Networking and why it matters

‘Its incestuous, manipulative and associated with slime, a form of prostitution if you will. However, to get anywhere in life unfortunately, to one extent or another – it does matter.’  – Anon

The above quotation illustrates how many feel about networking in the mainstream. To the uninformed it seems to be an incestuous breeding ground for hacks and socialites to make their way to the top of society without possessing an ounce of talent or ability. Many argue that it precipitates a society where the elite enjoy the spoils in life and the bulk of society remains impoverished. However, it is not something I agree with.

What follows is part story and part instruction. At a time when youth unemployment is at an all time high (and rising) and the graduate market shows no immediate signs of improving dramatically securing something as fundamental as a job or a career is proving incredibly difficult for anyone to secure given the state of the economy. I urge people not to just follow conventional routes but to think outside of the box and look at your relationships and how you can leverage them to your advantage.

What follows is NOT encouragement to nepotism or social climbing merely an alternative route.

I grew up in a family where my Dad emphasized the importance of relationships with family, friends and associates. I watched him schmooze his way through life making a lot of friends and contacts some of whom helped me out but not in any grand way. What I did notice was that it did not matter who you were but that you consider this ‘who you walk past today may help you tomorrow, don’t ignore them.’ I guess I gained a ‘natural advantage’ because my Dad was good with people but most of my close family and community were all personable and great with others. After reading James Caan’s autobiography he remarked on how his father taught him to strike win-win relationships in business something he still maintains as a successful entrepreneur.

University is somewhat of a blur, my undergraduate days are now over and I’m currently under going a ‘stay of execution’ doing a masters at LSE. To be honest, I knew deep down that I wanted a great job, which most people assume you get by an application. You do 20 and you get 1 offer. Now it seems you have to do 100 to get 1 offer. The odds are decreasing.

Unfortunately, my application correspondence was lets just say ‘underwhelming.’ After fleeting interests in finance, politics and even advertising I figured out that maybe the application process just didn’t favour me. Many applications were checked and noted as ‘fine’ and ‘interview worthy’ but so too are many applications that HR departments are inundated with year on year.

However, something interesting happened in my second year. I learnt that I could use relationships I’d built with people to get interviews of a different nature – ‘Informational interviews.’ These are essentially coffee or lunch (depending on how generous your person is) about careers and potential internship and job offers. After ‘falling’ into the BBC courtesy of a good friend I pretty much learnt relationships mattered and making a good impression in person was less time consuming and arduous as filling out job applications and going through the formal route (I don’t discourage this, I’m merely stating my case). I soon learnt, I was not alone when it came to this as many people I proceeded to meet both (recent) graduates and experienced employees told me how they’d stumbled into their career without having known about it.

That dreaded word started being touted – ‘networking.’ The mere mention of this word around many people often results in stares or looks as if you’ve broken wind quite loudly. It doesn’t seem to go down well. It sounds like back scratching, hi5’ing and generally incestuous precipitation of the elite in society maintaining their position. Socialists in the audience pipe down now please. The feelings people have are indeed unsurprising if it comes down to nepotism akin to David Cameron applying for a job at Buckingham Palace, being rejected and having a relative phone on his behalf before he was offered that same job. I’m against this. What I’m for is win-win relationships where both parties stand to gain from.

As graduation passed I reflected on my contacts book and found I’d amassed a tremendous amount of contacts over the past 5 years some of which are not accessible to the general public. I count CEO’s, Managing Directors, and correspondents amongst others as part of my circle of contacts. This isn’t some ego-trip, I’m merely stating that someone without the background or family connection can still find these people  and strike winning relationships with them.

I credit these contacts to experiences I’ve had:

1. Interning at the BBC
2. Interning at the Financial Times
3. Going to copious events and ‘schmoozing’ with the right people
4. Being a part of ‘UpRising’ and ‘ParliaMentors’ programmes

There are more but let’s stick to those for the time being. What I can say is that everyone I’ve met through those experiences I’ve kept in touch with and informed of my progress. Having a mentor also helps as well. Ten fold in fact.

So how did I start?

Going to university in London has its benefits your at the centre of it all. Everything is easily accessible and distance and travel aren’t so much of a problem. An hour max to get to anywhere if that  (and that’s on a really bad day).

Here are things I found very useful:

1. Young Foundation
2. Elevation Networks – a social enterprise by a team from Brunel, Queen Mary and Reading
3. ParliaMentors programme
4. LSE public lectures
5. Open to the public ‘networking events’
6. TEDx
7. University talks/speeches and daylong functions – free to attend even if you do not belong to that institution.
8. Recruitment fairs

There are more we could be here for a very long time so I’ll leave that with you, a quick Google will explain any of the above.

What is the process?

This is where things get complicated and where most of my peers have asked me ‘how?’ does this all work. So below is an outline of my strategy. For examples sake lets assume that you’ve just been invited to an event and there are several key people you need to meet, how do you go about making sure this happens.

Preparation

1. Every event has a host – find out who that person is and glean as much information about them as possible.
- Who is attending?
- What the host is like?
- Purpose of the event
- Any other generalities

2. Bring business cards, notepaper and pens

3. Dress appropriately – appearance matters
- Corporate: suit
- Media: suit but no tie
- Creative industry: flexible but casual smart to be safe
- Well groomed.

In the room

1. Know your goal. If I tell you to close your eyes and look for red when you open you’re eyes your brain will focus explicitly on finding that very thing. Focus on what you need to know.

2. Talk to as many people as possible in the room. What this will do is build ‘social proof’ subconsciously people will assume you are amongst the most ‘sought after’ or ‘important people.

3. Listen to everyone even if they appear to be not very useful, you don’t know whom they know. Everyone is useful in one-way or another.
4. When you need to leave a conversation introduce someone else into it before departing. It rude to leave people in the lurch. Treat others as you’d treat yourself.

