KBS Future Thinking

In this episode, we speak to another one of our students, Oleksandra Babich (Sasha). Sasha is a student in MSc in Marketing, Consumption and Society. She has a very interesting background, originally from Ukraine, Sasha studied in Poland worked as a Journalist and TV presenter, and found her way here with her family for her postgraduate studies. Sasha is from Kharkiv, the closest city to the Russian border, where she attended high school. She then moved on to Warsaw Poland for her higher education studies. Sasha is a remarkable woman, strong in 4 different languages (Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, and English). She is also one of our KBS Ambassadors, being involved in many events and opportunities across the school. Sasha chats to us about her studies, her experiences at the University of Limerick and her journey to get here. She talks about the process of coming here with her family when Ukraine was invaded by Russia. Sasha came over as a full-time student once being accepted into the postgraduate programme with her younger brother. She then began the process of bringing her parents over. They are all here safe and sound. She has a truly inspirational story and we are so proud to have her studying here in the KBS! https://www.linkedin.com/in/oleksandra-babich-184007207?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BVYCALFRaSGya3V%2FfhHka6w%3D%3D https://www.ul.ie/gps/course/marketing-consumption-and-society-msc This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

We are excited about this episode! This week we chat with Prof Eugene Muvunyi, a visiting professor at the Kemmy Business School from the University of Rwanda. Prof Muvunyi is the Head of the Department of Finance at the University of Rwanda, the only public university. Previously, there were 6 separate universities that merged into one, in 2013. The population of Rwanda is 10.8 million. Prof Muvunyi has openly spoken about the 1994 Rwandan genocide, where approximately 800,000 Rwandans were slaughtered from April to July. Eugene describes how far they have come and their promising future by putting resources into the education sector. Rwanda has worked hard to move on from this historical time and Eugene speaks about stability and inclusivity. That all people have equal access to higher education. We also discuss international investment opportunities and Rwanda as an international investment centre for the region. Rwanda is investing in human capital and higher education to attract FDI. One of the marketing tools that the government used to attract tourism is to sponsor two football teams, Arsenal and PSG. They have already seen benefits from this strategy. Speaking with Prof Muvunyi is evidence that we can learn so much from one another and continuing international relations in higher education will be key in providing the best experience and education for our collective international graduates. There are opportunities to engage in all sectors for investment, which could become a big opportunity! https://www.greengrowthknowledge.org/sites/default/files/downloads/policy-database/RWANDA%29%20Rwanda%20Vision%202020.pdf https://www.minecofin.gov.rw/fileadmin/user_upload/Minecofin/Publications/REPORTS/National_Development_Planning_and_Research/Vision_2050/English-Vision_2050_Abridged_version_WEB_Final.pdf https://cbe.ur.ac.rw/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/muvunyi-eugene-42b4bb32?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BNH27Yo9ySD6z9npuE2HQSA%3D%3D This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, we are delighted to welcome Prof Matthew A. Waller and Prof Anne M. OLeary-Kelly from Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. (Yes, named after the same Walton as Walmart). We are so lucky to hear their insights about where the US is in terms of the political divide and how they foster an environment of inclusivity, encouraging a free exchange of ideas to maintain academic rigor and curiosity. Politics should not come into how we teach or lead. Critical thinking is so important now more than ever before, especially with the surge of generative Artificial Intelligence. We experience a political party or politician spouting off views that are popular for their party ‘that day’ versus what is consistent with their view of the world? We want students to be able to differentiate between the two. Is it time to think about how we teach and assess considering the emergence of technologies at the forefront, while maintaining our own identities? Hints and tips on how to turn policies into a checklist, making you look brilliant, using ChatGPT are also included! Who likes to read policies? This is change management! Tipping the hat to our own Cooperative Education programme here in UL was a great boost! Anne, early in her sabbatical, has also hosted an amazing event here in Limerick in May, Spotlights & Shadows: What the #MeToo Movement Highlights and Hides about Sexual Harassment. There are too many impressive accolades for these two guests to put into text, please see the links below. Links to the articles mentioned can also be found below. https://walton.uark.edu/departments/supplychain/directory/uid/mwaller/name/Matthew+A.+Waller/ https://walton.uark.edu/departments/management/directory/uid/aokelly/name/Anne+O%27Leary-Kelly/ https://hbr.org/2007/02/in-praise-of-the-incomplete-leader https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00220485.2021.2004282 This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, we chat with Dr Nuala Ryan about the work she is doing with the Health Services Executive (HSE). The Kemmy Business School plays a big role because a lot of the issues are operational. The KBS has economics, management principles, finance and organisational behaviour expertise to support the upcoming challenges. Most of the research is done in the clinical world, where Dr Ryan and her team are tackling the real problems of recruitment, people management, process flow and so much more. The HSE has been portrayed negatively in the media, but in the episode, we hear that there are positive things happening! Nuala is a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Management and Marketing at the Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick. Her areas of focus include Strategic Management, Leadership, and Organisational Behaviour. She has been a lecturer at the University College Cork, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, University College Dublin, The National College of Ireland, NUI Galway, and currently at the University of Limerick.  Prior to becoming a full-time lecturer Nuala worked in industry where her main responsibilities included HR Business Management, Organisational Development, Team Development, and Learning Organisation Management. This experience has led to a wide range of teaching, research, and publication interests in the broad area of leadership development, strategic management, and general organisational behaviour. She is currently carrying out research with the University Limerick Hospital Group and the Irish Blood Transfusion Service in the area of Leadership and Strategic management. https://www.ul.ie/research/dr-nuala-ryan https://www.ul.ie/business/kbs-research/research-clusters/healthcare-management-principles-policy This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, we chat with Prof Martin Mullins about just a few of the very interesting projects that he is involved with. Prof Mullins discusses (as much as he can), a European-funded project on how to combat illegal activity and terrorism by tracking crypto transactions and scouring the Dark Web using new specialised software. He also gives us some insights into Artificial Intelligence (AI), how it is being used (good and bad), autonomous vehicles, and how far the technology has come. Prof Mullins is Co-Leader of the Emerging Risk Group (ERG), Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, a Professor in Risk and Insurance, and a member of the Expert Group on Digital Ethics in Insurance for EIOPA. He has worked with the Central Bank of Ireland as a data ethicist. Prof Mullins teaches on Msc programme in Artificial Intelligence in the area of risk and ethics. He has worked on several risk governance-related research projects, including four EU Commission-funded projects in the area of emerging technologies, risk transfer, privacy, and insurance in the area of assisted driving systems, namely VIDAS and Cloud-LSVA. The Emerging Risk Group (ERG) was developed by founding members Prof Martin Mullins and Prof Finbarr Murphy in 2007, to develop a new context of academic research that was informed by private and public knowledge requirements. The first focus of the group concerned risk metrication in the context of insurance attentive to a changing private and public emerging risk environment and market. Since that time the group has collaborated with SUN and grown in strength to offer a dynamic and unique research model. One of the key strengths of the ERG is its ability to respond to an ever-changing dynamic and fluid array of emerging risks fueled by a new paradigm of emerging technologies. https://www.ul.ie/business/kbs-research/research-clusters/emerging-risk-assessment-and-underwriting https://anti-finter.eu/ https://www.ul.ie/research/prof-martin-mullins This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, we are delighted to chat with one of our elite athletes, Jack Mitchell. Jack talks to us about being a student-athlete, sporting facilities at the University of Limerick, what it was like to be a student in the Kemmy Business School, his plans after graduation with work and competition and how he managed to balance being a full-time business student as well as a competitive athlete (while still enjoying a bit of a social life). Jack is a fourth-year Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) student at the Kemmy Business School, majoring in Accounting and Finance. Hailing from Carlow, he is competitive in European Athletics, focusing on the 400 Metres Hurdles, the 400 Metres and the 4X400 Metres Relay. Jack has been a competitive athlete for his entire time at the University of Limerick, continues to compete for Ireland and has already secured a graduate contract for PWC! We may see him in the Olympics one day! https://www.european-athletics.com/historical-data/athletes/irl/jack-mitchell-014804843 https://www.ul.ie/courses/bachelor-business-studies https://carlow-nationalist.ie/2023/04/05/watch-billy-delaney-receives-the-service-to-sport-award/ This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, we are talking to Jackie King, Executive Director at Ibec Global. Jackie is a visionary business executive with over two decades building high-performance teams and transforming organisations for the future. An expert in managing risk for organizations with international exposure, and works with executives, their boards, and public-sector officials in every sector of the global economy to protect and enhance reputation and deliver results for businesses and communities. We cover a lot in this episode from business leadership, how globalisation is changing, sustainability, the labour market, and industry/university relationships (hey businesses, keep upskilling and reskilling). It’s not all “doom and gloom” Ireland is in a strong position. The need for change is here; Jackie and her team are a big part of supporting businesses through that change and the Kemmy Business School is ready for change! https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiekingibecglobal/?trk=public_profile_samename-profile&originalSubdomain=be https://www.ibec.ie/ This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode we are joined by Prof Eoin Devereux, a Cultural Sociologist and a Creative Writer, Professor Eoin Devereux teaches at the University of Limerick, Ireland. He is also an Adjunct Professor in Contemporary Culture (focused on fandom and discourse) in the Department of Art, Music and Culture at the University of Jyvasklya, Finland. Eoin is a founding Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Popular Music and Popular Culture at the University of Limerick. Eoin talks to us about Jim Kemmy, from a personal and expert perspective. The school is named after Jim Kemmy, former parliamentarian and Mayor of the City of Limerick, whose public life focused on a concern for the common good, a belief in education as key to accessing opportunities, and the pursuit of a society built on principles of fairness and dignity. The Kemmy Business School is committed to the Kemmy legacy of social justice and equal opportunity. https://www.ul.ie/research/prof-eoin-devereux https://www.ul.ie/artsoc/news/launch-of-dreams-the-ul-fifty-commemorative-book-devised-and-lead-edited-by-prof-joseph This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

To launch the KBS Future Thinking Podcast, let's first hear from Prof Finbarr Murphy, Dean of the Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick as to why he started this podcast and what listeners can expect.