Seminars & reflections

1. Asha De
Zutter
SEMINARS SLIDE CAST
& PROFESSIONAL
REFLECTION

2.  Speaker: Anne Laajalahti
 Date: 08/12/15
 Place: Aula 2, Artevelde University College
 Timing: 11:45 – 13:15
SEMINAR: CRISIS COMMUNICATION &
MANAGEMENT

3.  Before the seminar I looked up the speaker to see who she
was and in what field she was active. I didn’t find a huge
amount of information but enough to get a general idea about
who she was.
RESEARCH

4.  I chose this seminar because it was about crisis
communication and management and since we have been
learning about this in class I thought it would be noteworthy
to hear about this topic from a professor from a different
country.
MOTIVATION

5.  This seminar was given by Ms. Anne Laajalahti ; a professor from a
university in Finland. She explained that the media really influences the
definition of what a crisis is, and so those social media. This I found
especially fascinating since things that people say on social media can
really magnify a problem and our actions have so many consequences.
Apart from this, I didn’t really learn much from the seminar since the
speaker spoke mostly about the University she was coming from and why
someone should go to Finland. This was rather disappointing as I had
hoped to hear more about the different kinds of crises and risks and to
what extent a crisis could be positive or negative.
REFLECTION

6.  Speaker: Paul Nchu Ngang
 Date: 27/10/15
 Place: Aula 5, Artevelde University College
 Timing: 15:00 – 17:30
SEMINAR: REBRANDING AFRICA

7.  I did some research before the seminar about Mr. Nchu Ngang
but also about the topic he was talking about so that I had a
more detailed idea about what he would be talking about.
RESEARCH

8.  I chose this seminar because I lived in Africa for most of my
life so this topic really interested me. I was already aware of
the continent’s potential so it was interesting to hear more
about this as well as a more detailed explanation of
challenges, opportunities and whether or not ones company is
suited for Africa.
MOTIVATION

9.  During this seminar, Mr. Paul Nchu Ngang gave us an explanation of
how Africa is a place full of opportunities and how the continent is
emerging in the world. What struck me most during the seminar and
what I found most important is how he said that Africa doesn’t need
aid, instead it needs knowledge. Western countries are always saying
how much aid they are giving to African countries but never how much
they are taking (not just in money but also in resources, tax evasion,
loans back, illegal logging, money made by multinational companies).
This is a point that I think is essential as in order for Africa to grow it
doesn’t just need to be given money but instead taught things. This
seminar really made me see the investment opportunities in this
continent and I love that the speaker emphasized that is a continent,
not a country like so many people in the Western world stereotype it to
be.
REFLECTION

10.  Speaker: Dirk Buyens
 Date: 01/12/15
 Place: Aula 4, Artevelde University College
 Timing: 18:15
SEMINAR: WORKING AND LIVING
ABROAD

11.  I did some research on Mr. Buyens before the seminar to get a
clear idea about him and his work. From what I found on his
personal page of the Vlerick Business School I immediately
knew this seminar was going to be an interesting one.
RESEARCH

12.  I chose this seminar because I felt that his experiences were
close to that of mine and I thought it would be fascinating to
hear things from his point of view. Specifically his work was
interesting to me as that is the part of life that I haven’t
gotten to yet therefore I felt it would be nice to hear how he
went international.
MOTIVATION

13.  The seminar “Working living abroad” was a personal point of view about
the what, why and how of international and intercultural competencies.
During the seminar, he said that people coming from a small country are
rather closed minded; and this really struck me during the seminar
because I completely agreed with him. When I moved to Belgium I thought
people here were extremely different than what I was used to in the
International world. He explained practical tips for how to deal with moving
abroad and the different phases and I thought this was really important
since many of us are going abroad and though I already knew most of the
things he said I loved hearing his examples and things that he had gone
through that hadn’t yet. Overall, this was definitely my favorite seminar out
of all since I learned a lot and could really relate with the topic.
REFLECTION

14.  Speaker: Kyra Veldkamp
 Date: 16/02/16
 Place: Aula 2, Artevelde University College
 Timing: 15:00
SEMINAR: WORKING ABROAD

15.  Before the seminar, I did a Google search on Ms. Veldkamp as
well as the topic she was going to be talking about. I got many
different hits on how to find a job abroad.
RESEARCH

16.  This seminar was mandatory since it was important for us to
know how to use these sites and learn from her what we
should emphasize on when we are applying. I did not choose
this seminar personally.
MOTIVATION

17.  The seminar “Working Abroad” by Ms. Veldkamp was about the way to
apply for a job abroad using different platforms. The part in which I
learned the most was when she spoke about what we should reflect on,
what our CV should comprise of as well as how to grab employer’s
attention with our CV. It was good to know that your CV should be
different and adapted to what the job is looking for and that one
should familiarize themselves with vacancy details. Nevertheless, for
most of the seminar the speaker taught us how to use the site and I
felt this was rather pointless as one could figure out how to use it by
themself quite easily. Several questions were asked at the end of the
seminar some of which were also useful to me but I did not ask
anything. Overall, the seminar was beneficial to some degree but I
definitely learned more in other seminars compared to this one.
REFLECTION

18.  Speaker: Tomislav Perko
 Date: 02/12/15
 Place: Aula 3, Artevelde University College
 Timing: 19:30 – 21:30
SEMINAR: HOW TO TRAVEL THE WORLD
WITH ALMOST NO MONEY

19.  Before going to this seminar, I looked up Mr. Perko as well as
presentations and seminars he had given before. I found a
whole lot of information about him and even saw several ted
talks.
RESEARCH

20.  I chose this seminar as my seminar not organized by IBM
because even though it may seem a little far fetched when
trying to relate to my studies, I thought it would be especially
interesting to see how one can manage a small amount of
money for such a long period of time and still see world
wonders.
MOTIVATION

21.  This seminar was definitely one of the most interesting ones I went too.
The speakers enthusiasm and personal stories about how he went from
being a stock broker in a suit to a traveler without any money was
extremely inspirational. He gave a lot of tips and tricks which I thought
were very beneficial as he had made it 50,000 kilometers with $10 a day.
To me, this was an important story to hear especially when doing IBM
because he travels all around the world, as well as manages his money
well and this is something we as students will set out to do. Maybe not in
the same way as he does but our future is uncertain just like his is. You
can see how a financial crisis can completely change a persons life and in
the end you must simply learn how to deal with it.
REFLECTION

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BIBLIOGRAPHY