5. When you meet the person(s) you want to meet. Be positive and smile. Listen and ask them about themselves. Find out about them, have a notepad/pen out if your memory isn’t the best. If you’re after a job/internship, do not ask them for one. Inform them of your search and be honest about your progress. People at the top really want you to succeed but they are not going to give in to an outright demand. Aim to spend at least 20-30mins speaking to your most important ‘targets.’ If the conversation has gone well, ask for their business card and LOOK AT IT. The height of rudeness is to accept it and put it straight into your pocket. Exit the conversation and note down either on paper or mentally everything that happened in the event, it may help you in person. Repeat this several times till the event is over. Offer to introduce these people to other great people also at the event they may not know. It gives off a good impression.

Afterwards

1) Email or phone. This ultimately depends on the person. Look at the business card – that mobile phone number is NOT for you. Either call their work number of send an email. The more important the person the better is it to phone them purely because other people at the event will email them which subconsciously puts distance between a relationship being built. It will also show gumption and bravery, which is always admirable.

2) What will happen now?
a) Agree to meet
b) PA will sort out a date
c) No response

Normal results are a) or b) and in the unlikely case of c) let it go. If the person agrees to meet then you need to prepare for this meeting afterwards. Refer back to number one in the previous section for this. Treat it like an interview. If the PA sorts out a date be cooperative she is the gatekeeper and can essentially make sure you NEVER get through to this person. Treat her VERY well.

3) Almost there. You’ve secured your meeting now its time to prepare. Depending on what you want you’ll need to prepare. If the area or industry is creative or requires a portfolio – BRING IT ALONG! I meet countless people telling me they are interested in journalism but have NO portfolio. You’re asking for humiliation. Bring proof of what you can do. If you’re industry is not so creative i.e. Finance or law then make sure you’re clued up on the news and current affairs in general. Also try and strike commonalities with your newly established contact they’ll be happy to talk to you about football ad nausuem. They are human at the end of the day no demi-gods. If you treat them like the latter they’ll behave like it and walk all over you, I’ve seen it happen. It’s not pretty.

4) At your meeting avoid asking directly for anything. The mantra ‘show, don’t tell’ works well here. They may have nothing to offer you but that doesn’t you can’t get another decent introduction from an even more useful person. Be humble, don’t boast, show them what you can do and what you can’t. Don’t lie either. If you get a hard question attempt to dodge it instead of trying to bullshit, you do yourself NO favours.

‘So tell me about X Y Z event’
‘ To be honest, I’m not so familiar with that but I can tell you about A, B, C which is related to X, Y, Z and I can discuss why this matters as well.’

Perfect dodging technique you can apply.

Also ASK THEM if you can help them in anyway. Just because you are a student/recent graduate does not mean you have nothing to offer.

Outcomes are usually helpful or a request to keep in touch. Do not treat the latter as an excuse to just forget about that person. In the future they may be incredibly useful so do not dismiss this.

The above is pretty much an outline of how networking usually works for me. Its not the only way of doing things and it’s a really elementary structure of how to do it effectively. For me this is just a guide that I wanted to share with the world. It may not work for everyone and there are obviously nuanced details I may not account for. My wish is that it operates as a useful strategy whether in your professional or personal lives the lessons contained within are transferable to both areas and I hope I’ve shed some light on how the dynamics work. This is not a cookie-cutter solution either I urge you to tailor your approach to every single person you meet or ‘network’ with.

I hope this goes to some length to dispel myths about networking and how win-win solutions are struck.

ROBERTO LABELLA: A TRUE GENTLEMAN by Andrew Jude Rajanathan and Rolly Pelovangu

‘‘Let us Remember Roberto Labella’

Roberto Labella was a cheerful, inquisitive and good-natured man. We all shall miss him.

Personally I knew Roberto since 2004, the year we began Sixth Form College at St Ignatius. He immediately came across as a pleasant and methodical fellow.

I particularly remember Roberto from our classes in Business Studies and RE – an aspiring young man, so keen to learn much about the world around him.

With his charm and will-to-good, it was unsurprising that Roberto made friends very easily and always sought to keep in touch with them. He was always willing to extend that helping hand not discerning between those most close to him and those who were perhaps not. Interestingly, Roberto also came across as a very open-minded person who would accept things for what they were, thus in Roberto you found a true listener as well as a deep thinker.

Roberto could just say something and you’d instantly just smile. He had that charm and sincerity that brought out the best in people. He was not one to care solely about himself. He made persistent efforts to look after and care for his 2 younger brothers. His classmates and teachers had seen him grow from a boy that used to love his football at school – even if it was just games with the year group – to a man that loved and cared for his friends and family.

It is difficult to emphasize just how much Roberto wanted the best in life. Many of you have come to realize that he always enjoyed a good meal in addition to being the best person to have a debate and discussion with over hot food. If the debate was about football; he was there. If it was about Music; he was there. If it was about Business; he was there. Above all else, despite the often heated debates we’d have with him, they always seem to end in a fit of laughter. Something immutable which never changed certainly over the period we knew him.

Life is not without its troubles and tests. Unfortunately, Roberto was diagnosed with psychosis: a mental health condition last year and was taking medication that he hoped would by-and-large alleviate his pain.

Roberto was a proud man. He was especially proud of his Father Joe, and his two brothers Marco and Anthony. He kept me informed of how well Anthony had done at school along with his stunning Key Stage 3 results. ‘Keep it up’, Roberto would say. And Marco. Roberto was in awe at his curiosity to learn about the world and was of course happy to answer all his questions.

As with all families, there were struggles and great sadness and Roberto was no different.

For the last 4 yrs Roberto rang me almost daily. Likewise we’d meet almost everyday and we became very close friends. Within his last few days he had rung or attempted to contact most his friends.

The joy of listening to Roberto began to disappear as it became more-and-more clear that he was upset about his condition which he thought prevented him from leading a ‘normal’ life care as we may understand it.

It is with great sadness to inform you that many many times Roberto cried in pain. We can very well understand the pain and worries Joe and his family would have gone through. I specially remember Roberto telling me: ‘Bruv, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,’ and this is a key reminder for us all to be aware of our own personal fragilities. And that is a message which I pass onto all of you.

On a personal note; I have always had sympathetic ear for Roberto and never stopped giving him the support he needed over phone or by visiting him. He and his family were almost like a second home to me.

