MBA in The Netherlands - University of Phoenix MBA

UOPtodate June 2004 - University of Phoenix MBA Newsletter

2004-06-16T23:00:00.000+02:00

UOPtodate June 2004 - University of Phoenix MBA Newsletter: "Do an MBA
or not do an MBA?

by Drs. Jan Henk van der Werff
Several leading management scientists have uttered reservations about MBA education and its effectiveness in preparing people for improved organizational performance. The MBA Monitor 2004, prepared by the SCO-Kohnstamm Institute, provides ample evidence to disqualify such type of criticism: MBA graduates in general value their education in terms of career enhancement.

At the 2004 MBA Graduation Ceremony of University of Phoenix, four students had the opportunity to share their views with the audience. As one might expect, each of them used the opportunity to reflect on the experience, to address fellow students, and to thank faculty, staff, family, friends and employers for their support and guidance.
In his speech, Michael Hollander MBA, HR-manager at Hunter Douglas made a striking observation:

� 5 [MBA] classmates changed employer (33%)
� 11 [MBA] classmates got promoted (73%)

Despite the reservations that one might have, doing an MBA is a unique experience and offers all opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Do an MBA, but make sure to select the program that works for you. University of Phoenix students apparently progress in their careers. And well before graduation!"

University of Phoenix MBA - best value for money - MBA ranking 2004

2004-06-16T22:58:00.000+02:00

University of Phoenix Part-Time MBA Highest New Entry at # 10: Intermediair Part-Time MBA Ranking 2004

MBA ranking 2004 full report [PDF]

# 2 Best Value for Money
At the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam the results were announced by Intermediair of the ranking research of part-time MBA's in the Netherlands by SCO-Kohnstamm Institute on the 25th May. University of Phoenix was there…

For the first time University of Phoenix appears in Intermediair’s MBA-ranking with a Top 10 position.

In the category “Best Value for Money”, the University ranks number 2. This entry performance was only matched by TIAS in 2002. Although pleased with these results, University of Phoenix is well aware that ranking tells part of the story only.

Potential students are therefore invited to meet our staff at one of our Information Sessions. For those who would like to have a more personalized advice, a Personal Academic Counseling Session (PACS) can be organized, simply by contacting our Admissions office.

Fast Company | Articles by Topic

2004-06-02T18:15:00.000+02:00

Fast Company | Articles by Topic

Fast Company | Extreme Networking: MBAs Show the Way, Part 2

2004-06-02T18:14:00.000+02:00

Fast Company | Extreme Networking: MBAs Show the Way, Part 2

"Extreme Networking: MBAs Show the Way, Part 2
Incoming B-school students from Harvard to Stanford use Web-based communities to get to know each other, to make deals for cell phones, and to launch business plans -- before they attend their first class! Can the schools themselves get into the act?"

Fast Company | Extreme Networking: MBAs Show the Way

2004-06-02T18:13:00.000+02:00

Fast Company | Extreme Networking: MBAs Show the Way

"Extreme Networking: MBAs Show the Way
And you think you know how to work a crowd? Incoming B-school students from Harvard to Stanford use Web-based communities to get to know each other, to make group deals for cell phones, and to launch business plans -- before they attend their first class!"

Fast Company | MBA Isn't a Four-Letter Word

2004-06-02T18:12:00.000+02:00

Fast Company | MBA Isn't a Four-Letter Word

MBA Isn't a Four-Letter Word
While some question the relevance of a B-school education in this era of distance learning and fast-track careers, the Wharton School's Robert E. Mittelstaedt Jr. argues for the sustaining value of an MBA."

Fast Company | MBA Front Lines

2004-06-02T18:11:00.000+02:00

Fast Company | MBA Front Lines

"MBA Front Lines
Professors, faculty members, and second-year students at ten of America's most recognized business schools contribute survival advice and lessons."

University of Phoenix MBA - part-time MBA opleiding voor professionals - MBA Graduation Ceremony 2004 - De KUIP, Rotterdam, 22 May 2004

2004-06-01T17:15:00.000+02:00

Speech by Ilse Oelius - Smaal - Graduate University of Phoenix 2004

Good afternoon fellow MBA students, family and friends,

Today is supposed to be a happy occasion. We are gathered to celebrate the MBA graduation of 41 University of Phoenix students, among which my class mates Robert Bor, Rob van den Brink, Kees van den Brink, Martijn Kool and Hendrik Passchier.

Although I don’t want to ruin the good atmosphere here, I think we need to question ourselves if high spirits are in order.

Two weeks ago (May 12) the Dutch Magazine Carp published the article “The ‘Dangerous’ MBA graduate”, which starts with the following revealing statement of management guru Henry Mintzberg:

“MBA graduates are stupid, arrogant and pre-eminently unsuitable as managers”

For years Mintzberg, has been fighting institutes that grant people the degree of Master of Business Administration. Mintzberg is dissatisfied with the way managers are nowadays educated. In his opinion MBA programs focus too much on quarterly results, and forget about the true nature of management, where experience and social skills are just as important.

In line with Mintberg’s opinion several researches have shown that MBA’s often educate managers with the intent of making as much profit as possible within a short time and this way of managing is dangerous for the continued existence of any organization and its employees.

Now, has the University of Phoenix transformed us into lethal weapons that should be feared by the organizations where we work? Have we become dangerous? And to carry it even further was it a waste of time to follow an MBA program?

Let’s take a look at what we have studied over the past 2,5 years in order to determine if the main criticism on MBA programs by Mintzberg and others, that MBA’s may be good to obtain the factual knowledge on management, but that they do not teach students how to interact with humans of flesh and blood or how to deal with themselves, is valid.

For sure a large part of our studies focused on gaining knowledge. We studied topics like statistics, finance, economics, marketing, knowledge management, e-Business and the concept of managing business processes, by reading books, working on case studies, but more importantly by discussing real life examples from the working environment of our faculties and fellow students and discussing related topics presented in the news.

In our class we had long discussions about the recent cases of mismanagement which reached the press during our MBA program like Enron and the more local example of Ahold. We also had long discussions on the trend for short term profit management and I am 200% sure that all of us came to the same conclusion that managing for flattering quarterly figures only is all too often a road to disaster, which shows that Henri Mintzberg is wrong or at least generalizes too much.

Over the past 2,5 years, we have however gained much more than knowledge. The very first two courses in our MBA program involved solely what is often called the soft skills. In the modules Management Skills and Managing People we were forced to increase our self-awareness, learned how to communicate constructively, and were introduced to the theories on managing people, group dynamics, motivation and conflict resolution. We also had to learn how to handle our emotions.

I remember Guy Knapton being very harsh on us during the module Managing People. My learning team flunked badly for the manager of the year acceptance speech assignment and it hurt. But in the end it has helped us learn to handle critique and to communicate constructively, something which is essential in the business environment.

Continuous feedback on both knowledge and interpersonal effectiveness from both faculties and fellow students has been a thread throughout our entire MBA program, which has helped us to gain a better self awareness.

Our MBA program has also improved our interpersonal skills. The very set-up of the UOP program with small classes, where no one can hide, and the fact that learning team assignments form an important part of the grades obliged us to continuously interact with others, to share information, exchange ideas and work together closely since the sheer size of the assignments especially in the latter part of the program, did not allow one of us to finish it on time on his own.

The Markstrat and the Business Strategy game enhanced this even more since we had to run our own business as a learning team and compete with others. In these games, knowledge and interpersonal skills had to be brought together to succeed.

Mintzberg claims that MBA graduates are dangerous types with little self awareness and a lack of interpersonal skills. I strongly object to this view. In my mind our MBA program has not only made us wiser human beings but also better persons, with an increased self awareness and improved interpersonal skills. I dare say that we will all be a positive contribution to the business world.

We thus did not complete our MBA program in vain and today is therefore truly a time of celebration.

When one celebrates an achievement it is good practice to remember some of the good times and the more difficult times and to thank the people who were there for you.

We certainly had good times. Learning teams were not just for the assignments, but also to have a good laugh and to have a sounding board outside ones own organization.
Hendrik and Martijn had a lot of fun inventing “Heinweizer” the beer company for one of the learning team assignments in the module on economics. I think Kees was however less enthusiastic when he found out that Hendrik and Martijn had been thinking about a name and logo for their imaginary company for more than an hour and had not started any of the required number crunching when he arrived a little late. On the other hand Mr. Excel himself also seemed to enjoy himself when he could build yet another model.

Rob joined our class only mid way during the program. But his never ceasing smile and good mood gave a sparkle to our classes and learning teams, although he could also heavily complain about his employer.

