with a little spark of controversy. "Evolutionary theory leaves no room for good deeds. By nature, every man lives for himself... warring, competing, killing... so altruism must be a purely social construct." It's a frightening thought for a seventeen-year-old, and even three years later, I have to hope that there's no one who truly believes that people are inherently bad, and fully depend on laws and social rules to keep them in check.

The evolution of Homo Economicus Predictably, economists are not too optimistic on the subject. Let's say you're given $20 and asked to split it between yourself and an anonymous recipient, either 10-10 or 18-2. If you're like three out of four people, you'll opt to share it equally instead of taking most of it.

That's what some economics researchers found, and they deliberately kept the recipient anonymous to rule out any feelings of favour or sympathy, which are usually considered vital in nudging people towards donorship and charity in the real world. However, if it sounds too good to be true, don't get too exci-

ted. Follow-up experiments involving a choice to take away cash from the anonymous recipient led to more people opting to steal the recipient's cash too.

Empirical evidence is vital in the social sciences, but in reality only provides half the story. For some anecdotal evidence, let us regard the Chinese - traditionally the icons of collectivism (read: filial piety). One would expect that in collectivist nations the strive for oneself is considered far less important than altruistic duties. Yet, the incident with the two-year-old who was run over in China shocked the world. The same teacher I mentioned told the class of a similar incident: he'd been biking along in Singapore, and saw someone who had fallen off their bike in the middle of the road. The cars drove around the victim instead of assisting him. The first person to aid the man was not a Singaporean, but a Western student.

The benefit of altruism If there's anything Sri Lankans care about, it's maintaining social networks.

In Sri Lankan culture, every child is raised with the emphatic lesson: maintain your networks and make use of them. Any Sri Lankan can travel anywhere in the world and expect to have a place to stay even if they've met the

person they're staying with only once.

This is also altruism, and it's not measurable in a lab.

Instead, this is a more social form of altruism, more human in approach than the scientific, economic view of it. And if you think it's only Asian culture, think again. Over the last few years, a phenomenon has developed called couch surfing. Simply put, it means opening your doors to a stranger who needs a place to stay for any amount of time - for free - and it's in place in over 200 countries.

Altruism is all over the world, and in reality it's more human and spontaneous than sterile and measurable.

It can be found in your wallet, on the street, on your doorstep, and on your couch, and you don't need rose-tinted glasses to see it.

Met Randstad van Haarlem naar Hongkong!

Waarom heb jij gekozen voor het Randstad Management Traineeship?

De combinatie van enerzijds commerciële doelstellingen die gekoppeld zijn aan een organisatie als Randstad en anderzijds de mogelijkheid die geboden werd om snel leiding te kunnen geven vanuit een volwaardige managementfunctie. Een combinatie, die niet veel andere bedrijven bieden.

Naam: Baer Noldus Geboortedatum: 30-12-1984 Studie: Internationale Bedrijfskunde, Universiteit Maastricht Carrière tot nu toe: juni 2009 – december 2009 Randstad Callflex, Alkmaar, accountunit januari 2010 – juli 2010 Randstad Callflex, Haarlem, marktunit

good to know you

Wat heb je tot nu toe het meest geleerd van het Management Traineeship?

Eigenlijk besef ik nu pas wat ik het afgelopen jaar allemaal heb geleerd. Op professioneel vlak; mijn inhoudelijke kennis van de arbeidsmarkt, mijn presentatie en zelfvertrouwen bij bijvoorbeeld sales gesprekken, de prioriteiten die ik weet te leggen bij een overvolle agenda en taken etc. Daarnaast ook op persoonlijk vlak; in de denktank van trainees en er buiten leer ik veel over mezelf. Mijn sterke en zwakke eigenschappen en hoe ik beide het beste kan benutten als toekomstig manager.

Je gaat naar Hongkong? Hoe heb je dat geregeld?