Roberto kept me informed of all world-affairs, Arsenal’s performance in the Premiership and also classical music which we have perhaps taken for granted. Whenever he felt well we had debates and chats about our days in Sixth form. That is the type of guy he was, so friendly and caring. Friendship meant a lot to him and it shows with everybody attending today. It also shows with all those who have posted a message on his Facebook page and paid your respects. Thank you to all of you for you have shown the exact same respect and love that Roberto himself was known to embody.

Roberto was a young man of quiet faith, and believing in God he will be now looking down from the Heavens wishing us all the best.

For us death is a graduation, a degree to see GOD.

As friends and relatives, we will ease the pain for Joe, Marco and Anthony.

So together we say ‘Thank You GOD’ for giving such a good friend as he enters his final resting place.

There is a glimmer of hope for 2009 graduates

A message of hope to all graduates from Terry Mansfield CBE: ‘I’d rather have the lights off in my building than let a talented graduate go without a job in one of my companies.’

There you have it. The words from one of the most successful men in the media world. The former president and chief executive of the Hearst Corporation. He has worked in the industry for over 50 years and has been central to some of the successes of the magazines owned by the Corporation. He is still a big presence at the publisher’s Broadwick Street offices and his influence in the wider industry is profound. Moreover, he still possesses an insatiable passion for the industry even at his age. Figures such as  Mr.Mansfield inspire me as I begin my tentative steps into the unknown as a graduate fresh out of university. I’ve reached the crossroads right now and, like many of my contemporaries, am undecided about my career path.

Two weeks ago the term ’social mobility’ reared its ugly head in the media and a white paper has been drawn up with a series of recommendations. The aim is to improve the number of opportunities available to graduates in what Milburn has argued are still ‘closed shop’ professions such as media, journalism, law and medicine. Furthermore, the main criticism is that students from poorer backgrounds are unable to do internships because they are usually unpaid in many of the top careers. It is these students he argues cannot afford to work for free. Ultimately, this throws up a ‘chicken or the egg’ dilemma – to get a job you need experience but if you’re a graduate fresh from University where do you get this  most sought after experience? More importantly, the quality of the experience is incredibly important as well as some people reported some major horror stories about going down the unpaid work experience route.

Johann Hari expressed in a previous article this year that some of her contemporaries were ’skivvying in television studios and newspaper offices’ amongst other things in order to do some experience in order to convert this into a full time career. In some respects this is rather extreme behaviour for very little short term reward or even long term reward. I feel it may be pertinent to offer my own experiences and echo some individuals working in an area I’m aiming to break into. One experience at a well known company was only for a week but nonetheless proved to be valuable and led to a paid, albeit part time job. Again, this experience was unpaid but thanks to having a part time job, which surely most graduates, especially those living in London will be able to acquire [paid part time employment] can go long way if you’re willing to be frugal with the meagre earnings you make and not be left out of pocket.

Why?

The reason was because I’d personally made an effort to go out of my way to badger, pester and put myself ‘out there’ and ‘hang my balls out’ in order to make a positive impression. There is always a way of standing out in a positive manner such as:

1) Being pro-active: ‘Can I do something?,’ ‘Can I attend this seminar with you?’ ‘Can I show you some independent research I’ve done’

2) Smile. Its not overrated, people appreciate it. Trust me.

3) Be social. It is the work place but your colleagues again are human and would appreciate a person not a sulk [and believe me alot of people do this on internships and wonder why it doesn't lead to a job offer] day to day working with them.

And

4) Being your [BEST] self rather than someone else especially in this context.

In industries such as law, investment banking, media and advertising people skills are important. Put yourself in the position of the person who has offered you work experience/internships or whatever. They are a human being, just like you, no matter how scary or authoritarian they may appear. Try and be the person they will want to work with when it is – miserable, wet and horrible on Tuesday morning in London.

I recently attended an event run by Elevation Networks on cracking into the media industry and the quote above by Mr.Mansfield highlights my point that there is still opportunities out there despite the credit crunch. While job security is a luxury in these times, there are opportunities out there for graduates to break into whatever field they want. Its just going to be alot tougher. However, jobs are available to those who are talented its a real question of proving yourself rather than being vague and lacking enthusiasm.

There are ways of getting experience in innovative ways. I can only offer advice for media but here are a few ideas:

1) Set up a blog and write daily. See here for a list of 73 tips to improve your writing.

2) Set up a youtube account, enlist the services of a friend who has a videocamera/buy one for yourself and shoot film clips and build some traffic to your videos

3) Find humble media companies and start from scratch i.e. University, hospital radio as well as printed publications to write for and offer your services for free. In this day and age ‘meeja’ types need to be ambidextrous individuals. What I mean by this is that they need to possess an array of skills in order to cut the mustard in this industry rather than just being able to do one task. The role of the journalist has evolved.

4) Join a writers club. If you don’t have one at university/in your local area – start one!

5) Networking. When I first came across this word I wasn’t quite sure about this at first. However, this is not about using people this is about building key relationships with people. I have been thankful enough to have been blessed with a large network of positive people who are willing to help me out and have helped my career so far and will continue to help me in the near future. It is funny that the politicians will argue that the middle class are the only ones who benefit from old-boy networks etc however, we all went to a school whether it was private/comprehensive or what have you but it doesn’t mean you cannot network. However, given the internet and the ease of being able to connect with individuals in the upper echelons of society with some effort and hard work it is possible for people from modest backgrounds to find these people and ask for help. Whilst the unwritten rule is to not ask outright for a job this doesn’t mean it won’t lead to one. A good impression can last for years and could end up helping you at a later stage in life.

6) Learn to improve the quality of your communication skills. See this great article.

Graduates really need to start questioning themselves and think long and hard about how they are going to stand out and carve out their own niche in a more crowded and competitive global market place. You will hear some incredible ratios such as 100:1 applicants to jobs but this should not put people off entirely, this should be viewed as an opportunity in order to ensure that graduates put themselves in the best possible situation by looking for solutions to these problems and some of the ideas contained above should be of some use especially to those looking for a career in media. Point 5 especially should be paid attention to in particular.