Cases studies, real life examples from our faculties, and recent developments in the business environment led to lively yet constructive discussions. In light of this I would like to specially thank you Robert for advocating some controversial ideas, which made the discussions more interesting and meaningful.

Of course a word of thanks is also in order for all our faculties. Thank you all for sharing your views and experience with us, it made studying so much more interesting and fun, even for the more difficult topics like statistics and finance.

There were also some more difficult times. For instance when we had the feeling that we would never be able to finish our assignments in time or if the feedback to an assignment was not as expected. For you Kees it must have also been hard to loose from your brother in both Markstrat and the Business Strategy game, especially when he keeps reminding you.

Although it was worth it the time demand of our study has been very high. Many evenings and weekends were absorbed by individual and learning team assignments leaving little room for a social life. As a result our study was not only a burden for us as students, but also very much so for our partners, the children of Hendrik, Robert and Martijn, other family members and friends. I would therefore like to end by thanking all our loved ones for their endless support over the past 2,5 years. Thank you all very much; we could not have made it without you. Thank you.

University of Phoenix MBA - part-time MBA opleiding voor professionals - MBA Graduation Ceremony 2004 - De KUIP, Rotterdam, 22 May 2004

2004-06-01T17:12:00.000+02:00

University of Phoenix MBA - part-time MBA opleiding voor professionals

Speech by Douwe van Der Zee - University of Phoenix Graduate 2004

My name is Douwe van der Zee and one of the students of the Wednesday evening class, started in 2001, together with Inge, Peter, Igor, Huub, Bram, Roland and Ali.

But before I start to tell you something about this class, I want to go back into time.

About 3 years ago, also in May, I decided to search for a study, providing me the knowledge to make decision based on more than only gut-feeling. At that time I was salesmanager of a small group and made my decision with respect to several subject only based of my own experience and what I saw of other managers. To my opinion I missed a lot of decision making tools.

I remember very well the introduction evening at the UOP in Capelle a/d Ijssel. Guy Knapton tried to convince the audiences by simulating a normal workshop by discussing the case called “ Robin Hood” . I will not go in to detail about the case, but I can tell you that I came home with a smile on my face, because I had found what I was searching for. Interaction in class, open minds, discussion, exchange of experience and most important an interactive pratical approach. That’s the reason why I joined the UOP and I am sure that this is the reason for many fellow students. And looking back I made the right decision.

And now: it is finished. This is the graduation. I believe I do not only speak for myself, but the originel objective at the start of this MBA has been achieved.

This study gave me the positive impuls, the positive impuls you can get from learning something and feeling that your are broaderring your horizon, and I am very glad that I took the decision to do this, although there were several times I wishes I didn’t. Especially the time a became father for the second time and sleeping at night became more a problem.

Now, it is like a puzzle. All the gained knowledge is slowly falling into place and is helping me to see things from another perspective in my work.
I feel more self-confidence, independent, must stronger and absolutely with more trust to growth as a manager. The MBA gave me stimules and incentives to continue the development of myself.

Pauze

Some weeks ago Henk Jan called me with the good news that I have the privilige to tell in 10 minutes something about the Wednesday class. I can assure you that I can talk for ages about our class, but I keep to the most interesting parts.

• Our class had a high the level of competition, especially during the enoumeres discussions and negotations. And without going into details, the management games were sometimes a real life soap. Joop van der Ende could have made a very succesfull programm out of it.

• Our class consist of a high diversity. It consist of IT persons, financial controller, consultants, lawyers and two salesperson, of which I was one. I was the person selling a real product, a product that you can touch. The rest was selling, consulting, advising : air with a lot of talking. So you can imagine that most of us were quite sharp in their communication.

• Our class was fun, we had good learning teams and workshops with good spirit. During the workshops we have had several situation, especially during presentations, that we really had good laughs. Also, very important, the food we ordered or even cooked during the learning teams was very good and sometimes even healty.

• Our class was sometimes very difficult for the teachers. Especially during those moments that the subjects didn’t have the impact to keep the audience awake after a day of hard working. I remember some persons that seemed to knocked out by a “sleep decease” , continiously noding with their head. Others made nice drawings to keep bussy.

But, in those cases, if there was an evaluation of the module, we informed the teacher about this, hopefully to improve it for future students.

During these two year we have had difficult moments but mostly good moments and I have to conclude I am glad that I was one of the team, which hopefully will keep in touch in the future.

Before I end this speech I wish all students many succus in the future and I hope that they get the opportunity to focus on development in the area they prefer to work in and follow their gut-feeling to feel as happy as possible.

And with respect to my own class. I have some specific wishes regarding my fellow students:

• Huub, a lot of succes in his IT job and of course a reduction of travelling between Groningen and Vught.
• Inge, the birth of a healty child and of course many succes in her carrier
• Peter, a position in the board of directors
• Bram, the position he is hunting for
• Ali a nice home in Amsterdam and a lot of succes concerning the other idea he has in Amsterdam
• Roland many succes in finding another home and of course succes at Shell.
• Igor, who could not be present today, a lot of succes in the russian subsedising market.

Thank you all.

University of Phoenix in The Netherlands: MBA (Master of Business Administration), MBA Program, Top Business School in Rotterdam, Amersfoort & Eindhoven

2004-05-28T11:50:00.000+02:00

University of Phoenix in The Netherlands: MBA (Master of Business Administration), MBA Program, Top Business School in Rotterdam, Amersfoort & Eindhoven

Sneak preview of the photos. MBA Graduation 2004.

Oprah Winfrey's Commencement Address - Wellesley College (May 30, 1997)

2004-05-18T20:34:00.000+02:00

My hat's off to you! My hat's off to you!
[crowd cheers: Go Girl!]
You all have "gone" girls! I want to say thank you, Dr. Walsh and to the esteemed faculty, to those of you parents--what you have been through, God Bless you--and to the greatest class that has ever graduated from Wellesley. I must say--you are my heart, Dr. Walsh is right. I saw you walking in and I started to weep, and I don't consider myself a weeper, but I guess I must be if I started to weep, because I know what it takes to get through here and I am so proud of all of you for getting through.

Thanks for inviting me to this party, this celebration. I told Dr. Walsh as we were walking in, my graduation was nothing like this. Nobody was having this much fun. When Wendy, Stedman's daughter (Stedman is my beau, my fiance, don't ask me when we're going to get married) when Stedman's daughter, Wendy, was looking for a school four years ago, no doubt I was far more delighted than she when she chose Wellesley `cause I knew what she was in for. I had wanted to come to this school. I wanted to be here but I could get no scholarship. I wanted to be here and have lived these past years vicariously through her. I was, as Dr. Walsh said, here with Wendy's father, Stedman, and Wendy's mother, Glenda, on Parents' Day and I was in awe of this place because, see, you all seem to have so much fun, without a keg or anything, and yet you all seemed so serious, so committed to this place with guts and with grace and I saw your sense of integrity and felt your intellect and realized that this was a very special, giving place. Wellesley is a gift to any woman who is willing to open her mind and her heart to it. It is! You are so blessed to have had this, although I know your first year you maybe didn't think it was such a gift because I was there for a lot of those phone calls that Wendy made home. "Daddy [in small girl's voice], this is hard, they just want you to study all the time." Yes, they do. That was the Freshmen Year. About mid-Sophomore Year, though, I think she had several epiphanies and realized what all of you had come to realize here, that you do this for yourself, you don't do this for anybody else and that everything you heard about this institution is true--it is a prestigious and powerful place that will wear you out, but what happens is something--that Woman Thing starts to kick in around mid-Sophomore Year. We saw it kick in with Wendy, that Woman Thing that happens. She came here a naive girl from Dallas and Stedman and Glenda, I, and all of those who loved Wendy, are grateful to you Wellesley for the woman in process that you gave us back. We are grateful for that.

You could feel the change about a year and a half after her being here because she went from "Daddy [small girl's voice], this is hard," to "Daddy [adult voice], I won't be able to go on the trip to Africa because I have to study, Daddy." That Woman Thing!

You all know this, that life is a journey and I want to share with you just for a few moments about five things (aren't you glad they aren't ten) five things that have made this journey for me exciting. Five lessons that I've learned that if I had gone to Wellesley I could have not made as many mistakes, but five lessons that I've learned that have helped me to make my life better.