Ik heb vanuit mijn studie en persoonlijke interesse altijd al een drive gehad voor internationaal ondernemen. Nu ben ik persoonlijk betrokken geweest bij het verbeteren van ons eigen traineeship met een aantal collegatrainees. Een van mijn speerpunten was dan ook om ons internationale netwerk beter te benutten, we zitten ten slotte in meer dan 40 landen. Daarnaast heb ik samen met een andere trainee uit eigen

initiatief de mogelijkheden voor Randstad bekeken in Thailand en Vietnam. De combinatie van deze plannen heeft gemaakt dat ik benaderd ben voor deze opdracht.

Wat heeft je het meeste verbaasd bij Randstad?

De mate waarin eigen initiatief beloond wordt! Breng ieder initiatief, of goed idee voor de organisatie naar voren en ten uitvoer, en Randstad ondersteunt je op alle mogelijke manieren om je plan ook daadwerkelijk tot een succes te maken! Er is dan veel mogelijk binnen een organisatie als Randstad. Mijn nieuwe plek in Hongkong is hier het bewijs van!

De gouden stelregel is hier wel; het komt je niet aanwaaien, je moet het zelf initiëren. Wellicht klinkt deze stelregel als een dooddoener, maar hij is wel waar!

Waar krijg je energie van op je werk?

Als een idee in onze trainee denktank echt vorm begint te krijgen.

Het steeds concreter worden van wilde plannen, dat geeft me enorm veel energie. Dit is iets wat ik in de denktank, maar ook in mijn taken op de unit kan laten terugkomen.

Leuk voorbeeld is het hoge ziekteverzuim wat we bij een van mijn klanten al lange tijd hadden. Door het geven van een eigen workshop hebben we dit terug kunnen brengen.

Heb je nog tips voor de studenten?

Jazeker; bij ons komen solliciteren!

Meer informatie kun je vinden op: www.randstad.nl/recruitment

T RA D I TI O N

Christmas dinner: Why the holidays are making us fat

By Leigh de Jager

EC LAIRE

C

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HRISTMAS TIME IS WHEN FRIENDS AND FAMILIES COME TOGETHER AND SIT DOWN FOR A HUGE DINNER, WHERE WE OVERINDULGE AND GENERALLY EAT TO OUR HEART’S CONTENT. CHRISTMAS DINNERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE A ONE-OFF THING, WITH LOTS OF MEAT, POTATOES, VEGETABLES AND ALMOST ANYTHING WE DESIRE. A TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS DINNER IS ESTIMATED TO CONSIST OF 6 000 CALORIES, ACCORDING TO THE BRITISH DIETETIC ASSOCIATION. THIS IS THREE TIMES THE DAILY RECOMMENDED AMOUNT FOR WOMEN, AND TWO AND A HALF TIMES THE AMOUNT FOR MEN. RECENT TRENDS HOWEVER HAVE SHOWN THAT CHANGES IN LIFESTYLE HAVE LEAD TO CHRISTMAS STYLE DINNER BECOMING A COMMON OCCURRENCE, NOT JUST CELEBRATED ON CHRISTMAS DAY. Breaking tradition In the past, people earned low salaries, where they could not afford to often splurge on big dinners. Therefore, they saved up their hard-earned cash and invested in a large delicious Christmas dinner that their whole family would look forward to. A health issue that has shown up in recent years is that people get in the habit of overeating at Christmas times. During the course of two weeks, people eat Christmas dinners, tasty snacks and have more family dinners in a small duration of time. The stomach stretches as the intake of food increases, leading to a larger appetite and thus a habit of eating more.

Once the Christmas season is over, people do not go back to their previous eating habits but instead continue to consume just as much as they did over the holiday.

“ A traditional Christmas dinner is estimated to consist of 6000 calories“ Why we are over eating The problem of changing tradition is that people used to only eat a lot at Christmas but now have enough wealth to afford to eat a lot throughout the entire year. In current times with increasing wealth, comes the ability to afford larger dinners

more often. People no longer need to save up to be able to afford a large meal, but can now manage to pay for more than just the necessities. Nevertheless, wealth is not the only reason for the increase in eating. Changes in culture are evident everywhere and the divergence from culture is just as apparent, as culture develops. Christmas is no longer perceived as the only special occasion where a big meal is used to celebrate it. With such a celebratory meal becoming less important, it also leads to a big meal becoming a common occurrence that can be ‘celebrated’ everyday.