Above all else, don’t give up. That lucky break will come and when it does you will be grateful for not giving up.

The Road to Copenhagen [2009]

London Zoo provided the ideal setting for Gordon Brown to launch his grand design to tackle climate change on the 26th June 2009.

The Prime Minister’s proposal was put forward of “a working figure” for support from the world’s rich countries for adaptation and mitigation “of around $100 billion per annum by 2020″.

If we take a look at the history books very few moments will be noted whereby all the leaders of the world must come together in order to make decisions that will not only affect every man, woman, child and even animal of this generation but also generations in future need to be factored into this equation. Similar to the creation of the post-war Bretton woods architecture and the Marshall Plan, Gordon Brown set out an ambitious plan to tackle this environmental problem in order to prevent it spiralling out of control in generations to come yet several questions were raised:

1) How to finance this grand scheme

2) Who will control these funds [at no other time in history is transparency, especially in the U.K an incredibly important issue]?

3) How do we take on a bottom up approach involving all communities rather than pumping a large percentage of the money into huge projects?

4) What is the government going to do in order to encourage the use of green/carbon friendly technologies by business savvy types, entrepreneurs and local communities ? [actual question taken from a young person attending the event]

5) How are developed countries going to assist/aid those who are feeling the detrimental affects of climate change such as Bangladesh? [actual question taken from a private sector worker]

The diverse range of questions from a very diverse set of individuals from all walks of life from members of the FCO, Bankers, Media types and young people committed to political activism and entrepreneurship were contained withn a private audience at London Zoo today.

On a positive note, this speech today marks the beginning of bringing together members from around the world in unison to fight the climate change agenda as a collective rather than fragmented segments of the world. It takes us much closer to what poor countries will actually need and is a significant step ahead of any other comparable move by any other developed country. In less than six months’ time, countries from around the globe will gather in Copenhagen to forge a new concord on international climate change. As always, this will involve a calculus of national and collective interests – with each yielding something for the common good. And not just our well being, but the security of our planet and humanity is at stake.

Over recent years the world has woken up to the reality of climate change. But the fact is the world has not yet joined together to act combat it. Copenhagen must be the moment we do so – a declaration of our mutual commitment as a single global society; the time, at last, when our understanding of the unavoidable interdependence of economic prosperity, social justice and environmental stewardship is transformed into common global action.

Success requires two major shifts in how we think – as policy makers, as campaigners, as consumers, as producers, as a society. The first is to think not in political or economic cycles; not just in terms of years or even decade-long programmes and initiatives. But to think in terms of epochs and eras – and how well we implement our lofty goals [not empty rhetoric based on false promises] will be judged not by tomorrow’s newspapers but by tomorrow’s children.

And the second is to think anew about how we judge success as a society. For sixty years we have measured our progress by economic gains and social justice. Now we know that the progress and even the survival of the only world we have depends on decisive action to protect that world. In the end, without environmental stewardship, there can be no sustainable prosperity and no sustainable social justice.

Serious critical thinking, pragmatism and a solution driven attitude is required to bring together a melting pot of interests in order to effectively fight this problem that will effect generations to come [negatively] in the long-term is nothing is done about it now. The time for action has arrived and in Copenhagen a holistic solution encorporating ALL members of the global community must work together, put aside their differences in opinions and national interests and act as one.

Now we face another such moment; a momentous decision that will determine the future and fate of our world not just for a decade or a generation, but for a century and more.

On Leadership

The cynical response to what makes good leadership usually leads to remarks such as ‘the number of individuals following someone else.’

The first picture on Google was the one to the left of the text. Does this then mean that Google are also pretty cynical on the merits of leadership? Unsurprisingly, part of the cynical attitudes people have over leadership and the only real conclusion academics manage to arrive at after years of toil through their arduos research. Over the past 12 months a new initiative was launched in East London by the Young Foundation called  the ‘UpRising Leadership Programme’ that the author was priveleged enough to find himself accepted onto. The programme was the first of its kind which aims to:

UpRising is a  programme that has been developed to support and train a new generation of public leaders.

The recruitment stage was completed in June 2008 and 60+ candidates were revealed as the pioneers of this new initiative supported by a number of influential leaders from a range of fields such as Elizabeth Ross Kanter, Gordon Brown and David Cameron amongst others. The candidates were drawn from all walks of life adding to the richness and diversity of an enthusiastic team from the Young Foundation:

1) Provide a route for talented and dynamic young people from diverse backgrounds to get into positions of leadership in public decision-making bodies.

2) Give the young people the skills and perspective necessary to become outstanding public leaders.

3) Encourage and promote development within public bodies themselves to recognise and welcome a new generation of leaders.

The result of this was a combination of an enthusiastic team of facilitators matched by a collection of raw talent ready to be trained and exposed to the possibilities London has to offer. Let me tell you – Its been quite a ride!

Rough Diamonds

A topic like this would not  be complete without a brief mention of the recession. The ‘credit crunch’ has dominated the news for the past two years since the fallout from the sub-prime mortgage failure in 2007 and more recently the banking crisis perpetuated by the decline of Lehman Brothers [RIP] in 2008. It almost seemed that the world economy could not see the light at the end of the tunnel after the events of last September. Step forward Barack Obama’s campaign based round the basic principles of ‘hope and change.’ Clearly, the new President has alot of work to do in order to resurrect an ailing economy after his win in November. More importantly, his election was seen as a catalyst to encouraging more young people to get involved in politics – an area, whether you like it or not – that has a direct affect in your life. The UpRising Leadership programme had arrived with impeccable timing.

The recession has seen a cull around the world in the political and business arena in particular with many public leaders being ousted/falsed to leave the organizations they head up because of the height of their failings. Courses like UpRising have sought to fill the void by providing a training ground for future public leaders in the making. In the business world, many MBA holders from the prestigious Harvard Business School were pointed to over ‘who caused the credit crunch.’ While it would be unfair to blame an institution such as Harvard for acting as a catalyst to this financial crisis, it must have raised eyebrows within the banking community especially.

