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News & Events
Executive MBA Induction in Kyiv
The Induction for our Executive MBA programme in Kyiv took place on 21-22 November 2013 in House of Pashkov for students of Cohort 21. Dr. Leslie Szamosi, Academic Director of the programme and Dr. Nikos Dimitriadis, Lecturer at the programme, welcomed all students and led the induction sessions focusing on the main attributes and structure of the programme. Also, our MBA alumna, Ms. Irina Rubis, Director of Ekonomika Communication Hub, delivered a very inspirational talk sharing her MBA experience with new students noting all skills and knowledge that she gained during her MBA studies and how much the programme helped her in her career. The Induction has been designed to provide a gateway to the MBA programme and prepare students for their studies. The MBA Induction in Kyiv was followed by the first weekend of classes during which students attended the first unit on the MBA course on 'Developing Market Presence'. Like previous years, middle and top management managers and professionals from different industry sectors, primarily from Ukraine, are attending the programme that successfully runs in Kyiv since 2010.
27/11/2013
Students and alumni from the International Faculty enter ‘SEVE next generation’ competition
A group of students and alumni from the International Faculty have joined the ‘SEVE next generation’ a new initiative by the Greek International Business Association (SEVE), that invites young people to submit business ideas for new ventures, products and services to be examined, evaluated and financed by SEVE. Our representing team - consisted of Anastasios Vourgas, Jorgo Gellci, Marius Shehati, Kushtrim Fetahu, Lorik Mullaademi - participated in the first event of ‘SEVE next generation’ that took place on 21 November 2013 at Electra Palace Hotel in Thessaloniki. Entitled ‘STARTUP and Extroversion’ the event gave our students and other participants the opportunity to they presented their business ideas explaining why they believe their ideas are worth investing in. The event's key speakers included Steve Yarborough - President of Aviation Data Specialists, Michael Nalbantis - CEO Helional and Mr. Christos Papanikolaou, Owner and CEO of Opto Hellas, Executive Member of the B.o.D. of the Greek International Business Association (SEVE) and Head of SEVE Next Generation (Sevenagers). SEVE's initiative presents a great funding opportunity to those seeking to create their own business and looking for investors. The University of Sheffield International Faculty, CITY College is among SEVE next generation's supporters. Meet our team! What our students and graduates said about their experience in SEVE next generation Anastasios Vourgas who completed the MSc in Management (Human Resources) in 2008 at the International Faculty, CITY College and is a member of our team, presented a very innovative venture at the event and talked about this experience and his participation in SEVE next generation: “It was a once in a lifetime experience. I mean pitching potential investors about your passion and goals and trying to convince them in 10 minutes that your business venture is worth financing.” Talking about his business venture and the business plan he presented at the event Mr. Vourgas said: “For the last 12 months I have been running my own business, exporting some of the finest Greek products, mainly from my home Evia. Through my company, Greek Golden Groves, and along with my team we try hard to promote the Mediterranean way of living in foreign markets, by using a specific branding strategy for each of our products. My business plan is to expand the existing G3foods company in a newpioneering platform with vertically integrated production control. In a few words, my business idea is about the modernization of our existing olive oil press and the creation of new state-of-the-art packaging facility, worth visiting. Through this facility we aim to offer to producers the opportunity to acquire the added value that is missing from their products.” Jorgo Gellci, BSc in Computer Science graduate currently attending the MSc in Software Engineering and Telecommunications, Kushtrim Fetahu BSc in Computer Science graduate currently attending the MA in Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations, Lorik Mulaademi, BSc in Computer Science graduate from our Faculty how also completed his postgraduate studies in innovation and technology management in University of Bath, UK and Marius Shehati, also BSc in Computer Science graduate and a professional software developer presented as a group their idea about the creation of a digital community dedicated to nightlife and clubbing. The all spoke with enthousiasm about their experience with SEVE’s competition: “As a graduate and student of Computer Science, my experience in business and investments is somehow limited. The presentation of the idea on 20 and 21 November was a great experience. We had the opportunity to talk with real businessmen, willing to invest, one of which showed a great interest in our business plan. SEVE’s competition was and continues to be a great experience in this aspect, as it provided us with the opportunity to talk about real life business idea with businessmen and investors who were willing to collaborate with us. I really hope that the contacts we made will prove to be successful collaborations in the future” Jorgo said while Lorik added: “We have had this idea for a couple of months now and the only part missing was somebody who could provide the necessary funding to get the project running. So SEVE’s next generation competition was the perfect opportunity for us.” When asked about the competition Kushtrim said: “The competition prepared us for future contacts with prospective investors. We got valuable insights of the investors’ world and what they are looking for in different projects.” In his turn Marius added “We are all very excited about our business idea and we hope and believe that this collaboration will continue beyond the two days of the SEVE competition.”
