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Guess who’s coming to town?

Published

Maximillian Kaizen

on October 8, 2007

in GSB and executive education

. 1 Comment

hint:

[from the press release just issued on Nomadic Marketing]

Think Facebook and MXit have nothing to do with your business?
One of the world’s most innovative marketers coming to SA business school to make sense of social media for enterprise

UCT’s Graduate School of Business is proud to welcome Hugh MacLeod to the faculty for the second run of its powerful and popular new 3-day program, “Nomadic Marketing” (31 October - 2 November).

MacLeod was honoured as one of the world’s 50 top marketers by AdAge last year. What makes this man an extraordinary figure in the marketing industry, is that he did this on a shoestring budget, leveraging the growing force of “social media” (blogging in particular) to achieve his successes for what he calls “Global Microbrands“. Macleod’s blog, gapingvoid.com (with his iconic “cartoons drawn on the back of business cards”) ranks among the world’s best recognised blogs.

He will be joined by South Africa’s leading figures in technology, media and marketing in presenting the business case for new technology or the “Social Web” as it has been dubbed.
“The program delivers strategic advantage to business people who aren’t geeks, but have the savvy to know they should be taking early advantage of the opportunities the web offers now” says Dave Duarte, program director of Nomadic Marketing (and founder of Huddlemind Labs).

3 major components executives on the program will take away include:

1. Web:
A comprehensive view of new internet developments and trends; including blogs, social networks (like Facebook), wiki’s, RSS, search engines and aggregators. Hands-on interactivity with these tools and marketing opportunities unlocked.

2. Mobile:
The surge in cellular phone technology is particularly significant for South Africans. The trends arc beyond SMS to WAP, MXit, bluetooth and mobile TV. Staggeringly expensive bandwidth demands creative solutions, a look at where South African technology could flourish.

3. Strategy:
Tools and technology are put into the context of practical business. Dynamic consumer environments force business to innovate at a faster pace. Metrics, case studies and strategies will be explored, to see the theory in action.

One of the unusual highlights of this program is a dinner. Connecting delegates with those working with the new technologies now; entrepreneurs, media folk and corporates testing the edges.

Practical application of learnings is one of the reasons that sees the Graduate School of Business’ Executive Education Unit placed among the top 5 in the world (alongside Harvard and the London School of Economics).

Bookings are now open for Nomadic Marketing:

Cost: R8 500.00
Contact Junita Abrahams at the GSB to reserve a seat:
Tel: (021) 406-1323
Fax: (021) 406-1462
E-mail: abrahams [at] gsb.uct.ac.za

Dates: 31 October - 2 November 2007

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=5801247398
Course Blog: http://technomadicmarkets.com

strategic leadership skill of the future : design

Published

Maximillian Kaizen

on July 22, 2007

in GSB, art, buildingblogs, corporate education, creative genius, creativity and executive education

. 1 Comment

Required reading alert: Business Week’s blogs tend to be of superb quality, but if you don’t have space for much else in your overstuffed reader at least wiggle Bruce Nussbaum’s column into your RSS. This from his “CEO’s must be designers not just hire them“..

the very old and very boring question is whether or not designers and their teachers have ended their distaste for commerce and business culture. I have nothing to say about this except that this debate about art and commerce is so last century. If you are even discussing the issue, you are way behind. If you haven’t fully integrated your design, engineering, business and marketing students and faculty into teams on a regular and systemic basis, you are behind.
..
There are two great barriers to innovation and design in the world today. Ignorant CEOs and ignorant designers. Both groups are well-intentioned and well-dressed—in their own ways—but both can be pretty dangerous characters.