Unlike an study intensive course like the MBA, this programme places a greater focus on the grass roots level actions such:

1) Building a movement

2) Harnessing the power of the Media

3) Presentation and Communicating with passion

Since participants are 18-25 years old their exposure to skills such as these is likely to be limited. However, after the programme, participants are likely to emerge more confident and more polished after the training set out by the facilitators at the Young Foundation.

Mentoring

The programme cherry picked 60 super talented, motivated and ambitious young people to spearhead UpRising in its pilot year. In order to guide the young participants each of the 60 were assigned a mentor. The benefits of mentoring demonstrate that as talented or as equipped as an individual may be they are more likely to speed up their development under the expert tutelage of someone who has ‘been there, done that.’

The Young Foundation did not allocate mentors randomly either. Each participant was encouraged to specify who they’d prefer as a mentor. Some were interested in law, media, business, finance and so forth. As a result, most of the mentors reflected the diversity of the programme’s participants. The mentors came from all walks of life from local government, public sector to politics and senior level media management for well known broadcasters. The aim was to act as a compass for each young participant to navigate at the ‘cross-road’ section of life and to open up their hearts and minds to avenues they may have not even considered before.

It must be noted that this programme is in its pilot year so many things need to be ironed out. However, on a more positive note one of the mentors said ‘Despite going to Cambridge [as well as one of the most prestigious college - Trinity] I was far far more impressed by the young people on the UpRising programme than my contemporaries during my university days.’ This compliment speak volumes about the quality of the candidates selected from the programme.

Bottom-Up Approach to Learning

In the U.K learning is usually thought of as classroom based. UpRising would not follow this model. Most of the learning came from outside the classroom. Since most of the participants were finalists at University, they’d come to find that they would have to rely on their own raw talents and attributes rather than any textbook knowledge. For instance, being presented with issues in the local community  [East London] and brain-storming solutions in order to solve this problem seemed to be more of Bottom-Up style of learning. It is often noted that despite the knowledge of expert they too can be wrong since they are prone to the limits of knowledge/human rationality that we all face and cannot possible know all things especially information that occurs at grass-roots level.

Many of the participants were thrown into the deep end especially at Roffey Park. Small groups were randomly selected and put together in order to give presentations without much scope for preparation nor much time either. Again each presentation was executed with aplomb by each of the groups with some opting for the traditional style of powerpoint presentation to drama scenes played out to solve problems based in the local community.

Such an approach was beneficial in order to really get to grips with issues at the core rather than scratching at them superficially without much analysis occuring. Furthermore, these individuals were set many tasks throughout the past 12 months in order to develop these problem solving skills. It literally became a case of sink or swim.

Lessons Learnt

Over the past 12 months many lessons were learnt:

1) The Power of young people

2) Ideas Matter

3) Harnessing the creative side of the individual

4) Getting to the heart of the problem

The programme despite some mistakes and errors was a learning experience for everyone involved from the participants, facilitators, mentors and sponsors. UpRising will go from strength to strength in the next few years with JPMorgan signed up as a new sponsor to compliment vinspired, clifford chance and macquarie bank. It seems as though the large corporations are keen to give back and build leaders from the ground up and the UpRising programme is the best way to do so. As part of the alumni committee, it is my personal wish to see this programme snowball and build a new class of public leaders year on year interested in helping Britain and inspiring East London to greatness.

Partnerships: China & Africa

China and Africa’s relationship has gone largely unnoticed by most of the developed world. It has blossomed whilst the West is busy removing threat of terrorism from the Middle East.

China has identified Africa as a key partner that would help it achieve its goals in trade, investment and energy.  Professor Ray Kiely comments that a new phenomenon is occurring in the geo-political realm a ‘scramble for Africa’ led by two opposing interests between the US and China. China has turned to Africa for natural resources, particularly oil.  For China it is a matter of resource security. Chris Alden argues that ‘China’s dynamic economy fuels an ever increasing need for energy and strategic minerals.’  China’s appetite for natural commodities has boomed. For Africa, this is a huge positive and has led to producers in Africa a (growing) market to trade and provided a much-needed boost in energy prices.

It comes as no surprise that China is now seeking alliances with under utilized markets such as Africa. As previously stated, few have noticed that a ‘second scramble for Africa’ is underway. This time China leads the way as the dominant power in the region.

‘With every day that passes, China’s economic tentacles extend deeper into Africa. While Europe sought direct political control, China is acquiring a vast and informal economic empire.’

China’s strides into Africa have been quite a boost for both parties with both gaining direct access to new markets. Not only does China gain oil from Africa, a recent Guardian article states that:

‘China now buys about one third of its oil from Africa, mainly from Angola, where an £800 million deal to develop a new field was signed last May, and from Sudan, where Beijing built a 900-mile pipeline and invested at least £8 billion. China is spending another £1.2 billion on a new offshore oilfield in Nigeria.’

China is taking the African market very seriously. Aside from oil, Africa presents China with an opportunity to set up business within the region giving it a foothold into the region. The Chinese government has over 600 Chinese funded enterprises operating in China over the past decade. Alden argues that ‘if the Addis Abba plan in 2003 bears fruit it is likely to yield positively for China, present trade volume will have tripled by 2006).   For China this partnership is very lucrative. For Africa, this is a massive opportunity to establish links with a major economic player.

Another key example, worthy of note and attention is the benefits China has brought, in economic terms, to some African states such as Sudan. Spurned by other nations in the West, China has provided vital cash injections: ‘Thanks to Beijing’s interest in Sudan’s oil, President Omar al-Bashir’s regime in Khartoum has received a windfall. Ten years ago, Sudan’s oil revenues were negligible; in 2007, Chinese investment ensured that they totalled at least £3 billion.’  So this shows that the relationship between China and Africa is a win-win scenario for both parties.

However, it is clear not all parties are happy with this relationship. There is growing opposition especially amongst those in Africa over the relationship with China. This concern is very real. An example of this can be found in an article by Open Democracy: ‘Moreover, China is not immune from accusations of more direct exploitation. A car-bomb attack in April 2006 near an oil refinery in Nigeria’s delta region was specifically aimed as a warning against Chinese expansion in the region.’

