Dr. iur. David Costa, Dean, Robert Kennedy College, as part of the residency week in Zurich for our University of Salford students conducted a session on Cryptocurrencies and Money Management which was broadcasted live on Facebook.

Prof. Costa started the session with the basics of cryptocurrency, explaining: what it is, how it works, the technology behind it, the potential and the drawbacks.

Watch a recording of the session and get a new perspective on cryptocurrency.

For more information on the programmes offered by the college, download our college catalogue. Click here to join us today.

We all lead busy lives – work, family, friends, school, etc. It’s a never-ending cycle; that’s life.

One of the reasons for choosing an online programme is for the flexibility it offers. It allows you to gain new knowledge and at the same time to earn that qualification you’ve always wanted. But if not managed properly, the very reason you choose an online programme might be what comes back to haunt you.

Time management is one of the biggest challenges that an online student faces. Being able to manage one’s personal and professional life while at the same time getting the space and time to complete all the requirements of the programme – assignments, readings, live classroom sessions, etc. is a problem faced by most online students.

So while online education provides you with the flexibility of work and study, at the same time giving you the opportunity to live your life with minimum disruptions, if you don’t manage time well – putting off assignments till the last minute, not completing the required readings, unable to participate in live classroom sessions – you will inevitably fall behind and struggle to complete the course.

Balancing work-life-study is key to successfully completing an online programme.

1. Plan – Students need structure. This especially holds true for online students. Make a study calendar; set aside a block of time daily to catch up on your studies, assignments, and other course requirements. Take time to understand the schedule of the module and the programme as a whole— when are assignments due? For when are the online classes scheduled? If unable to attend a live session, when will the recording be available in the archive? What are the topics covered and by when should the study of those topics be undertaken? Work them into your calendar and plan. You might find that all you have to set aside is eight to ten hours a week, and being an online student, you have the flexibility to set this time at your convenience.
2. Stay Up-To-Date – Don’t cram or leave things for the last minute. If there’s an assignment on a topic, start working on it as soon as the topic is covered, and ensure that you complete the assignment at least two or three days before the due date. Take an active part in the live classroom session and on the online forums. They will help in understanding the subject matter better and allow you to incorporate your discussions with the faculty and students into your assignments.
3. Log-in Daily – With advancements in mobile technology, you need not constantly sit at a computer or laptop to follow what’s happening. You can log on to the online campus from your mobile phone and check on updates posted on the forums or announcements made. It’s that simple to stay current.
4. Friends and Family – Online study can be a lonely business. You tend to miss out on the classroom camaraderie and fellowship. While you do have some classroom experience with residency weeks and online live classroom sessions, you are still pretty much doing the programme on your own. Joining with friends, family, or colleagues will not only make the programme more interesting and less lonely but will also result in better time management and better understanding of the subject.
5. Get ahead of the Programme – Once you have enrolled for the course, you will be given access to all the study materials and to the online library. You will also get the course schedule. If you find yourself ahead of the module being taught and if your assignments are complete, then there is nothing stopping you from getting a head start by doing some advance reading on the next module. But know that there’s a lot you can still learn on the current module from your faculty and fellow students; so keep track of discussions, forums, and classroom session.
6. Take Ownership – You made the choice to study further. You chose to study online. Online study offers you flexibility, but you are not constantly reminded of your educational responsibilities as you would be in a campus environment. So hold yourself to a higher standard: complete your assignments on time, mark important programmes and course information in your calendar, and keep up to date. If you don’t understand something, reach out and ask for help. Everybody needs help from time to time.

Above all, good time management requires discipline. And developing this discipline can only come from taking ownership. This will not only hold you in good stead in successfully completing your online programme, but also in life.

Good luck, and enjoy the ride!

Many Management students might wonder about the need to study Law. After all, they may have joined a management programme with the dream of becoming a manager in a multinational company in which they might assume there will be teams in of lawyers in place to take care of any legal implications.

However, for all profit-driven organisations, reducing costs and increasing bottom-line profits are one of the primary considerations in the decision-making process, and if your organisation is small or has limited resources, there might not be a legal team in place. Even for mid-sized companies, having legal teams in place to cover every eventuality may for practical purposes be out of the question. And in any case, considering the fact that most organisations these days operate multinationally, legal costs can have a considerable impact on the company’s bottom line, so managers do need to have at least basic training in Law.

Many junior managers who may have limited understanding of the legal implications of management decisions may underestimate the importance of the law in the business world. Yet managers are expected to be aware of the legal implications their decisions might have on the organisation. The higher the person in the organisational hierarchy making the decision, the greater the understanding of the legal implications of a decision is expected to be.

A better understanding of legal matters also provides a manager with a framework on which a decision can be made. Indeed, knowing the rights and the protection the law can give to both an individual and a company can be vital managerial information. In today’s almost borderless business environment, understanding the organisation’s rights vis-à-vis its employees, clients, vendors, government, etc., will go a long way to making better, more informed, and profitable business decisions.

In short, a better understanding of Corporate, Consumer, and Commercial Law helps in setting benchmarks in product quality, safety standards, production and operational standards, and human resources, thereby protecting the rights of the organisation, its clients, vendors, and employees.