A new horror story With the pattern of overeating, not just at Christmas time, but also all year round, it has contributed to emerging health problems. People remain in the unhealthy life style that they picked up over Christmas, and continue those bad eating habits long after the holidays have ended. This is one of the reasons for higher levels of reported obesity in the beginning few months of the new year, as well as heart problems and high blood pressure. So a bit of advice for all of you who still enjoy a big delicious Christmas meal every day: you better shape up, or get fat!

S TUDENT

LIFE

EFR-Business Week: Out of the Box O

mic and creative image to the Business Week. The past editions have been great at attracting leading speakers and companies to inspire students, but this year we want to do more by really pushing students to think outside the box themselves.

Michel: While thinking of a theme we noticed that universities are turning into factories, producing students without challenging them. We are worried that graduates will only possess a set of basic academic skills and an ambition that will lead them to work their entire life for a company around the corner of the campus. Out of the Box really aims to give students an innovating mindset that will lead them to create value by tackling the world’s biggest problems. As Albert Einstein used to say: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them".

That sounds a like noble mission, how do you plan to really make an impact on the way students think?

Pieter: We also are tired of boring conferences. This year we’ll take it to a whole other level by turning each event into a show with creative content and continuous dynamics. We are really focusing on interactivity and practical skills to give students a truly life-changing experience!

Frank: The rest of the week is about offering you a platform to find out how the biggest companies of The Nether-

lands have implemented out of the box solutions to stay ahead of competition.

You, as a participant, will get a chance to show recruiters how capable you are to think and act outside the box during the Company Days and the Company Dinner. The perfect occasion to bring into practice all the creativity the Opening Day has unleashed in you!

Jeroen: And for the second year in a row we are taking around 80 selected students beyond the boundaries of The Netherlands during the Business Week on Location for an unforgettable weekend in one of the most creative cities of Western Europe. We will offer you an amazing blend of global and local entrepreneurship, along with awesome activities.

Michel: To finish this in style we will have the famous Business Week Party in an exclusive location in Rotterdam, to give all participants and fellow students a final occasion to get out of the box and look back on how the EFRBusiness Week 2012 has changed their lives!

Thank you for giving us a first impression of what will most surely be the highlight of the year. I think we are all curious to see how this ambitious program will take shape in a few months!

Evelien: You are welcome. We are all looking forward to showing you how to think, act, travel and party out of the box!

Manou: It starts with getting you in touch with the best people we can find. Pieter and I are working on bringing innovating entrepreneurs,

The EFR-Business Week 2012 will take place from Wednesday, March the 28th until Thursday, April the 5th. Ticket sale for all events will start in March.

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Evelien: We want to give a more dyna-

leading politicians and groundbreaking thinkers to the Opening Day and the Conference Day. The only thing they all have in common is reaching success by thinking out of the box.

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Hi guys, tell us some more about the reasons to choose the theme Out of the Box?

EC LAIRE

VER THE PAST 27 YEARS, THE EFR-BUSINESS WEEK HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR FOR STUDENTS OF THE ERASMUS UNIVERSITY. AFTER A SMASHING PRESENTATION AT THE EFR PROM IT IS TIME FOR THE SO-CALLED BW TO REVEAL THEIR PLANS TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE EFR. “OUT OF THE BOX” ANNOUNCES A BREAK WITH OTHER CONFERENCES. THE BUSINESS WEEK COMMITTEE EXPLAINS THIS MOVE, REVEALS SOME EXCITING CONTENT AND SHOWS WHY YOU SHOULDN’T MISS THIS WEEK!

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Duisenberg school of finance; for a head start in your finance career

By Timothy Langstraat and Vanessa Abeyawardena

EC LAIRE

Duisenberg school of finance (DSF) might be just three years old, but it’s fast becoming the breeding grounds for the next generation of high performers.

With graduates working for internationally renowned corporations such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and ING, there is no denying that they are doing well. We got an interview with Zacharias Sautner, programme director of the Master in Finance, Corporate Finance and Banking programme, and Lisanne Broekhuisen, graduate student at DSF, and former IBEB student at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

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What makes DSF’s master programmes so different?

