2019- uae celebrates the year of tolerance · business watch casinos shuffling decks to restart...

January 2019 Volume: 01

2019- UAE Celebrates the Year of Tolerance

Hanil Haridas, Co-Founder & Executive DirectorWestford Education Group

Exciting Opportunities, New Markets &Student-Centric Programs – A Promising 2019 !

Editorial Board Members

Dear Readers,

As we foray into 2019, and look ahead with optimism, Westford University College is well-poised in considering a broad range of ‘student- centric’ opportunities that would o�er futuristic courses as part of its ever-growing boutique of programs at undergraduate and post graduate levels. The intent is to keep the programs pragmatic and industry relevant in order to keep pace with an intensely competitive and evolving global business environ-ment.

We are actively embracing disruptive technologies that has placed uncompro-mising demands on all academic & educational institutions globally to view the big picture, assess risks, and innovate faster. Considering the gradual shift in learning methodologies globally, Westford remains motivated & highly-committed as it strives harder to become a preferred online educa-tion service provider. Our value based curriculum would positively address the needs of new-age learning preferences and habits to ‘reinvigorate’ our core values of o�ering quality educational experience at an a�ordable price. Having said this, in 2019 again Westford University College, as part of its institutional belief shall continue to provide a conducive campus environ-ment towards promoting an all-round holistic development of its student fraternity & dare to dream big by strengthening and nurturing its industry partnerships, through the extremely popular inhouse initiatives – ‘We Connect’, ‘Day with a CEO’, ‘We Talk’,‘Westford Toastmasters Club’ and ‘Westford Communique’.

This year will remain special as our aspiration to grow and access promising unchartered markets shall mean forging new partnerships with a multitude of academic institutions and universities across US, UK, Spain and rest of the globe. Additionally, innovative programs such as Bachelors Plus shall be launched to enhance our product portfolio that o�ers an optimum mix of customized programs and courses designed to benefit students and experi-enced working professionals in all geographical markets. We are excited about the promising future and the road ahead, that would allow us to re-discover our potential and hope to o�er enriching life-long experiences to all our students.

Wishing all a magnificent year ahead !

Dr. Raman SubramanianContent Editor

Sufia MunirEditor in Chief

Hanil HaridasManaging Editor

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2018- The Good,the Bad & the Incredible

UAE Celebrates 2019 as theYear of Tolerance

WE Talk withMr. Rohit Bassi

WEConnect With BusinessLeaders

Our Alumni Diaspora

Introducing theWestford Musical Band

My Day out with a CEO

Revisiting Learning &Student Engagement inthe Virtual Classroom

Transforming the TextileIndustry: One sustainablestep at a time

The Resilient Supply Chain

Conversational artificialintelligence: The techbuzzword of 2018

Business Watch CasinosShuffling Decks to RestartAfresh from Bankruptcy

Reverse Mentoring:Millennials leading the way!

The Tata Jaguar Case:A Cultural IntegrationSuccess Story

Push yourself out ofyour head

THE GUGGENHEIM EFFECT

Book Review- HBR’s 10 MustReads on Strategy

New Year Celebrations –A Time of Self Reflection,Fun, Games & Team-Spiri

Cardiff Metropolitan University –MBA Advance Entry Classes

Course of the Month MBA inEngineering Management

Convocation Ceremony

Year at a glance

January 2019 www.mywestford.com | Page - 03

2018 - The Good,the Bad & theIncredible

What about everything wonderful in 2018? We had the Fifa World Cup, Scientists discovered a ten-minute test for Cancer, the number of people living below poverty line has reduced, lifespan has increased, Global hunger is diminishing, child labour is declin-ing and more children are going to school than ever before!

And on a lighter note, Marvel has announced the ultimate female super-hero - Captain Marvel, women in Saudi Arabia are driving, sprinter Hima Das has become the first Indian woman athlete to win Gold at the world level!

In short 2018 wasn’t all that bad. In fact, it might even have been great. It is so important to remember the good in all the bad when moving onto the next year. Unaccomplished goals of 2018 are the upcoming triumphs of 2019. Your failures, your misses are just proof that greatness is yet to come, and it will. So if the past year was good, make this year better. If the past year was great, make this year absolutely phenomenal.

You’re limited only by your vision. Let’s be limitless!

