Trans-National Voice Issue 2

8/14/2019 Trans-National Voice Issue 2

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Trans-national VoiceCEU Business School Student Journal

Trans-national Voice is the

first and largest student-run

organization at the Central

European University

Business School. Trans-

national Voice is a

publication devoted to

presenting the most

significant topics from the

world of business and

politics. The Journal is

created for the benefit of the

students, faculty, staff, and

alumni of the CEU

community. At Trans-

national Voice we provide

you an informational

platform for intellectual

exchange in a global

environment.

Voice

Trans-national Voice

CEU Business School

Frankel Leo u. 31-34

Budapest, Hungary

H-1023

Email:

[email protected]

Tel.: +36-1-887-5014

Editorial Contact

Email:

[email protected]

Tel.: +36-70-254-3101 Your

Founder and Editor-in-Chief: Rustam Jamilov (Azerbaijan)

Assistant Editor: Rohan Servand (India)

Correspondent: Katie Rowland (United Kingdom)

Team Coordinator: Aigerima Kurmangazina (Kazakhstan)

Writers:

Ilya Baltinsky (Belarus)

Givi Pantsulaia (Georgia)

Hernan Jansen (Venezuela)

Wojtek Skrzypczak (Poland)


R. Servand A. Kurmangazina K. Rowland R. Jamilov

No material appearing in this publication may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. The

opinions expressed in this journal are those of the contributors and not necessarily shared by the editors or

the CEU Business School.

Trans-national


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Dear Readers,

For the second time in the history of CEU Business School, I am proud to

present the Trans-national Voice.

Every once in a while the business world experiences a dramatic change - a shift

from the methods more mundane to the life of new dogmas. The global reality of the

new millennium is a no simple challenge - it requires originality and an all-around

intellect, a combination of skills and knowledge never before considered necessary. The

world needs a new type of managers - people who can do it all. We are those people.

In this issue we are introducing Discover: an informal column providing

insights into the homelands of our students. We begin our journey with Azerbaijan,

the land of fire on the crossroads of time. The fundamentals of entrepreneurship wereshared with us by the two CEU Business School students who are managing their own

company. We also provide our readers with a look at the implications of the current

financial crisis. Finally, we reveal the story of money in the sports industry, the sector

which continues to attract massive amounts of capital despite the worsening economic

environment.

We have our views on the current issues. We voice them here. Enjoy reading the

Spring 2009 issue of the Trans-national Voice.

Yours,

Rustam Jamilov

Founder and Editor-in-Chief

Editors Message


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C E U B u s i n e s s S c h o o l S t u d e n t J o u r n a l

Yes we can!Cant we?

As Barack Obama takes over and we canall feel privileged to witness the history,great speeches and symbolic gesturesmust be soon replaced by courageousactions and unpopular decisions. Theforty-fourth president raises to power inextremely troubled times, and the greatexpectations he has awaken are only toamass, not abate, in the forthcomingmonths.

thOn January 20 Obama has been sworn inwith the acceptance rate of 83%, thehighest ever for any inauguratingpresident. This denotes the great spirit ofAmerican people who react with increased optimism, not fear, to thegathering clouds and raging storms. This also means the newCommander-in-Chief is facing what the U.S. media, driven by reasonrather than emotions, call inflated expectations. They relate to thehealth care reform, to tax cuts on families, to more accessibleeducation, to tackling of financial crisis, to global warming, to theMiddle East conflict, to Iraq, to Afghanistan and, last but not least, tothe reputation of America in the world.

While the last one can b e q u i t e e a s i l ye n h a n c e d w i t h symbolic actions, sucha s c l o s u r e o f Guantnamo and theban on interrogation tortures, most of keyissues will require an intensive political effort.The withdrawal from Iraq seems years away,and no one can really p r e d i c t t h edevelopments there, not to mention even anapproximate timeframe o f com ple t i ng them i s s i o n . I n A f g h a n i s t a n , a sO b a m a h i m s e l f r e c o g n i z e s , t h esituation is even more c o m p l i c a t e d a n d

unpredictable. Back home, Americans might endorse the universalhealth care ideas but are unlikely to accept a near-socialist Canadian-like system. Eventual ratification of the Kyoto Protocol might beopposed in Congress

...