ZS: First of all, DSF does not try to compete with other Dutch universities.

They already offer very good finance programs. We try to offer niche programmes that give students the knowledge and the skills that they’ll need to get ahead in this world. Of course, you can also get into Goldman Sachs from Erasmus, but it’s more difficult. We try to close the gap, and make it easier to get there.

Lisanne Broekhuisen: Also, the aim

Welcome, and thank you for doing this interview with us. To start off, could you tell us a bit more about the Corporate Finance and Banking programme?

Zacharias Sautner: The Master in Finance, Corporate Finance and Banking programme is one of four Master’s offered at Duisenberg school of finance. It is one of the degrees that have been offered by DSF since the beginning. At Corporate Finance and Banking, students grow into specialists in a specific field of finance, with courses on valuation or corporate governance. And to make sure that you’re not just an expert in something very narrow, built into the programme is the mandatory Duisenberg Leadership Programme, which offers classes on overarching topics such as ethics or financial regulation. It provides both depth and breadth.

That doesn’t sound like the typical master that most universities offer.

Application deadlines May 15th for non-EU citizens August 1st for EU citizens (early applications are preferred!)

Scholarships There is a scholarship available for active members of student organizations.

Open day There will be an open day on Wednesday the 8th of February, from 5.30 to 8 pm.

of other universities is just to broaden your knowledge. DSF aims to do not just that, but also prepare you for your career. So that means there is a lot of guidance with writing résume’s, preparing for interviews, and practice with consulting. But it’s important to realize that DSF is not like other universities, and you can’t just plainly compare the two. Here it’s all about preparation.

With everything they do, we’re just better prepared to face what we’ll encounter in the business life.

ZS: And with all the selection and preparation we do, I also feel responsible for Lisanne now. My success depends on her success. If my students find a good job, it means I have done well. If my students do not get placed after the programme, then it means I have done something wrong, in terms of selection or design of the programme. They are my responsibility.

What is it like, studying at DSF? LB: It is hard work, but it is worth it. At most universities, it feels that no matter how hard you study, there are some things you won’t understand. At DSF, you know that if you put in enough time, you will understand it at the end of the day. I spend 10-12 hours every day studying, but there are some students who study less, around 50-60 hours per week. But it’s worth it, the classes and topics are really a lot of fun. It’s a practical application of all the theories you’ve learned before.

a nice group of students. They start working at 9, and end at 6 or sometimes later; like a job, but that’s okay.

You can even keep your weekends free, if you work hard from the start.

What kind of students are you looking for?

LB: We have very different students.

There are students who have really high grades, who got accepted into LSE, but also people like me. I was more active outside my study, and that’s okay as well. So there’s no set Duisenberg type of student.

ZS: Exactly. There’s no set student, no computer programme that selects them for us. Last year there was a biochemist from Cambridge. We selected him as he was clever and ambitious.

At the end, he did well and graduated last year. We look for students with the skills to become a rounded personality in the future. But we also want people that are active in student organizations.

Those who are willing to put time and effort into organizing things show that they care for more than just studying.

It’s exactly what we want. At the end of the day, we want to be in a position where the companies know that no matter who they pick from the school, they will always get good quality.

ZS: And it’s a family. They do a lot of work together, so it’s important to have

Zacharias Sautner

Lisanne Broekhuisen

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The story behind Duisenberg school of finance (DSF) is an exceptional one. DSF is venturing a new path in financial education, bringing both real world pragmatism and top intellectual insights to its students through an unprecedented synergy between industry and academia. DSF is an educational institution that focuses on producing tomorrow’s top echelon of financial experts. Experts who are financial masterminds, but also grounded, dynamic leaders. Experts who are readily prepared to move from the classroom to the boardroom. Experts who can apply ‘new thinking in finance’ to discover innovative real market solutions for real market issues.