27/11/2013
Two “Best Presenter” Awards for Greek delegation of SEERC to the 4th Balkan Venture Forum in Tirana
In great success resulted the Greek delegation to the 4th Balkan Venture Forum in Tirana on Nov 14-15, 2013. SEERC, the research centre of the International Faculty of the University of Sheffield - CITY College in Thessaloniki, supported the participation of Greek start-ups at the Forum by organising a delegation to Tirana comprising 18 start-up companies and innovation experts from various parts of Greece. The Balkan Venture Forum Tirana created the platform for regional entrepreneurs to connect with international investors and business partners. The fourth event in a series, the Forum sought to stimulate regional entrepreneurs to look across national borders and bring their business solutions to regional and global markets. The Forum attracted over 250 participants from Albania, the Western Balkans, South-East Europe, Europe and beyond including start-up companies, innovation experts, investors, business angels, support agencies, and government representatives. Out of the 11 Greek companies participating at the Forum 8 ventures were among the 28 selected participants in a highly competitive pitching contest to present their compelling innovative business ideas in front of a jury of international experts and investors. 2 out of the final 7 winners of the Pitching contest were from Greece: Epikoinonia from Thessaloniki (represented by Anastasios Moutzouris) and Energomechanic from Heraklion Crete (represented by Emmanouil Tsikandilakis, with 'Sunnyclist'- a new type of urban solar vehicle), winner of the competition within the MESUP project of the Science & Tech Park Crete. The winners will participate in the European Venture Summit in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Dec. 9-10. The other Greek companies participating at the Forum were: Aterin, Thessaloniki (represented by Mr. Stavros Ioannidis) Webtheater , Athens (represented by Mr. Aggelos Stamatopoulos) Heeelp me, Thessaloniki (represented by Ms. Foteini Kandiliari) ErgoQ, Thessaloniki (represented by Mr. Salih Emin) Bluperty, Athens (represented by Ms. Alkisti Zina) Nessos, Athens (represented by Dr. George Stavroulakis) C2BII, Athens (represented by Mr. Charalampos Oikonomidis) Skyworks, Thessaloniki (represented by Mr. Ioannis Papikas) and a student team from the University of Western Macedonia, Kozani (represented by Mr. Petros Perlantidis Papadopoulos and Mr. Georgios Kakamoukas) The other participants of the delegation organised by SEERC included Prof. Yiannis Bakouros from the University of Western Macedonia, Mr. Artemis Saitakis, Director of Tech & Science Park Crete, Ms. Adriane Thrash from the American College of Thessaloniki, Mr. Argyris Spyridis from the Innovation Farm Thessaloniki, Mr. Themis Plalis from Ariadne, Kilkis, as well as Mr. Nikos Zaharis and Mr. Andreas Baresel-Bofinger from SEERC. In his opening remarks Mr. Niko Peleshi, Deputy Prime Minister to the Republic of Albania, emphasized the importance of startup development in Albania and the region through investment-oriented events and entrepreneurial support programmes and ensured that the government would “not be a headache” in this process. Citing the Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter, the mission director of USAID in Albania, Dr. Jim Barnhart, pointed out the important role of start-up companies as a force of “creative destruction” to unleash new competitive powers in the economy. The keynote speaker of the first day, Mr. Baybars Altuntas, the president of the Business Angels Association of Turkey, highlighted the various milestones in the entrepreneurial career path and the crucial role of entrepreneurial decision making and risk assessment. In the investor panel regarding the latest trends in financing start-ups in the region of South-East Europe, Mr. William Stevens, the founder and CEO of Europe Unlimited, the co-organsier of the Forum, stressed the importance of investors joining forces to address the needs in the region and act on a transnational level. He emphasized that platforms such as the Balkan Venture Forum provide investors with the opportunity to find suitable co-investment partners in order to be able to spread the involved risks and feel more comfortable in their investment decisions. The keynote speaker of the second day, the Albanian born founder and managing partner of Boston Global Ventures, Mr. Vivjan Myrto, accentuated the necessity for entrepreneurs to “make their product sparkle” in order to attract investors’ support. The minimum viable product