(Continued on p. 19)

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Transnational

Voice

CONTENTS

5 In Focus Educatio Student Fair

Transnational Voice Reports

7 About... Hogan Hayes

Professor of Communications

10 Expert TalkDr. Zoltan Buzady

on Business and Trust

16 Career QuestMeet Peder and Jacob

Quote of the IssueSeneca

It is not that the things are difficultwe dont dare; its we dont dare

and they are difficult

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A Passion for Fencing

Discover Azerbaijan

The Crisis Insight

Sport and Money

by Hernan Jansen

by Rustam Jamilov

by Ilya Baltinsky

by Rohan Servand

20 Be the Change Imagine and Transform



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Educatio 2009

thMorning of January 20 . I am rushing around my Maps. But I got lucky and hitched a ride with oneroom looking for my mobile. I can't be late to of the school's recruiters. By the time we arrived toschool today since I have my Management class the SYMA Center it was packed mostly with younginstructed by Yusaf Akbar, who appreciates and people, mostly appearing clueless. The officialactually requires punctuality. Nevertheless, just a webpage of the event said that the organizersfew minutes before getting out of the dorm for were expecting between 40,000 and 50,000

school I decide to quickly check my mailbox. people. The SYMA Center was like a huge hiveImportant e-mails are usually mixed with tons of buzzing with future educational opportunities. IFacebook and other similar less important mail- would have spent hours checking out differentnotifications. I am looking through the list of new school's booths if I went there alone. Well, I have toe-mails and one catches my attention at once. admit that we did roam for a while, but afterThe message indicates that on January 23-24 checking the map of the exhibition, which wasCEU Business School will be presented at available almost in every corner we found our way.Educatio, the Higher Educational Fair of Despite there being a map, I thought that it wouldHungary. I get interested immediately because I be much easier for potential students to find us ifam asked by the school's recruitment team to the booth was closer to the center of the hall.participate in this event. I reply promptly as I am

eager to share my experience with the enquirers The blue and dark red balloons, which signifiedand assist in the activities planned for Educatio.the colors of the CEU Business School, on top ofThen it is back to the rush of making it to school onour booth distinguished us from hundreds oftime.others. When we reached our booth we werehappily greeted, especially by Ilya Baltinsky, my

My trip to school takes about an hour every school peer. He was working hard distributingmorning. Usually, I occupy myself with reading, cakes, and by the time we had arrived he hadbut not this time. This particular invite had already finished giving out one and a half cakesoccupied my mind. The reason behind this is that decorated with the CEU Business School logo andmy previous professional experience was closely various national flags. Distribution of cakes mayconnected with educational recruitment. I am seem like an easy task. But it got us pretty

reminded of past experiences. I am glad I can go engaged nevertheless.back to this field and do something I reallyenjoyed doing during those 5 years. Moreover,the educational fair acted as a platform for us touse all the knowledge about management andmarketing and other skills we've been taught atschool.

It is a shame to admit, but even after one and ahalf years of living in Budapest I do not know the

city as well as I probably should. So, when I wastold the event will take place in the SYMA Sport-an Event Center, I had to study the directions andeven search the address with the Google

Trans-national Voice Reports

By Aigerim Kurmangazina

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respected authority? These and otherWe know that you have two dogs. Couldquestions should be on the minds of any studentyou tell us something about them?who is serious about engaging in a writtendialogue on a subject.My dogs are named Szda and Di. Szda is the

older one. She's got the look of a GermanSheppard, but there's reason to believe she's notpure-bred. She turned up on the porch of ourcountry house out in Lenyfalu a few summersago. We fell for her immediately. Her ears werebigger than her whole head back then. It waspretty adorable. She's spent the past few yearslearning to swim and play Frisbee.

