Business Week: Public lectures about capitalism, computers and commodities
Budding entrepreneurs will be able to learn about starting successful companies...
Budding entrepreneurs will be able to learn about starting successful companies during a week of business-related talks and events at Birkbeck.
Leaders from the business community will share their experiences, and speakers will discuss academic research on capitalism, computers and commodities during Business Week from 25-28 June. Speakers include renowned author and thinker Will Hutton, chair of the Big Innovation Centre at The Work Foundation; Professor Andrew Pettigrew, of the Said Business School, University of Oxford; and leading academics from Birkbeck. Hutton will be speaking about the crisis caused by “bad capitalism” and the prospects for “good capitalism.” A panel discussion will focus on London's entrepreneurial culture, from starting, growing and managing successful businesses to operating some of the world's leading companies.
The annual series of events is organised by Birkbeck’s School of Business, Economics and Informatics, and caters to all interested in the professional and academic aspects of business.
Sessions include guidance on studying for a PhD, and a lecture about the pioneering research of Birkbeck’s Department of Computer Science and Information Systems.
The full programme of events and details about free registration are available at www.bbk.ac.uk/bizweek .
Dr Andreas Liefooghe, Head of the Department of Organizational Psychology at Birkbeck’s School of Business, Economics and Informatics said: “Whether you want to find out more about commodity prices, economics or computers, there will be a lecture to appeal to your interests. There will also be many opportunities to talk to staff and alumni about part-time study during the evenings at Birkbeck.”
From show jumping to Business Week via part-time study
Liefooghe, 43, is one of the main organisers of Business Week, and he has first-hand experience of the benefits and challenges of studying part-time as an adult. Originally a show jumper in his native Belgium, he left the world of horses and later became a chef and managed restaurants in Ypres. He then came to London and continued to work as a chef at the National Theatre while studying for his undergraduate degree, which he only started when he was 25. Further studies followed, including an MSc in Occupational Psychology from Birkbeck and a PhD from the University of Surrey. He said: “Being an adult learner, I worked my way through college. It was hard work combining study and work.”
He has great admiration for students at Birkbeck because of their interests, experiences and the commitment required to juggle work, study and family life. He said: “People usually come to Birkbeck via a circuitous route and they are able to reflect on their life experiences. The people who we have on our courses are the movers and shakers. Part-time evening study is about opening up opportunities for people to build a whole new career.”
Liefooghe’s research focuses on the structure of organisations, whether bullying can take place and to what extent. He said both micro-management and lack of management are problematic, but there are many other reasons which vary from workplace to workplace. He has highlighted the complexities of workplace and school relationships with victims sometimes acting as bullies and vice versa. Liefooghe said: “Rather than solely focusing on eradicating bad apples from the barrel, let's look at some systemic organizational changes we can make to contain these negative behaviours.”