First of all, life is a journey. I've learned to become more fully who you are and that is what I love about this institution, it allows women to come to the fullest extent of their possibilities who they really are and that's what life does--teach you to be who you are. It took me a while to get that lesson, that it really is just about everyday experiences, teaching you, moment in, moment out, who you really are. That every experience is here to teach you more fully how to be who you really are. Because, for a long time I wanted to be somebody else. I mean growing up I didn't have a lot of role models. I was born in l954. On TV there was only Buckwheat, and I was ten years old before I saw Diana Ross on "The Ed Sullivan Show" with the Supremes and said I want to be like that. It took me a long time to realize I was never going to have Diana Ross' thighs, no matter how many diets I went on, and I was not going to have her hair neither unless I bought some. I came to the realization after being in television and having the news director trying to make me into something that I wasn't and going to New York and allowing myself to be treated less than I should have been--going to a beauty salon, you all know there is a difference between Black hair and White hair. That is the one thing you learn the first week at Wellesley: how did you get your hair to do that? What I learned going to a beauty salon and asking them, after the news director told me that my hair was too thick and my eyes were too far apart and I needed a makeover, sitting in a French beauty salon, allowing them to put a French perm on my Black hair and having the perm burn through my cerebral cortex and not being the woman that I am now, so not having the courage to say, "this is burning me," and coming out a week later bald and having to go on the air. You learn a lot about yourself when you are Black, and a woman and bald and trying to be an anchor woman. You learn you are not Diana Ross and that you are not Barbara Walters who I was trying to be at the time.

I had a lot of lessons. I remember going on the air many times and not reading my copy ahead of time. I was on the air one night and ran across the word "Barbados," that may be Barbados to you but it was " Barb-a-does" to me that night and telling the story as an anchor woman about a vote in absentia in California, I thought it was located near San Francisco. This is when I broke out of my Barbara shell, because I am sitting there, crossing my legs, trying to talk like Barbara, be like Barbara, and I was reading a story about someone with a "blaze" attitude which, if I had gone to Wellesley, I would have known it was blasé and I started to laugh at myself on the air and broke through my Barbara shell and had decided on that day that laughing was OK even though Barbara hadn't at that time. It was through my series of mistakes that I learned I could be a better Oprah than I could be a better Barbara. I allowed Barbara to be the mentor for me, as she always has been, and I decided then to try to pursue the idea of being myself and I am just thrilled that I get paid so much every day for just being myself, but it was a lesson long in coming, recognizing that I had the instinct, that inner voice that told me that you need to try to find a way to answer to your own truth was the voice I needed to be still and listen to.

One of the other great lessons I learned taught to me by my friend and mentor, Maya Angelou and if you can get this, you can save yourself a lot of time. Wendy and I have had many discussions about this, particularly when it comes to men, although she has a very nice one right now. Remember this because this will happen many times in your life:

When people show you who they are, believe them, the first time. Not the 29th time! That is particularly good when it comes to men situations because when he doesn't call back the first time, when you are mistreated the first time, when you see someone who shows you a lack of integrity or dishonesty the first time, know that that will be followed by many, many, many other times that will at some point in life come back to haunt or hurt you. When people show you who they are, believe them, the first time. Live your life from truth and you will survive everything, everything, I believe even death. You will survive everything if you can live your life from the point of view of truth. That took me a while to get, pretending to be something I wasn't, wanting to be somebody I couldn't, but understanding deep inside myself when I was willing to listen, that my own truth and only my own truth could set me free.

Turn your wounds into wisdom. You will be wounded many times in your life. You'll make mistakes. Some people will call them failures but I have learned that failure is really God's way of saying, "Excuse me, you're moving in the wrong direction." It's just an experience, just an experience.

I remember being taken off the air in Baltimore, being told that I was no longer being fit for television and that I could not anchor the news because I used to go out on the stories and my own truth was, even though I am not a weeper, I would cry for the people in the stories, which really wasn't very effective as a news reporter to be covering a fire and crying because the people lost their house [pretending to cry as she said this]. And it wasn't until I was demoted as an on-air anchor woman and thrown into the talk show arena to get rid of me, that I allowed my own truth to come through. The first day I was on the air doing my first talk show back in l978, it felt like breathing, which is what your true passion should feel like. It should be so natural to you. And so, I took what had been a mistake, what had been perceived as a failure with my career as an anchor woman in the news business and turned it into a talk show career that's done OK for me!

Be grateful. I have kept a journal since I was l5 years old and if you look back on my journal when I was l5, l6, it's all filled with boy trouble, men trouble, my daddy wouldn't let me go to Shoney's with Anthony Otie, things like that. As I've grown older, I have learned to appreciate living in the moment and I ask that you do, too. I am asking this graduating class, those of you here, I've asked all of my viewers in America and across the world to do this one thing. Keep a grateful journal. Every night list five things that happened this day, in days to come that you are grateful for. What it will begin to do is to change your perspective of your day and your life. I believe that if you can learn to focus on what you have, you will always see that the universe is abundant and you will have more. If you concentrate and focus in your life on what you don't have, you will never have enough. Be grateful. Keep a journal. You all are all over my journal tonight.

Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe. When I was little girl, Mississippi, growing up on the farm, only Buckwheat as a role model, watching my grandmother boil clothes in a big, iron pot through the screen door, because we didn't have a washing machine and made everything we had. I watched her and realized somehow inside myself, in the spirit of myself, that although this was segregated Mississippi and I was "colored" and female, that my life could be bigger, greater than what I saw. I remember being four or five years old, I certainly couldn't articulate it, but it was a feeling and a feeling that I allowed myself to follow. I allowed myself to follow it because if you were to ask me what is the secret to my success, it is because I understand that there is a power greater than myself, that rules my life and in life if you can be still long enough in all of your endeavors, the good times, the hard times, to connect yourself to the source, I call it God, you can call it whatever you want to, the force, nature, Allah, the power. If you can connect yourself to the source and allow the energy that is your personality, your life force to be connected to the greater force, anything is possible for you. I am proof of that. I think that my life, the fact that I was born where I was born, and the time that I was and have been able to do what I have done speaks to the possibility. Not that I am special, but that it could be done. Hold the highest, grandest vision for yourself.

Just recently we followed Tina Turner around the country because I wanted to be Tina. So I had me a nice little wig made and I followed Tina Turner because that is what I can do and one of the reasons I wanted to do that is Tina Turner is one of those women who have overcome great obstacles, was battered in her life, and like a phoenix rose out of that to have great legs and a great sense of herself. I wanted to honor other women who had overcome obstacles and to say that Tina's life, although she is this great stage performer, Tina's life is a mirror of your life because it proves that you can overcome.

Every life speaks to the power of what can be done. So I wanted to honor women all over the country and celebrate their dreams and Tina's tour was called the Wildest Dreams Tour. I asked women to write me their wildest dreams and tell me what their wildest dreams were. Our intention was to fulfill their wildest dreams. We got 77,000 letters, 77,000. To our disappointment we found that the deeper the wound the smaller the dreams. So many women had such small visions, such small dreams for their lives that we had a diffcult time coming up with dreams to fulfill. So we did fulfill some. We paid off all the college debt, hmmm, for a young woman whose mother had died and she put her sisters and brothers through school. We paid off all the bills for a woman who had been battered and managed to put herself through college and her daughter through college. We sent a woman to Egypt who was dying of cancer and her lifetime dream was to sit on a camel and use a cell phone. We bought a house for another woman whose dream had always been to have her own home but because she was battered and had to flee with her children one night, had to leave the home seventeen years ago. And then we brought the other women who said we just wanted to see you, Oprah, and meet Tina. That was their dream! Imagine when we paid off the debt, gave the house, gave the trip to Egypt, the attitudes we got from the women who said, "I just want to see you." And some of them afterwards were crying to me saying that "we didn't know, we didn't know, and this is unfair," and I said, that is the lesson: you needed to dream a bigger dream for yourself. That is the lesson. Hold the highest vision possible for your life and it can come true.

I want to leave you with a poem that I say to myself sometimes when I am feeling a little down, although I really don't get down a lot because I know that every experience when it happens, something difficult comes into my life, I say what is it you're here to teach me and what I try to do in my life is to get God on the whisper. He always whispers first. Try to get the whisper before the earthquake comes because the whisper is always followed by a little louder voice, then you get a brick I say, and then sometimes a brick wall, and then the earthquake comes. Try to get it on the whisper. But Maya Angelou wrote a poem and I don't know a poem more fitting than "Phenomenal Woman" for this crowd because you are and these words are for you.

She says:
"Pretty women, honey, they wonder just where my secret lies
`Cause I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model size
But when I start to tell them,
They say, Girl, you're telling lies
And I say, no, honey,
It's in the reach of my arms,
It's in the span of my hips,
It's in the stride of my stepping,
It's in the curl of my lips,
`Cause I'm a woman, honey,
Phenomenally, phenomenal.
Phenomenal woman.