This semester The UWC will introduce peerThen a year ago Szda surprised us with acounselors and extended consultation hours.pregnancy. She whelped nine pups. That wasStudents will have the opportunity to have theirquite an experience. If you've ever thought aboutwork read by fresh eyes before turning in theirraising puppies, stop thinking about it now. It iswork. Or students can schedule severalmore difficult than you can imagine. Despite theconsultations and get help on each of the stepsdifficulties, however, we kept one of the males andthat lead to a final draft. The idea is, if studentsnamed him Di. He turned one in January, andfeel at all lost during the writing process, theyhe's still got a lot of puppy energy.have a place to go.

You are the founder and director of theYou are reading and correcting hundredsUndergraduate Writing Center. What is theof student essays on a regular basis. Canidea behind your initiative and what can ityou recall a topic that you had never

give the students? thought a student might write about?

I'm very excited about the UWC. I see academicI'm always surprised when I read the personalwriting as a skill that we never stop honing. Thatessays about broken hearts. There are two oraspect of writing, the unceasing effort that itthree of them every year, but they still catch medemands, is the central preoccupation of my work.off guard every time. Regardless of the qualitySo, on the last day of the semester, when aof the writing, these essays are always deeplystudent is walking out of my Writing Skills coursepersonal, and often very revealing. Students trywith a good grade, I want to stop them and say,to put to paper events that have clearly left themRemember, this was just the beginning. It shouldin some very real pain. That kind of emotion isonly get harder, more complicated, and more

difficult to dredge up, and to hand that kind ofinteresting from here. As you master more subject material into an instructor takes a kind ofmatter, you must struggle in your writing to reflectopenness that is consistently stunning.all of the knowledge you've gained. Every time

you sit down to communicate your increasinglycomplex understanding of the world, it should be a

Thank you very much, Mr Hayes!wonderfully frustrating experience, an exquisitelypainful slog through language and ideas. Enjoy.

Since writing should always present newchallenges, the UWC is there to help studentsunderstand those challenges. How is a brief

essay assigned in an Intro Level course differentthan a term paper in a course that delves deep intoa subject? How can we write current events intoour understanding of established theory? How doI effectively question the conclusions of a

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It is not just a sport. It is not just playing with ready for the unexpected and be willing toswords. It is a way of life. It is art. It is the art of modify your plan when necessary. You might wintouching and not being touched. It is fencing. or lose, and there is the beauty.

From ancient times, when princes challenged Action after action you develop your character.each other to the one who bled first from the cut The uncertainty is there and, with it, there isof a blade, to the sophisticated Olympic sport failure. You may sometimes fail, but it is up to youthat it is today, fencing has always been to recover and keep on going. It is part of the

synonymous with grace, elegance and style. game as it is part of life. After a failure you canchoose to lament, give up and lose hope. Or, you

It does not matter whether your target is the can choose to react, learn and progress.whole body like it is in epee, or just the upper Fencing will teach you that as long as you knowbody as it is in saber, or even only the chest and where you are going and work for it everyday,the back as it is in foil, fencing will shape your eventually you will get there.body and your mind.

Fencing has taught me what to expect from andFencing engages physical efforts that demand how to win in life. The road to success will beaction after action. This leads you to develop decked with millions of different landscapes.every part of your body. Moving back and forth Some of them will be beautiful, easy to walk and

on the strip develops your lower body. Your very joyful. For good or for bad, these beautifulthighs, calves and your gluteus, everything is landscapes are few. The reality is that most ofstrengthened and the body works as a single them will be hard to go through. It does notunit. Stretching to seek for the adversary and matter how much you complain about them; theydefend from his attacks with your weapon will not get any easier. All you can do is learndevelops your whole upper body to the point of a from the obstacle and move on. Action aftersubtle but strong muscular definition. Your arms, action, business deal after business deal, orback, neck, thighs, calves, everything must be in relationship after relationship you must learnshape for a precise and accurate reaction. and keep walking. The goal is there. Your

dreams are reachable. It is up to you to stop andI aim for perfection every day in training. Each lament because the way is not what you

training routine has a purpose and each routine expected. Orvery slowly and methodically, dealis different. Every adversary is different. Every by deal, step by step (thats how it was in myaction is different. You have to be ready to case) and action by action you can choose tochange whenever the situation requires it. As a boldly engage the walk that can and will changelion has a plan to hunt its prey, you must have a your life: the walk I callthe road to successplan to hunt your adversary. You have to be