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E N T E RTAI NMENT

Gadgets to find under your Christmas tree

By Winter van der Vlist

F

OR PEOPLE THAT REALLY LIKE TO TREAT THEMSELVES THIS TIME OF YEAR: HERE ARE FOUR GADGETS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR CHRISTMAS EVEN JOLLIER.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer – from €364 EC LAIRE

Few can say that purchasing a tablet hasn’t crossed their minds at least once. Tablets are a great tool to play around with on the internet, whether you’re lying on the couch or sitting in college. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer has been the best-selling tablet next to the iPad 2 for a long time and for good reasons. It’s not only one of the cheapest, the possible addition of a handy keyboard accessory makes it a very attractive alternative to a netbook.

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AC Ryan Playon!HD mini2 – from €85 With the cold of winter upon us, watching TV in the warmth of your apartment is hard to resist. Unfortunately, the DVD-player is dated hardware nowadays. It’s easy to download better-looking, more up-to-date and cheaper content straight to your PC. The only problem with that is that you’d have to watch it on your PC, or have your computer hooked up to the TV. The solution to that problem is called a media player, which allows you to stream content via your home network to any place in the house. This mini version of AC Ryan’s popular media player is small, affordable and plays almost all files.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ20 – from €209 Christmas is a good moment to take some pictures! With family, friends, food and drinks.

In order to take those great pictures, you might want to consider a new camera. One could go for an expensive DSLR camera, but with a compact camera you will save some bucks and gain some mobility. This compact camera from Panasonic has a great price/ performance ratio and even has GPS that can assign locations to the photos you take.

Particularly handy when you can’t remember where you were last night.

Amazon Kindle 2011 – £89 For those who feel they haven’t read enough books the past few months, the Christmas holiday is the best time of year to drink hot cocoa and read a book. But books are too heavy, and you can’t carry all those books you’d like to read with you all the time. So, why not get an e-reader? Over the past years the quality of these devices has gone up and prices have dropped significantly. If you haven’t bought one already, then perhaps it’s time to reconsider. Amazon’s e-readers are priced aggressively and provide access to a huge bookstore. Amazon has recently released this small e-reader that comes with an even smaller price. For those with a slightly bigger budget, Amazon will also release a touch version later this year.

S TUDENT

LIFE

Top local charities to give to this year:

Stichting KSA/GCW Based on Christian philosophy, Stichting KSA/GCW focuses on helping people who find themselves in poverty or a victim of domestic violence. They also offer support to refugees and aid social integration. One of the services they offer is the Guest House De Buren, where individuals of all ages can recuperate from their hospital stay. One activity you can volunteer for is the “Week against Loneliness,” here people who do not have support systems, or who just feel lonely can come together to find some comfort and enjoy themselves, which is perfect during Christmas time.

Stichting Belastingwinkel Rotterdam Linked to the Erasmus University, and created by students, Stichting Belastingwinkel offers free tax advice to small businesses and lowincome individuals. The tax advice received can range from income tax advice to individuals trying to get children’s benefits. The main event that Stichting Belastingwinkel organises is the “National Tax-Return Day” where they help individuals fill out their income tax returns for the year. If you know anything about accounting, put your knowledge to the test and sign up to be part of this unique group of students.

Stichting Pluspunt Rotterdam Stichting Pluspunt focuses on providing work for homeless individuals. Their concept is finding jobs for the homeless and finding businesses that need employees. They have a

thrift store that the homeless work at, where a large range of second hand goods can be bought at discount prices. They also accept unwanted furniture and other household objects that are difficult to dispose of, which they then sell at their thrift store. The charity also offers services by the homeless, to the community such as bicycle repairs, handyman services and assistance when moving to a new house. So next time your bike is broken, you need a job done at home or you just need some new furniture, go over to Stichting Plusput.

Stichting Animal Life Foundation Founded in 2004, Stichting Animal Life Foundation’s main focus is on upholding the relationship between animals and people. The volunteers take their pets to visit retirement homes, to give some companionship to the elderly and help combat feelings of loneliness.

They even help train seeing-eye dogs, by letting prisoner inmates take part in the training of the dogs. Additionally, they help create awareness about harmful effects of feeding bread to ducks. So, if you care about animals, and want to make a difference, volunteer at Animal Life Foundation.

Events to look out for: ABN AMRO Marathon Rotterdam April 15th: The proceeds from this marathon go towards Doe Een Wens Stichting, which makes the wishes of terminally ill children come true.