Firoz Thairinil

Founder & CEO,Westford Education Group

Here’s a question to ponder upon: what was 2018 to you? And why? Was it absolutely horrible? Just another three hundred and sixty four days? Was every day filled with something new, something exciting? Or did you live in dread, just going through the motions of a life you’d not wish upon anyone?

Answer honestly, and answer well. If your answer leans towards the Glass-half-empty spectrum, then you might not be alone.

Here are a few arguments for ‘Terrible’- Over three-hundred mass shootings in the US (that’s nearly one shooting perday), Brexit, the worst flood in the southern state of India, Kerala in a hundred years, the Nippah virus outbreak, the huge and still growing number of sexual assault victims coming forward with their stories and these are facts just to begin with. Not to mention the number of legends we’ve had to bid adieu to this year- Marvel Giant Stan Lee, The physicist Stephen Hawkings, Bolly-wood legend Sridevi, musician Avicii, chef Anthony Bourdain, legend Aretha Franklin, and many more.

But with all the ups and downs, or perhaps because of it, we’ve seen wonderful & amazing things too. And sometimes, in the midst of all the horror, we see the inviolable human spirit.

The Kerala Floods showed people, the spirit of humanity. People from all background irrespective of their religion, culture and nationality came foward to help each other rebuild their lives.


UAE Celebrates 2019 asthe Year of ToleranceOn December 15th, 2018 H.H Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE declared the 2019 as the ‘Year of Tolerance’. The decision resonates perfectly with the vision of the father of the nation, H.H Sheikh Zayed Bin Sulthan Al Nahyan who firmly believed that all peaceful nations and communities have tolerance as their cornerstone. H.H Sheikh Khalifa mentioned that tolerance is an extremely essential attribute that will positively impact the local as well as the global community in ensuring safety, stability and well-being. It is evident from this declaration that transforming UAE into the ‘Global Capital’ for tolerance is a key objective of the leadership. UAE has truly become a role model of tolerance by introducing a ministry for tolerance; headed by H.H Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mubarak as the Minister of Toler-ance.

The ‘Year of Tolerance’ will focus on five main pillars. The first pillar aims at strengthening the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence of communities from diverse cultures. The second pillar lays emphasis on establishing UAE as the global capital for peace and tolerance. The third pillar will bring together multicultural communities by enacting multiple cultural programs. The fourth pillar will focus on integrating the core value of tolerance into legislation and policy making. And finally, the fifth pillar will promote tolerance through media initia-tives.

‘National Tolerance Program’, is another noteworthy initiative by the UAE Government. Seven main pillars; “Islam, UAE Constitution, Zayed's Legacy and Ethics of the UAE, International Conventions, Archeology and History, Humanity, and Common Values” form the basis of this initiative. The third week of November every year will be celebrated as the “Tolerance Week.’ In addition, ‘The World Tolerance Summit’ (WTS 2018) organized by the International Institute for Tolerance was held in Dubai on November 2018. The summit provided a platform for regional and national leaders to formulate strategies that will be instrumental in creating peaceful global communities.

UAE has been ranked 1st regionally and 3rd globally on the Tolerance Index by International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland. UAE’s role in promoting tolerance is remarkable. It is evident in the freedom its expatriate community enjoys in pursuing their religious beliefs. The Hindu temple, gurudwara, numerous churches and the upcoming visit of Pope Francis are glorious examples of UAE’s tolerance towards other religions.

WeTalk welcomes speakers from diverse back-grounds representing business leaders, analysts, managers, teachers, programmers, scientists, comedians, designers, musicians, writers and activists. We come together to create a space that is brimming with curiosity, excitement and connection. It is events like “WE Talk” that helps in building collaboration within communities. Westford has organized three successful WE Talk events so far. Each one of the speakers shared simple yet powerful methods of over-coming personal and professional challenges through their life-changing inspirational stories & experiences.

The third edition of WeTalk was with Mr. Rohit Bassi, who is a motivational speaker, popularly known as ‘ROI’, as he delivers return on invest-ment. He uses ancient wisdom and combines it with modern day living to help the transition from disruption to transformation. He explained that the ancient wisdom known as ‘JIGRA’ is the missing link to success. It is the ability to integrate one's heart and brain, thus allowing one to communicate, negotiate and lead with greater success. The session was a masterclass on enhancing personal image and being impressive by tapping into one’s own JIGRA, ‘ The Executive Presence".

WE Talk with Mr. Rohit BassiWe Talk is a Westford initiative that unites the doers, the talkers and the dreamers of the world to explore and share their thoughts and ideas. The main objective of this initiative is to enable anyone, anywhere to learn by e�ectively presenting their ideas and stories and to help students draw inspiration through open conversations. Westford invites speakers who are willing to share their innovative ideas and inspiring stories. It is an invaluable opportunity to witness how creative leaders are made.


WEConnect With Business LeadersWEConnect with Business Leaders is an initia-tive of Westford University College to connect with business leaders and their success stories. This is a unique avenue to explore the indus-try-academia boundaries and stretch further to bridge the gap. In a fast-paced business world, there is a huge gap between the demands of the industry and what the univer-sities deliver.

WEConnect would collaborate with successful business leaders and entrepreneurs across domains to interact with Westford students. This would help ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in young minds and propel them to explore a world of opportunities. The students

at Westford would also benefit immensely in developing networking and event management skills and would also be trained on various domains in enhancing their employability skills. They would have opportunities to shadow with eminent business leaders and CEOs during the WEConnect journey.

The second edition witnessed the presence of Ms. Pooja Shrivastav, Chief Energizing O�cer and a specialist in Geo-pathic and Electromagnetic Rectification. She coached the audience to build a critical awareness of the positive and normative impact of electromagnetic fields [EMF], and its e�ects on health, social and financial well-being. The inter-actions remained extremely engaging through an insightful exchange of thoughts and questions that provided an innate & deep understanding about geo-stress, sick building syndromes and its several facets.

Currently Ms. Pooja Shrivastav and her team of experts o�er structured consultancy services to real estate firms, hospitals, hotels, shopping malls and other corporates in the UAE.


Introducing theWestford Musical Band

Interviewer: Can you please give us a brief descrip-tion about yourself?Mr. Ranjit: My name is Murthy Ranjit. I am a Banking Software Professional and have been working in the Financial Software Industry for 23 years. I have worked with leading software vendors like Sungard, System Access and currently Oracle. I have also worked in BNPParibas in the IT Department. I hold a master’s degree in computer engineering as well as an MBA in International Business.

Interviewer: Can you please share your career jour-ney with us?Mr. Ranjit: Throughout my career, I have been working as a software professional in the banking and finance software industry for 23 years. I have worked both for banking software vendors as well as the IT operations of a regional bank. I worked in multiple locations, namely, Singapore, London & Dubai. In my current role, I manage the product pre-sales consulting division for banking software for Middle East Africa & CIS.

Our Alumni Diaspora

Interviewer: How do you and your family plan to welcome the new year?Mr. Ranjit: We plan to welcome the new year by focus-ing more on our health, like exercising and engaging in more outdoor activities.

Interviewer: For the year 2019, what are your new career goals? Any new "milestones" that you plan to achieve in the new year?Mr. Ranjit: For the year 2019, I plan to focus more on the digital transformation and digitization in Finan-cial services, including Fintech Collaboration with Commercial banks.

Mr. Murthy RanjitDirector &Head of Banking Pre-sales,Financial Services GBU ME, Africa, CIS & TurkeyOracle

Westford Alumnus MBA from the University of Wolverhampton, UK

“Music is the Divine way to tell beautiful poetic things to the heart” - Pablo Casals

Music has a universal language that creates an aura on campus and connects people. At Westford, we encour-age any endeavor that helps nurture the minds, hearts and souls of our students in pursuit of their unique dreams. Music is surely a catalyst in their journey to help them connect with others and express their talent.

A group of students identified talented artists among themselves and formed the Westford Band which was launched at the annual event – Razzmatazz-2018. The team comprises of Sumarita (Vocals), Daniel (Drums), Ben (Keyboard), Raksha (vocals) and Jai (Guitar) who combined as a team to pull o� an electrifying perfor-mance on a memorable evening.

The finer scope (attributing a name to the band and expanding the team) is in the pipeline. This team would continue performing at intra and inter univer-sity events.



Online learning remains a collaborative engagement strategy from knowledge deliverance and receptivity perspective. It has been found that in order to thrive amidst rapid societal transformation that seeks to gain enriched digital experiences from AI and virtual learn-ing platforms, universities and academic institutions have started mimicking onsite models that also engage students through quizzes, case studies and presenta-tions for greater student participation in the virtual classroom.

Revisiting Learning &Student Engagement inthe Virtual Classroom

Flipped classroom technology enables students to collaborate and engage with each other, either verbally or in written format on sharing views, debates and constructive thoughts. The educational content deliv-ered through the online platform ensures that the students gain valuable insights through ‘peer-to-peer learning approach’ and ‘co-operative models.’ Tech-nology ensures that there is enough exchange of views through apps and mobile sharing platforms which synchronizes a common method to engage students in remote geographies.

Call it ‘virtual classroom diversity’, student experienc-es could define group learning, behavior and attitudes, while considering the cultural, regional and profes-sional backgrounds of students.

My Day out with a CEO

Spending a day with a CEO is an invaluable opportuni-ty for students these days. So, when a dream like this comes true, a plethora of questions comes to the mind. Meeting Ms Pooja made us realise that success has a more holistic perspective that encompasses societal well being and a responsibility to nurture leadership qualities. Most of us aspire to be successful leaders without truly understanding our own strengths and weaknesses. We fail to consider the influence of the earth's radiations which is a fundamental criteria for any successful business. It was extremely fascinating to know that geopathic stress can impact our performance in the workplace.

Glody NzapoBABM Student

Sustainability has inevidently become the top priority for most businesses today and the fashion industry is well heeled in adopting significant steps in embracing sustainable business practices and innovative business models. Designers are constantly looking for eco-friendly alternatives for their collection.

The textile industry is striving to find suitable alternatives to replace cotton and synthetic fabrics that have a negative impact on the ecology. Apart from organic cotton that constitutes only 1% of the total cotton consumption globally, other commonly used alternatives are Hemp, Jute, Bamboo, Tencel and Flax.

Many Houte Couture labels are turning towards more sustainable alternatives in textiles that are made from unusual materials such as mush-rooms, algae, proteins inspired by “Spider-web DNA” and other fruits and vegetables. World famous designers such as Stella McCartney and Salvatore Ferragamo have already taken the leap by introducing scarves and clothes made from orange fibers and artificial Silk.

Companies such as Singtex has converted trash into wearable fashion by using “co�ee ground fibers” into textiles that can be used to make performance wear. The clothes made from these fibers are not just sustainable but have other significant attributes such as protection from UV rays and reduction in body odour. Some other noteworthy innovators are Ananas Anam, a London based designer who developed a leather like fabric made from pineapple leaves called ‘Pinatex’ and Aniela Hoitink who developed textile made from mush-room mycelium called ‘Mycotex’.

Although these fabrics have limitations due to their commercial viability, they certainly have highlighted the para-digm shift in the textile industry.

Transforming the Textile Industry:One sustainable step at a time

We are quite familiar with the 4R's of supply chain, namely, responsiveness, reliability, resilience and relationships. While all of them are important, we will focus on resilience.

What is supply chain resilience? I often liken it to a rubber band when stretched that comes back to its original form on release. Our supply chains are only as strong as the weakest link, we know this! Given its many touch points, be it suppliers, customers,

shareholders, internal and external stakeholders; our supply chain is froth with risks. The key is to work on the ‘probability and intensity of the risks, prioritize them and create an action plan to mitigate the ones that possess the highest risk’.

Companies that have resilient supply chains will bounce back to their normal state after a break in the chain. They are the ones that will dominate the market and sustain themselves in challenging situations.

Nilay GosaviB. Engg., M.Sc. Logistics

The Resilient Supply Chain


In 2018, the tech world witnessed the buzzword “AI”. Every tech giant ranging from Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, etc. launched their products based on AI technology. Let us start by understanding the meaning of ‘artifi-cial intelligence’ and what it entails? “It is defined as the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings.”

According to David Roe, AI disrupted 11 industries ranging from agriculture, call centers, energy, mining, health-care and retail among others. By the end of the third quarter of 2018, most tech companies had flooded the market with their AI-based products, and one technology that dwarfed all others was conversational AI. Google also launched its Duplex technology that helps users to make reservations without any human interaction.

Google plans to make this technology available for all its OEM’s (original equipment manufacturer). In 2019, a multitude of corporations shall be opting for this technology. Google’s two arch rivals, Apple and Micro-soft released their own version of conversational AI products - Cortana and Siri, but both struggled to hit the right chord with consumers.

The one product that matched Google’s conversation AI was Amazon’s Alexa. The AI-powered product o�ered a lot at its core ranging from answers to playing music, to reading books and to even shopping on Amazon’s own e-commerce website.