Fencing:Its All About Physicaland MentalDevelopmentBy Hernan Jansen

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Leadersh ip eventual ly comes down to occurring between a person and an organizationinfluencing others. Even with a strategic vision as such. Such sharing can only happen betweenand excellent skills in managing change, leaders real, living people. A trusting work climate ismust know how and be willing to influence therefore clearly one of the most valuable

others. Historically leadership was associated or ga ni za ti on al as se ts, whi ch en ab leswith one's job rank or position. However modern competiveness and leverages your company'sleadership theory now distinguishes between core competence.several different types of organizational power,all based on different sources of power. Also the As I said, creating trust in your people is a difficultwillingness of people to accept power from above and on going task. It not only takes time andhas been considerably diminished in our times. In exercise, but also the degree of trust is influencedfact none of my many MBA or executive course also by specific factors such as your backgroundparticipants have ever mentioned a superior's and personal ity as well as the givenpower as the reason to accept influence. What organizational situation you are in. For reasons ofrepeatedly emerges in these very personal nature and survival, by default we distrust

discussions is that relationships in which anybody new that we do not know. Also it is notinfluencing with or without authority occurs possible to simply change your status from beingare actually based on reciprocal exchanges - a distrusted person/leader into a trust positionexchanges of psychological not monetary directly. The route from distrust to trust leads overunits such as praise, recognition, loyalty, personal respect. Only when you have gainedcompromises and most importantly trust. the respect of your people, and only then, they

will start to share their trust in you.One might then ask how to create a workenvironment characterized by trust? Interestingly there seems to be two routes to gainUnfortunately I have to disappoint you: the basic respect: One way stems from your personalrules for doing this are easy to understand, but factors as a leader, such as your age, your

difficult to put into daily practice. physical appearance, your personal background,the number of years of work experience, yourIn most organizations the starting-off situation is past positions held etc. These factors are givennot that bad after all (except in cases of deep and therefore rather static. You cannot changecrisis): your people do have some degree of trust them.into each other. So the first rule is to consider The other avenue for gaining respect is throughwhat circumstances need to be changed so as behavior-related factors. As a leader you cannot to destroy what already exists. What are the influence these factors by adequately modifyingevil roots of low trust in the workplace in the first and adopting your behavior in the dailyplace? interactions. In plain text: do trust-worthy actions!

These are: consistent behavior, such as Lack of inclusion into to information flow, predictability and walk the talk, sharing or

decision making or social happenings delegating control by creating an economic and Feelings of deprivation and loss; habit to social interplay amongst your people, create a

do things in the old way more positive work climate and also to Perception of vulnerability and being demonstrate concern through justice and

replaceable benevolence. No positive attachment to the leader or

boss Once you have gained respect in the eyes of your Previous experiences of the individual and people, with time and only with time! you can

the collective memory then eventually get their trust. You cannot buytrust, one has to earn it. And remember that all

It might be of help, if you could think of trust as a your efforts into building trust can be easilyspecial type of lubricant for your organization. It destroyed if you generate real or perceivedoils the processes between you and your people misalignments between your words and deeds.and then ultimately between them as well. Whenit comes to sharing ideas and information in A person who trusts no one cannot beorganizations, do bear in mind that it is never (!) trusted!

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Azerbaijan

On photo: Maiden Tower, Baku, Azerbaijan. Est.: XII century

By Rustam Jamilov

DIS

CO

VER

35% annual economic growth. The regional leader in oil andgas exports. Fantastic climate and unbelievable landscapes. Stable

and business-friendly political environment. Discover Azerbaijan -the land of fire on the crossroads of time.