Sometimes I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows either stand up or
Fall down on their knees.
And then they start swarming all around me
Like a hive of honey bees
And I said
Whoopcha must be this fire in my eyes,
Could be the flash of my teeth
Or the swing of my waist
Or just the joy in my feet.
All I know is I'm a woman, you're a woman, we are women, honey
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal women.
Now you understand
Why my head's not bowed.
You won't see me dropping about
Or when you see me coming,
It ought to make you proud, sister girl.
I say,
It's the bend of my hair,
It's in the palm of my hands,
The need for your care.
`Cause I'm a woman, you're a woman, we just women,
We phenomenal, phenomenally phenomenal.
Phenomenal women."*

That's you, Wellesley, that's you. God Bless You!

*Adapted from the poem "Phenomenal Woman," by Maya Angelou.

Graduation address at American University - President John F. Kennedy Washington, D.C. (June 10, 1963)

2004-05-18T20:32:00.000+02:00

President Anderson, members of the faculty, board of trustees, distinguished guests, my old colleague, Senator Bob Byrd, who has earned his degree through many years of attending night law school, while I am earning mine in the next 30 minutes, ladies and gentlemen:

It is with great pride that I participate in this ceremony of the American University, sponsored by the Methodist Church, founded by Bishop John Fletcher Hurst, and first opened by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914. This is a young and growing university, but it has already fulfilled Bishop Hurst's enlightened hope for the study of history and public affairs in a city devoted to the making of history and the conduct of the public's business. By sponsoring this institution of higher learning for all who wish to learn, whatever their color or their creed, the Methodists of this area and the Nation deserve the Nation's thanks, and I commend all those who are today graduating.

Professor Woodrow Wilson once said that every man sent out from a university should be a man of his nation as well as a man of his time, and I am confident that the men and women who carry the honor of graduating from this institution will continue to give from their lives, from their talents, a high measure of public service and public support.

"There are few earthly things more beautiful than a university," wrote John Masefield in his tribute to English universities--and his words are equally true today. He did not refer to spires and towers, to campus greens and ivied walls. He admired the splendid beauty of the university, he said, because it was "a place where those who hate ignorance may strive to know, where those who perceive truth may strive to make others see."

I have, therefore, chosen this time and this place to discuss a topic on which ignorance too often abounds and the truth is too rarely perceived--yet it is the most important topic on earth: world peace.

What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children--not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women--not merely peace in our time but peace for all time.

I speak of peace because of the new face of war. Total war makes no sense in an age when great powers can maintain large and relatively invulnerable nuclear forces and refuse to surrender without resort to those forces. It makes no sense in an age when a single nuclear weapon contains almost ten times the explosive force delivered by all the allied air forces in the Second World War. It makes no sense in an age when the deadly poisons produced by a nuclear exchange would be carried by wind and water and soil and seed to the far corners of the globe and to generations yet unborn.

Today the expenditure of billions of dollars every year on weapons acquired for the purpose of making sure we never need to use them is essential to keeping the peace. But surely the acquisition of such idle stockpiles--which can only destroy and never create--is not the only, much less the most efficient, means of assuring peace.

I speak of peace, therefore, as the necessary rational end of rational men. I realize that the pursuit of peace is not as dramatic as the pursuit of war--and frequently the words of the pursuer fall on deaf ears. But we have no more urgent task.

Some say that it is useless to speak of world peace or world law or world disarmament--and that it will be useless until the leaders of the Soviet Union adopt a more enlightened attitude. I hope they do. I believe we can help them do it. But I also believe that we must reexamine our own attitude--as individuals and as a Nation--for our attitude is as essential as theirs. And every graduate of this school, every thoughtful citizen who despairs of war and wishes to bring peace, should begin by looking inward--by examining his own attitude toward the possibilities of peace, toward the Soviet Union, toward the course of the cold war and toward freedom and peace here at home.

First: Let us examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable--that mankind is doomed--that we are gripped by forces we cannot control.

We need not accept that view. Our problems are manmade--therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable--and we believe they can do it again.

I am not referring to the absolute, infinite concept of peace and good will of which some fantasies and fanatics dream. I do not deny the value of hopes and dreams but we merely invite discouragement and incredulity by making that our only and immediate goal.

Let us focus instead on a more practical, more attainable peace-- based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions--on a series of concrete actions and effective agreements which are in the interest of all concerned. There is no single, simple key to this peace--no grand or magic formula to be adopted by one or two powers. Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process--a way of solving problems.

With such a peace, there will still be quarrels and conflicting interests, as there are within families and nations. World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbor--it requires only that they live together in mutual tolerance, submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement. And history teaches us that enmities between nations, as between individuals, do not last forever. However fixed our likes and dislikes may seem, the tide of time and events will often bring surprising changes in the relations between nations and neighbors.

So let us persevere. Peace need not be impracticable, and war need not be inevitable. By defining our goal more clearly, by making it seem more manageable and less remote, we can help all peoples to see it, to draw hope from it, and to move irresistibly toward it.

Second: Let us reexamine our attitude toward the Soviet Union. It is discouraging to think that their leaders may actually believe what their propagandists write. It is discouraging to read a recent authoritative Soviet text on Military Strategy and find, on page after page, wholly baseless and incredible claims--such as the allegation that "American imperialist circles are preparing to unleash different types of wars . . . that there is a very real threat of a preventive war being unleashed by American imperialists against the Soviet Union . . . [and that] the political aims of the American imperialists are to enslave economically and politically the European and other capitalist countries . . . [and] to achieve world domination . . . by means of aggressive wars."

Truly, as it was written long ago: "The wicked flee when no man pursueth." Yet it is sad to read these Soviet statements--to realize the extent of the gulf between us. But it is also a warning--a warning to the American people not to fall into the same trap as the Soviets, not to see only a distorted and desperate view of the other side, not to see conflict as inevitable, accommodation as impossible, and communication as nothing more than an exchange of threats.

No government or social system is so evil that its people must be considered as lacking in virtue. As Americans, we find communism profoundly repugnant as a negation of personal freedom and dignity. But we can still hail the Russian people for their many achievements--in science and space, in economic and industrial growth, in culture and in acts of courage.

Among the many traits the peoples of our two countries have in common, none is stronger than our mutual abhorrence of war. Almost unique among the major world powers, we have never been at war with each other. And no nation in the history of battle ever suffered more than the Soviet Union suffered in the course of the Second World War. At least 20 million lost their lives. Countless millions of homes and farms were burned or sacked. A third of the nation's territory, including nearly two thirds of its industrial base, was turned into a wasteland--a loss equivalent to the devastation of this country east of Chicago.

Today, should total war ever break out again--no matter how--our two countries would become the primary targets. It is an ironic but accurate fact that the two strongest powers are the two in the most danger of devastation. All we have built, all we have worked for, would be destroyed in the first 24 hours. And even in the cold war, which brings burdens and dangers to so many nations, including this Nation's closest allies--our two countries bear the heaviest burdens. For we are both devoting massive sums of money to weapons that could be better devoted to combating ignorance, poverty, and disease. We are both caught up in a vicious and dangerous cycle in which suspicion on one side breeds suspicion on the other, and new weapons beget counterweapons.

In short, both the United States and its allies, and the Soviet Union and its allies, have a mutually deep interest in a just and genuine peace and in halting the arms race. Agreements to this end are in the interests of the Soviet Union as well as ours--and even the most hostile nations can be relied upon to accept and keep those treaty obligations, and only those treaty obligations, which are in their own interest.

So, let us not be blind to our differences--but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.

Third: Let us reexamine our attitude toward the cold war, remembering that we are not engaged in a debate, seeking to pile up debating points. We are not here distributing blame or pointing the finger of judgment. We must deal with the world as it is, and not as it might have been had the history of the last 18 years been different.

We must, therefore, persevere in the search for peace in the hope that constructive changes within the Communist bloc might bring within reach solutions which now seem beyond us. We must conduct our affairs in such a way that it becomes in the Communists' interest to agree on a genuine peace. Above all, while defending our own vital interests, nuclear powers must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war. To adopt that kind of course in the nuclear age would be evidence only of the bankruptcy of our policy--or of a collective death-wish for the world.

To secure these ends, America's weapons are nonprovocative, carefully controlled, designed to deter, and capable of selective use. Our military forces are committed to peace and disciplined in self- restraint. Our diplomats are instructed to avoid unnecessary irritants and purely rhetorical hostility.

For we can seek a relaxation of tension without relaxing our guard. And, for our part, we do not need to use threats to prove that we are resolute. We do not need to jam foreign broadcasts out of fear our faith will be eroded. We are unwilling to impose our system on any unwilling people--but we are willing and able to engage in peaceful competition with any people on earth.

Meanwhile, we seek to strengthen the United Nations, to help solve its financial problems, to make it a more effective instrument for peace, to develop it into a genuine world security system--a system capable of resolving disputes on the basis of law, of insuring the security of the large and the small, and of creating conditions under which arms can finally be abolished.

At the same time we seek to keep peace inside the non-Communist world, where many nations, all of them our friends, are divided over issues which weaken Western unity, which invite Communist intervention or which threaten to erupt into war. Our efforts in West New Guinea, in the Congo, in the Middle East, and in the Indian subcontinent, have been persistent and patient despite criticism from both sides. We have also tried to set an example for others--by seeking to adjust small but significant differences with our own closest neighbors in Mexico and in Canada.

Speaking of other nations, I wish to make one point clear. We are bound to many nations by alliances. Those alliances exist because our concern and theirs substantially overlap. Our commitment to defend Western Europe and West Berlin, for example, stands undiminished because of the identity of our vital interests. The United States will make no deal with the Soviet Union at the expense of other nations and other peoples, not merely because they are our partners, but also because their interests and ours converge

Our interests converge, however, not only in defending the frontiers of freedom, but in pursuing the paths of peace. It is our hope-- and the purpose of allied policies--to convince the Soviet Union that she, too, should let each nation choose its own future, so long as that choice does not interfere with the choices of others. The Communist drive to impose their political and economic system on others is the primary cause of world tension today. For there can be no doubt that, if all nations could refrain from interfering in the self-determination of others, the peace would be much more assured.

This will require a new effort to achieve world law--a new context for world discussions. It will require increased understanding between the Soviets and ourselves. And increased understanding will require increased contact and communication. One step in this direction is the proposed arrangement for a direct line between Moscow and Washington, to avoid on each side the dangerous delays, misunderstandings, and misreadings of the other's actions which might occur at a time of crisis.

We have also been talking in Geneva about the other first-step measures of arms control designed to limit the intensity of the arms race and to reduce the risks of accidental war. Our primary long range interest in Geneva, however, is general and complete disarmament-- designed to take place by stages, permitting parallel political developments to build the new institutions of peace which would take the place of arms. The pursuit of disarmament has been an effort of this Government since the 1920's. It has been urgently sought by the past three administrations. And however dim the prospects may be today, we intend to continue this effort--to continue it in order that all countries, including our own, can better grasp what the problems and possibilities of disarmament are.

The one major area of these negotiations where the end is in sight, yet where a fresh start is badly needed, is in a treaty to outlaw nuclear tests. The conclusion of such a treaty, so near and yet so far, would check the spiraling arms race in one of its most dangerous areas. It would place the nuclear powers in a position to deal more effectively with one of the greatest hazards which man faces in 1963, the further spread of nuclear arms. It would increase our security--it would decrease the prospects of war. Surely this goal is sufficiently important to require our steady pursuit, yielding neither to the temptation to give up the whole effort nor the temptation to give up our insistence on vital and responsible safeguards.

I am taking this opportunity, therefore, to announce two important decisions in this regard.

First: Chairman khrushchev, Prime Minister Macmillan, and I have agreed that high-level discussions will shortly begin in Moscow looking toward early agreement on a comprehensive test ban treaty. Our hopes must be tempered with the caution of history--but with our hopes go the hopes of all mankind.

Second: To make clear our good faith and solemn convictions on the matter, I now declare that the United States does not propose to conduct nuclear tests in the atmosphere so long as other states do not do so. We will not be the first to resume. Such a declaration is no substitute for a formal binding treaty, but I hope it will help us achieve it.

Finally, my fellow Americans, let us examine our attitude toward peace and freedom here at home. The quality and spirit of our own society must justify and support our efforts abroad. We must show it in the dedication of our own lives--as many of you who are graduating today will have a unique opportunity to do, by serving without pay in the Peace Corps abroad or in the proposed National Service Corps here at home.

But wherever we are, we must all, in our daily lives, live up to the age-old faith that peace and freedom walk together. In too many of our cities today, the peace is not secure because the freedom is incomplete.

It is the responsibility of the executive branch at all levels of government--local, State, and National--to provide and protect that freedom for all of our citizens by all means within their authority. It is the responsibility of the legislative branch at all levels, wherever that authority is not now adequate, to make it adequate. And it is the responsibility of all citizens in all sections of this country to respect the rights of all others and to respect the law of the land.

All this is not unrelated to world peace. "When a man's ways please the Lord," the Scriptures tell us, "he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." And is not peace, in the last analysis, basically a matter of human rights--the right to live out our lives without fear of devastation--the right to breathe air as nature provided it--the right of future generations to a healthy existence?

While we proceed to safeguard our national interests, let us also safeguard human interests. And the elimination of war and arms is clearly in the interest of both. No treaty, however much it may be to the advantage of all, however tightly it may be worded, can provide absolute security against the risks of deception and evasion. But it can--if it is sufficiently effective in its enforcement and if it is sufficiently in the interests of its signers--offer far more security and far fewer risks than an unabated, uncontrolled, unpredictable arms race.

The United States, as the world knows, will never start a war. We do not want a war. We do not now expect a war. This generation of Americans has already had enough--more than enough--of war and hate and oppression. We shall be prepared if others wish it. We shall be alert to try to stop it. But we shall also do our part to build a world of peace where the weak are safe and the strong are just. We are not helpless before that task or hopeless of its success. Confident and unafraid, we labor on--not toward a strategy of annihilation but toward a strategy of peace.

MBA TODAY: INVESTEER IN PROFESSIONELE EN PERSOONLIJKE ONTWIKKELING

2004-04-28T18:03:00.000+02:00

Drs. J.H. Van der Werff
Senior Vice President University of Phoenix - Europe

Inleiding
Onder invloed van globalisering ondervinden bedrijven toenemende en meer gevarieerde concurrentie. Dat stelt hoge eisen aan de flexibiliteit van organisatie en mensen. In deze veeleisende werkomgeving is “lifelong learning” een noodzaak. Juist daar blijft Nederland achter bij landen als de Verenigde Staten en het Verenigd Koninkrijk. In het artikel “Nederlandse business school trekt minder mba-studenten”, onlangs gepubliceerd in het Financieele Dagblad, blijkt dat veel MBA-aanbieders worden geconfronteerd met teruglopende aantallen part-time kandidaten. Dat kan deels worden verklaard uit een lagere bereidheid van werkgevers de MBA studie (mede) te bekostigen. Het zelf financieren van een MBA opleiding en het investeren in de noodzakelijke studie-uren, blijken vaak onoverkomelijk voor potentiele kandidaten.

Behoefte aan competent management
“Today’s companies......need managers (and workers) who have been re-educated and retrained to be cross-functional, cross-skilled, self-managed, able to communicate and work in teams, and able to change on a moment’s notice” (Dr. Jorge J. Klor de Alva, former president University of Phoenix, ‘Remaking the Academy’, Educause Review March/April 2000). Het verbeteren van dergelijke praktische kerncompetenties is een wezenlijk onderdeel van elke serieuze MBA opleiding. Dat vereist wel dat curriculum en faculteit zich richten op de behoeften van de (potentiële) manager en zijn of haar bedrijfsomgeving. De leeromgeving dient bij te dragen aan het succes van de studenten in hun huidige positie en dient deelnemers voor te bereiden op de volgende stap(pen) in hun carrière. Van een afgestudeerde MBA’er mag het vermogen worden verwacht vanuit verschillende invalshoeken naar managementsituaties te kijken, te analyseren, op te lossen en eventuele veranderingen te implementeren. In een snel veranderende bedrijfsomgeving is er behoefte aan management dat voldoende competent is uitdagingen adequaat het hoofd te bieden en kansen te benutten.

Wie betaalt?
Deelnemers aan MBA opleidingen ervaren een sterke professionele ontwikkeling en persoonlijke groei. Hun organisaties profiteren in de vorm van een toename van productiviteit en flexibiliteit: MBA’ers bieden in potentie een waardevole bijdrage aan het succes van de organisatie. De economische teruggang heeft trainings- en opleidingsbudgetten niet ongemoeid gelaten. Met als gevolg dat veel MBA geïnteresseerden hun werkgever niet altijd kunnen bewegen de studie volledig of gedeeltelijk te financieren.Gezien de “personal benefits” die een goede MBA opleiding levert, is dat geen reden om van verdere studie – en verdere ontwikkeling – af te zien. Het is zinvol na te gaan wat de werkelijke kosten van een MBA studie zijn en andere vormen van financiering te overwegen.