Alongside this, Open Democracy reports there is evidence that government favors and protection to the Chinese is fuelling African citizens’ resentment. ‘The anti-Chinese riots in Zambia before and after campaigning for the election in September 2006 – a campaign in which China criticized the leading opposition candidate over his stance on Taiwan – attest to this. The government in Beijing cannot forever think that dallying with African leaders regardless of their legitimacy carries no danger of a backlash from frustrated and excluded locals.’

Giovanni Arrighi has suggested in his new book Adam Smith in Beijing that these developments mean imperialism of a new form is emerging. But rather than it being inter-imperialist rivalries of the nineteenth century, he understands it in zero-sum terms as China is set to replace America. Arrighi argues that China and Asia will soar ahead in the future.  With a global recession emerging, all eyes are focused firmly on the BRIC economies especially China to act as a cushion for the rest of the world.

Twitter

Twitter is the ‘cool’ kid on the block in the town of social networking.

Since its inception in 2006, Twitter has experienced large levels of success over the past year. With a population of 6 million, its monthly growth rate, according to Nielsen, is 1,382% against Facebook’s 228% growth.

Twitter is, essentially, a micro-blog, or a mini online diary. You can type the answer to “What Are You Doing?” in 140 characters or less as frequently as you like. Basically, its the same as the recently tweaked ‘Whats On Your Mind?’ section on Facebook. Which you can update as much (or as little) as you’d like.

You can Tweet from your computer or mobile phone; some Twitterers go on all day about what they’re doing, feeling, musing and eating probably irratating their ‘followers.’ However, users may only update up to 20 times a day to curb tweet overloads. A number of platforms have also been built so users can access twitter from a range of devices from blackberries, iPhone’s and desktop computers. There have been other spin-offs from twitter such as – ‘Tweetminster.’

In an age of 24hr media and thirst for knowledge Twitter helps condense and awful lot by only providing you with a snippet of space to publish your thoughts online and enforces concision and clarity of thought in writing.

Politicians, celebrities and music artists tweet, too. Barack Obama (or more likely a member of his staff) posted throughout his presidential campaign, harnessing the power of the internet and advertising. That ended when he took office and has only been updated twice since then.

While Twitter may lack the depth of other social networking platforms such as Facebook it still manages to help its users as a place for sharing the snippets of our lives by the minute and can act as a networking/marketing tool for savvy internet entrepreneurs.

Twitter continues to develop and recently introduced its search function for all its users. Along with this a sidebar is included with a list of popular topics.  The companies co-founder Biz Stone pointed out on the Twitter blog that the search function will also be useful for companies to track positive and negative buzz about their brands in real-time.

Who knows what is next for Twitter in the future. In the mean time, marketers now have a new tool to tackle their audience with.

Thanks a billion

‘Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone.’

Steve Jobs made that bold statement when Apple outlined its ambitious plans to enter the mobile phone market.

Since the release of the Iphone in 2007, Apple has been incredibly successful in capturing market share. In April 2009, the Wall Street Journal announced ‘…a better-than-expected 3.8 million iPhones for a global market share of 2%.’ Further to this they added ‘he company will launch new models in coming months to maintain its growth rate. ‘

The most interesting aspect of the Iphone has been Apple’s decision to allow third party applicants to build applications for the multifaceted mobile device. The Iphone is an incredibly sophisticated device which has revolutionised the mobile phone industry and the popularity of these applications in particular is marked by the itunes store passing the 1 billion download milestone. With 35,000 applications and counting Apple continues to innovate beyond its closest rivals in this industry.

The applications have led to many entrepreneurial software developers making solid profits from applications built for the Iphone. Amateur software developers are finding it easy to make thousands of pounds a day by building simple games and applications for the Apple iPhone and the iPod touch, then selling them through iTunes.Lim Ding Wen, a nine-year-old Malaysian boy, hit the headlines earlier this year when he created a finger-painting application for the iPhone and iPod touch. He’s not alone as the applications span a number of themes: games, live updates, weather and stock reports as well as platforms for popular social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

However, over 35,000 applications now available for the iPhone, consumers are more discerning about what apps they download. So clearly, the applications released earlier will hold a distinct advantage over emerging participants in the applications market. For developers, Apple serves as a gatekeeper, reviewing every program before including it on the App Store and deciding which ones to promote. Developers get a 70 percent cut of each program sold, with Apple retaining 30 percent. Free programs are distributed at no cost. Only weeks ago did a story emerge about a software developer who had built a ‘baby shaker’ application which was promptly rejected by Apple.

Despite this, little harm has been done and the iPhone continues to appeal to all audiences. Colorful and interactive applications such as finger painting, bubble popping and sing-alongs for the iPhone and iPod Touch have proliferated for the junior consumer, raising questions about when to introduce young children to new technologies.

“Kids – including toddlers – increasingly have no barrier and no inhibitions when it comes to technology,” said Gareb Shamus, editor of Toy Wishes magazine. “And there’s no question that toy companies are using technology in devices for younger and younger children.” He added, “The iPhone is a very practical device. I have real business applications on it, and my kids have their game applications on it. I see it as having educational value for everyone.”

So, despite the increasing competition between developers building applications for the iPhone, Apple scrutinising every product and competitors in the mobile phone industry hard at work building a rival device – it looks as Apple’s iPhone continues to inspire developers and surprise analysts assuming that the download frenzy will tail off: – “It seems things are accelerating.”

Swine Flu

In an era of Globalization not only do we have to worry about global financial crisis, terrorist attacks, immigration control we must also brace ourselves for the latest pandemics which is not prejudiced by geographical borders.

Thankfully, we can look to Disney for a humorous response to this recent outbreak.

When and how did globalisation begin and in what ways has it changed?

Globalization is one of the most hotly disputed concepts in the social sciences. Observers of globalization remain divided as to whether or not this rapid increase in cross-border economic, social, technological and cultural changes has a civilizing or destructive affect on our lives. But the most disputed aspect surrounding this buzzword (on the lips of our politicians, world leaders, lawyers and CEO’s) is when did this phenomenon begin and how has it changed?