Robert Kennedy College in an exclusive partnership with the University of Salford, UK offers an Online Master of Laws (LL.M.) programme in International Commercial Law and in a partnership with the University of Cumbria, UK offers Online Master of Laws (LL.M.) programme in International Business Law.

Salford Business School Students Visit The Supreme Court from University Of Salford on Vimeo.

Robert Kennedy College as part of its residency week in Zurich, Switzerland conducted a lecture in Money Management for its students which was also broadcasted live on Facebook to all students, current and prospective. Through this Facebook Live Session, students could get a feel of how the residency week is conducted at the college and at the same time give them a deeper understanding of Money Management.

This class which was facilitated by the Dean of the college, Prof. Dr. iur. David Costa, had attendees with different professional backgrounds from all over the world. Hence he followed a clear-cut agenda starting with the Basics of Money Management and then delved deep into the most common assets i.e. Commodities, Stocks, Bonds etc. while also discussing briefly about Cash, Real Estate and Cryptocurrency in brief.

Dr. Costa spoke of stocks as one of the best investment option as investors can study the market and the companies and then invest in the stocks of companies, thereby becoming owners of a certain stake in those companies. He illustrated this by giving real life examples of companies whose share prices had gone through a turbulent period in the stock market and pointed ways to analyse the situation and arrive at a decision on whether to hold or sell.

Keeping the session interactive and responding to a question on Real Estate as an investment option, Prof. Costa said that Real Estate is like any other investment and is subject to the same risks and rewards, just because it’s tangible, it does not mean that the property prices cannot crash. He advised that everybody’s first major investments should be in their home, a property for you and your family, and every investment made before buying this property should go towards this purchase.

Speaking on speculative investment options, Dr. Costa compared it to a lesser form of gambling but also stressed on the fact that the higher the risk an investor takes, greater the reward can be.

When considering an investment, Dr. Costa advised to always plan! and ask, ‘Why am I investing?’, ‘What kind of risk can I take?’, ‘How long can I be locked in?’ and ‘Where do I invest?’

Click here for more information on the programmes in finance and business offered by Robert Kennedy College.

We live in exciting times: from home automation and autonomous cars, to all-screen phones and artificial intelligence, technology is making our lives easier and more productive.

With advancements in automation and telecom, companies are getting leaner and more centralised. There is pressure to be able to make quicker and more informed decisions, becoming more efficient and profitable and being able to provide higher returns to their shareholders. As a direct result of this, companies are looking for a more skilled and qualified workforce.

With jobs that are available in organisations moving up the value chain, companies are looking for specialised, proficient candidates to fill specific roles within the organisation. In today’s global market, one’s citizenship hardly matters to a world class employer looking for the best talent. With options ranging from working remotely to traveling to any destination within 24 hours or simply relocating, companies more often than not find the people they are looking for.

Today, a master’s education is rapidly becoming the entry degree in many professions. This has come about in part because the degrees are specific and utilitarian. A company looking to hire in project management or public healthcare will look to hire candidates with Master’s degrees in either Project Management or Public Health Management.

A Master’s degree implies that a candidate has taken the extra step in getting qualified, gaining extra skills, and specialisation. Having worked on projects, assignments, and dissertations, candidates tend to be more disciplined, structured, and task oriented.

They tend to be trusted with more responsibilities and will bring that experience and knowledge to the company. Such candidates will be an asset to the company and very seldom a liability.

In 2014-15, in the United States, there were nearly 800,000 Master’s degree graduates, a number that has been growing exponentially. In this scenario, most of the candidates applying for any above entry level position will already have at least one Master’s degree, if not more specialised qualifications. A Bachelor’s degree alone would disqualify them in the first stage of recruitment.

Explore the number of specialised Master’s degrees offered by Robert Kennedy College in exclusive partnerships with top British universities.

The Project Management Institute’s Education Foundation (PMIEF) has awarded Neil C. Robinson, a postgraduate student at Robert Kennedy College, University of Salford, its 2017 James R. Snyder International Student Paper of the Year.

The award was presented to Neil at the annual PMI Global Conference in October, held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, for his research paper titled Life is a Project: Project Management as an Enabling Life Skill in Cross-Cultural Transition.

Neil’s paper was inspired by the outcomes of the Life is a Project (LIAP) education initiative, teaching project management life skills to a group of ESL (English as a Second Language) adults in London.

During the course of five volunteer-led workshops, participants were assisted to articulate and develop plans for personal life projects as well as collaborating as a project team in the planning and delivery of a practical community-based project initiative – a fund-raising event in support of the British Refugee Council. Neil and the LIAP programme were also featured in a local UK news article.

Neil’s paper introduces the concept of project management as an enabling skill for individuals in the process of cross-cultural transition. He explores theoretical models of cultural adaptation, research into psychological and socio-cultural impacts of cross- cultural transitions, the challenges of being a non-native English language speaker.

The paper concludes with a view on the merit of project management skills in a cross-cultural context and thoughts on further development of the concept.

On receiving this award, Neil said “It’s a great honour and validation of the effort expended to have this work recognised by PMIEF.” In an email to the university, Neil also thanked the university and Robert Kennedy College for equipping him “with the requisite academic research and writing skills to produce this piece of work!”

As a mature student himself, Neil believes it is never too late to learn, “Education really can “open doors” and with programmes like this (Online MSc Project Management), it’s never too late to “follow the dream”. Just do it.”