Could you please describe yourself in a few sentences?
I am a senior lecturer at Westminster Business School since 2008. I hold a PhD in Information Systems (2007) and a Masters in New Media, Information and Society (2004) from the London School of Economics, and an Executive MBA in Finance (Insper, Brazil, 1998) . I have many publications and participation in international conferences in the area of information systems. Previous to my academic experience, I have been an editor of Economics and Finance in leading news companies in Brazil. I have also ten years experience developing software and online services for the banking industry.
What is your area of academic interest and which courses are you involved in?
I lecture mainly on the topics of information systems, project management, and business innovation. I am a researcher on the topic of online collaboration, virtual communities and social media. In addition, I am the editor of the professional hub New Media Knowledge, which is specialized in creative digital industries (marketing, video, mobile applications, web analytics etc.). I am currently researching on social media topics, in the areas of collaboration, identity and marketing. I collaborate with colleagues from other universities in UK, Brazil, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Could you please tell us a bit about the new specialised Masters programme?
The new course comes to fulfil a gap in the current offer of Masters programmes. Digital technologies have become pervasive in all business activities, from the controlling of supply chain and customer relationship, to the understanding of all areas of any business and marketing. Mobile technology comes on the top of these changes, bringing a new perspective on working and private life arrangements. In spite of all developments in the technological sphere, businesses are still to harvest most of the potential benefits digital platforms can offer. It is common knowledge among information technology professionals that most organisations lack skills and knowledge to get the best from technology form a business perspective. The new Masters programme proposes to close this gap, providing professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to make the best from digital technologies in organisations. We are going to prepare professionals to become independent thinkers and decision-makers in the area of business innovation using digital technologies. The technologies are available. We need now to have professionals who may innovate in the business sphere to benefit from the technology in any sort of company, in any part of the world.
Could you tell us about the modules in MSc in Business Innovation for the Digital Economy?
The programme has a collection of modules which are organized to complement each other and deliver all the skills a graduate professional needs to foster business innovation using digital technologies. From a macro perspective, students will learn key concepts and practices in business innovation. The idea is to prepare students to use the current digital platforms to explore business opportunities. In this direction, students are going to be prepared to foster business innovation through using cloud solutions, social media, websites, e-commerce platforms, business intelligence and analytics, among many other relevant areas. The programme is designed to allow any professional to learn how to foster business innovation using digital technologies. It is not necessary thus to have a background in technology. Students also are going to be prepared to develop their project management skills, a fundamental part of business innovation processes, and to become independent researchers to explore current and future business opportunities using digital platforms. The programme is robust to deliver a large number of skills necessary for business innovation in digital economies, and to prepare the graduates to become independent thinkers on the matter, a fundamental aspect considering technology is developing continuously.
Why do you think specialised Masters are becoming more important in todays business environment?
The international market is becoming increasingly competitive, for organizations and for professionals. Companies want to contract professionals who demonstrate capacity of solving problems and making informed decisions. We are leaving in a knowledge economy. Knowledge workers need to have skills to take the lead of their own development and learning processes. This reality of the market forces professionals to have more specialised knowledge. To face competitors, companies want to contract professionals who have experience enough to contribute value to organisations in the short term. Generic degrees are excellent to prepare professional to broad opportunities, but these professionals may demand more time to be trained in particular areas. The specialised Masters programmes fit better those professionals who are sure about the areas they would like to work, and want to have a particular set of skills which increase their employability in particular areas.
and now coming back to your experience :
What was your first job? What did you learn from it?
My first job was as a journalist. I have known about this opportunity in my university, when studying Journalism.
What did you do in your career before coming to WBS?
I was a research fellow at the London School of Economics. Previously I have been an editor of Economics and Finance, and a developer of software and digital services for the banking industry in Brazil.
What do you think is special about WBS?
I am very proud of being part of the strategic effort WBS is doing to better prepare professionals for the job markets. We are facing hard economic times and crucial changes in the educational sector. Thus it is important to offer more value to students, and I agree the way forward is to focus on helping students to develop their skills for the job market.
What do you think of the social learning platform?
For knowledge works, engaging in collaborative platforms are the best way of keeping well informed about relevant changes. Using a social learning platform is a way of developing the skills which are going to be necessary to use many other collaborative platforms in working environments and broadly, in the many knowledge hubs on the Internet.
If you were asked to give one piece of advice to students then what would it be?
Knowledge is a flow: things are changing very quickly everywhere. All of us need to be able to manage our knowledge assets independently. We need to learn how to learn. We need to use digital platforms to leverage our skills and capabilities. Then at the same time we learn particular skills and content, we need to constantly challenge ourselves about how to become independent thinkers and decision makers, and how to develop a plan to be sure we are constantly updating our knowledge and skills. The best jobs are to go to professionals who have this skill of self-developing their knowledge.
How do you relax out of work? What are your interests/leisure activities?
Innovation and creativity come together. It is important to keep the mind open and fresh. Cinema and arts are very helpful to connect to people through other means. Talking to people is fundamental, with an open mind to listen to them. Also taking time to see a beautiful sunset and observe the birds flying. Nature has its own time and beauty, and we should not forget of appreciating this engagement with nature. Perhaps this may inspire more people to have a more sustainable attitude in life.
Dr. Magda David Hercheui
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