Before we proceed to the (contested) inception of globalization we must, firstly, consider what type of system existed prior to the explosion of the globalization phenomenon. Between A.D 1250 and 130 an international trade economy was developing that stretched all the way from northwestern Europe to China; it involved merchants and producers in an extensive (worldwide) if narrow network of exchange. The recent literature in the social sciences largely disputes this period as the birth of globalization however; we shall talk about this time period in close details and move onto the debates on inception at a latter stage.

In particular, one book that eulogizes this period as the birth of the first ‘world’ trade system in world history. In her book Before European Hegemony: The world system A.D 1250 – 1350 Janet L. Abu-Lughod focuses on this time period and examines the system of world trade circa 1300 A.D. Abu-Lughod’s account of the world systems sought to understand the extent to which the world was linked into a common commercial network of production and exchange. Furthermore, she takes the position that in terms of time, this period constituted a fulcrum or critical ‘turning point’ in world history. In terms of space, the Middle East heartland region, linked the eastern Mediterranean with the Indian Ocean, constituting a geographic fulcrum on which West and East were then roughly balanced.

During this time period markets acted and behaved under very different under this system and exchange took place under very different circumstances. Trade involved a wide variety of merchant communities at various points on the globe. Unlike today, the merchants and traders did not converse under a universal language such as English but through many different tongues. However, Arabic covered a wide area, as did Greek and the vernaculars of Latin, and Mandarin Chinese was a lingua franca for the many nationalities in the far east. Another key difference was the currency, which differed by region. In Europe, silver was valued highly and in the Middle East, gold was the currency for choice for traders. China’s preference was for copper coins.’ It is fascinating to see that such a system was working and functioning quite perfectly despite the myriad of differences between the merchants and traders. On more reflective note, and in agreement with Abu-Lughod, it is unclear whether we may call this ‘modern capitalism’ and whether this could be accurately characterised, as a ‘world system’ still needs to be established.

In the same vein Fernand Braudel also acknowledged such a system in and around the thirteenth century in various parts of the world long before the system of world trade was singled out by Wallerstein and in certain parts of Marx. Braudel also gives a very specific answer in his own writings about thirteenth century Italy.. However, we must also be critical of Braudel as Lughod rightly points out, his view is essentially Eurocentric as he claims that those who have succeed have been those who form part of the geographical expression which is now known as – Europe. Before Europe became one of the world economies in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when it joined the long distance trade system stretching through the Mediterranean Sea, Red sea and Persian Gulf and onto the Indian Ocean and through to China, there were already numerous pre-existing economies. To claim that Europe was the only existing economy is an oversight. Without these other economies, when Europe ‘reached out’ it would’ve grasped empty space rather than riches. Incredibly, there was also a radical increase in the scale of international trade observed by China. In his book The pattern of the Chinese past (1973) by Mark Elvin he notes even then China was exporting heavily in ‘copper, iron, porcelain, silks, linens, sugar, rice, book and other exotic items.’

Our second section will outline the debates surrounding the birth of globalization. Intuitively, globalization is a process fuelled by, and resulting in, increasing cross-border flows of goods, services, money, people and information and culture. This raises the question – how old, exactly, is globalization? Few of us would disagree with the statement that in 1913 the world economy was extremely well integrated even by the late twentieth century. However, world historians go back much further arguing that globalization is a phenomenon stretching back several centuries, or even several millennia.

Gunder Frank argues ‘there was a single global world economy with a worldwide division of labour and multilateral trade from 1500 onward.’ Bentley argues that it occurred before 1500, ‘trade networks reached almost all regions of Eurasia and sub-Saharan Africa and large volumes of commerce encouraged specialization of agricultural and industrial production.’ Other world historians attach globalizations ‘big bang’ to the dates 1492 (Colombus stumbles upon America in search of spices) or 1948 (Vasco da Gama makes an end run around Africa and snatches monopoly rents away from the Arab and Venetian spice traders) viewing the period after 1500 as inaugurating a ‘genuine global epoch of world history.’

As we can see, not all world historians agree in any way. One contemporary historian, James Tracy, takes issue with big bang thesis. He argues ‘What remain in doubt is the contemporary impact or significance of these new configurations of long-distance trade.’ He is not alone either, other economic historians argue that this ‘long distance trade’ has been overemphasised and the early international economy wasn’t properly integrated till after the 1800s, any transport ‘revolution’ occurred after the nineteenth century and not before.’ Finally, we must not discount Immanuel Wallerstein’s belief that a world system initially began during the sixteenth century ‘it was in the sixteenth century that there came to be a European world-economy based upon the capitalist mode of production.’ He believed that several parts of the world (India, Russia, the Ottoman Empire and West Africa) only became incorporated between 1750 and 1850.

Yet it is Eric Hobsbawm, in his trilogy set, who demonstrates the clearest insight into the integration of a world market (ergo globalization) that we cannot ignore. The era from 1800 to 1914 was the era of the colonial. Between this era most of the world outside Europe and America was formally partitioned into territories under the form rule or informal political domination of one or other of a handful of states: mainly Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the USA and Japan etc. The partition of the world amongst a handful of states was the most spectacular expression of the growing global division of the strong and the weak, the ‘advanced’ and the ‘backwards.’ Britain increased its territories by 4 million square miles, France by 3.5 million, Germany acquired more than 1 million and Belgium and Italy under 1 million respectively. Heterodox observers analysed such changes as a new phase of capitalist development.

The first thing we must explain is, what was the developed world after?. Such an explanation can be established between the tendencies of economic development in the capitalist core of the global and its expansion into the periphery. For example, even today politics in the Middle East, which are far from explicable on simple economic grounds, cannot be realistically discussed without mentioning oil. The nature of globalization, meant that improvements in technology were tightening the web of transport which drew even the backward and previously marginal into the world economy, and created a new interest amongst the old centres of wealth and development in these remote areas. It also constituted the growth of mass consumption in the metropolitan countries and produced a rapidly expanding market for foodstuffs.

