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robin-bell.com Teaching, Travel

Helsinki – Final EBBD Project Meeting

At the start of the week I ventured to Helsinki for the final European Business Baccalaureate Diploma (EBBD) project meeting. The meeting brought down the curtain on a three-year EU funded project, which focused on developing a European award which recognized business and international skills and competences. The final meeting was focused on reporting and evaluation and discussing the sustainability of the project. The meeting took place at the lead project partner Suomen Liikemiesten Kauppaopisto (Helsinki Business College). Running next door in the national exhibition center was the Taitaja -skills competition, the largest vocational education event in Finland, which brought together more than 500 competitors and 80,000 visitors and exhibitors. The event promotes vocational education, highlights key skills required in the economy and connects vocational education with entrepreneurs and companies. This made it possible to dip into the event in the afternoons and during breaks. It was nice to explore all the stands and workshops focused on a range of industries and skills, including a typically Finnish Rovio Angry Birds stand, highlighting programing and coding skills.

Helsinki Exhibition Hall
Rovio Stand

The evenings provided the chance to explore Helsinki a little, a city which seems to have some similarities to Moscow but with a coastline and harbor. The similarities include a love for the sun when it emerges and some of the architecture. Helsinki is a relatively low rise capital city and one evening we found the time to have a drink at the Torni hotel’s Ateljee rooftop bar, which has an uninterrupted view over the city from the 14th story.

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robin-bell.com Travel

Star City: As close to space as I will ever come

A few weeks along whilst in Moscow I had the opportunity to visit Star City. Which is the cosmonaut (astronaut in the US) training center. However, as the US are no longer sending people into space directly, we will acquiesce to the term cosmonaut. As space shuttles are no longer in use, it means everyone going into space trains at Star City. As the training center offers the training on the soviet era rockets, which are still in use. It was fantastic to visit Star City to seeing the apparatus which is currently still in use and cosmonauts are still training on. They have replicas of the rockets used and the international space center components for the cosmonauts to train on. It is not a regular tourist opportunity; indeed, it was previously a closed Russian city and it still has this feel being situated in the woods away from other development and with no road signs.

Star City Sign
Star City Foyer
Russian Rocket Capsule

It was incredible to see where cosmonauts train in real life and to see the items used for space travel. It really drilled home that some things are really made to last! Plus, it is important to have a balance between proven technology and new technology. It was explained that the original rockets are still used, just with newer systems integrated into them, which makes the travel more comfortable as the systems are much smaller.

robin-bell.com Research, Travel

ICSB 2017 All Booked

Conference booking seasons continues. I am delighted that my paper has been accepted for the International Council for Small Business World Conference in Argentina. The paper is focused on the perceived entrepreneurial attitudes and characteristics entrepreneurs think are required during the business start-up phase. The paper was submitted to the ‘Methodological challenges and new research methods applied to SME and Entrepreneurship research’ stream, which gave me the chance to learn and play with a new methodology.

robin-bell.com Teaching, Travel

Booked for OBTS 2017

I am all booked and ready for the OBTS 2017 conference in Providence, Rhode Island. This will be my first OBTS conference experience and my first time in New England, excluding a connection at Boston airport on the way to Nova Scotia for a conference. The conference is a teaching conference for management educators and is focused on practical teaching ideas and demonstrations, so I am looking forward to seeing and exploring some new teaching ideas. I am set to give a 30 minute session entitled ‘Flying High in Innovation Space: Exploring innovation opportunities’. June looks set to be a month with lots of travel, but I am looking forward to the adventures and the development of my teaching and research practices.

robin-bell.com Worcester enterprise

Worcester Business Start-Up Fair

This evening was the 2nd annual Worcester Business Start-Up Fair, held at the University of Worcester Riverside building. The event gave the opportunity for new businesses to present to the public and other businesses and entrepreneurs. It was great to see many of those presenting were either current Worcester students or recent alumni. In between free pizza and drinks the entrepreneurs had the chance to pitch their ideas and the attendees had the opportunity to vote for the best business concept and the best presentation. It was interesting to hear so many interesting and novel ideas, hear the pitches and talk to some of the regions new entrepreneurs and serial entrepreneurs. Can you spot me in a red checkered shirt in the photos?

robin-bell.com Uncategorized

Finally, I have found a great Russian Beer

After several weeks of searching I have found a really nice Russian beer. Generally, I have found Russian beers to be very rich and heavy similar to Czech beer. I am not a fan of such beers, I don’t find them easy to drink. But finally, after picking a random beer on sale in the supermarket I have found…….