that he compared to a “patient in intensive care who is alive but not fun to spend a lot of time with”, would just not be good enough. The Minister of Innovation and Public Administration of the Republic of Albania, Dr. Milena Harito, after having expressed in her closing speech the readiness for supporting the start-up companies in Albania, handed out the awards to the winners of the Pitching competition. The presenting 28 ventures stemmed from Albania, other Western Balkan countries and the South-East European region, and were from various business sectors, ranging from ICT, media to clean tech. They were selected from over 100 applications by an international jury based upon merit in the following categories: Business potential; Team experience; Product / technology; Competitive position; Investment potential. The Pitching competition was carried out in five separate sessions in which the presenters were given 8 minutes to present their business idea to an audience of investors and experts followed by a 7 minutes questions and answers session. The Forum was preceded by a Venture Academy where the start-ups received particular training and preparation for their pitching on the following days. This kind of preparation was highly appreciated by the ventures as an ample opportunity for learning and improvement. From all sides it was recognized that the Balkan Venture Forum constitutes an essential contribution to the growth and development of a thriving entrepreneurial and start-up ecosystem in the region. The Greek participants of the delegation of SEERC attested a high quality to the Balkan Venture Forum and asserted that it helped them improve their approach to potential investors and to discover inconsistencies in their business model. The coaching opportunities were very well appreciated as were the networking and the exchange of innovative ideas. The pitching sessions were seen as a learning experience as presenter and as spectator. Also experts and investors found plenty opportunity to make new contacts and discover new ideas. All participants would recommend the participation in future similar events. With three previous editions (Skopje, Belgrade & Sofia), the Balkan Venture Forum series has gathered over 1.000 relevant industry participants. For more information, please visit http://www.e-unlimited.com/bkvftirana . The next Balkan Venture Forum will be organised in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in May 2014. The Balkan Venture Forum series of events is the region’s leading venture and innovation forum where innovative business ideas meet investors, support agencies and policy makers from the South-East European region, wider Europe and beyond. It is organized by Balkan Unlimited, Crimson Capital, and Europe Unlimited. The Balkan Venture Forum is one of the main objectives of the SEE Programme project VIBE (Venture Initiative in Balkan Europe) and is being co-financed by the European Union. What is VIBE VIBE (Venture Initiative in Balkan Europe; www.vibeproject.eu ) is a project co-funded by the EU in the framework of the ‘SEE Transnational Cooperation Programme’ with the primary objective to support facilitation of innovation and entrepreneurship in the region of South-East Europe. VIBE aims at fostering the creation and growth of innovative SMEs and start-up companies through a large array of actions. SEERC - the South-East European Research Centre (www.seerc.org ) is the only Greek partner in the VIBE project.
21/11/2013
Executive MBA Induction Day in Belgrade
The Induction Day for our Executive MBA programme in Belgrade took place on 7-8 November 2013 in Hotel Zira for students of Cohort 21. Dr. Leslie Szamosi, Academic Director of the programme, and Dr. Nikos Dimitriadis, Lecturer at the programme, welcomed all students and led the induction sessions. Also, our MBA alumna, Ms. Sanja Milakovic Kolundzija shared her MBA experience with new students noting how much the programme helped her in her career. The students comprising Cohort 21 come from various industry sectors such as production, distribution, pharmaceuticals, NGOs, banking, telecommunication, advanced technologies, etc. Participants left the Induction with a common feeling that the programme is far more demanding and challenging than they expected. This is ninth year our Executive MBA programme runs successfully in Belgrade. Like previous years, middle and top management managers and professionals from different industry sectors, primarily from Romania but other countries too, are attending the programme that successfully runs in Bucharest since 2006.
