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You are now part of CITY College, an International Faculty of the University of Sheffield, one of the top 100 Universities in the world. This practically means that you are getting the same privileges, the same quality of education, and the same degree as the British student who attends classes in UK.

Education Matters

CITY College is collaborating with VUZF University in Sofia, Bulgaria, to offer our Bachelor’s programme in Busi-ness Studies. The induction took place on 26 September and was attended by a group of enthusiastic students.

Undergraduate Induction in Sofia, Bulgaria

Induction for the academic year 2011-2012 for all the postgraduate programs was held on Monday 3 October 2011 and the foundation sessions carried on for the whole week. We were glad this year to see so many stu-dents present, eager to learn, and focused on what the department attempted to convey to them regarding the system of the university and in general the British higher education system.

Postgraduate Freshers’ Week

It is with great pride and excitement that BAED announces the commencement of Business Seminar Series for the academic year 2011-12. The first seminar, entitled “A Pathway to Successful Leadership: The SERVE Lead-ership Model”, was delivered in English on Thursday 20 October by six invited speakers from Chick Fil A Inc.

Business Seminar Series - Success Continued

EDITORIAL MORE on page 2

LATEST NEWS MORE on page 3

LATEST NEWS MORE on page 4

LATEST NEWS MORE on page 6

2 Editorial

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

OCTOBER 2011—ISSUE 24

nsights E- Monthly e-Newsletter

by the Business Administration and Economics Department

3

Undergraduate Induction in

Sofia, Bulgaria

Postgraduate Freshers’

Week

Undergraduate Induction in

Thessaloniki

5

5

6

6

Seminar on Resisting

Change “Flies” in Istanbul

AMBA Programme Directors

and Managers Forum

Business Seminar Series -

Success Continued

Introducing Innovation

Strategies in Modern Or-

ganisations

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8

9

9

10

Learning Technologies at

CITY College

The Information & Learning

Commons (ILC) at CITY Col-

lege

It’s All about Communica-

tion...unless You Are Lady

Gaga!

CITY College Alumnus Pre-

sents at World-Class Con-

ference

New Staff Welcome

Mr. Petros Golitsis Distin-

guished among Young Poets

Follow Us on Facebook!

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You are now part of CITY College, an International Faculty of the Uni-versity of Sheffield, one of the top 100 Universities in the world. This practically means that you are getting the same privileges, the same quality of education, and the same degree as the British student who attends classes in UK. You have the unique opportunity to benefit from University of Shef-field: an organized, dynamic and demanding academic institution with exceptionally high quality academic staff. With all the qualifications you get by studying at our university you prepare yourself for even bigger things in life by becoming competent and eligible for pursuing highly ranked positions. This is a critical time in your life; take advantage of the opportunity offered to you, set high objectives, focus on them, and work hard and systematically.

Remember that for all of us here, failure is not an option, and will never be. Our TEAM sets specific goals and strives to achieve them, with you being at the center. All of us in here, we design programs and events to fulfill your future needs and to prepare you as best as possible for the social and work environment. We need you with us. We expect your positive attitude; your engagement; your personal involvement; your active participation…we need the best out of you! As the Head of the Business Administration and Economics Depart-ment, I want you to know that I have an open door policy, as well as the Academic Directors, Mrs. Aggeliki Papakonstantinou (for the Un-dergraduate programme), Mr. Chris Liassidis (for the Postgraduate programmes), and Ms. Violeta Sfouri (Director of Teaching). Remem-ber that we are near you to listen to you, and try to improve your learning experience. Feel free to communicate with us in case you have problems concerning your academic or student life. “Education matters”; that’s why you have chosen to study at the University of Sheffield. We are dedicated to a common goal: to pre-pare a new generation of leaders in all walks of life: YOU can be one of them! I wish you a productive journey.

Dr. Dimitrios V. NIKOLAIDIS Head of Business Administration & Economics Department

Senior Lecturer

Education Matters

Newsletter Identity:

Published monthly by the Business

Administration and Economics

Department, CITY College.

