Report on seminarsI attended four seminars arranged by Artevelde University College and one own choice ( Flyse).

European Council seminar Speaker: Place: European council (Rue de la Loi(Wetstraat), Brussels) Date & time: 6 October 2015, 14:00

Sourcing in Asia Speaker: Paul Melkebeke(VP Somsonite) Place: KNT Aula 4 Date & time: 16 October 2015, 15:00

Doing business in China Speaker: Jeanne Boden(CEO China conduct)

Place: KNT Aula 4 Date & time: 21 October 2015, 18:15

Prepared by: Khalid Noor

Title: Applying for job abroad Speaker: K. Veldkamp Place: Aula 2 KNT Date & Time: 16th Feberuary 2016, 15:00

Flyse Zero to One (or how to build future)

This seminar consisted of three section (title, guest speakers) each section 45 minutes at least and I attended the first one called (title) Urban

Speaker: Mr. Filip Nuytemans (General manager of Uber Belgium)Place: Auditorium Quetelet, 9000 Gent, Belgium

Date & time: 21 April 2016 at 19:30

REPORT ON EUROPEAN COUNCIL SEMINAR

My own research and links I did research about difference between the role of European Council and Council of European Union I knew the main difference is that the European Council decides on overall direction and political priorities – but does not pass

laws. And Council of European Union negotiates and adopts European union laws, together with the European Parliament, based on

proposals from the European Commission http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/european-council/index_en.htm#goto_1 http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/council-eu/index_en.htm#goto_1

Things I have learnt & Short Reflection After attending the seminar I knew different EU institutions and what are their roles and how they cooperate with each other. I have acknowledge that in the council of European union national ministers (Example: finance ministers discuss financial

issues) from each EU country meet to adopt laws and coordinate policies where as in European union heads of state or government of EU countries meet to deal with complex or sensitive issues that cannot be resolved at lower levels of intergovernmental cooperation and decides on the EU's overall direction and political priorities and it does not negotiate and adopt EU laws.

The rule which made me personally feel that council of European union is place where justice can be acquired is by having the 6 months rotating presidency of council of European union for each member state contrary to European council where new president is elected after every 2.5 years.

Meeting is held usually on quarterly basis in the European union where EU leaders meet to set the broad direction of EU policy making.

Sem

inar

1

Continued….

How does the Council of European union work All discussions & votes take place in public. To be passed, decisions usually require a qualified majority : 55% of countries (with 28 current members, this means 16 countries)representing at least 65 %

of total EU population. To block a decision, at least 4 countries are needed (representing at least 35% of total EU

population)

It was really interesting and worth full acquiring knowledge in depth of council of European union and I consider to be helpful for everyone to have required knowledge of some governmental or non governmental institutions which has direct impact on the societies and on the status of life around the globe.

SOURCING IN ASIA(SAMSONITE)

My own research and links After brief research over sourcing in Asia I figured out that number of companies worldwide

resorted to low cost countries in Asia. In fact, sourcing from these low cost countries no longer remains a strategic advantage but

is increasingly turning into a competitive necessity. Some of problems faced by these companies are lack of understanding of the local market

and true supply chain costs, inability to negotiate best prices for goods and services, cultural and language differences which hinder communication and so on

http://www.financeasia.com/News/387751,samsonite-hungry-for-acquisitions.aspx http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/samsonite-international-sa-announces-2014-fina

l-results-300051539.html http://www.samsonite.be/nl/home http://www.business-in-asia.com/

Sem

inar

2

Things I have learnt & Short reflection I realised that for large companies sometimes it can be handy/profitable not to closed their branches even if they are not

producing at lower cost. Example of Samsonite branch in Belgium which invents new products and designs and where plans are developed to achieve future perspectives of the company.

It is very vital to produce different products at various prices which comforts with customers needs and to lead company to success. In doing so you need to operate and take advantage of affordable contractors in a low cost countries. (In other words low cost country sourcing).

I also realised the most essential aspect for company is to maintain its market share price especially in unexpected circumstances which was face by businesses during crisis and Samsonite has struggled and kept going on and invested to achieve high level of performance in the future and use the time efficiently.

Its also important to know what brands should be traded at which markets. Example of Samsonite: American Tourister, High Sierra and Hartmann because product with certain brand, brand may not be successful in every market.

I did not acknowledge the importance of outsourced factories/companies partly operating for international companies as it’s sometimes best option to capture markets and keep the costs low.

I have recognised for various companies focuses are made on different division to maintain them. In case of Samsonite: Transportation and quality assurance. If no quality control done on regular basis the contractors may use cheap material to produce and companies with high transportation costs may focus of best location where warehouses/company branch to be located.

I have also acknowledge the importance of backward supply chain, designing department(with experts from different countries), importance of samples room in some regions/countries(Hong Kong),social compliance and so on.