While Hobsbawm gives us a clear picture of this period above, we must consider what caused the world to expand and integrate at such a phenomenal rate during this period of time. As we have previously stated, technology improved leaps and bounds during this period. Marx called it the ‘crowning achievement’ of capitalism – the railway. The geographical size of the capitalist economy could expand, and it did, rapidly. The entire globe would soon become part of this economy. World trade between 1800 and 1840 had not quite doubled, but this was set to change. In 1850 and 1870 it increased by 260 per cent. Anything saleable was sold, including goods with distinct resistances from the receiving countries, such as the opium whose export from British India to China more than doubled in quantity and almost trebeled in value. By 1875 £1,000 million had been invested abroad by Britain – three quarters since 1850 – while French foreign investment multiplied more than ten fold between 1800 and 1850.

Another important factors that most observers would say is silly to ignore was the great gold discoveries in California. The implications of this meant gold led to the multiplication of payments available in the world economy and removed what many businessmen regarded as crippling stringency. Within seven years the world gold supply increased six and sevenfold. The amount of gold coinage issued by Britain, France and the United States multiplied from an annual average of £4.9million in 1848 to £28.1 million in each year between 1850 and 1856. The role of bullion in the world economy still plays a crucial albeit debatable role.

The period of Hobsbawm’s discussions illustrated the gigantic expansion of the world economy, now firmly based on industrialisation in several countries and on a dense and genuinely global flow of goods, capital and men. The technological potential of the first Industrial revolution was vast – cotton, coal, iron and steam engines. However, the major technological transformation of this period was a communication boom through the telegraph. This revolutionary device solved a major issue of communicating across distance. In this era industrial capitalism became a genuine world economy and the global was therefore transformed from a geographical expression into a constant operational reality. History from now on became world history.

In our final section we must look at globalization in its current and contemporary form and see how it has changed from the previous era, if it has, at all. Firstly, we shall look at the area of trade. The main issue of change here is transport costs and trade between nations. In the second half of the nineteenth century, these fell and were a major force for integrating world markets. O’Rourke and Williamson (1994) note that between 1870 and 1913 they fell by 40%. While some may contest transport costs, it is clear that technological changes have expanded the array of delivery mechanisms and cut the delivery time in ways that have brought a variety of goods (cut flowers from Central America, lobsters from Maine) into world commerce. Linked to transport is the issue of trade. Jeffery Williamson (1998) argued that a ‘globalization backlash’ occurred and increased political pressure to raise trade barriers, halt immigration and stifle capital flows. For instance, protectionist pressures were very pronounced during the 1870’s. Contemporarily speaking, rich corporations devise clever schemes for more elaborate trade protection. Poorer nations are forced to open up their own domestic markets. Joseph Stiglitz an ex World Bank economist argues that trade talks issues are not in the interests of the developing world. Oxfam supports this by claiming agriculture is crucial to unlocking the Doha trade talks. This was a major concern for NGOs and developing nations but was never addressed.

Trade talks or the green room meetings were created in order to push forward positive changes for the proponents of free trade. However, like the previous arguments they are primarily designed to favor the richer nations. ‘The Quad’ is lead by: America the European Union, Canada and Japan. While these nations allow the developing nations to enter into these talks as previously stated they are unable to make and propositions which conflict with western interests. If the poor countries complain two things can happen; firstly aid is withdrawn and secondly, exports will be frozen. Raw coercion is adopted to ensure the poorer countries remain subordinate to the rich.

Another area, we should also consider is the dominance of US and the way its spreads its values through cultural imperialism. U.S cultural imperialism has two major goals, one economic and the other political: to capture markets for its cultural commodities and to establish hegemony by shaping popular consciousness. The export of entertainment is one of the most important sources of capital accumulation and global profits displacing manufacturing exports. In the political sphere, cultural imperialism plays a major role in dissociating people from their cultural roots and traditions of solidarity, replacing them with media created needs which change with every publicity campaign.

Cultural imperialism and the values it promotes has played a major role in preventing exploited individuals from responding collectively to their deteriorating conditions. The symbols, images and ideologies that have spread to the Third World are major obstacles to the conversion of class exploitation and growing immiseration into class conscious bases for collective action. The great victory of imperialism is not only the material profits, but its conquest of the inner space of consciousness of the oppressed directly through the mass media. Insofar as a revival of mass revolutionary politics is possible, it must begin with open warfare not only with the conditions of exploitation but with culture that subjects its victims.

Lastly, the emerging markets must be briefly examined given there importance in an increasingly globalized world. It is difficult for those of us in the West to comprehend the scale of Asia Pacific’s potential development. Currently, China and India represent over one-third of the world’s population. China is not just one country; it consists of more than 30 provinces, with so many languages and dialects that Mao Tse Tung needed an interpreter. The population may well be closer to 1.5 billion rather than 1.3 billion. The Chinese government seems to consistently underestimate its statistics, like those for GDP growth, but it is still equivalent to four or five Americas. Furthermore, India, itself equivalent to three to four Americas, seems to have been stimulated into more rapid growth, driven perhaps by neighbourhood envy and the Chinese model of state-directed capitalism – although India bills itself as the world’s fastest-growing democracy. From a corporate perspective, China seems to be an enticing proposition for investors. If we look at the FT Global 100, in the top 5 companies 3 of those come from China or Hong Kong – PetroChina, China Mobile and Indi & Coml Bank of China.

To conclude, we have sought to present a large amount of detail through a small number of points. Firstly, we examined what existed before the birth of globalization. Having illustrated this, we were then able to identify the birth of globalization and the rapid expansion and integration of world markets across the world. The industrial revolution, discovery of bullion and invention of the telegraph provided the catalysts for the exacerbation of globalization in world history. All nations rapidly became interconnected, a position that has not changed today. In its current form, we can see how globalization has spread. With US dominating proceedings in world trade, it has been able to spread its values through cultural imperialism. However, it is mistaken to believe US should feel comfortable in its position. The rise of the dragon and elephant n China and India indicate there may be a shift in the balance of power as noted by the WPP annual report. It is clear then due to technological advancement globalization has changed. With emerging markets slowly catching up with the developed world, it may be sooner rather than later, that we could begin to view globalization in a different light. The current economic situation has given many food for thought over the dominance of the US and may continue to do so with the rise of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies.