CIMBA Newsletter
                                 
WAKE UP THE
   LEADER IN YOU!

June/July 2010
In This Issue
CIMBA MBA
CIMBA Undergraduate
Executive Programs
Al's Book Club
Meet the Alumni



Alberto Agostinacchio
 
When were you a student at CIMBA?
I enrolled CIMBA as a part-time student. I attended most classes in the year 2000-2001, but graduated some years later for other subsequent professional commitments. I was looking for an MBA program in order to fill in some technical weakness that I had in the areas of accounting, strategy, and HRM, and also to be exposed to an international experience. I graduated from CIMBA in 2006.
 
How as CIMBA affected your life, both personally and professionally?
CIMBA was the perfect solution for me since it allowed me to reach all of my personal targets without suspending my career. At that time I was already married, and so it was a tough experience that involved all my family: I used to spend all my weekends in Asolo and study most of the nights that I spent in hotels at customers' cities.
 
It was a real fun for me attending lessons and learning new skills, and doing it in English with international professors was incredible for me.
 
I am now the Managing Director of Fedon Far East Group, which includes four companies (the factory in Shenzhen, the sales branch in Hong Kong, the retail company of "Giorgio Fedon 1919," and a Chinese trading company) with 1,100 employees for a turnover of 23 million USD. I have full profit responsibility in the Asia-Pacific region, where I handle sales to our OEM customers and to the Distributors of "Giorgio Fedon 1919."
 
CIMBA impacted me a lot in my working approach because it helped me to gain the sensitivity to areas of company that I had not considered previously; in this way, it gave me the possibility to better understand individual problems through a view of the complete picture of the company.
 
Obviously CIMBA also opened up my mind by training me to work with multinational teams and with an understanding of how to approach my US or Chinese mates.
 
What are some of your favorite memories from your time with CIMBA?
I always loved Asolo, and so spending the weekend there and having lunch either at CIMBA or at Cafè Centrale was really motivating to me. I also appreciated extracurricular experiences like the initial BBQ and the Thanksgiving dinner at CIMBA, which gave me the possibility to know better my classmates and to breathe in a real multinational atmosphere.
 
That year was special because an American movie, Ripley's Game, was set in Asolo with John Malkovic as a star: CIMBA was involved and most of my classmates participated as figureheads. I recently watched this movie I recognized many old friends.
 
Anything else?
I am really happy to have attended CIMBA. It helped in my career giving me confidence in my daily work and creating in me the capacity to work effectively in multinational environment -- and so giving me the possibility for success in my actual experience.
Alumni Updates

Eric Olson, MBA Class 2005 and  Giulia Canali, CIMBA staff and ECIM graduate, on July 22 became proud parents of Gemma. Congratulation from all of us!!
 
Two CIMBA Undergradate Students, Ashley Unruh and Luke Thompson, were married June 12 in Lawrence. They were a part of the Spring 2007 Undergraduate Program. Congratulations!

New job? Moving somewhere new? Getting married? Other life changes? Want to volunteer your profile for the Meet the Alumni section?
 
Keep your fellow alums in the loop! Send your news items to info@cimba.it and they will appear here the following month.
Quick Links
CIMBA Website
Tippie School of Management
CIMBA Alumni AssociationCIMBA Alumni on LinkedIn
Undergraduate Blogs
Contact Us/Feedback
Calendar of Events:
June & July 2010

Executive Programs
Exececutive Certificate International Management and Strategy
July 11 - ECIM begins the program at the University of Iowa
July 13 - Company visit at HNI corporation
July 16 - Group Project Presentation
July 17 - Graduation Ceremony 
 
July 14 - CIMBA, Asolo - Workshop: Come identificare i propri punti di forza ed esprimerli al meglio al lavoro


MBA (Class of 2010)
21 June: Iowa Summer Session (Capstone Course) Begins
16 July:
Graduation Awards Dinner
17 July:
Graduation Ceremony

MBA (Summer Sessions)
22 June:
SS II, Gourmet Dinner
23 June: SS II, Jacuzzi Europe Company Visit
24 June: Session Ends
30 June: SS III, Check In, Orientation, & Welcome Dinner
6 July: SS III, Gourmet Dinner
8 July: Session ends 

 
Read CIMBA NEWS

Past Issues

Greetings!
 
This newsletter marks the end of another year at CIMBA. Summer session students at the CIMBA Undergraduate campus have either left for home, or are out exploring a large variety of European destinations. The undergraduate staff is currently tying up loose ends from the previous semesters and preparing for what needs to be done for the incoming Fall 2010 class. The MBA staff  in Asolo, finished hosting students for the third summer session, and is likewise preparing for the incoming CIMBA MBA class -- the class of 2011.
 
The class of 2010, after attending the capstone course at the University of Iowa, celebrated the graduation on July 17th. It was a very happy but at the same time sad moment for all: gooddbyes after a full year together were not easy. We will miss you all!
 
The next edition of this newsletter will be in September. Until then, we wish you all a spectacular summer!
 
Warm Regards,
The CIMBA Staff
CIMBA MBA
 
As we've said, the CIMBA MBAs travelled to Iowa City to take their capstone course at the University of Iowa. It has been a long, jam-packed year -- but, for the MBAs, time seems to have flown by. The CIMBA events that marked the beginning of their time here -- the LIFE Program, the High Ropes Course in Slovenia -- seem like they happened only weeks ago. Ten months later, though, here they are, ready to go back to their countries and make a difference!
 
If you or your company have any positions available, and if you would be interested in seeking out options among our soon-to-be recent graduates, please contact Cristina Turchet at turchet@cimba.it or publish the details of the opening in our LinkedIn group.

The CIMBA MBA Class of 2010 and the Summer Session I MBAs
If you are interested in pursuing an MBA with CIMBA, or if you know of someone you would like to recommend to the program, please feel free to contact us. We are more than happy to provide you with any information and answer any questions you may have.
CIMBA Undergraduate

During the summer semester at CIMBA Undergraduate, some of the best educational experiences for our students come in the form of company tours. Arranged for nearly all of the courses offered during the summer session, these company tours give students the chance to grow familiar with a variety of Italian companies, to gain a basic understanding of the differences between American and European business practices, and to gain valuable insights into the functions of an international business.
 
One of the CIMBA Program Ambassadors, Sarah Langlas of the University of Iowa, has provided us with an article that details her experience with company tours over the course of her summer semester with CIMBA.
 
"When I decided to study abroad, I was expecting to learn from the experience of living and traveling in a foreign country.  To be honest, I did not think twice about the cultural experiences I would have in the classroom.  However, in four weeks at CIMBA I have had great classroom experiences that have contributed to the overall experience of studying abroad.
 
I took Introduction to Marketing with Professor Sandy Fields, who is here with her husband from the University of Delaware.  During one of our block periods, we went on a field trip to a local winery, Villa Sandi.  At the winery,
Wine storage at Villa Sandi
we were given a tour of the wine cellar and the fermentation process. The winery is one of the best in Italy and stores wine for the Pope, the Italian president, and other important international figures.  We watched a video about the winery and the marketing aspect of Villa Sandi. I never realized the extreme differences in marketing in a different country.  At the end of the tour, we tasted two different types of wine and got to buy a bottle to bring home.  We walked around the vineyard grounds, which are beautiful, and snapped pictures before catching the bus back to campus.  In my other class, Social Media Law, we took a field trip to a local TV station - Rete Veneta -  where they filmed some of us opening the nightly talk show in Italian( watch the video ).  They talked about the Italian media laws and gave us a tour of the studio. Each field trip was a great learning experiences both for the subject of class content, and for the cultural experience that comes from seeing local Italian businesses firsthand.  
 
In addition to the field trips, the teachers really worked to incorporate Italy into our lessons.  My classroom experiences definitely added to my overall cultural experience studying abroad.  The teachers are wonderful, energetic, and I will definitely keep in touch with them.  I can honestly say that I enjoyed summer school and I know other students at CIMBA agree!
CIMBA Executive Programs
 
It's been an intense period for the ECIMS participants: in June they had the International Business Law module, held by Joan Gabel of Florida State University and the Low ropes course with Dr. Milan Pagon. The  Law module gives a framework for understanding the legal environment in which international business operates.
 
