The Business Lunch

Hi guys! I can’t wait to get back into the classroom tomorrow! It will be a tough semester, but it should be interesting!

I also remind you that Wednesday at 12:00 we can meet at Via Oddi for the first meeting of “The Business Lunch”. We’ll meet each other and discuss direction and resources for the following meetings – that should also be interesting!

See you on Wednesday!
Pete Cullen

The Business Lunch

Ok guys, the schedule is out! (At least I’ve received a copy – maybe it’s still up for revision). What if we met Wednesdays from 12:00 to 13:00. If people need to come later, I teach there at 14:00 at Via Oddi, so showing up at 12:30 and going until 13:30 should be fine. It can be a bit fluid. The important thing is to come with something to talk about! This I’ll leave up to you! You can find many kinds of business, economics and political information from the links on this blog – particularly down the side-bar where there are links to international news programmes. Also – look for S&B reports, Domain-B (from India), Market Watch, CNN, CNBC, and any other source of online news. Most international newspapers and magazines also operate blogs and websites. You can follow the International Herald Tribune (New York Times international), Le Monde, Le Monde Diplomatique, El Pais, ecc. on line. Read as much as you can, about whatever concerns you most about the socio-political and economic situations of today’s global society and we’ll talk about them!
DO have a great day!
Pete

The Business Lunch Series

Hi guys! I had an idea last night. Why don’t we form a group that meets once a week to discuss what’s happening in the business and economics media? We could meet for 1 hour at lunch (13:00 – 14:00) in Via Oddi – 1 day a week. At the first meeting (first week of classes – once we establish a time-table), I’ll give you some suggestions for online sources of business news. Then we simply meet to discuss the news and the problems facing global cultures and economies. I’ll make sure we have a projector and internet, so we can also follow video news. What do you say? Comment on this blog or send me an email if your interested. Make sure to include a return-email address, so I can notify you. If there is interest, we’ll organise a time and place (probably Via Oddi) to start immediately the first week of classes. This language of discussion is English – THIS IS NOT A CLASS INITIATIVE – this is to promote discussion between intelligent people (students and teachers etc.) about global economies and cultures. Feedback please!!!!
CLB!
PETE CULLEN

More on Proposal writing.

Hi guys! Here are some more considerations on thesis proposal writing.

Proposals need to show readers that the author is going to:

a) present a thesis idea – an original point of view about a subject that has been supported by the research of the author him/herself.
b) a brief description of the chapters and sections of the thesis.
c) the methodology of research that supports this point of view including: 1) a review of relevant secondary literature 2) a presentation and analysis of the methodology of primary source collection and organisation, data analysis and questions asked from the data, expected applicability of data to the overall thesis statement and it’s limitations.
d) from the second part, you should be able to suggest some possible outcomes that support and more broadly contextualise your thesis statement, but also consider possible limitations and areas of future research.

A thesis proposal is a exactly that – a proposal. It is not a thesis. It is a presentation of what you will do in order to develop a thesis. This proposal serves to convince a possible thesis reader or director that they want to a) read the thing and b) promote the thing. For that purpose, the proposal must clearly present the logic of the thesis statement, as developed through analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Have fun!

How Aha! Really Happens

Hi guys! This article from S+B discusses research on how creative insight actually happens and what it means for business. Interesting!

How Aha! Really Happens.

Do have a great day!

Pete Cullen

Assignments 2 and 3

Hi guys!

Remember – the second assignment is not a research paper – it is a thesis proposal.  This means that it should describe the topic you plan to research, initial hypotheses about that topic and research questions stemming from these assumptions, research approaches and scientific methodology, and any expected results.  The proposal should include a section on research sources – both primary and secondary – and how you plan to use these to support your research, including a brief and topical literary review.  Finally, your proposal should include a section on how this research will contribute to existing knowledge on the subject.

The annotated bibliography is different.  It is a thematic consideration of the published literature on your subject of study.  This may be arranged thematically or chronologically.  If you have a subject that considers vast periods of time, you may want to organise your sub-categories of study chronologically i.e. (literature on medieval concepts of time, early modern concepts of time, industrial concepts of time) or discuss chronological periods within broader area categories (Asian concepts of time in the pre-industrial to post-industrial periods, European concepts of time in the pre-industrial to post-industrial periods).  You may also want to arrange your annotated bibliography according to the chronology of the scientific study of the subject. For example, discussing the early anthropologists of the 1920′s-30′s, the Anglophone and communist cultural studies theorists and the French school from the 1940′s to the 1970′s, then the “New Economic” theorists and case-study proponents of the 1970′s and 80′s, the post-modernists and cultural psychologists of the 1970′s to 1990′s and the current penchant for managerial and neuropsychological inquiries into the subject.

Once you’ve decided which approach to take – thematic (including thematic chronology) or chronological (in terms of the published literature), then you arrange your secondary sources according to how they contribute to the themes or chronological trends in the literature, briefly critiquing the contributions to give a picture of the major scientific approaches to the subject as they’ve developed since the beginning of the study of that subject.  Introductions and conclusions to an annotated bibliography do not need to be complex – a few sentences each (4-5) to point out major trends and developments in the area of study will suffice.

Although only 5 pages, neither of these assignments is particularly easy.  Done correctly, they will require you to organise your thoughts, know-how and readings on your chosen subject to produce coherent documents.  Once you’ve done this, however, they should make thesis writing much easier!

We’ll discuss this in class!

All the best!