20/11/2013
Dr Lagkas Participates as Keynote Speaker in Mtel’s Conference in Sofia
Dr. Thomas Lagkas Dr. Thomas Lagkas, Lecturer at our Computer Science Department, participated in Mtels ‘Top Performers Conference’ in Sofia with an insightful presentation on fourth generation (4G) networks. The event took place on Friday, 8 November 2013 at the Sophia Sheraton Hotel and was organised by Mtel, one of Bulgaria’s biggest telecommunications companies. Dr. Lagkas was among the conference’s keynote speakers and shared his expertise with a very informative speech entitled ‘Contemporary Issues and Future Trends in 4G Networks’. His presentation touched upon the related telecommunication standards and their main features, advanced techniques on efficient resources utilisation and energy consumption in telecommunication systems. The audience found Dr. Lagkas’ presentation particularly informative. The event was dedicated to MTEL’s employees who exhibited high performance during the previous year. The event concluded with an Awarding Ceremony for these employees.
20/11/2013
Successful come-back for ‘Psychology for all’ open seminar series
Our Psychology Department re-launched for academic year 2013-14 the 'Psychology for all' open seminar series that has been running successfully at our main campus in Thessaloniki for the past few years. The series will continue to host 1-hour talks by different guest speakers specialising in different psychology areas who will be sharing their knowledge and expertise with a varied audience. The first set of lectures took place during November-December 2013 featuring Ms. Petra Examiliotou, Social Psychologist, who delivered a talk on 'Violence against Women: from the therapist's point of view', Dr. Niki Nearchou, Psychologist and Visiting Lecturer at our Faculty who spoke on ''Emotional abuse on children by teachers' and Ms. Melina Sidiropoulou, Criminal Psychologist and Visiting Lecturer at our Psychology Department, who held an insightful presentation on 'Criminal Psychology - How to avoid everyday dangers'. All three events took place with great success and response from the audience, demonstrating the public's interest to listen and learn by knowledgeable psychology scientists and practitioners. The series will continue in January 2014 with new interesting topics that will soon be announced by the Department Psychology.
19/11/2013
Executive MBA Induction 2013 in Bucharest
The 14th of November 2013 saw the Induction Day for our Executive MBA in Bucharest that marked the beginning of academic year 2013-14. Mr. George Efstathiadis, Director of the programme, Dr. Leslie Szamosi, Academic Director of the programme and Dr. Alexandros Psychogios, Senior Lecturer and Ms. Alina Vasile, Country Manager, welcomed the students and provided useful information about the Executive MBA. Also our alumna Ms. Ramona Pergel shared with the newcomers her EMBA experience. The evening’s highlight was the particularly insightful speech delivered by British Ambassador of Romania, Mr. Martin Harris, who attended the event as special guest of the Executive MBA Induction Day. Like previous years, middle and top management managers and professionals from different industry sectors, primarily from Romania but other countries too, are attending the programme that successfully runs in Bucharest since 2006. The Executive MBA induction day in Bucharest, in Antena 3 channel. In the frame of the Induction Day the students in Bucharest participated in the 'People Building Exercise'. The exercise worked as the perfect icebreaker for MBA participants and helped them build a sense of team and teamwork.
18/11/2013
CITY College Goes Green
“CITY Goes Green” campaign is an initiative by Alexandra Cristina Patrascu (3rd year computer science student) and Miruna Carmen Barbu (2nd year psychology student). It’s a small project that can make a BIG difference. The campaign aims to urge everyone at the Faculty's main campus in Thessaloniki to recycle instead of waist paper. The students put together a proposal that the International Faculty fully supported. After making all necessary arrangements with the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the students worked with the AV Club that created visual material to help spread the news and the Faculty community to spread the word. Look for recycling bins around campus and let’s start recycling!
