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General Interest, Page 2

Social Media in Higher Education Conference

After a whirlwind week, submitting/doing almost all of my assignments, writing case studies and preparing an abstract for a summer conference, it was a relief when we passed the midpoint. This was not just because the weekend, and indeed the Christmas holidays were in sight, but because Tom and I would be travelling to Sheffield for the Social Media in Higher Education Conference late Thursday night, a conference we had been looking forward to for a large number of months. Continue reading →

Book Review – Messy

You are about to give a major performance, and you discover that your tools are faulty. What do you do? Do you take to the stage and risk your hard-won reputation? Or do you cancel the event, preventing the risk of a substandard performance, but disappointing the audience? This was the dilemma jazz pianist Keith Jarrett faced in 1975 at the Cologne Opera House. Continue reading →

Book Review – Freakonomics

I had an eye on Freakonomics for a long time and recently I decided to give it a try as people online were fascinated by it. Having my cup of coffee in the morning and going through the introduction, I was sure this will be one of those trivial books that questions everything in the world and doesn’t provide any specific answers. By the time I was having a glass of chardonnay in the evening, I read most of it and realised, the book I just read was not about economics at all. Continue reading →

Book Review – Brunel: The Man Who Built the World

Brunel: The Man Who Built the World, by Steven Brindle, is a short yet comprehensive insight into both the personal and business life that Brunel led. If anything, this book has really emphasised the importance and sheer brilliance of the work that Brunel has gifted to Britain. I think, it is safe to say, that after reading this book any reader would agree in stating that Brunel is definitely Britain’s greatest engineer. Continue reading →

RSA Talk: Political Turbulence and Social Media

Despite the many places I have been lucky enough to visit due to my involvement in the Co-Design project for the past year, I had not had the opportunity to visit London until now, so this trip was another exciting and new one. The other advantage of London, of course, was a less early start, making the walk through a slightly foggy Southampton for our 10:30 train all the more pleasant. Continue reading →

Book Review- Alex Ferguson with Michael Moritz: Leading

Alex Ferguson, perhaps the greatest manager of all time, puts forward his book, Leading, in which he explores the enigma behind his 38 years as a football manager. In just 13 chapters, Ferguson tries to analyse the experiences, decisions and tactics that lead to success at a range of clubs, including his 26 years at Manchester United in which he won 38 trophies. The ideas discussed covers a wide range of issues including player and staff transfers, adapting, managing, and authority. Continue reading →

Stefan’s Book Launch: Appreciative Inquiry for Change Management

It is sometimes said that writing a book is a bit like giving birth. Not having given birth I am not sure I can comment on that! What I do know is that the book becomes a little like a child you care about. You have invested time and effort and are keen to see it flourish and become useful. The good news is that a book I co-authored a few years ago is now being published in its’ second edition ( Lewis, S., Passmore,J. and Cantore,S. Continue reading →