Conversational artificial intelligence:The tech buzzword of 2018

It will be interesting to see how this technology and products evolve in 2019. Don’t be surprised if you hear a person next to you uttering words such as “Hey, Siri”, “Hey, Cortana”, “Okay, Google” or “Hey, Alexa,” for information and getting their digital chores done.


Business WatchCasinos Shuffling Decksto Restart Afresh fromBankruptcy

Nikolai Gogol once said “Gambling is the great leveler. All men are equal - at cards”.

So not surprising at all, when the billionaire owner of Golden Nuggets approached the arch rival Caesars Entertainment to combine both the businesses; investors and analysts reacted posi-tively with Caesar’s stock jumping 14%, given the straightforward growth and improved profitabili-ty scenarios. Caesars has since re-shu�ed its business plans as it hustled away to acquire 49 casinos including the likes of Centaur Holdings and is believed to be considering a ‘$3 billion buy deal’- Jack Entertainment, while actively review-ing ‘cost cutting synergies’. It is fair to state that internet disrupt industries as empty gaming halls and fall in attendance at traditional Casinos are for real. The threat from online gambling that has been a constant source of worry ever since the world’s first digital casino was launched in 1994. Today there are more people on ‘tablets’ than on ‘tables’ and casinos are gripped with fear of survival.

That said, traditional real world casinos are team-ing up to build ‘contract bridges’ at a time when gambling shares are sinking, amidst ‘lack of high rollers,’ battling drop in revenues (-5%) as casino giants GVC and Ladbrokes Coral are striking partnerships and joining hands to suggest, it’s never easy being the house!

Reverse Mentoring:Millennials leading the way!Reverse mentoring is an initiative that was pioneered by Jack Welch at General Electric which challenged the traditional method of mentorship programs in organisations.

The main objective of reverse mentoring is to ensure that the organisation optimally utilizes the knowledge, skills and abilities of its younger employees who are conversant in technology, social media and current trends for mentoring its senior employees. With 70 million baby boomers predicted to retire by 2035, and millennials currently being the largest generation actively working; they have the power to shape the future of workplace practices across the globe. Their a�nity with technology and ability to stay current with regards to technological trends has been harnessed by many organisations. Some of the global organisations who have implemented reverse mentoring programs are Target, GE, Cisco, United HealthCare, Fidelity, Procter & Gamble, Deloitte, PWC, Rent-A-Car; this list is not exhaustive. These organisations use these programs as a means of developing diverse and inclusive teams and enhance knowledge sharing within the organisation. In addition, these programs are also aligned with the financial and strategic goals of the organisation and helps them achieve a competitive advantage through technological advancements. Of course, it is challenging to implement this initiative as senior employees are generally apprehensive about learning from younger employees, hence it needs strong leadership and encour-agement a two-way learning process which would motivate and incentivize them to develop the right attitude towards learning and development.


International mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances in the past decade have witnessed integration of varied national cultures within the organizations. The post deal integration is the most challenging aspect which determines success of the deals across the world. Investors and markets were stunned in June 2008, when Tata Motors raised a bid to acquire Jaguar Land Rover from Ford with a purchase consideration of 2.3 billion USD. Skeptics wondered if the deal was a strategic fit for the two companies.

Acquisitions by Tata are significant examples of cultural management for all the international takeovers. The firm embarks a successful histo-ry of turning around the troubled companies. With the struggling acquisition of Corus in 2007, deal with Jaguar was thought to be anoth-er noose for Tata. However, the deal proved to be successful for the com-panies in the long term. The transac-tion demonstrated the marriage of high-end luxury brand with mass-market brand; hence at this juncture it was significant for Tata to rear its culture globally. Shared value engineering marked the success of the deal. In such mega cross-border acquisitions, it is imperative to make the companies feel significant of their products. Hence, Tata skillfully managed the operational and cultur-al challenges by omitting the essence of “acquisitions” among the employ-ees of the firms.

With the unique leadership style, Ratan Tata successfully managed the deal by tactfully using the cash injected by Ford and encouraged the automobile plans laid by JLR. With group of compassionate people and encouraging work culture, the acquisition proved to be in the right direction for the companies.