From a small and fairly unfamiliar land of the Caucasus,Azerbaijan had turned into a strong regional power and an importantpolitical player. During the communist regime of the past century,Azerbaijan was known for delivering as much as 70% of the USSRstotal annual oil plan. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the merepresence of valuable natural resources was no guarantee of aprosperous future. Among the common features which all the in-transition countries shared stands out the simple lack of expertise

and knowledge of sovereign governance. In other words, thetransition had to be carefully planned and managed. Whatdistinguishes Azerbaijan is the presence of that plan. The nation wasinspired and led by one wise man who could be rightly named as oneof the most crucial figures in Azerbaijans history - Heydar Aliyev.


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Heydar Aliyevs oil strategy.This intelligent document orra ther a v is ion turned

Azerbaijan from a country

struggling with the post-communist transition into animportant po l i t ica l andeconomical player of theregion. Through a carefulplanning and hard work somevery important internationaldeals and contracts weresigned. As a result, more than$60 billion are present in

Azerbaijan in form of foreign

investments into the oilsegment only. Not to mentionthe rich gas reserves andsubstantial influx of capitalinto that sector.

In 1999 a multilateralcontract signed between thenational leaders of therepublics of Azerbaijan,Georgia, and Turkey. The

agreement, which ensuredtransportation of crude oil via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline,opened a new page in the history of these 3 states. Overall, through numerous years of continuous andcomprehensive cooperation with the international institutions and western investors, Azerbaijan hasmanaged to maintain an image of a stable, increasingly business-friendly, and reliable partner. The futureprospects seem very positive as well.

What I like most about Azerbaijan is its amazingly versatile pattern of experiences which one might findthere. Azerbaijan is on the crossroads of time - the admirable combination of an incredible architecturewhich goes back centuries ago and the rapid and progressive changes happening all across the country,changes that are transforming the land of fire into the land of capital. Its the balance of past and future

which attracts millions of tourists every year from all continents. The Maiden Tower , the Azikh cave where

The flora and fauna of Azerbaijan are truly breathtaking. Its officially reported that Azerbaijan accounts for8 out of 11 existent climate zones. With more than 4500 species of plants, the republic accounts for 66% ofall plant species found in the Caucasus. 108 animal species are included into the Red Book. The Caspiancaviar which Azerbaijan is particularly famous for is extremely unique and very expensive. Some types ofcaviar do not even appear anywhere else in the world, making Azerbaijan the single worldwide exporter.

Azerbaijan is developing quickly. Utilization of the regions, improving business conditions, development of

non-oil sectors are all important factors of Azerbaijans growth. The future looks very bright. Under theleadership of the current President Ilham Aliyev Azerbaijan is marching proudly into the modern era.

For more information visit: www.azerbaijan.az

people had lived 1.5 million years ago, the eye-catching cultural and architectural masterpieces in allcorners of the country.


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How long will the current economic crisis last? snowball. Banks and mortgage companies filedI'm sure everyone asks this question at some for bankruptcies, stocks plummeted, millions ofpoint. But I doubt that many really tried to look people lost their jobs as companies' balancebeyond the problem and ask the two hard sheets went negative, and buyers started buyingquestions: what is fundamentally wrong with the less.world that such a crisis could occur, and what arethe strategic consequences the current crisis will The United States were the country with theentail? biggest financial bubble. That bubble was so big

that, when it burst, the debris from it pierced all Answering my very first question in this article other smaller bubbles overseas. That was theunequivocally is impossible. The world has time when the crisis went global.become utterly volatile, so whatever we observetoday is likely to be different tomorrow. For Roger Altman claims in his article A Geopoliticalexample, no one could imagine at the beginning Setback for the West, published in the Foreignof 2008 that the price of oil would rise to Affairs periodical, that the damage of the current$147/barrel in July and then would suddenly crisis has put the American model of free-drop to $40/barrel in another four months. Few market capitalism under a cloud. Ever since thecould imagine so many bankruptcies and Great Depression, this model has gainedemployment layoffs. So can we actually tell what support by a host of countries worldwide.