Flexibiliteit in betaling en belastingaftrek
Een aantal aanbieders van (part-time) MBA onderwijs heeft aantrekkelijke betalingsvoorwaarden: deelnemers kunnen gespreid over het jaar betalen. Dat biedt in de regel ook meer flexibiliteit omdat de (part-time) studie eventueel tijdelijk kan worden onderbroken, zonder financiële gevolgen, als de werksituatie of privé omgeving dat noodzakelijk maakt. Een dergelijke flexibiliteit in de betaling geeft part-time studenten meer mogelijkheden om de studie geheel of gedeeltelijk uit lopende inkomsten te financieren.
MBA scholingsuitgaven zijn onder een aantal voorwaarden fiscaal aftrekbaar:
• de opleiding is noodzakelijk voor het huidige of toekomstige beroep;
• de studie dient één van de volgende doelen:
(1) het verbeteren van de maatschappelijke positie in financieel-economisch opzicht;
(2) het op peil houden of verbeteren van kennis en vaardigheden die nodig zijn voor het verwerven of behouden van uw inkomen uit tegenwoordige arbeid.
Voor 2004 geldt een drempel van euro 500 en er geldt een plafond van euro 15.000. De kosten van studieboeken zijn ook aftrekbaar; eventuele reis-/verblijfkosten niet
(bron: www.belastingdienst.nl). Het netto-effect van deze aftrek verschilt uiteraard per individu, afhankelijk van onder meer het vigerende marginale tarief (52% maximaal) en specifieke persoonlijke omstandigheden.

Financiering via een bank
Onder voorwaarden kunnen MBA lesgelden via een bank worden gefinancierd. In sommige gevallen is in samenspraak met het opleidingsinstituut een speciaal financierings-arrangement opgesteld. Als de lesgelden gespreid kunnen worden voldaan, dan zullen financieringsbehoefte en rentelasten gedurende de studie oplopen. Aflossing vindt veelal na beëindiging van de studie plaats. In voorkomende gevallen is het raadzaam na te gaan of de gekozen MBA-opleider afspraken heeft met één of meerdere banken.

Een investering in de toekomst
Een MBA-opleiding vereist een investering in termen van geld en tijd. Die investering vertaalt zich al snel in professionele en persoonlijke groei en een verbeterd carrière-perspectief. In de Verenigde Staten blijkt dat bij afnemende economische groei, de stap naar een vervolgopleiding veel makkelijker wordt genomen dan in Nederland. Die stap wordt deels ingegeven door het vertrouwen dat nieuw verworven competenties goed van pas komen bij de volgende economische “upswing”. Enige aarzeling om in mindere economische tijden een serieuze studie aan te vangen is natuurlijk terecht; de “costs”en “benefits” moeten zorgvuldig worden afgewogen. Mogelijkheden voor gespreide betaling, belastingvoordelen en externe financiering kunnen soelaas bieden en een MBA opleiding binnen bereik brengen, zonder hulp van de werkgever.

Voor meer informatie, bezoek de website van University of Phoenix: www.uop.nl

Part-time MBA for professionals - The Global Higher Education Market

2004-04-24T10:50:00.000+02:00

The Global Higher Education Market

Prof. dr. Marijk van de Wende, CHEPS

Rotterdam - A small passage out of the Key Note Speech of Prof. dr. Markijk van der Wende for the MBA Graduation Ceremony of University of Phoenix, May 24, 2003. Called "The Global Higher Education Market".

"In Europe the emergence of transnational education (TNE) and especially e-learning provided by foreign institutions has also led to some concerns. Recent studies show that the main importers of TNE in Europe are Greece, Italy and Spain. The main exporters to these countries are the UK and the US. The reports are quite honest in stating that TNE can widen access to quality higher education and that its growth is often a sign that the national systems are not responding to the needs of the students. This can refer to quantitative needs; the national higher education structure cannot cater for the national demand (e.g. Greece can provide places in the national HE system for only one third of the students). Or in terms of diversity; the need for more flexible, student centered, or competency based learning which is not met by the national system. I think that the presence of the University of Phoenix here can be seen rather as an exemple of the latter than of the former. It is ackowledged, that in general, regulation, quality assurance and recognition are the main problems related to this type of education. And finally, TNE, or more specificly non-European providers who are entering the European market, are seen as a threat to European higher education, which calls for the enhancement of the international competitiveness of European higher education itself. This notion became one of the central aims of the Bologna Declaration, which started a process of European-wide reforms in the sector."

The part-time MBA for working Professionals in Holland - Organizational Complexity and the Future of Knowledge Management

2004-04-24T10:41:00.000+02:00

Organizational Complexity and the Future of Knowledge Management

Speaker at University of Phoenix, The Netherlands: Dave Snowden.

Bio: Dave Snowden is Director of the newly formed IBM Cynefin Centre which focuses on using human networks to enable the emergence of new meaning in organizational complexity. He was formerly a Director in the Institute for Knowledge Management where he led the Institute's programs on complexity and narrative as well as taking geographic responsibility for the Institute's activities outside the Americas. One of the founders of organic knowledge management, he pioneered the use of story techniques as a means of knowledge disclosure and a key aspect of creating a knowledge strategy. His subsequent work has taken him into the integration of learning and knowledge using models derived from complexity science and the development of advanced techniques for the management of informal communities and the simulation of social networks. His work on narrative has continued to develop with highly original work on the use of archetypes for a variety of purposes, oral history as an alter-native to Intellectual Capital Management Systems and the integration of complexity and narrative models into advanced decision support tools for strategy formation, scenario planning, innovation, branding and cultural change/integration.

The success of this work had led to the creation of The Cynefin Centre, membership of which is open to individuals and to organizations. It focuses on high participation action research projects seeking new insights into the nature of organizations and markets using models derived from sciences that recognize the inherent uncertainties of social systems.

Programs run on a national, international and regional basis and range from investigation of seemingly impossible or intractable problems to pragmatic early entry into new methods and tools such as narrative databases, social network stimulation and asymmetric threat management. The basis of all programs to look at any issue from new perspectives and to facilitate problem solving through multiple interactions between program participants. The Centre is not about consultants or academics conducting multiple interviews or observations and deriving hypothesizes and models based on their "expertise", it is about creating focused interactions between many sources of knowledge to enable the emergence of new meaning and insight. The Centre is based on a model of networked intelligence, creating a broad loosely structured coalition of academics, industrial and governmental organizations to create a dynamic learning ecology for its members.

Dave Snowden has an MBA from Middlesex University and a BA in Philosophy from Lancaster University. He is honorary fellow in knowledge management at the University of Warwick and teaches on the MBA programs at Warwick, Sophia Antipolis and Piacenza. He regularly consults at the board level with some of the world's largest companies as well as to Government and NGOs. In addition he sits on a number of advisory and other bodies including the BSI committee on standards for Knowledge Management. A gifted speaker and educator he is in regular demand as a keynote speaker worldwide. His master classes in a variety of subjects both public and private are highly rated and regularly sell out.

MBA Scholarships at University of Phoenix in The Netherlands -

2004-04-24T07:44:00.000+02:00

Flevum Forum Network MBA SCHOLARSHIP for Exceptional Talent

Rotterdam - Out of a large pool of well qualified, talented young professionals, University of Phoenix had the pleasure to grant Flevum Forum scholarships to two very gifted candidates:

Ms. Irina Gorbounova and Ms. Bianca van Sleeuwen. Both of them excelled in the selection process, and demonstrated to be very able of developing original ideas in their essays. Leadership and team work qualities were convincingly brought to life at several personal interviews.

Bianca graduated from Nijmegen University and holds a degree in Dutch Law. After graduation, it did not take her long to start her own company Talento Management BV. Talento Management offers Bianca all possibilities to develop activities related to and advise on subsidy requests, legal matters, and management support.

Irina holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration, a Master of Management and Linguistics, and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). In her present position as Senior Associate with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Irina is specialized in audit and transaction services of multinational companies.

We wish both of them all success pursuing the University of Phoenix MBA degree and further expanding their career opportunities.

MBA and Career tips for doing an MBA at University of Phoenix

2004-04-24T07:42:00.000+02:00

MBA and Career Boldly ask for more

Layoffs. Cutbacks. Recession. A skittish stock market. Flagging consumer confidence. It's the perfect time to boldly march into your boss' office and ask for a raise, right?

What am I - nuts?

These days, those of us who still have a job may be content to not rock the boat. We see the empty cubicles where former employees used to work. We hear management's dire predictions for flat growth, or worse. Sure, we're working harder. But so is everyone. Around the water cooler, you hear the fantasies about moving up, moving on, getting out. But nobody seems to be moving anywhere, at least not willingly. Ask for a raise? You'd have to be a fool to ask for more in this economy.

Or maybe not.

