Varsity Life Issue 3 by LSBF Varsity Life

V LI AR FE SI T

issue

cONTENTS A Welcome from the President of the Student Association, Asmat Ullah

A message from the Rector & CEO, Prof Maurits van Roojien

60 seconds with... This month’s 60 Seconds features Nida Sadiq, MBA Global Risk Management..

08 03

LSBF in London casting for talent show - Who's got talent? Following on from the huge success of last year’s ‘LSBF’s Got Talent’...

04 05 the phenomenon of information warfare The shifts of our modern world connected with the spread of globalisation affect all spheres of our life, particularly security at both regional and global levels.

06-07

Student offer 10% off SpaFinder Wellness Gift Vouchers! As an LSBF student you can treat yourself to 10% off SpaFinder Wellness Gift Vouchers.

Shooting hoops and shooting for the stars with the kid tricks LSBF’s musical talent Glanvan Farrell gives us an update on the shoot for his new track! Last month we told you about Birmingham-based LSBF student...

12-13 09 Student offer Treat yourself to a 7% discount off Pizza Hut Gift cards! As an LSBF student, you can enjoy a 7% discount when you purchase a Pizza Hut gift card!

Interview with LSBF rector and CEO, professor Maurits van r ooijen Talk Back Each month we will answer questions posed to the Student Association

10-11 11

LSBF Football club, London

02/ 16

Next month We will be bringing you an update on castings for Who’s Got Talent...

A welcome from the president of the Student Association, Asmat Ullah My dear fellow students and friends, By now we are well into the new year, I hope that you are all excited about getting a step closer to your aims and ambitions. Varsity Life is continuing its successful journey getting bigger and better. I would like to congratulate you all for your continuing interest and involvement in Varsity Life and encourage more of your involvement for the upcoming issues. I would invite you all to email me with your feedback about your experience at LSBF and if you would like any particular aspect of the school to be improved just let me know your thoughts and suggestions. Together we can strive for excellence and create a better environment for all of us. In the coming weeks, we will work closely with the Career Services team to bring you the most useful speaker events and workshops, which will help you enhance your career prospects and increase your chances of getting your desired job. Lastly, please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to contact me or the Varsity life team if you have any new ideas or suggestions or want to be part of the editorial team. We very much appreciate your contributions. I wish you all the very best in your studies!

A message from the Rector & CEO, Prof Maurits van Rooijen Dear LSBF students, In my first year of university study I landed myself the opportunity to write a weekly newspaper column. Over the years, as a student and subsequently a young academic, I produced some thousand articles. It taught me two valuable things. First of all, it gave me the discipline to work to unforgiving deadlines. Someone who writes a weekly column has to produce a column every week before a given date and time. No excuses. Missing the deadline means a mad editor-in-chief and no income, missing a deadline twice means the end of the road. I never missed a deadline once. And that is easier said than done since each column required some research, whilst there were conflicting activities such as exams, holidays, essays to hand in, hangovers and girlfriends just to name a few. Being able to work to hard deadlines is, I discovered, a big condition for a successful career. It requires the ability of multitasking and ruthless time management.

Secondly, as the editor-in-chief explained to me loud and clear in the early days of my writing career, rubbish does not get paid. Rubbish meant: stuff nobody bothered to read. Writing is not just about skills and talent, it is first of all about understanding what your target audience might be interested in, both in terms of content and style. I have always kept that lesson in mind: success depends on your ability to think of the needs of those who consume, one way or another, your services or products. There are few lessons more important than that when it comes to a successful career. So here is my question to you: why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you try your hand at writing a piece for Varsity Life? See if you have the discipline to complete it before the deadline despite the pressures of study and your extra-curricular activities? And even more importantly, see if your fellow students appreciate your article? Would you be able to judge what other students might want to read? Believe me, it is worth trying. So contact our editor at varsitylife@lsbf.org.uk and put yourself to the test.

Asmat

Maurits

President of the Student Association , president@sa.lsbf.org.uk

Rector & CEO of : London school of business & Finance, Rector@lsbf.org.uk

03/ 16

exclusive

LSBF in London

casting for talent show Who’s got Talent

Who’s got Following on from the huge success of last year’s ‘LSBF’s Got Talent’, the highly anticipated talent show returns and this year it is set to be even bigger! LSBF in London have teamed up with two other schools from our group and, as a result, the name has changed to ‘Who’s Got Talent?’

04/ 16

exclusive

Do you have a talent that you

would like to share? Would you like the opportunity to perform in front of hundreds of people?