is going to happen next? I doubt that. Perhaps it However, Uncle Sam stumbled too much,is more important to understand why the crisis dragging others to the hole. Now that the worldbegan in the first place. has fallen into the deepest hole in seventy-five

years, many governments are nationalizing theirLike in physics or math, there are laws in finance financial sectors in a way that contravenes theas well. The crisis is partly a consequence of one tenets of modern capitalism. Such governmentsof such laws. Interpreting it from the language of are therefore abandoning Uncle Sam's track,economists, I will put it like this: lenders tend to and they are trying to find a new one.gain more yield out of weaker borrowers. This iswhy huge amounts of money were literally given But the change is happening. Obama'sout by banks and mortgage companies, leadership in the White House has become a

disregarding borrowers' abilities to pay back. hope for many. In his essay RenewingThis is described as a bubble: lenders blow it A me r i c a n L e a d e r s h i p , M r. Ob a m aup until borrowers eventually burst it because acknowledges the need for change andthey find themselves unable to pay the money recognizes that the world cannot work like it didback. The events of 2008 followed as a before. Importantly, USA's new President

Crisis, Uncle

Sam andGravity

By Ilya Baltinsky

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understands that his country cannot meet the possess the world's lead. After all, China is still acentury's chal lenges alone and needs poor country, and over a hundred million peoplepartnership with other states. there live under 1$/day poverty line. China is also

a socialist country, and such political inclination

That seems to be true. Analysts admit that the has never made any nation prosperous. So,weaknesses of the current economic system will going back to gravity, we need to understand thatbe repaired, and eventually the USA will be doing it is more likely to be distributed evenly betweenwell again. But in the meantime, the center of the a wide range of countries rather than centered atworld's political and economical gravity is a single spot.expected to shift away from Uncle Sam. Roger

Altman suggests that the crash of 2008 will What all this means for the world, is that thecarry the world away from a unipolar system. financial crisis unveiled the weaknesses of theProfessor Harold James thinks that there is one current economic system. It is challenging thewinner in the crisis, and it is China. He argues USA to unite with other states in the effort ofthat the Chinese financial model holds keys to building a safer system. Yet what is clear now, is

fixing the problem. that only united with the rest of the world notalone anymore will the USA succeed in fighting

It doesn't imply, however, that China will now the crisis

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simply approaching someone you want to do understand that we probably need a broadbusiness with. Since we deal with clothing and foundation but keeping it a bit more small-scaletextiles, we had to find a third party that had would be more inspiring for entrepreneurshipthese specific contacts. oriented students. Further, management

position straigth out of college will probably bePeder: Apart from all the bureaucracy that less what are your thoughts on our distributioncomes with doing business with Mainland China network, and how would you like to change it?,I remember a trip to a business lunch meeting and more like do as you are told.hosted by the owner ofa factory we were to usefor our espadrilles. As our A.C. broke down A rather delicate question now are youduring the six hour drive from Shanghai, the mid- making profits?Summer heat made the temperature inside theblack minivan skyrocket. Drooling of sweat, and Peder: Yes, but not as much as much as wedehydrated we arrived two hours late to the most could. Unfortunately neither Jacob nor me canchallenging meal I've ever had: The food was give Millstone the attention that it needs for it touneatable and our interpreter was moody, tired be really successful.and completely gave up on her duties.Furthermore, our driver kept reminding us in Jacob: At Millstone HB we made profit for theChinese that this was going to cost extra. The FY2008, even though we still hold 60% of lastlocal beer proved to be a hit though. year's inventory. Nebuli is on the up-start and

hasn't made any profit.

Many ambitious individuals have shied awayfrom trying their luck and have left manyunexploited ideas lying on the bookshelves.

What has inspired you to risk your moneyand time and go for it? What has been yourinspirationalsource?

How beneficial is it to go outside theclassroom and to apply all the theories of Peder:Well, money. Oh, and to be named thestrategic intents, supply chains, and balance Time Magazines Man of the Year.Also, to stopsheets in the real world? being self obsessed one day.

Jacob: In real life business, I have not yet got Jakob: I have always seen myself as anthe opportunity to use the skills and knowledge I entrepreneur and always had different businesshave acquired in class. Nonetheless, many ideas. I felt I needed some knowledge ofrules

thoughts and innovative ideas of how to manage and frameworks to be able to implement myour companies have come as a result of my ideas into the real life business. We are turningstudies here at CEU. now to the question of why I study business and

management. My incentive lies: first, in thePeder: Although the business school provides simple act of succeeding with a set businessmany proven-to-be-effective tools for many idea, and second: in profit maximization.aspects of managing a company, I feel theexamples concerning strategy in smaller scale Trans-national Voice wishes you all the bestcompanies, SMEs and startups, are missing. I in your future endeavors!



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MoneyandSportBy Rohan Servand

Manchester City's recent outrageous bid for AC Milan's Kaka is the best example of money in sport

gone mad. The bid essentially values the Brazilian star at USD 140 million. It is noteworthy that ChelseaFC was bought over by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for a total of USD 200 million just over fiveyears ago. In the space of five seasons, a players net worth has reached figures that were more commonlyassociated with an entire football club. Whether it is right, worth it or simply outrageous is another issuealtogether. But without a hint of a doubt, sport has become a money spinner. Although the economic crisismay have hit price sensitive sports like Formula 1, other franchises seem to be living in a world of unlimitedcash reserves and growing incomes.

Large capital reserves are capable of achieving goals that one may deem unattainable. This is noexception in sport. When Chelsea was placed in the hands of their new owner with a personal fortune inexcess of USD 10 billion in 2003, they regularly featured in the top tier of the English Premier League

(EPL), but were never genuine contenders. Their last league success had been in 1955. However after thetake over and another USD 150 million spent on new players, Chelsea became only the fifth club to win theleague two years in a row in 2005 and 2006. It is no wonder that Manchester City is making ripples in theworld of football after being taken over by billionaire Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Althoughpotential rivals seem to be unaffected, the parallels with Chelsea are visible.

Football tends to steal sporting headlines in Europe and South America, however across theAtlantic in North America it is in a period of revived growth ushered in by the arrival of David Beckham in2007 making him the highest paid Major League Soccer (MLS) player of all time. North America plays hostto the world's richest sportsman in Tiger Woods whose annual earnings fluctuate around the figure of USD90 million. It has several sport teams valued at over a billion dollars in the franchise rich National Football

League (NFL) and the Major League Baseball (MLB). Cash dictates terms at a whole new level in terms ofadvertising here. In 2008 commercial campaigns during the Super Bowl are thought to have reached USD2.7 million for every 30 seconds with viewership crossing 100 million across the globe. The NationalAssociation for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) may be comparatively smaller in terms of following andfinances, but has seen an astronomical upwards trend in the last twenty four months with stock valuesincreasing on average by 65%. DuPont pay Hendrick's #24 Chevrolet USD 13 million for advertising on


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the hood of the car alone. With an array of sports Although individual football clubs boast hugeto cash in on, the USA is the epicentre of money incomes and remarkable net worth, they are stillin sport. smaller than the Board for Control of Cricket in

India (BCCI) as franchises. The BCCI has beenSport in Asia is region specific. While the south growing rapidly in the last five years and has aeast has keen followers of badminton and pool, net worth in excess of USD 2 billion. Its playersthey also share a passion for football, largely are the highest paid, and its league the most

due to the commercial success of Manchester sought after by fans and players alike. DespiteUnited FC and Liverpool FC of the EPL. It is tickets being as cheap as USD 5, the BCCI hasimpossible to leave out Manchester United in an been able to bolster income through televisionarticle about sport and money. They are widely rights and multiple high value sponsorships.believed to be the first globally successfulfranchise in value terms. Under the watchful eyeof Chief Executive David Gill and manager Sir Alex Ferguson, recently named as the mostinfluential individual in sport by Times magazine,the club has transcended success on the pitchwith commercial success off it. Valued at USD1.8 billion by Forbes, it is the richest footballteam in the world followed closely by Spanish Money has made its mark in every niche ofgiants Real Madrid FC. After last season's sport, regardless of following, geographicdouble success, United saw its profits soar and location and even the turmoil of the currenttake it past Real who has held the richest slot for economic crisis. It dictates the future of eachthe previous two years. Manchester United has sport and those involved, reemphasizing itsover half its estimated 333 million followers in necessity regardless of the negative press it Asia. It is no wonder that they have made seven may awakenpre season tours to Asia since 1995 and profitedfrom the use of global stars like CristianoRonaldo and Wayne Rooney.