15/11/2013
Our students compete in the IBM Universities Business Challenge (UBC) 2013-14
A group of five students from all our academic departments, namely, Maria Gaci, Alexandra Patrascu, Haris Liampas, Tijana Maljevic and Marko Drca entered this year’s IBM Universities Business Challenge (UCB) representing the University of Sheffield International Faculty, CITY College. Our team is competing against students from other universities worldwide and is currently on Trading Period 4 of this international student competition with one more to go till the Semi-finals. Each week teams have to make financial decisions on all aspects of the company they are running (Solar Power Systems Inc), in order to maintain a sustainable, profitable and socially responsible business.Only the top teams will continue to Round two. The Round 3 Grand Final is run live over one day. This is scheduled for late March 2014 and will be hosted by the lead employer partner IBM at a London venue. The top ten teams from the Round 2 Semi‐Finals compete to be Winners of UBC United Kingdom and put their university’s name on the trophy. Meet the International Faculty’s participating team! Name Academic department Year Maria Gaci Computer Science 3 Alexandra Patrascu Computer Science 3 Haris Liampas Psychology 3 Tijana Maljevic Business 3 Marko Drca Business 3 What is the Universities Business Challenge (UCB)? This international student competition is the world's longest established and most recognised simulation-based competitive challenge for undergraduates designed to develop employability and enterprise skills. Supported by the UK's leading universities and graduate employers, more than 20,000 students have benefitted from participating in the UBC Worldwide over the past 15 years. The Challenge gives undergraduate students the opportunity to work as a board of directors of realistic, simulated companies, making all the critical business decisions that affect the company's performance. The UBC simulations are varied and challenging - and range from manufacturing to service businesses to ensure a rounded learning experience. The Challenge is not just for Business Studies students. The UBC increasingly attracts participants across faculties and disciplines from leading universities as its value in employability and enterprise skills development is recognised. Besides the invaluable experience and prestige of progressing through the competition, there are also cash prizes for the first three teams: 1st £1000, 2nd £500 and 3rd £250. Plus certificates of participation and achievement as students progress through each stage of the Challenge.
13/11/2013
The Apprentice Challenge - Game On for our Business Students!
Our third level undergraduate students in the marketing track are now competing in the Apprentice Challenge. The competition, designed by Dr. Ana Cruz, aims to enhance the learning experience in the module ‘Integrated Marketing Communications (ICM)’. The competition is inspired by the popular BBC’s TV show “The Apprentice” where a number of ambitious professionals compete in groups and then individually for a top managerial position. What is it? The IMC Apprentice challenge includes a number of specific group challenges, exercises and workshops carefully designed to support students to better understand and apply basic functions of integrated marketing communications. The challenge as a whole is a competition where the wining group will receive a highly desirable award. Through group work - critical to the success of any Marketing and Communications Manager - the application of theory in practice and healthy competition, the Apprentice challenge aims to motivate students to come prepared to class and to facilitate critically linking theory and practice in real life business cases. Will it enhance employability? Yes, to some extent. An added benefit will be that at the end of the semester the students will have a professional portfolio that they can present to potential employers in interviews. Congratulations to the weekly challenge winners: Week 1-challenge: Communication strategy during crisis This was a surprise challenge. Students prepared two papers beforehand relating to recalling products and saving brands in the face of crisis. In class they had to manage and develop the communications strategy for a well-known business crisis. Team: Challenge! Team members: Semina Michailidou, Voskopoulos Rafail, Sonja Bulajic Their use of theory and insights from the papers supported them in putting together a sound strategy and a coherent message. Week 2-The packaging that sells: from theory to practice (Critically analyzing packaging). Competition in week two was tough so we had two deserving winners. Team: Ane Team members: Elefteria Kyrkou, Anna Koupourtidou and Marianthi Markaki. Their critical analysis and keeping the target audience at the heart of the analysis made them a deserving winner. The team successfully analyzed the bottle of Versace Cristal Noir perfume. Team: Midnight Jackets. Team members: Nina Kostantinidou, Milos Ilic and Petros Skordas, Their analytical and creative presentation of Lady Gaga’s perfume packaging stole the show. Week 3-Images that communicate business messages. A twist to the speaking metaphorically project. Students were required to take three pictures that communicate business messages. One of the pictures had to feature the team and communicate their essence. Do you want to find out what team won this challenge? Watch the space……