If so email us at studentassociation@lsbf.org.uk

quoting ‘Who’s Got Talent?’ in the subject line. Last year the audience was blown away by the talent we had on show, which included beat boxing, comedy, dancing, singing and more. To ensure we make this year even better than the last, we want to hear from you!

It doesn’t matter what talent you have, we would love to hear from you, as auditions will be taking place within the next few weeks (information regarding dates to be released soon).

05/ 16

We hope you are all as excited as we are for the return of this amazing talent show and we hope if you’re not planning to take part by performing, you’re planning to take part by attending and supporting your fellow students!

THE PHENOMENON of

INFORMATION WARFARE Mariya Kuzmenkova, Strategic Planning, LSBF Online Student The shifts of our modern world connected with the spread of globalisation affect all spheres of our life, particularly security at both regional and global levels.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that the rapid development of information as a leading realm (Internet, social networks, spread of mass-media etc) places it onto the unprecedented level of influence and defines the pivotal role of the so called “information force”. However, it is necessary to point out that throughout history information has been used as leverage in wars, conflicts and diplomatic affairs. What is more, in our contemporary world, information is one of the key influences in the conduct of internal and external policies. As Napoleon said: “War is 90 percent information”, or in the words of Sun Tzu, the way to “subdue the enemy without fighting” is “the supreme art of war”. History shows that methods of psychological pressure have been a popular tool since the Ancient Egyptians. Countries are usually aimed at implementation of national interests under the tag line that “the end justifies the means”. All these brought us to the creation of new “sovereign” means to achieve goals – information

and psychological warfare. Still it’s necessary to point out that insiders are still not unanimous over the issue of “information warfare” – the fact that impedes consideration over this phenomenon and its meaning depends on the context and the situation at hand. Many believe that psychological warfare and information warfare are very different. While psychological warfare implies pressure and suppression of mass senses and consciousness, information warfare means circulation of misleading information and the creation of an ill-informed society. However it is obvious that both phenomena are integral parts of each other as they are both aiming for suppression of the masses. According to the most popular definition of information warfare, it is a social phenomenon of the contemporary world, the perilous feature of withstanding, which is conducted by coercive actions and influences psychological and information spheres of the enemy.

06/ 16

The reality is that such actions allow foreign agents (States) to work secretly within the world community and thus interfere into sovereign spheres of the particular state. This is a burning issue nowadays as information security plays a leading role in the general security of a state. The means of information warfare varies greatly and can be represented by mass media, internet, telecommunications etc. A war of information is more effective than a military one. It prevents material loss and what is more it is an effective way to discourage the society and enervate it. It is crucial to point out that information warfare excludes any terroristic methods such as blackmail, intimidation, use of psychotropic substances etc. Information warfare is characterised by imposture of extraneous views and traditions (mental change), which defines it as a type of war. In summary, it is necessary to outline that information warfare nowadays is one of the key factors in international relations. It begets strong damage for sovereignty and independence of the state without any visible material losses. Thus, information security and psychological welfare play pivotal roles in the prosperity of a State.

07/ 16

seconds with

Nida Sadiq, MBA Global Risk Management and CIMA student, LSBF My name is Nida Sadiq, and I am studying Global MBA in Risk Management and CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) at LSBF.

Where were you born?

What is your dream job?

I was born in Karachi, the financial capital of Pakistan.

Wherever my heart is! The dream is to get paid for doing something that I enjoy doing.

Which part of London are you living in now? I live in Wandsworth borough of London. Where would your dream home be? Family is what makes house a home, hence, wherever they are in the world, that is where I would want to be. What was your first job? My first professional job was at ABN AMRO BANK NV as a Client Acceptance and Anti-Money Laundering Analyst.

Who is your idol? It has to be my parents, for being able to accept me for who I am, no matter how crazy & unreasonable I get! Their unconditional love never ceases to surprise me, and it is where I draw my strength from. What did you want to be when you were growing up? I wanted to be a mad genius scientist like Dexter (the cartoon, not the TV series - cannot afford confusion there). As a kid, I wanted to invent something extraordinary and say the famous line, “Success! At last, my greatest invention!”

What can’t you live without? ‘Me Time’ is an absolutely critical part of my life. Our lives are always changing, we need to adopt accordingly, face new challenges and keep our cool. To survive the trials of life, one needs their personal time off, which I call Me Time. It’s my personal time slot of the day when I get to do something to relax myself and keep me connected to my roots, whether it’s saying a prayer, reading a book or taking a walk alone. I absolutely cannot survive without it. Which actor would play you in a movie? Probably Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality. You see, I am not a girly girl, and I would rather go kickboxing than get a manicure. What is your favourite quote or motto? “You are not meant for crawling. You have wings, learn to use them.” - Rumi Which other subject would you study if not the current one? Design - it is such a broad area, and has the power of turning dreams into reality. From product design to systems design, the possibilities are endless. Why is education important to you? Let’s just say, a person without education in this world is like a soldier going into war without a weapon. Thank you, Nida!

08/ 14

student

offer

Spafinder

10% OFF SPAFINDER WELLNESS GIFT VOUCHERS! Spafinder

How to Use

Terms and Conditions

As an LSBF student you can treat yourself to 10% off SpaFinder Wellness Gift Vouchers.

Visit www.spafinder.co.uk* and enter promo code LSBF at checkout. Alternatively call 0870 121 6066 and quote LSBF.

Offer valid until 31st July 2015 2015. Visit www. spafinder.co.uk* for full T&Cs.

For more student offers, please visit http://www.loyalty.lsbf.org.uk (login using your student ID).

*The Student Loyalty Programme is currently only available to students studying in London.

09/ 14

exclusive

INTERVIEW With

LSBF RECTOR AND CEO, PROFESSOR

MAURITS VAN ROOIJEN What are your goals for LSBF in 2014? In 2014 we will have new and impressive premises in central Toronto. The opening should be at the start of the next academic year. For GGSB we start the new MSc in Marketing Management. In Singapore we expect to launch our very first degree programmes and at LCCA we expect to launch a set of new degree programmes with an Italian partner. Online, the plan is to add American validated degree programmes for LSBF. So itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business as usual: expanding very fast and rapidly becoming a leading global provider of business-relevant education.

My personal highlight for 2013 was receiving the European Constance Meldrum Prize for Vision and Leadership in international education. That happened last September in Istanbul, at the opening session of the EAIE, with some 5000 colleagues in attendance. It was unexpectedly emotional to get that recognition. At a global level LSBF is expanding rapidly, as always. For me a recent highlight was the opening of our new premises in the Central Business District in Singapore. For those of the student body who are not familiar with your professional and academic background, could you give us a brief summary of your career so far?

What was the greatest highlight of 2013 for you?

10/ 16

In my career I have followed my own, sometimes unconventional ideas. My research on sustainable urbanisation was driven by personal interest and in those early days was regarded as rather eccentric in its multidisciplinary approach. Throughout my entire career I have been driven by my curiosity and a desire to make a difference, rather than following a model or even a role model. What is your advice to LSBF students who want to do well in their career? When it comes to the new generation graduates my advice is rather unconventional: when you make decisions, make sure you follow your heart as much as your rational analysis.

exclusive

Thinking things through alone will not give you the perfect answer, neither will acting on instinct all the time. You need to learn to have confidence in your feelings, yet trust your reasoning; where the two are not in harmony, let your heart prevail. What would you say the next direction for education is? The globalised knowledge economy of today and even more so of tomorrow will need people who really understand what ‘global’ means, who have a global network of contacts, are comfortable with a multitude of cultures and see the world as one system rather than conflicting nation-states. They need to understand that knowledge is at the heart of success in a knowledge economy and that this is something that needs to innovate continuously and rapidly. So, in order to remain relevant, they need to stay in close touch with that knowledge, by engaging themselves in informal (what I call ‘reflective’) learning as well as more formal continuous learning. For LSBF this means that we have to extend our portfolio of professional development programmes, both online and on our various campuses. The contracts we concluded for instance with e-Cornell University and also New York University reflect our understanding of those new economic realities. We should not only focus on education for degrees but remain with our alumni as career partners for life.

SA news

SA News

SA news

LSBF FOOTBALL CLUB, LONDON

The LSBF Football Club has officially launched and has had a tremendous turn out thus far - membership has grown significantly over the past month. The establishment of the club has been a long-awaited dream which aims at bridging the gap between social and cultural differences, and creating a platform were people will interact and share a common vision. A Facebook page has been set up named “LSBF Football club (London Campus) Official Page 2014 and beyond” to give members and prospective members access to information. So far, the club has had two training sessions at Regents Park

11/ 16

and the excitement doesn’t stop there - friendly matches are being set up with other institutions across the UK, plus a 7-a-side football league! The club welcomes everyone to participate and join this wonderful group of football lovers. The registration process is very simple: just pop into the SA office and give your name or simply email the President of the Student Association, Asmat Ullah at president@sa.lsbf.org.uk. The training sessions are normally held at Regents Park every Saturday at 10am and new members are very welcome!