Adidas Ladies Run Rotterdam June 10th: Running the 5 kilometer or 10 kilometer run, you indirectly support Pink Ribbon, which raises awareness about breast cancer and helps support breast cancer patients.

If you are in the Christmas mood but want to put in minimal effort, you can donate your leftover food from your Christmas dinner to “Voedselbank” and give someone else a Christmas dinner they will never forget!

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Stichting Best is a charity set up by the students of RSC and RVSV in 2004. It mainly focuses on organizing events for different target groups within the Rotterdam community. They support mentally, and physically, handicapped individuals by organizing events, such as the “Unlimited Festival,” or visits to the Blijdorp zoo. Volunteer at Christmas time and help arrange “Christmas in Kralingen” where families can come for a Christmas dinner and children can get their picture taken with Santa.

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Stiching Best

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By Leigh de Jager

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C O M MERCE

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China’s efforts towards a

‘harmonious society’

By Nicole Stelea

On the 18th and 19th of November, the 10th Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility took place in the Philippines. During this forum, several awards were given to Asian companies that proved to engage themselves socially, and keynote speakers inspired organizations to take more action. Clearly, the Asian continent does its best in order to keep up with capitalistic business practices At the same time shocking stories regarding China hit the news. A two year old toddler was hit by several cars, yet 18 passing people, but a garbage woman, bothered to take her wounded body out of the way.

Raccoon dogs are being beaten alive for their fur in order to make the popular UGG boots. It seems to be a society where human and animal rights are disregarded, other norms and values dominate and concepts are interpreted differently due to the difference in culture and language. A question that arises is: What role will CSR play in the China of tomorrow?

CSR is important Truth is, there are no clear rules or guidelines on how corporate social responsibility should be pursued.

There is even not one clear definition of the concept,

but it is rather defined by several authors or companies, though those definitions are reasonably congruent with each other. Nevertheless, it should not be just a concept that is included in companies PR programs, but implemented from the core out of the business and integrated into the organizations supply chain.

However, one of the main conditions on conducting successful CSR is credibly communicating it to the stakeholders. If the public perceives the CSR initiatives as mere statements from a company and they are not aware of any actions towards fulfilling those initiatives, then the company might do more harm than good to itself. That is what the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests demonstrated in the US in early October. Even in Western societies there is currently an active discussion going on about how CSR should be integrated within an organization. One thing it is clear, companies need to engage themselves in more responsible business practices.

Needs more action Corporate social responsibility was introduced in China in the 1990s and has gained increased attention.

However, the focus is still on raising awareness and defining the concept rather than really implementing

C OMMERC E

Developing the ‘harmonious society’ In line with the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ demonstrations, the further developments of CSR on the Asian continent were heavily discussed at the 10th Asian Forum.

Also according to key speakers of the event, Asian companies first need to communicate with the people they operate with in order understand how they expect the business to operate and what the need of the society is and then to address that issue that the company would be able or ready to address. Furthermore, they emphasized that CSR should be then designed to the specific needs of the community. Also, the

Though China, and the Asian continent in general, have been making some progress towards a more socially responsible society, they still have a long way to go.

CSR is indeed not only gaining increasing awareness in the world, but also in China. However, Chinese society needs still need to be better identified and actively followed upon by the involved parties. The next stage of conducting CSR of active implementation of CSR initiatives should be pursued with the help of the government throughout all the supply-chain activities of companies.

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The Chinese government has previously expressed its interest in advancing prosperity through what they call an ‘harmonious society’ and they incorporated that in a declaration given in The 2005 GoToneNanchang International Forum of Constructing Harmonious Society and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Nevertheless, the government did not engage itself to take any further actions to encourage companies to adopt CSR practices. As previously mentioned, the government plays a key role in creating a healthy business environment, through its policies and positions regarding human rights, corruption, the environment and socially responsible practices. In January 2009, a start was made towards a more engaged role of the government by adopting the Circular Economy policy, which promotes economic development of companies without harming the environment. Also, due to trade policies adopted by international bodies such as the EU, China sees itself obliged to comply with responsible practices.