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Сибирская корона: Полярный белый эль, roughly translated as Siberian Crown: Polar white ale. Even the name sounds good, and it has a wolf on the label. It tastes of dark wheat and molasses with a hint/kick of citrus.

robin-bell.com Research

British Council UK-China Funding

This week we found out that we had been successful in securing funding from the British Council’s UK-China Enhancing Graduate Employability and Entrepreneurship fund. I am the lead and principle researchers for the project, which will be a collaborative project between the University of Worcester and Beijing Foreign Studies University. The project will interview 10 UK and 10 Chinese entrepreneurs to make video case studies and innovative teaching material. The case studies will focus on innovation and the business models developed by UK and Chinese entrepreneurs, as well as the differences in business culture. Interviews for research will also be conducted with the entrepreneur’s to support comparative entrepreneurship research.

robin-bell.com Travel

Myanmar

One of the great things being based in China is the opportunity to explore the countries around. This summer it was time to explore Myanmar. It was possible to get a direct Air China flight to Yangon from Beijing and a flight from Yangon back to Beijing via Kunming to return. Two weeks to explore Myanmar offered a fantastic opportunity to visit many amazing places.

We started with half a night in Yangon before getting a flight to Mandalay for our first full day. Visiting the Yangon domestic terminal was a fascinating experience. The building was an old colonial building where the bags were checked in by hand and ticket details stamped by hand. During the course of the two weeks we took numerous flights between destinations and whilst the airport processes where relatively primitive, the planes themselves often ATR 72’s were clean, reliable and efficient. They often ran like buses, landing, getting bags and passages off and then getting bags and passages on again and then off again in 20 minutes.

Whilst in Mandalay we visited the Kuthodaw Pagoda, Shwenandaw Monastery, U Bein Bridge and many of the pagodas on Mandalay Hill. The next stop on our trip was Peik Chin Myaung Cave on the way to Pyin Oo Lwin. Pyin Oo Lwin was much cooler as it is located at an altitude of 1,070 meters. The town because the summer capital for British Burma with the Governors summer estate and a large national garden (Kandawgyi) located there. After some time exploring in cooler temperatures, we took the train to Hsipaw in the Shan state. On the way the train broke down for a couple of hours just before the Goteik viaduct, this allowed us to walk across the viaduct by foot and look at the structure in more detail. It is an impressive structure, which is starting to look pretty dated.

Goteik viaduct
Hand Stamped Tickets
Kandawgyi National Garden

After Hsipaw we went to Monywa, Bagan and the Inle Lakes. Bagan is often indicated as one of the highlights on a trip to Myanmar and it didn’t disappoint. During the 11th and 13th centuries, over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed in the Bagan plains, of which there are now over 2,000 to explore. It is amazing to be able to explore them at your own pace. As with much of Myanmar it is possible to explore at your own pace and is not overpopulated with tourists. This meant that often we had the temples and pagodas to ourselves, particularly when exploring smaller ones. The Inle Lakes were also very impressive to see the floating villages and the fishermen paddling with an oar using their leg to hold it. The scenery around the lakes was also beautiful.

Bagan
Friendly Monkeys
Inle Lakes

Finally, we had some time back in Yangon to explore the Shwedagon Pagoda and the city. The size of the Shwedagon Pagoda is very impressive. Although Yangon itself is neither the most peaceful nor beautiful city. After such a busy few days we used the final day to try and relax and not race around the city. The trip to Myanmar was fantastic and it was a great place to visit. The sights were not busy compared to Cambodia or Thailand and the sights and locals were very relaxed. The food was also very nice with interesting curries and food full of taste and spice. There was so much to do, it is not possible to describe it all.

robin-bell.com Research, Teaching

Beijing Foreign Studies University

Beijing Foreign Studies University
Beijing Foreign Studies University

I am delighted to start a visiting faculty position at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) next semester. In my first semester I will be teaching Entrepreneurship and Innovation. I will be teaching within the International Business School and am very excited to be starting this role. The school has a very strong reputation and I am looking forward to teaching some fantastic students and collaborating with their great faculty.