(Continued from p.4) ... just as vehemently as any vague as well, and has been left on the veryother climate-change legislation. Final ly, margins of public debate in Washington.financial crisis and recession are not the closest Contrary to John McCain and the Republicans,friends of any tax relief bills. Increased Obama was reluctant to take radical stand on thegovernment spending, which is unavoidable South Ossetia conflict or on the pro-Europeanunder reforms promised by Obama, may ambitions of Ukraine. On top of all uncertaintiesbecome just impossible or extremely uneasy in there is the ever-present visa issue that thethe tough months (years?) to come. As 'The governments of Central Europe will continue toEconomist' analysts were unhappy to report, the raise, for the now promised open doors policynew president has to start deciding whom to was anything but reality in the last decade.disappoint.

th On January 20 , the world has also bid a ratherWithin the World under Obama, Europe gets joyful farewell to George W. Bush. According tolittle attention. With the sinister Middle East Gallup, he has left the office with over 60% ofdevelopments, Russian reemerging imperialism Americans disapproving of his presidency. Theand increased pressure on efficient solutions in shadows of Iraq, Guantnamo, HurricaneIraq, our part of the world might be the least of Katrina and most recently the financial crisisglobal challenges for the new administration. have successfully covered all the rest of theYet, it seems that Obama's cabinet wish to presidential record. While some, even in theimprove U.S.-Europe relations by the sole fact of U.S. mainstream media, enjoy calling Bush thebeing a new team, and taking over from worst U.S. president ever, the history's verdictdespised Republicans. might be completely different. Harry S. Truman,

who is nowadays rarely omitted in any Top 10It is rather unclear, for instance, what Obama's Presidents rank, was leaving the White Housepeople are designing for the anti-ballistic Missile with the embarrassing acceptance rate of 22%.Shield system, agreed just six months ago after Bush, who was judged through the difficulties oflong negotiations with Poland and Czech our times, might get a much more favorableRepublic. The future nature of NATO remains verdict in the future



20/20

CULTURAL AWARENESSLiving with a Russian, studying with a Serbian,

chatting with a German. This is the life of a typical

CEU Business School student. Our new Cultural

Awareness Club will engage you into various

socializing activities, exchanges of cultural articfacts,

experiences and stories. We will be organizing differentevents such as The Day of a Country and many

others! Take advantage of our international

environment andcontributetothe cultural exchange

DEBATES CLUBThe CEU Business School Debates Club is aimed to

engage our students into lively discussions of world

affairs through roundtable talks, lectures and

seminars, debate competitions, and conferences. In

May 2009 we are planning to organize a large debatetournament with cash prizes. Be a debater, moderator,

or a judge! We will also record every game and post the

videos online on YouTube or Facebook!

Contacts: Rustam Jamilov, Ilya Baltinsky, Abror

Akmalov

Be the Change

WEBSITEWe are very proud to

announce that starting

from the Spring Semester

o f t h e 2 0 0 8 - 2 0 0 9

academic year, the CEU

Business School students

will have their very OWN

website! This is very

exciting for us and we

hope that our student

website will boost our

s t u d e n t l i f e i n a l l

directions. The website

will have photos and

videos, blogs, guest-book,

a forum, and many other

features. This is a long-term project specifically

for the students of CEU

Business School. You can

discuss a topic on the

forum, up load your

favorite videos and simply

have fun with your friendsfrom all around the world!

M i f ti i

INVESTMENT SOCIETYAt the Investment Society you can trade stocks online.

With the required simulator on your computer andtraining from a CEU professor you can start buying

and selling shares while sitting at home. Everything is

real-time which allows you to do actual research and to

invest into the best performing firms. Designed as a

learning experience for our students, the Investment

Society can help you get valuable knowledge and

experience to become the next financial guru!

Contacts: Johan Saggar Airey, Rustam Jamilov,

Carl Jacob Petersen

Trans-National Voice Issue 2

Documents

Transcript of Trans-National Voice Issue 2