The Tata - Jaguar Case: A CulturalIntegration Success Story

Push yourself out of your headAs students in college, we can all relate to the feeling of panic when we look at our never-ending to-do list. From the research paper that must be submitted in two days, the report your boss at work has asked you to produce last minute or picking up groceries on the way back home. “If only I could start with some-thing and take action, but I feel so overwhelmed that I end up procrastinating and pushing everything to another time”. In the end, the items on the to do list become so overwhelming that we lose perspective on our priorities. However, it is not a verdict nor is it something that you should blame yourself over. There is a key lifehack that I started using to help me get things done on time and avoid putting o� tasks. The transforming capabilities of this life tool can help many of you to tackle your day-to-day tasks e�ectively and find time for pursuing your passion. The tool is known as “The 5-Second Rule” coined by the author and motivational speaker, Mel Robbins.

The idea behind the tool is to push yourself out of your head into action by counting backwards from 5. 5-4-3-2-1 ACTION! It is important to understand that what’s stop-ping you from acting is not the task itself but the stress that comes along with it as it is a normal coping mechanism of the brain once faced with stress. You’re probably thinking that you lack motivation to bring your ideas to life. That is simply not the case as our brain is not wired to do things that are uncomfortable or scary and, therefore, you’re never going to feel like it. With the 5 second rule, your brain doesn't give you the time to talk yourself out of it. On that note, I hope many of you try out this very e�ective tool and pursue your goals.

May AngelicaBABM Student


From pre-historic times to the modern day, iconic architecture has defined cities to remain relevant even after centuries. Iconic buildings can a�ect the way one feels about a city, often giving its residents a sense of pride and belonging. There have been instances when a single iconic structure constructed in a city has had a profound impact in marketing a city to the world and in turn facilitating tourism, trade and development. One of the recent examples is the city of Bilbao in Spain which underwent a drastic change, is widely known now by the expression- “The Guggenheim E�ect”.

In the 1990’s the Bilbao authorities showed interest in the American Guggenheim Foundation who were actively scouting for locations for a European Museum. It was their belief that if such a renowned museum was to be a part of their city, it would uplift its glory and put it on the international map to draw tourists from all over. The museum faced sti� resist-ance from majority of the residents who couldn’t fathom why the government would want to invest millions in a museum. However, with their eyes set on the future and with a clear vision, the authorities in Bilbao went ahead with the museum and the world witnessed the drastic change that this one iconic structure had on the city. The changes are evident from the fact that since the museums inauguration in 1997 it has received over 20Million visitors; 70% of these from outside of Spain. The museum now gener-ates almost €400 million every year and in addition to the revenue, it has transformed the face of a city that was believed to be lost.

It is ironic that many years later the same architect and a few other ‘STARCHITECTS’ as they are now termed such as such as Late Dame Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, Santiago Calatrava to name a few have been called upon in the Middle East to create a series of Modern Monuments, each costing billions of dirhams with the vision that the cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi would soon be synonymous with the term ICONIC. There will always be criticism about why we need so many iconic structures when the money could be used for many other reasons but history has proven time and again from the time of the Pyramids to the world’s tallest building – The Burj Khalifa that nothing puts a city on the map like ICONIC architecture, and this year as we charge towards 2020, we are going to witness a few more iconic developments in UAE such as the -

THE GUGGENHEIM EFFECT

Museum of the Future on Sheikh Zayed Road which will house some of the world’s latest inventions and will be a cornerstone of the Emirate’s focus on innovation.

City Land Mall- The world’s first nature inspired shopping Centre that would have about 1.1M sft of gross leasable area and 200,000 sft

The Guggenheim Art Museum in Abu Dhabi


The evening witnessed a unique mix of high-spirited innovative & com-petitive gaming experiences entail-ing creative spot prizes. Personal and professional journeys were shared by senior fellow colleagues at the university which was extremely inspirational. The event left us with a mix of ‘reckoning and respect’ through a chain reaction of smiles and teary-eyed emotions. This was followed by a healthy spread of delicacies, to mark an evening well spent.

The administrative, operations and academic sta� welcomed Christmas and New Year with some incredible moments of ‘self-discovery’ in an informal environment, where all Westfordians were dressed in Red & Black attire, to match the ‘theme and spirit’ of the holiday season.

New Year Celebrations –A Time of Self Reflection, Fun,Games & Team-Spirit

While ‘Strategy’ has been the buzz word for quite some time now, “HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Strategy” is an essential pick to understand that it is ‘Tactic’ that supplements strategy. The book is a collection of classic articles by Michael Porter, James Collins, Jerry Porras, Mark Johnson, Clayton Christensen, Hen-ning Kagermann, Chan Kim, Renee Mauborgne, Gary Neilson, Karla Martin, Elizabeth Powers, Robert Kaplan, David Norton, Orit Gadiesh James Gilbert Michael Mankins, Richard Steele, Paul Rogers and Maria Blenko.