Instead of the usual classroom lecture, the low ropes course is highly experiential training that uses a series of obstacles to simulate challenges faced by decision makers, problem solvers, and teams.  From exercise to exercise, participants were encouraged to expand their natural abilities and discover a new depth of leadership and communication skills characterized by truth, accountability, group creativity, and collaborative problem solving.
 
Finally in July, they all moved to Iowa City for their one-week long final module. It was a fun and intense experience that ended with the formal graduation on July 17th. More on their experience will be covered on next newsletter!
 
The enrollment for the next edition of Executive Certificate in International Management is open.  There are scholarships available --. For more information, please contact Margherita Lago at lago@cimba.it.
 
In-Company Training & Coaching
Several companies are getting tangible benefits thanks to CIMBA's in-company leadership development training and coaching. If you are interested, give us a call or send us an e-mail and we will show you what your ROI could be.
A-B-C: Al's Book Club 


I am always surprised at the number of you who read this column and even more surprised by the number of you who suggest it to others. One of the questions most often asked by new readers is: "Where do I begin? How do I catch up to the others who have been reading this column over the years?" Given the rate of change and development in the field, it is difficult question. More recently, my most common response has been David Rock's Your Brain at Work. Another interesting book, and the book for this month is Judith Horstman's  The Scientific American Brave New Brain: How Neuroscience, Brain-Machine Interfaces, Neuroimaging, Psychopharmacology, Epigenetics, The Internet,  and our own Minds are Stimulating and Enhancing the Future of Mental Power. 
The Scientific American Brave New Brain Cover 
Written for a non-scientific, intellectually curious audience, the book covers a wide variety of interesting brain topics including the general functioning of the brain, changing your brain, and memory. The illustrations provided in the book are very useful and exceptionally well done. In the process of elevating your general understanding of the brain, she takes you to the limits of neuroscience in such areas as stem cells, gene therapy, and nanotechnology. Horstman makes an effort to show you how the brain research is conducted in lay terms, and makes an effort to define its current limits and its future prospects.  With much of the book derived from articles published in the Scientific American and the Scientific American Mind (I strongly encourage you to get a subscription to the Mind at a minimum), it contains a very readable bibliography and glossary. Generally speaking, it is a good place to start for those newly interested in neuroscience and its contributions to NeuroLeadership.
 
As the book opens, she makes interesting point about the distance our understanding of the brain has traveled, noting that we have learned more about the brain in the past fifty years than in the previous fifty thousand. There is little doubt that the next decade alone may very well surpass those fifty years. She notes that the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) is spending nearly 20 percent of its budget on brain-related projects, with those projects cutting across a wide range of academic disciplines both inside (biology, biochemistry, and chemistry) and outside (engineering, computer science, and physics) the sciences.  (She did not list business - either David Rock or I will drop her note).
 
Much of the theory behind the CIMBA Leadership Development System focuses on the importance of attention, focus, and the ability to manage emotions. We are seeing very promising results flowing from coaching interventions where the goal is enhanced attention leading to self-regulation. In addition, it is becoming clear that meditation and mindfulness training can have significant impacts on attention and focus, leading to improved stress management, concentration, and productivity. In fact, the NIH is investing in a number of studies to better ferret out the affects of meditation and mindfulness on a variety of groups from prisoners to elementary students.  The notions presented in the book are very consistent with our observations within the System.
 
One of the issues with our System grows from the fact that it could used quite effectively as a "selection" rather than "productivity enhancement" tool. With relatively few places to go if the System would "reject" an applicant or current employee - business schools are just not equipped nor are ready for emotion-behavior learning - we are inclined to resist its use for that purpose. Horstman crosses a similar bridge in exploring neuroethics or in her words, the "dark side" of neuroscience and its applications.  She stimulates your thinking in such areas as privacy - "What kind of privacy safeguards would be needed if a machine could read your thoughts?", the use of psychopharmacological therapies in legal proceedings,  and the use of neuroenhancing drugs to elevate brain performance when competition is involved among others. In the words of Horstman, "Even as we forge ahead in this brave new world of neuroscience, the potential for abuse prompts caution. ...  [W]e know that the basis of what we each are is not all in our genes, but it is much more difficult to argue persuasively that it is not all in our heads."