I read that and cheered because I popped up a quick blog: Business Acumen for Artists and some online PR in support of a superb course that bridges the divide. The program will be run by the GSB’s visionary Executive Education director, Elaine Rumboll and all proceeds of the 13 week course go to strengthening the Observatory Community Centre. We’ve reached the point where we can’t afford to be lopsided in using our brains. Operating from both hemispheres is imperative to future success. Dan Pink’s “Whole New Mind” is a worthwhile read if you haven’t picked it up yet. Business leaders need to be visionaries and creative problem-solvers, and artists to be balanced with practical administrative skills for success.

Dostoyevsky once said: Continue reading ’strategic leadership skill of the future : design’

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The UCT Business School pioneers a course on Web2.0 for practical business application

Published

Maximillian Kaizen

on July 17, 2007

in GSB, corporate education, education2.0, executive education and innovation

. 1 Comment

The first morning of Nomadic Marketing has begun.. an unusually structured collaborative learning experience into the heart of the “new internet”. For practical business use. Particularly for marketing. The kernel of this course is how to harness the best ideas at the outer edge of social media for potent strategic advantage in a phenomenally fast and unpredictable moving market. This is going to be an exciting journey.

Thank you to Elaine Rumboll, Director of Executive Education at the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town for initiating this course; and to Dave Duarte (Course Director) who started making the most of many minds and quickly invited some of South Africa’s finest thinkers in this space to co-create this powerful course¹

Today’s line-up includes: Mike Stopforth - Web 2.0 Beyond the Hype; Mike Perk - Search Engine Marketing Basics; Graham Knox - Blog Marketing; Jon Foster-Pedley - Strategy and Innovation since Web 2.0.

The Marketing Geek has done a superb job of collating a wealth of information for course delegates on the course wiki and blog, herded a wild bunch of those of us who made up the faculty and with the superb GSB team created something fairly innovative for any business school anywhere on the planet right now. I’m looking forward to seeing if we can effectively translate the reality that we digital nomads live, work and play in, to South African business leaders attending this course.

I was privileged to contribute to the course in helping to design the educational experience with Dave. Making it engaging interactive and ensure that what could ordinarily be a daunting subject is rendered human-scale and brain-friendly. Lucky me! [↩]

B’School course for Executives in Web2.0

Published

Maximillian Kaizen

on April 13, 2007

in Cape Town, Economic Factors, GSB, Geek Gatherings, South Africa, corporate education, edutainment and executive education

. 2 Comments

Dave Duarte (the Marketing Geek) announced the brand new course that we’re producing (thrilling!) for UCT’s Graduate School of Business
- Nomadic Marketing - scheduled 17 - 19 July University of Cape Town

This 3day executive course will focus on marketing strategy that embraces leading-edge technology. By now even those deep in digital denial have had to pay attention to the economic and social impact of the internet and mobile technologies. The course is geared as an immersive introduction with real world case studies, and practical application that you don’t have to be a geek to get! Certification included.

For us the pressure is on to craft a program of world-class quality to live up to UCT’s Graduate School of Business’ impressive stature. They have consistently ranked as one of the Global Top 100 MBA programs by the Financial Times. More appropriately for us though: in the Top 10 for Executive Education internationally! The challenge is energising.

Brain-based learning practices will be built in to more effortlessly enjoy the intensity of the course (without the overwhelm that would otherwise accompany this volume of knowledge). If you ever thought academia was dry and theoretical, you are in for an invigorating surprise.

Naturally we’ll be putting up a blog to get feedback and suggestions from you, to shape and clarify the syllabus. It will also offer introductions to some of the leading thinkers who will be contributing their knowledge.
[In the meantime we can confirm that mover and shaker in the SA web2.0 space Mike Stopforth is charging in to set the keynote. There'll be an economist, a futurist, podcasters, bloggers, respected marketers, pioneers and proponents of the new enterprise space who will lend their heft].

PS. you know Dave & I can’t resist community-building fun - so to ensure some solid edutainment - there’ll be an celebratory afterparty where you’ll be able to network with fellow course delegates; and also have the opportunity to connect with some of the bright & visionary technologists we respect
.. it’s not called social media for nothing.