12/11/2013
Computer science student among the four ACM scholarship recipients from around the world
Ms Maria Gaci Congratulations Ms Maria Gaci, undergraduate student at our Computer Science Department, who received an UPE Scholarship Award by the Association for Computing Machinery. Maria is one of the four winners of the Award among many applicants from all around the world. The scholarship - which includes a monetary award of $1000 and a recommendation letter by the ACM - was awarded to Maria by The Executive Council of Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE), the Honor Society for Computing Sciences, and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for her excellent academic performance as well as the professional commitment to the computing and information technology field. In her application for the scholarship Maria submitted her academic transcripts from the International Faculty and also outlined her activity as Vice-Chair and founding member of the ‘Muses ACM-W CITY College Student Chapter’ . "Muses ACM-W City College Student Chapter" is an ACM student chapter, established in September 2012, and it is the first student chapter for women not only in Greece, but in the European Union as well, with the mission to support and encourage people to join the computing field, with a specific focus on women. The Head of our Computer Science Department, Ms. Anna Sotiriadou, and Dr George Eleftherakis, Senior Lecturer at the Department and Maria’s supervisor significantly supported her in her scholarship application. Maria commented: "Winning a Scholarship Award from the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, is a great honour for me. I would like to thank the University of Sheffield for this excellent opportunity offered to me. This achievement would not have been possible without the academic skills gained during my studies here and the valuable experience gained by participating in ACM-W, a student chapter hosted by International Faculty with the mission of broadening the computing community. It is my pleasure to be a student at the University of Sheffield and a member of ACM-W City College. Special thanks go to Ms. Anna Sotiriadou for her support, and especially to Dr. George Eleftherakis for his irreplaceable help throughout my studies at the International Faculty."
12/11/2013
Introducing the New CSU Board 2013-14
Like every year, the 2013 electoral period at the International Faculty of the University of Sheffield, CITY College, concluded with the election of 43 class representatives and 4 Student Union Officers, elected by the entire student body at the Faculty’s main campus in Thessaloniki. Dimitrios Zografos, 3rd level student of the BA (Hons) in Business Studies at Business Administration & Economics Department is the new CSU President. Dimitrios together with the three other members of the board, namely, Evi Atzamidaki, PR Officer, Vachos Xantinidis, Welfare & Educational Officer and Nasia Moldovanidou, Sports & Events Officer, represent the student body voice for this year and are very enthusiastic about their new role. The new CSU has already started planning activities and setting new goals for this academic year. All students are encouraged to become active and join or even suggest new initiatives for this year. After their election CSU Officers made the following preliminary statements: Dimitris Zografos "This year as the CSU President and alongside with the rest of CSU board I am ready to achieve fresh set goals and ideas through innovation and collaboration. We will all give 100% of our energy in order to meet the expectations that have been raised and prove that SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT. " Vachos Xantinidis "As a Welfare & Educational Officer, my role is to be the “connection” between students and the Faculty's academic> and administration staff and to try solve any problems they may encounter during the academic year. Please don’t hesitate contact me if there is a problem." Evi Atzamidaki "This year i am responsible for the PR office of the CSU. I reassure you that innovative events and a diversity of activities will be organised for an unforgettable year! All these require effective communication and this is the goal that I intend to achieve. Everyone is welcome to present their own ideas and we will put them into practice! " Nasia Moldovanidou "I'm glad for my election as Sports and Events Officer. My goal for this year is to make all students get involved in sports. My priority is to strengthen the bonds between students by orginising sports events, games and of course training courses which will improve students' performance in sports. " Student elections at the University of Sheffield International Faculty, CITY College,are held on a yearly basis according to the rules and regulations framed by the constitution of the Faculty. CITY College warmly congratulates all members of the new CSU board and wishes them success in their activities and endeavours for the benefit of the International Faculty’s student community!
10/11/2013
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