The very sequence of the compilation sets itself as a roadmap for those looking at instant answers on ‘how to and how not to strategize.’ Typical of HBR’s presentation, this book comes handy for readers looking to blueprint great tactics of successful institutions. Michael Porter’s opening quote “The root of the problem is the failure to distin-guish between operational e�ectiveness and strategy. Operational e�ectiveness and strategy are both essential to superior performance” sets the tone right for managers and students- both- to pin their focus on ‘how’ to get it right with strategy development and execution.

Thanks to the case-lets of Southwest Airlines, Nike, Apple, Gillette, Proctor & Gamble, GE, America Online, Vanguard, Dell, Wal-Mart and eBay, readers will find themselves revisiting this book time and again, after the first read. Nevertheless, it fuels us with all possible reasons to begin the year 2019 with a defined strategy!

I rate this book a 4 out of 5.

- HBR’s 10 Must Reads on StrategyBook Review

Ashima KeluskarFaculty


The MBA by Cardi� Metropolitan Univer-sity is one of the many prestigious degrees o�ered by Westford University College. The advance entry classes are conducted once students successfully complete the first part of the MBA program and transi-tion into the final dissertation phase. The classes are conducted by Dr. Mukul Mada-har thrice annually at Westford’s UAE campus. Dr. Madahar is the Associate Dean and the Head of MBA program at Cardi� Metropolitan University. Faculty members and research supervisors visit Westford’s UAE campus from Cardi�’s main campus in the UK to provide students with an opportunity to have one on one interaction with them. The ‘Research Methods’ module delivered by Dr. Madahar has proven to be instru-mental in shaping the students’ research outlook and providing them with a clear guideline for pursuing their research journey. These classes are also a rendezvous for the online and onsite students to meet and interact with each other and develop valuable networks. The classroom transforms into a melting pot of ideas and perspectives shared by students from more than 10 countries. The rich experience and diverse backgrounds of the MBA students attending the advance entry classes is a testament that education and learning have transcended geographical and cultural barriers.

“ The MBA advance entry classes commenced with a 2 full days introduction given by Dr. Mukul Madahar who is an amazing lecturer. The content was clear and comprehensively delivered, leaving no doubts in how to address the assignments, proposal and dissertation. I am very happy I chose Westford University to pursue my MBA as they provided valuable guidance and support at each step. The research methods class was very helpful as it provided a clear roadmap for the dissertation. Dr. Mukul has always been available whenever I have reached out to him. I would like to thank Westford and Cardi� for preparing me for this challenge and helping me embrace without fear the new path that is yet to come ”

Janaina MoreiraMBA Student – Cardi� Metropolitan University

Cardiff Metropolitan University –MBA Advance Entry Classes


MBA in Engineering Management o�ered at Westford is an ideal choice for professionals in engi-neering domain to enhance their careers in specific domains like supply chain management and TQM. However, this course is not restricted to engineers. The course also invitev professionals aspiring to choose a career path in engi-neering domains. The modules o�ered include International HR, Strategic Management and Leader-ship, Operations Management apart from specialized modules in Engineering Management.

Course of the MonthMBA in Engineering ManagementWestford University College has launched a well sought-after career enhancing program: Master in Business Administration in Engineering Management. This is a dual certification program where the learners will be awarded a post graduate diploma in Engineering Management by Cambridge International Qualifications, UK followed by an MBA by UCAM, Spain.

It has remained a global debate that engineers thrive on problem solving and analytical skills, while they lack leadership and managerial acumen. Jack Welch served as one of the most successful CEOs of GE and Satya Nadella, the current CEO of Microsoft are a few prominent names of leaders who were engineers by background. However, it remained a hard fact until a decade ago that less than 30% of CEOs of top 1000 companies had their first degrees in engineering. However, thirty-four of the top 100 CEOs in 2018, had an engineering degree, compared with 32 who had an MBA and eight of the top CEOs had both degrees.

Convocation Ceremony



Life @ westfordYear 2018 : A visual odyssey

2019- uae celebrates the year of tolerance · business watch casinos shuffling decks to restart...

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