Editor: Aimi Papanastasiou

Contributors: Rania Anagnostopou-

lou, Petros Golitsis, Petros Kefalas,

Chris Liassidis, Maria Matiaki, Dimitrios

Nikolaidis, Aggeliki Papakonstantinou,

Leslie Szamosi

OCTOBER 2011—ISSUE 24

Editorial

3 OCTOBER 2011—ISSUE 24

Postgraduate Freshers' Week

Induction for the academic year 2011-2012 for all the postgraduate pro-grams was held on Monday 3 October 2011 and the foundation sessions carried on for the whole week. We were glad this year to see so many stu-dents present, eager to learn, and focused on what the department at-tempted to convey to them regarding the system of the university and in general the British higher education system. Through the collaborative efforts of both administrative as well as aca-demic staff members, the new students were oriented to a program that is indeed demanding, yet tailored to their individual needs. Students were briefed on processes and procedures, took a brief tour of the library to familiarize themselves with the resources and supplies avail-able, understood how to access the school's electronic learning platforms, regulations on absences, late submission policies, and plagiarism. Also, all newcomers followed introductory sessions on academic writing, case study analysis, and presentation and communication skills. They also had the chance to meet with their classmates and fellow students and prepare themselves for the beginning of classes, which began on 10 October. The vision of our department is to provide a learning culture that fosters responsibility, respect, integrity, with opportunities for life-long learning and collaboration among professionals. The purpose of our induction was to facilitate the growth of new students toward the highest level of personal and professional development. Good luck to all the students in their effort this year.

Mr. Chris Liassidis Academic Director of Postgraduate Studies

Senior Lecturer

4 OCTOBER 2011—ISSUE 24

Undergraduate Induction in Sofia, Bulgaria

CITY College is collaborating with VUZF University in Sofia, Bulgaria, to offer our Bachelor’s programme in Business Stud-ies. The induction took place on 26 September and was at-tended by a group of enthusiastic students. Dr. Petmezas, Vice Principal of Communications, Marketing and Student Recruitment, together with Mr. Radostin Vazov, Executive Director of VUZF University, delivered the introduc-tory presentations. Students were subsequently introduced to the philosophy and culture of the University of Sheffield by Dr. Nikolaidis, Head of BAED; Ms. Papakonstantinou, Academic Director of Undergraduate Studies; and Ms. Sfouri, BAED Di-rector of Teaching. During the induction, lecturers from Bulgaria and Thessaloniki had their first contact with the students. A nice reception fol-lowed, where we all had the opportunity to share more of our thoughts. We would like to wish to both students and lecturers a success-ful and creative academic year!

Mrs. Aggeliki Papakonstantinou Academic Director of Undergraduate Studies

Lecturer

Undergraduate Induction in Thessaloniki

5 OCTOBER 2011—ISSUE 24

Seminar on Resisting Change “Flies” in Istanbul

This year marks the kick-off of our EMBA programme in Istanbul, Turkey, the fifth South-East European city we deliver in. On 11 October 2011, as part of the pro-motion of this programme and the beginning of linkage development with both Tur-key itself and our partner Şehir University, Dr. Leslie Szamosi, Academic Director of our MBA program presented a seminar entitled “Have Organizations Learned Nothing? Why Employees Continue to Resist Change”. This seminar has been run in Sofia as well as in Thessaloniki to enthusiastic re-views and prompted further discussion for add-ons to Dr. Szamosi’s work. In Istan-bul, nearly 50 participants were treated to a lively, nearly two hour, interactive presentation related to organizational change and managing resistance to change in today’s uncertain world. The seminar culminated with Dr. Szamosi’s now infa-mous “blended breakfast” demonstration used to drive home how change is pre-sented in organizations and how employees perceive it.

Dr. Leslie Szamosi Academic Director of MBA

Senior Lecturer

AMBA Programme Directors and Managers Forum

On 6 and 7 October, Dr. Leslie Szamosi was an invited keynote speaker and participant in the first ever Pro-gramme Directors and Managers Forum organized by the Association of MBA’s (AMBA) in Archamps, France – just outside Geneva. The Forum was designed specifically for business school staff working in programme man-agement roles. The event provided an opportunity for programme directors and managers to meet with their inter-national colleagues, to recognise and address the day-to-day issues that all business schools grapple with and to share knowledge and best practice with nearly 40 managers from leading business schools around Europe par-ticipating. As well as practice sharing, networking and discussion, the event presented sessions, speakers and case studies from top international business schools on subjects spanning management models, customer service, creating positive learning environments, managing off-campus and collaborative programmes, career development and the relationship between faculty and professional staff. Dr. Szamosi’s presentation highlighted the activities of our own EMBA program and the uniqueness of the delivery model used throughout South-Eastern Europe. His pres-entation generated a lot of discussion in relation to handling the coordination of multiple-site programs as well as the unique relationship between the College and the University of Sheffield. CITY’s MBA and MSc Management programs are accredited by the Association. Dr. Szamosi has been a mem-ber of the International Faculty of AMBA for over three years and has participated in accreditations of MBA and MSc Management programmes around the world.

Dr. Leslie Szamosi Academic Director of MBA

Senior Lecturer

6 OCTOBER 2011—ISSUE 24

Introducing Innovation Strategies in Modern Organisations On 22 September 2011, Mr. Stelios Kehaghias, Senior Lecturer, successfully delivered a seminar in Istanbul, Turkey, as part of the promotion of the MBA programme there. The seminar focused on innovation as a critical success factor for companies across all industries. The following topics were covered:

• Where innovation happens

• Why innovation programmes should be customer focused?