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An example of a good initiative towards improving CSR practices of companies in China was proposed by the Danish Institute for Human Rights. They launched The Human Rights and Business Project, which develops specific materials and methods of CSR training that are more engaging to the Chinese public. This is particularly a good project due to the more country tailored approach. Hopefully, more Chinese stakeholders and companies will identify together the needs of their society in order to pursue CSR practices credibly.

community, the business environment and the government need to be aligned with each other in order to conduct successful CSR initiatives.

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it. In 2010, China nearly 700 CSR reports were published by companies, but only a few of them actually reported how CSR is extended throughout the business’ supply chain activities. Chinese consumers or stakeholders need to get more involved in the actions Chinese companies undertake and to hold them accountable. Not only should more organizations publish more detailed reports, but they should also take more action towards socially responsible business practices, as their partners or customers are increasingly aware of their actions.

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Student Experiences Abhinav Konda – Yonsei University, South Korea

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Let me start out by saying, my time on exchange is by far the most amazing experience of my life!

When I look around, I find myself in a bustling, developing yet very culturally rooted city: Seoul!

Though the Korean culture has a lot of quirky details which are hard to understand at first, it is a lot of fun! Being in a new country, new culture and new surrounding has helped me learn a lot about myself. I have met great people out here and have made friends for life! So don’t miss out on exchange, because it will be the best experience of your life!!!

Hong Kong, the city where “East Meets West” and the “City of 8000 Skyscrapers”! I immediately loved it; this busy city never gets boring. And I am sure that if you love partying, eating and shopping, than Hong Kong is definitely your place to be for exchange.

Except for this, Hong Kong has so much more things to offer. If you had enough of the 7 million people in the city you can just as well go for a hike to an empty white beach or you take a plane to some of the great countries in the area. I will definitely come back!

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Ivo Verhaegh – City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Kim van Adrichem, Singapore Management University When you hear about Singapore you might think of clean streets, caning, and a small island nation. However, Singapore offers much more; a pleasant beach I can go to any day, an amazing education at Singapore Management University, and a diverse group of friends. East meets West in a dynamic setting that accommodates your every wish. You can travel deep into the jungle and then, an hour later, enjoy coffee at Starbucks. Singapore is the city that never stops eating. It’s a travel hub. It offers the latest technology and fashion. It’s the place to be and be seen.

Mandy Regenspurg, Carleton University – Ottawa – Canada Since the moment I left Rotterdam, I have not regretted my decision to go on exchange to Canada for even one second. Attending Carleton University and living in the city of Ottawa has been one amazing experience! Ottawa is a beautiful city that has lots of history, extremely friendly people, and a vibrant night life. The level of education at Carleton is lower than what I am used to at the EUR, which gave me the opportunity to do lots of fun things during my stay in Canada. Eating a “Beavertail” after a big night out, attending an NHL ice hockey game, spending a long weekend with friends in Canadian wilderness, and experiencing national holidays like Thanksgiving and Halloween are just a few moments that have let me enjoy the Canadian way of life. I would not have wanted to miss out on such an incredible and rewarding experience!

<On confidence in teamwork >

We consider teamwork as the cornerstone of our business approach. Teamwork allows us to capture opportunities for the group as a whole. And in doing so to move beyond our individual boundaries. If you see yourself as an ambitious team player we would like to hear from you.

For our Analyst Program, NIBC is looking for university graduates who share our enthusiasm for teamwork. Personal and professional development are the key-elements of the Program: in-company training in co-operation with the Amsterdam Institute of Finance; working side-by-side with professionals at all levels and in every financial discipline as part of learning on the job.

We employ top talent from diverse university backgrounds, ranging from economics and business administration, to law and technology. If you have just graduated with aboveaverage grades and think you belong to that exceptional class of top talent, apply today. Joining NIBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Analyst Program might be the most important career decision you ever make!

Want to know more? Surf to www.careeratnibc.com.

Interested? Please contact us: NIBC Human Resources, Frouke RĂśben, recruitment@nibc.com. For further information see www.careeratnibc.com. NIBC is a Dutch bank that offers integrated solutions to mid-market clients in the Benelux and Germany. We believe ambition, teamwork, and professionalism are important assets in everything we do.

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