Experts say, asking your boss for more money too often begins as a desperate act. You can't make end meet. You're working harder than ever before, but don't seem to be getting anywhere. Perhaps you feel under appreciated. The pressure is on. You feel like you have to confront your boss with your desperate situation.

"Don't seem too desperate. You don't want [your boss] to feel sorry for you," says career expert, Ronna Lichtenberg. "Desperation is the worst reason in the world to ask for more money, and the least likely to be successful," says veteran job counselor MacKenzie Synder. "It appeals to your needs, not the company's."

"If you're going to ask for a raise, have your ducks in order. Despite the job market, asking for a raise is still to be done gingerly," says David Theobald, president of Netshare, Inc, a California-based executive recruiting firm.

What ducks, you ask?

Your current salary. How does it compare with industry standards and the competition for your level of experience? Check out the salary wizard at www.intermediair.nl/salariskompas.

> Know what you're getting now. It's not just salary. Your employer pays for other benefits, too. Some may have gone up in cost. Know what they're currently worth.

> What you do. Have your responsibilities increased without additional compensation? Can you document it?

> Document your achievements. The burden of proof is on your to provide evidence that you are worth more to the company.

> Keep it factual, poised, positive and confident. Stay away from pleading personal needs, personal comparisons to fellow workers or defensive allegations. Don't threaten to leave or go over your boss' head.

> Pick your moment well. Have you just distinguished yourself or been recognized for recent work accomplishments? When is your next scheduled review? Is your boss stressed out, under deadlines or in a bad mood?

> Know what you want but be willing to be flexible. Show cooperation and team spirit. This isn't just about you.

> Maintain a good relationship with your boss. Asking for a raise should flow out of an ongoing atmosphere of communication - about company goals, expectations for your performance, ways to improve work flow or generate more revenue and team cooperation. Help your boss meet his or her goals and he or she will help you meet yours.

MBA the Phoenix way in The Netherlands

2004-04-24T07:37:00.000+02:00

Doing MBA the Phoenix way

Interview by Dick Smakman
reporter for Business in H.R.D.

"People pursue an MBA degree for various reasons. Enhancing career opportunities with your current employer or outside the company is certainly an important motive. Or the organization itself expects employees to earn additional credentials. Broadening the set of current skills to prepare for a management position is another reason to do an MBA. For those who already hold a management position, but mainly act on "gut feel" rather than a knowledge base, an MBA offers scope to build a stronger theoretical basis to work from. Others wish to explore their business environment in which they operate. Much is changing, and how can these changes be anticipated? An MBA study helps them to cope with these challenges. Finally, some of us strongly feel our organizations could do better.

An MBA builds your analytical skills to be able to analyze what went wrong and to suggest ways to improve." So far drs Jan Henk van der Werff, University of Phoenix Director for the Netherlands.

"We do not only differentiate ourselves by emphasizing practical application, we certainly derive value from taking our students seriously. In many different ways.

For example, at the start of a class session, we evaluate the previous session. This way we help our students to review the content of the course as a whole. We have "built-in" courses to reflect on previous courses. We feel these modules are very important symbols: students need to be stimulated to activate knowledge and skills, transferred in earlier parts of the program. Another example is the way we handle assignments: individual assignments are used to reflect on the previous class, learning team meetings are used to prepare the forthcoming class. Students need to be capable of analyzing practical situations and relate these to theory. Next, they should have the ability to suggest solutions and ways to implement these. This competence is assessed in every class."

"At the end of every course, our students fill out an electronic survey. This survey allows them to evaluate the course on specific elements. Students can qualify these elements on a continuum, ranging from "poor" to "excellent". Students can insert their names, if they like to and schedule an appointment to further discuss the course and the evaluation. This helps us to continuously improve our teaching/learning method."

2004-04-23T08:46:00.000+02:00

Interactive Workshop RFID/EPC ™ Technology

On March 31 2004, University of Phoenix (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and Mieloo & Alexander successfully organized an interactive session for MBA Students and MBA Alumni of University of Phoenix, The Netherlands on RFID technology and business applications. The focus of the evening was to explore how RFID/EPC™ technology has the potential to transform supply chain operations and to add significant value to business.NEW

Workshop slides: RFID/EPC ™ Technology >>

Rotterdam scoort als MBA beter dan Nyenrode

2004-04-12T23:19:00.000+02:00

Rotterdam scoort als MBA beter dan Nyenrode
MBA-opleidingen onder de maat

Door Freek Staps - NRC Handelsblad
De scholen prijzen zich gelukkig, de studenten betalen grif en werken er hard voor, en het bedrijfsleven prijst zich gelukkig met hoger opgeleid personeel: MBA-opleidingen worden almaar populairder. Toch blijft het niveau in Nederland onder de maat.

Terwijl bejaarde toeristen op de rondvaartboot op de Vecht wijzen naar het kasteel van Nyenrode, lopen de aspirant-studenten het gebouw in. Het is zaterdag, de zon schijnt, en op deze dag houdt Nyenrode een informatiebijeenkomst voor zijn MBA-programma.

Pauline Bax, werkzaam bij zorgverzekeraar Amicon, heeft al een informatiebijeenkomst op Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) bijgewoond. Bax: "Ik maak de keuze tussen verschillende opleidingen vooral op gevoel. Ik kijk naar de sfeer. Wie komen er verder op zo'n dag af en wat heb ik daarmee?" Ze wil zien welke opleiding beter is: RSM of Nyenrode. "Als je al zo'n opleiding gaat volgen, moet je het wel goed doen."

Bijeenkomsten zoals deze kunnen er niet genoeg zijn voor opleidingen die de titel van MBA, Master of Business Administration, aanbieden. Daar zijn twee redenen voor. De scholen die deze algemene managementopleiding aanbieden, in de volksmond business schools geheten, verheugen zich de laatste jaren steeds meer in een toename van het aantal studenten. Die moeten allemaal ergens studeren, en hebben daar veel geld voor over.

Het logische gevolg van de toenemende interesse is een explosie van het aantal instituten die een MBA-programma aanbieden. De markt groeit, de opleidingen springen daarop in. Gemiddeld komen er jaarlijks vier voltijd-MBA-opleidingen bij. Of, zoals ze het op Nyenrode zeggen, in Nederland is op elke hoek van de straat een MBA te krijgen.

De scholen houden er niet van cijfers over deze groei naar buiten te brengen. Business schools zijn big business, en concurrentie-overwegingen spelen een rol bij het zo vaag mogelijk houden van het reilen en zeilen van de onderwijsinstituten. Nyenrode wil niet meer zeggen dan dat "de populariteit van de opleiding toeneemt en de langetermijntrend duidelijk naar boven wijst". Ook op de Rotterdam School of Management is het aantal aanmeldingen voor het komende studiejaar toegenomen. Bovendien melden aspirant-studenten zich steeds vroeger in het jaar aan.

Volgens Frans Leijnse, voorzitter van de HBO-Raad die toezicht houdt op de hogescholen, is die groei logisch. Sinds de Tweede Wereldoorlog, meent Leijnse, zijn door de groei van het internationale bedrijfsleven algemene managementvaardigheden belangrijker geworden.

De vraag vanuit het bedrijfsleven naar werknemers met een (goede) MBA-titel neemt dan ook toe. Het zijn vooral werknemers met al een jaar of drie werkervaring die aan een MBA-opleiding beginnen. Zij willen harder carrière maken, of hun loopbaan misschien soms zelfs helemaal omgooien. Nyenrode eist in principe 5 tot 6 jaar werkervaring, een afgeronde HBO- of WO-opleiding en een score van minimaal 500 op de wereldwijd gebruikte GMAT (general management admission test). Dat wil niet zeggen dat iedereen die aan deze eisen voldoet ook toegelaten wordt. Op Nyenrode wordt één op de drie, in Rotterdam één op de vier kandidaten toegelaten.

In tegenstelling tot de Verenigde Staten, de thuisbasis van de MBA-programma's, die er al meer dan een eeuw geleden opgezet werden, is Nederland een betrekkelijke nieuwkomer op de markt van de businessschools. De Rotterdam School of Management begon pas in 1985 met zijn MBA-programma. En Nyenrode begon pas negen jaar geleden zich op voltijd MBA-opleidingen toe te leggen. In 1996 waren er al met al nog maar 10 voltijd-MBA-programma's in Nederland, in 2000 was dat aantal naar 19 gegroeid. Naast Rotterdam en Nyenrode bieden ook de Universiteit Twente, de Haarlem Business School, Tilburg (TIAS) en de Hanzehogeschool Groningen een voltijd MBA-opleiding aan.