• Job mapping

• Introducing innovation programmes

• Employee participation in innovation programmes

• Skills that characterise innovation

• Where do you get innovative ideas from?

• The traditional view to innovation

• Open innovation

• How can companies profit from a different innovation approach

Mrs. Aimi Papanastasiou Assistant Academic Director of Postgraduate Studies

Dissertation Coordinator

Business Seminar Series - Success Continued It is with great pride and excitement that BAED announces the commence-ment of Business Seminar Series for the academic year 2011-12. The first seminar, entitled “A Pathway to Successful Leadership: The SERVE Lead-ership Model”, was delivered in English on Thursday 20 October by six in-vited speakers from Chick Fil A Inc. The seminar was attended by approxi-mately 135 participants. Chick Fil A Inc. is the second largest quick service chicken restaurant chain in the US, with more than 1430 locations in 38 states and annual sales of more than 2,9 billion dollars. One of their projects is to promote the SERVE Leader-ship Model which is based on the book “The Secret” by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller. SERVE teaches that leaders can succeed by:

⇒ Seeing and shaping the future. See an opportunity and pursue it aggres-sively.

⇒ Engaging and developing others. Encourage participation and instill confi-dence.

⇒ Reinventing continuously. Think creatively.

⇒ Valuing results and relationships. Success is about both of these things.

⇒ Embodying the values. True leadership is about building and maintaining trust.

More seminars have been scheduled to take place in the following months. To register for the seminars, please e-mail cmichou@city.academic.gr or call 2310 536544/528450.

Mrs. Aimi Papanastasiou Assistant Academic Director of Postgraduate Studies

Dissertation Coordinator

7 OCTOBER 2011—ISSUE 24

Learning Technologies at CITY College

During the last decade, the College has invested a lot in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) used for educational purposes; the so called Learning Technologies. Actually, it is one of the few institutions in the world that has the entire set of its courses on line in a Virtual Learning Environment, like Claroline. Five years ago, we started using structured e-learning activities, such as forums, wikis and chats for all our postgraduate students abroad. We continued with utilising ICT for innovative learning techniques, such as electronically anno-tated feedback through TurnItIn, personalised audio feedback, interactive boards, etc. Last year, we made a big step forward. The International Faculty has acquired license to use two state-of-the-art commercial software plat-forms, echo360 and Blackboard Collaborate, for enhancing the students’ learning experience.

Echo360 provides a desktop client which allows a lec-turer to create a screencast. A screencast is a recording of a presentation or demonstration taking place on the desktop of the computer together with the video of the presenter and an indexed timeline. Screencasts are use-ful for short online tutorials, supplementary information to enhance lectures, software demonstrations, student pres-entations, feedback on assessment, etc. The user can choose how to view the recording as well as navigate through the recording by using the index. The first set of echo360 recordings have already been created and con-cern generic transferable skills of all our students. This series of sort screencasts allow the student to download and watch interesting presentations on how to conduct literature search, the use of Claronine, the referencing system, reading skills, writing report techniques etc. The first have already been distributed to the students for fur-ther reference. All you need to watch a screencast is the latest version of Adobe Flash.

Blackboard Collaborate (used to be called Elluminate Live!) provides a virtual classroom in which a lecturer and all stu-dents can virtually meet although they are not co-located. Each person enters the virtual classroom from any PC, at work, at home, actually anywhere with an Internet connection. The lecturer uploads a presentation or just uses a whiteboard to write as it happens in normal classroom. At the same time, the lecturer is visible through a video and of course can be heard through the microphone. Students attend, but they also participate by raising their hand, asking questions, voting, writing comments and exchanging messages. If they have a web camera and a microphone they can also be seen and heard by other participants. In principle, the virtual class re-sembles any normal class; only the people are not present in the same physical space. Blackboard Collaborate is the best tool of its kind and used by many top Universities in the world to minimise distance between students and lecturers. At CITY College, the service is available to all staff and students, but used for supplementary to face-to-face teaching activities, mainly in the postgraduate programmes that run in all cities of South-East and East Europe. All you need to participate in a virtual class is the latest version of Java.