Pete

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hi guys! First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all! 2011 promises to be an interesting year. I’m not going to lie to you, there are difficulties – as many of you well know! The Gelmini law has passed, which means it will be an “interesting” year in the Italian university system. For those of you interested, I’ll post the law under the resources page so you can read it. HOWEVER – as we say back home, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. As Hunter S. Thompson said, “when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro”. Let’s put the two of these things together. It may be a strange year, this 2011 of ours, but WE can better overcome our difficulties and challenges by focusing on our respective tasks and cooperating to produce an outcome – to help you obtain the BEST DAMN EDUCATION POSSIBLE ON THIS PENINSULA!!! This will take energy and commitment from all of us! I invite you to look at the situation present in the education system, the political system and the economy and ask yourselves – what can I do to contribute to finding solutions now, over the next year, and during my time as a student? Use your time here to strategise the best learning outcomes you can. I’ve worked in universities in Canada, the US, Scotland and Italy and no matter where you are the best learning outcomes derive from the best input. For my part, I promise you that I will do whatever I can to provide the best information and the best service for you. YOU should do the same for yourselves! Yes, this is a motivational speech, but what the hell – once in a while we could all use one! Some of you have exams coming up – please refer to my post on this blog of Dec. 4 2009 (use the archive or the search function). We are all here because of one common factor – a great curiosity to learn how languages, cultures and business processes interact. This is one of the key areas of study of our time – let’s make sure we make the best use of that time possible! I have been impressed with the level of interaction, honesty and commitment that my students have shown this year. I invite you to maintain that in the face of new challenges. I also invite you to activate your curiosity with the help of your teaching staff to create new approaches to learning about language and culture for business. WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? HOW? Who – US? YES! YOU!!! We have powerful communications tools at our finger tips – links to business and cultural media posted on this blog. Video and audio production capabilities that range from the personal cell-phone to handy-cams and film equipment. We all have the ability to read, photograph, film and otherwise document the cultural events and trends of our time and to SHARE that information and those perspectives with each other through the production of texts, photos and film. SO – I refer to Hunter S. Thompson here – what are we going to do about it? I will be happy to post home-produced mp3s, photos or video accompanied by explanations, critique or analysis regarding intersections between language, culture and business on this blog. As well, we can use material produced by you in class. Read the economic, business and cultural literature in your mothertongues and languages of study. Inform yourselves about how and why the cultural-economic spectrum is changing and the effects that has globally, nationally and locally. Document and produce your own analyses of these changes and share them with the rest of us. Hell, we might as well take an active interest in the lives we live! So – it may be a challenging 2011, but good – with the intelligent and strategic application of energy to the questions at hand, it can also be a very happy one! This is my wish for you all. Pete Cullen

Short papers

Hi guys! I hope your holidays are going well! I’ve marked and returned your short papers – to those who gave them to me. Some of you have submitted paper copies – so I’ve noted your mark in the return email. If you haven’t heard from me, contact me to find out why! I found some of you unreachable by email, and have on paper here in Word with no name on it. I won’t mark it until I find out whose it is. The file string is “Cullen thesis”.

Those of you who received a 75% or lower have the option to rewrite the paper. This is because I believe the exercise is important. These low marks most often reflect lack of clarity about the assignment, rather than the quality of the material actually presented. Some of you presented the paper as a research paper using only two sources. The assignment is to spend no more than 5 pages comparing the research and analysis methods of the authors, then stating how these two articles contribute to a broader understanding of a larger theme.
So – the exercise is important BUT: it is worth 20% of your final mark. Evaluate whether you want to rewrite it or not. If you don’t, do nothing. If you do, hand me in a second copy and I’ll mark it. I will only improve you mark. You will not receive lower than your original mark. Those of you who got more than 75% do not have this option because it appeared to me that you understood the assignment.

In general I was pleased with the papers, as I am with the way you’re using this blog, and with classes in general. You’re starting to interact more and comment more and criticise and analyse. This is good! It takes a bit of time to develop this in a class, but you’re doing fine!

DO have a great day and fantastic “rest of holidays”. To those of you going overseas in the second semester – all the best to you! Let us know how it’s going through the blog!!!
CLB!

Pete

International Universities

Here’s a link that may help you make strategic decisions about future study in international universities.
Have fun!
Pete

http://www.topuniversities.com/study-abroad

READ!

Ok guys, here’s the trick. Wanna know the trick? Do you? Well?
Ok – here it is.

A few years ago one of my students asked me why my lessons seemed to be a lot like a “current affairs” programme. Good question. They appear less so today, as I’ve become enamoured with a broader textual methodology that includes what my colleagues use to teach from. That said, text books don’t really teach you what you need to know, they teach you the background to what you need to know. They provide a foundation. If you want to bridge the gap between your text books and the “real world” or the “job market” or any other form of culturally current paradigm – read the updated literature available on the subject NOW! For example: we discuss culture, psychology, language, business and economics – so do many people, some of whom are well paid to produce commentary, analysis and policy on exactly THE CURRENT SITUATION in terms of globalisation, innovation, research, leadership, policy, international relations, and a myriad of other areas. Here are a few links to get you started:

http://www.strategy-business.com

http://www.domain-b.com/

http://www.economist.com/

http://www.ft.com

http://www.ssrn.com/

There are many more, but I think you’ll find that receiving daily updates from these (those like Domain-B and S+B who offer daily updates) will help you see how the business world thinks and which issues are important to it. READ THESE!!! INFORM YOURSELVES!!! YOU could have decided to study literature – you didn’t.
HAVE A GREAT EVENING!!!