Niemand draagt verantwoordelijkheid voor de kwaliteit van de opleidingen. Want in Nederland is de MBA-titel niet beschermd.

Aspirant-studente Pauline Bax heeft de ranking-lijsten van de MBA-opleidingen goed bestudeerd. Indien Nederlandse opleidingen al op die rankings voorkomen, scoren ze niet hoog. In een van de internationaal meest toonaangevende lijsten, die van de Britse krant Financial Times, staat RSM op de 27ste (in 2000: 29ste) en Nyenrode op de 70ste plaats (in 2000; 73ste). Op de lijst van The Wall Street Journal staat geen enkele Nederlandse school.

Alle opleidingen hebben een excuus waarom ze zo laag staan. Zo zegt de directeur van de MBA-programma's van Nyenrode, Ronald Tuninga, dat dat komt door "de wijze waarop de lijstjes opgebouwd worden". Veel rankings kijken naar de stijging van het salaris van de afgestudeerden. Maar in de Verenigde Staten verdienen de studenten vóór ze aan de opleiding beginnen maar weinig en in Europa al betrekkelijk veel. Als ze afstuderen in de VS maken ze dus een grote sprong in salaris, terwijl ze in Europa en in Azië die grote sprong niet maken. Daardoor lijken de Amerikaanse opleidingen veel sucesvoller.

Toenmalig president van Nyenrode Neelie Kroes voorspelde een kleine tien jaar geleden dat de school binnen vijf jaar bij de Europese top-vijf zou horen. "Dat is een overschatting geweest", zegt Tuninga. Toch wil Nyenrode die top halen – opnieuw binnen vijf jaar, zeggen ze.

Nyenrode's geheime wapen om dat te bereiken heet Karel van Miert, die een jaar geleden aantrad als president. Als Europees Commissaris heeft hij zoveel bedrijven langs zien komen, zo redeneert Tuninga, dat zijn Europese netwerk heel sterk is. Dat moet resultaten hebben voor de bedrijven waar de studenten na de opleiding terechtkunnen.

Rotterdam heeft die ambitie niet zo erg, tenslotte staat RSM in de ranking van het Amerikaanse zakenblad BusinessWeek van de enkele tientallen serieuze MBA-scholen in Europa op de vijfde plaats. En om die positie ten minste te behouden vindt de dean van RSM, Kai Peters, dat hij streng moet zijn. "Ik heb vanochtend 7 van de 150 studenten van de opleiding verwijderd. Zij konden niet meekomen met de stof. In een gewone bedrijfskunde-opleiding zouden ze misschien een tentamen opnieuw maken, hier kan dat niet. Ik kan niet iedereen aan het handje houden en door het programma trekken."

De 27-jarige half Deense, half Amerikaanse Emily Adair kan niks zeggen over het lot van haar medestudenten. It's lonely at the top, lijkt ze te denken als ze geen commentaar wil geven over haar vroegere vrienden.

Haar doel van de opleiding? "Met een MBA-titel hoop ik topmanager te worden." De achttien maanden die Adair aan RSM doorbrengt, bestaan voor het grootste deel uit het bestuderen van praktijkvoorbeelden van bedrijven en in groepjes presentaties in elkaar zetten. "Met die case-studies leer je snel te denken. Zo was er een complex voorbeeld over staalproductie. Maar wat weet ik daar van? Dan komt het erop aan snel veel informatie te kunnen verwerken."

Bij het zoeken naar de voor Adair meest geschikte MBA-opleiding bezocht zij acht scholen, zowel in Europa als de Verenigde Staten. Uiteindelijk viel de keuze op RSM. "Nederland sprak me aan als economisch sterk land en RSM is zonder twijfel de meest internationale school ter wereld zonder een dominant aanwezige cultuur van welke nationaliteit dan ook." En Nyenrode, was dat dan geen optie? Adair: "Om eerlijk te zijn had ik nog nooit van Nyenrode gehoord."

2004-04-02T09:03:00.000+02:00

Education that Works

In collaboration with Mr Peter Gillies, Director of Learning and Development at Nutreco, Guy Knapton, Director of Academic Affairs at University of Phoenix , has been asked to deliver a lecture to the Nutreco Business Program for middle and senior managers of the global food company. As his subject Guy chose the growing concern over obesity and its strategic significance to food manufacturers and retailers. Participants in the Nutreco Orientation Program for new entrants visited the campus for a workshop on strategy.

Peter had chosen a Harvard case on Cargill, the largest private company in America and a major player in the food industry. To illustrate the lessons of this case, Guy asked the participants to choose three statements from Porter’s article What is Strategy? and give a short presentation on their relevance to Nutreco’s future growth.

In addition to his work at Nutreco, Peter is also a founding member of the University’s faculty, where he leads the team in Managing People.

2004-03-31T21:19:00.000+02:00

Differences between American and European MBA programs
Richard Kaeler
(Abstract from Opleiding & Carriere, May 2003)

"The potential differences between an American MBA and a European MBA are often important items for consideration in a candidate’s program selection process. Although differences are narrowing due to globalization, it should be noted that there are program and/or cultural features that can be important in the individual’s decision making process. Differences exist in terms of; historical beginnings; academic philosophies; MBA program objectives, and; business cultures. These factors can discussed in general terms and based on the stereotype 'American' and 'European' MBA programs."

Risks and Benefits
"As a stereotype and with a sense of humor, the American business approach is to 'act first, ask for permission later', whereas, the European approach is to 'ask for permission first, and then ask for a subsidy'. The Americans are known to be 'risk-takers' and European are more 'risk-averse'. European business plans tend to discuss the 'risks' first and the 'benefits' second. American business plans are the reverse."

"Moving from a professional specialty to a more general management position can be extremely difficult mainly from the lack of understanding the fundamentals of business. In that case pursuing an MBA program can be of great value."

2004-03-31T17:00:00.000+02:00

" Doing MBA the Phoenix way "
Interview by Dick Smakman
reporter for Business in H.R.D.

"People pursue an MBA degree for various reasons. Enhancing career opportunities with your current employer or outside the company is certainly an important motive. Or the organization itself expects employees to earn additional credentials. Broadening the set of current skills to prepare for a management position is another reason to do an MBA. For those who already hold a management position, but mainly act on "gut feel" rather than a knowledge base, an MBA offers scope to build a stronger theoretical basis to work from. Others wish to explore their business environment in which they operate. Much is changing, and how can these changes be anticipated? An MBA study helps them to cope with these challenges. Finally, some of us strongly feel our organizations could do better.

An MBA builds your analytical skills to be able to analyze what went wrong and to suggest ways to improve." So far drs Jan Henk van der Werff, University of Phoenix Director for the Netherlands.

"We do not only differentiate ourselves by emphasizing practical application, we certainly derive value from taking our students seriously. In many different ways.

For example, at the start of a class session, we evaluate the previous session. This way we help our students to review the content of the course as a whole. We have "built-in" courses to reflect on previous courses. We feel these modules are very important symbols: students need to be stimulated to activate knowledge and skills, transferred in earlier parts of the program. Another example is the way we handle assignments: individual assignments are used to reflect on the previous class, learning team meetings are used to prepare the forthcoming class. Students need to be capable of analyzing practical situations and relate these to theory. Next, they should have the ability to suggest solutions and ways to implement these. This competence is assessed in every class."

"At the end of every course, our students fill out an electronic survey. This survey allows them to evaluate the course on specific elements. Students can qualify these elements on a continuum, ranging from "poor" to "excellent". Students can insert their names, if they like to and schedule an appointment to further discuss the course and the evaluation. This helps us to continuously improve our teaching/learning method."

2004-03-31T10:00:00.000+02:00

Guy Knapton on teaching MBA at University of Phoenix in Holland

We don't work for the student
'But with the student. I see myself as a coach. I accompany a team to reach their goals. I can point out that a player needs more exercise. It is up to him whether to take my advice or not. The art is to create a situation in which the student gets the opportunity to grow.'

The student is the hero
'The student is on stage. Students are used to a certain way of teaching. The professor opens his book and class starts. The students take notes. This is absolutely not my way. To make sure that a student feels more involved I make him the center of attention. Every student is unique and therefore you cannot treat all students in the same way.'

Learning is sharing
'It is important that something happens between student and faculty. Something spiritual, something intellectual and something emotional. It is essential that both parties receive something. If the faculty allows his students to take everything he offers, it is all over. Good teaching is about the faculty receiving as well. It is a fascinating process of sharing experiences.'

2004-03-31T00:50:00.000+02:00

MBA - Life Long Learning

Edwin Eichelsheim, graduate of MBA-class 2000, fully understands
the concept of Life Long Learning at University of Phoenix.