The seminar was quite interesting as it explained the importance of long term strategy and aspects to be considered before make good decisions in case of Samsonite these were focusing on transportation and quality assurance, market penetration and importance of specialised department of research to develop future of organization which exist in Belgium but productivity scale is low and products produced expensive but the branch is still exist. The information in this seminar about sourcing in Asia was too limited in general and even Samsonite sourcing in Asia was also limited to some extent as earlier then seminar I thought it might be more general then being specific to the Samsonite

C O N T I N U E D …

Some of benefits of sourcing in Asia1. Sourcing in Asia is the main lever to reduce costs of material and labour2. Increased output capacity( reducing the shortage risks)3. Opening a window to growth markets in Asia at relatively low risks

Some of challenges of sourcing in Asia4. Defining and communicating your expectations well5. Follow up with continuous quality controls, on-site inspection and reporting 6. Hidden costs (productivity losses, travel costs, risk management costs, cost of

management overhead.7. Getting the required expertise and preparing well.( if you don’t have the knowledge

or country coverage required, it is worth extra expense to get experts on your company)

8. Keeping the intellectual property saved. Etc

Doing business in china Own research and links before attending seminar

After my research I found that ease of doing business in china rank 84 out of 189 economies. This mean its quite good in china starting business as there aren’t too many imposition & strictness. I knew Business practices and relationships in China are very different from those commonly encountered in the US & Europe, and

attorneys relocating to Asia should familiarize themselves with local customs. During my research I have also learned the ten principles to know before doing business in china and I will state some of them here.1. Trust is interpersonal and takes time to build2. Mistrust and opportunism are endemic3. Beware of industrial dynamics4. Chinese society is hierarchical5. Notions of “out-of-bounds” behavior do not necessarily match.

Links http://www.forbes.com/sites/insead/2012/03/06/the-ten-principles-for-doing-business-in-china/#77f9f6591176http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2015/06/25/an-introduction-to-doing-business-in-china-2015-new-report-from-dezan-shira-associates.htmlhttps://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=4837http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/china/#close

Seminar 3

Continued…. Things I have learnt & Short reflection

Seminar was focused on importance of relationships rather on business aspects, however was quite informational about china culture and their different viewsOrganizational structure is totally hierarchalChina government believe legalism is best as it consider that human nature is bad if too much freedom is given so strict rules applies over the country. President leads presidency and is head of military as well. china’s business context is based on a mixture of influences, some of them are Confucian, legalist, Taoist, international influences & so onChinese people give importance to ancients architectureChina is one of the fastest growing economy and enhancement of technology pace is growing rapidly

APPLYING FOR JOB ABROAD

Own research before attending seminar and its Links I did research about various aspects related to applying for job abroad and recognized there are a lot of preparations to be done by fresh graduates before they want to step into professional life abroad some important steps I knew are to research thoroughly, use your networks, Send an application that suits your destination country/job, prepare fully for your interview, consider the practicalities.Attend overseas job fairs. They do exist. Just google the phrases "overseas job fair" or "abroad job fair" then the name of your nearest city and you'll find events that are focused on it.Before applying to job abroad you have to know what would be visa process for you and income tax in that particular country and so on.Some important questions to ask before accepting a job abroad, I will state some of them here:1. What Are The Working Conditions?2. Is accommodation included?3. Will I Have a Social Life?

Links http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/25/jobs-abroad-advice-leadership-careers-employment.htmlhttp://www.gooverseas.com/blog/how-apply-for-jobs-abroadhttp://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/articles/ask-questions-when-taking-jobs-abroad.shtml

Seminar 4

C O N T I N U E D … . .

Things I have learnt & short reflection The seminar presented quite basic information on working abroad, meaning there was limited information presented on working abroad. I knew that working within EEA doesn't only offers free movement of workers but also same regulation of social security and taxation apply on you. I got to know about the European job mobility portal (EURES) and it has given me insight to some important sites like:www.eures.europa.euwww.vdab.be/internationaalIt was helpful to know about some informational sites which helps you figure out the paperwork you need to do before doing a particular job abroad. http://www.kamiel.info/eures@vdab.beFinally I learned about some tips and tricks for example: Develop a Job-Search Strategy, Narrow Down Your Choices, Have a great application, Be flexible and so on

FLYSE ( F L A N D E R S Y O U T H S O C I E T Y F O R E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P ) (UBER)

Own research & Links This information is about Uber concluded from research. Uber is the smartest way to get around. One tap and a car comes directly to you. The driver knows exactly where to go and get lowest fare.Uber is in Brussel and 447 other cities worldwide.Uber is working to create opportunities for millions of people and improve the way everyone gets from A to B.

Links https://www.facebook.com/UberBE/info/?tab=page_infohttp://www.businessinsider.com/uber-has-changed-my-life-and-as-god-is-my-witness-i-will-never-take-a-taxi-again-where-available-2014-1?IR=Thttp://time.com/3556741/uber/https://www.uber.com/

Seminar 5

Things I have learnt & short reflection The seminar was enthusiast and constituted a good opportunity to foster the networking among drivers and passengers and Uber sharing the knowledge of people desires in the context of willing improved governance, accountability, efficient and effective delivery and results.seminar met its objectives in promoting awareness of and demand for the Uber and seminar was also focused on the importance of invention benefiting the people of globe. Uber mission is: Transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere for everyone.Invention of Uber answer how can we make things efficient to make things cheaperUber is opportunity of using your car effectively by not just using it personally Uber operates in 60 countries and its growing fast.Application of uber is easy to navigate and all handy information is providedIt is important to implement new ideas and consequently measure it/maintain it and change it if necessary I knew the importance of business to be on social media or to be partner with as in case of uber is spotify and many more.Uber is more about near destinations in contrast to Bla Bla car.

Questions asked1. What will be the effect of self driving cars on Uber?Ans: self driving cars will lower the cost of fares and potentially bring increase in demand

2. Why does Uber not works with electric cars if uber is more for near destinations?Ans: This requires huge investment as there is no availability of many super chargers everywhere

The End