shooting hoops shooting for the stars with

the kid tricks

12/ 16

LSBF’s musical talent Glanvan Farrell gives us an update on the shoot for his new track! Last month we told you about Birmingham-based LSBF student, Glanvan Farrell’s foray into the music industry with his upcoming track ‘Still Here’! This month we caught up with him to find out how the shoot for his new music video went. Glanvan, how was your shoot? Well the shoot was a success! Big thanks to ClickJones Media for their hard work on the project. It’s really just a matter of the footage being edited now and finalised for release, which is set to be May 13th! As with any big project it was a little hectic at the start as it involved seven different groups of people, but it panned out perfectly as the evening progressed; I had a solid team! Also the assistants from Birmingham based production company ‘Simply Amayzyn’, who were also kind enough to provide the evening’s photography so a big thanks to them. We had great turn out, a variety of people came and supported me, from family, to friends, to friends of friends, the general public, babies…you name it! Even some off duty members of the West Midlands Police joined in to see how the day was progressing and show their local support. It was a great day and the unfailing support shown by everyone means a lot to me.

On the day we also had the help of an amazing cheer-squad, the Aston University Ravens, who provided an element of authenticity for the project’s theme. Another Birminghambased talent and one of the funniest guys I know, comedian Smash Entertainz, came down to support me as well as host, Andre Soul and Birmingham renowned artists C4 and Jmarnz. Have there been any new developments in your music career since we last spoke? Since we last spoke myself and music group Constantly Tested received a last minute sponsor from an urban/ varsity clothing company, Pieboy Clothing after hearing the song through Pharrell’s Limited, a mutual associate. I really believe things are starting to look up for me as an upand-coming artist! How were the Birmingham Knights involved on the day? The Knights were an essential part of the shoot due to the video concept

13/ 16

being based on basketball. They gave the directors as well as the crowd an awesome game and performance against the opposing team. The footage looks great, I can’t wait for you all to see it! What’s the next step for you, Glanvan? We are hopeful that the music video will be a great success when it is released, as the song is already being played across the airwaves and the response from both DJs and audiences has been great; people have really taken to it, especially the Birmingham community as it’s a Birminghamorientated song. The Kid Tricks, Still Here is out May 13th. You can keep up with The Kid Tricks on social media: Twitter: @TheKidTricks Instagram: @TheKidTricks Facebook: www.facebook.com/ TheKidTricks

student

offer

Pizza Hut

TREAT YOURSELF TO A 7% DISCOUNT

OFF PIZZA HUT GIFT CARDS Pizza Hut

How to Use

Terms and Conditions

As an LSBF student, you can enjoy a 7% discount when you purchase a Pizza Hut gift card!

Visit www.pizzahutgiftsolutions. co.uk* and enter code HUT006 on the shopping cart page. Gift cards will be sent by post, and can only be spent at Pizza Hut restaurants. Remember to pay with your Pizza Hut Gift Card.

Offer valid until 31st July 2015. The Pizza Hut Gift Card can be used in any participating Pizza Hut outlet in England. Visit http://pizzahutgiftsolutions. co.uk* for full T&Cs.

For more student offers, please visit http://www.loyalty.lsbf.org.uk (login using your student ID).

*The Student Loyalty Programme is currently only available to students studying in London.

14/ 16

Talk

Back Next month...

Varsity Life is just what we need as students, to express our thoughts in a respectful and cultured way. I hope that Varsity Life will become a platform for information, student contributions and promotion for social gatherings and networking to blend the huge variety of cultures and traditions of LSBF students.

We will be bringing you an update on castings for Who’s Got Talent and another 60 second interview with a student from one of our global campuses If you would like to be interviewed email varsitylife@lsbf.org.uk Stay tuned!

I hope that LSBF students feel encouraged to share their individual political, cultural and historical heritage, as well as their experience and life stories to inspire their fellow students and encourage us to carry on to successfully complete our chosen courses no matter what difficulties we may face along the way. Long after we have graduated and gone into the job market we will be proud to look back and say - “I have made it, I am a product of LSBF!” Long live Varsity Life! Nana Boateng Amofah

Each month we will answer questions posed to the Student Association. It could be about student life, exam tips, local restaurant suggestions, accommodation enquiries and current affairs… let us know what is on your mind! Send us your questions for the next edition: varsitylife@lsbf.org.uk!

15/ 16

VARSITY LIFE LSBF Student association Newsletter issue 3