A view of an echo360 screencast

A view of an on-line virtual class using Blackboard Collaborate

Prof. Petros Kefalas Vice Principal for Teaching & Learning

8 OCTOBER 2011—ISSUE 24

The Information & Learning Commons (ILC) at CITY College

An inspiring vision Located on the 6th floor of the Leontos Sofou Building, the Information & Learning Commons (ILC) is CITY College’s state-of-the-art facility. The ILC was launched in April 2009 with the aim of providing an inspir-ing learning and research library environment to meet the needs of the College community. Our vision was to create a new physical environ-ment that would facilitate the mission and aspirations of CITY College. With the ILC, CITY College introduced a unique for the Greek stan-dards model of a facility, bringing together technology, content, and services in a single space that resulted in an environment far more innovative and user-friendly than a typical academic library. A seamless working environment The ILC provides access to a wealth of material, including, over 30,000 printed volumes, a core collection of textbooks and references to sup-port programmes, audiovisual & multimedia material and equipment, wireless networking, subscriptions to e-resources, including full text databases, e-journal and e-book collections, as well as, digital libraries to help students with their research and study. Our underlying philoso-phy is to provide users with a seamless working environment so that they may access, manage, and create information all in one place. Students doing research or preparing assignments and projects can access information, use software and equipment and write, without changing location. In the ILC space was designed for use by small groups of students, reflecting students’ need for collaborative learning and combining social interaction with class work. Library and IT staff assist users with their information, reference and technology needs from a single desk simplifying this way services. Adding value to the College Since the ILC opened it has become one of the most popular, lively and well-used facilities of the College, fostering workshops, seminars and College events. Students and external visitors come in increasing numbers every day to study, interact and exchange ideas. This only motivates and inspires us to further continue adding value, quality and ethos to service delivery.

Mrs. Rania Anagnostopoulou Head Librarian

9 OCTOBER 2011—ISSUE 24

It’s All about Communication…unless You Are Lady Gaga!

The commencement of a new academic year is my favourite time on campus. I enjoy meeting new students eager to engage in activities and learn, and to get reacquainted with returning students that take the role of a mentor, ready to share their experiences with the newcomers. I sit back and watch students from an array of backgrounds mingle together, sharing stories and experiences, be polite to each other, ask questions and get excited for the experiences they are about to be exposed to. There is such a great effort of all members of our small community to communicate with each other. This only reminds me, one more time, of how important communication is; striving to communicate more effectively not only improves our relationships with each other, but also helps us achieve better results at anything we are working on. With this in mind, I would like to remind you of some small tips that can make a big difference:

∗ Verbalize what you need…nobody can guess what you have in your mind

∗ Speak clearly

∗ Embrace each other’s differences

∗ “Seek to understand before you seek to be understood”

∗ Avoid unnecessary details

∗ …but make sure to give all the details that matter. Unless you are Lady Gaga, chances are people won’t know who you are, so make sure to introduce yourself properly when making new acquaintances

∗ Respect each other’s personal space

∗ Avoid strong political views

∗ Remember that how you say something is just as important as what you say

∗ Learn to Listen I am sure this will continue to be a great academic year, where we’ll all learn great things from each other. I am looking forward to this and I am sure you are too.

Ms. Maria Matiaki Student Affairs and Career Planning Director

Nikolaos Tsokanos, BA in Business Studies, CITY College, was one of the very few students globally to be accepted to participate in the Strategy & Management Consulting Conference 2011 organised by the London School of Economics. The conference, which took place on 27-28 October in London, is one of the world’s largest student conferences, attracting over 10.000 applicants from leading aca-demic institutions. Approximately 300 students are accepted to participate, they are handed-out case studies and are instructed to deliver presentations and take part in competitions throughout the two days of the event.

City College Alumnus Presents at World-Class Conference

10 OCTOBER 2011—ISSUE 24

New Staff Welcome

It is with great pleasure that we welcome to CITY College Mrs. Cristina Michou, Secretary; Mr. Alexandros Charampidis, Lecturer; Mr. Anastasios Karamanos, Lecturer; Mr. Andrew Salisbury, Lecturer; and Mr. Tihomir Tihomirov, Academic Coordinator at VUZF University. We are excited that they have become part of our growing team of capable individuals. While starting a new position is exciting, we understand that there is a learning curve when approaching new policies and procedures. Therefore, we are all available to help ensure a successful integration of the new members of staff into the organisation and a smooth tran-sition into their role.

Via the official page of BAED on Facebook, current students, alumni, staff and many others have the opportunity to get informed about seminars and events, keep pace with all the latest developments taking place at the department, net-work with academics and business people, stay in touch with lectures and former classmates. Join our new page today and become part of our growing family! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thessaloniki-Greece/Business-Administration-Economics-Department-City-College/154286704604186?ref=ts

Follow Us on Facebook!

Mr. Petros Golitsis Distinguished among Young Poets

We would like to congratulate Mr. Petros Golitsis, Lecturer, for being recognised as one of the most promising young poets in Thessalo-niki. The recognition comes from a Romanian magazine, which fea-tured a selection of poems from three Greek poets. Mr. Golitsis was one of them!