The Department of Marketing hosted Mr Robert Whyte, Global Product Specialist in Investment Policy and Promotion with the Foreign Investment Advisory Department of the World Bank Group, Washington DC from June 14-16. Mr Whyte was making his first formal visit to Strathclyde Business School since his appointment as Senior Honorary Research Fellow in the Marketing Department late 2010.
During his visit, Mr Whyte delivered a well-received seminar entitled, "The World Bank Group: Working for a World Free of Poverty - engaging with and working with the World Bank". The presentation, attended by a cross-section of staff and doctoral students from SBS, was jointly sponsored by the Marketing Department and the Strathclyde International Business Unit. It covered the activities and role of the premier global development-promoting organisation in alleviating poverty and facilitating improvements in business environment and investment climate around the world. Developing nations, including the fragile and conflict-affected ones, are a particular focus of attention, which reflects the overarching aim of the Bank Group's work on assisting the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed by the United Nations in 2000. Mr Whyte's talk also covered a range of avenues for collaborating with the World Bank Group. He encouraged interested colleagues to take proactive steps to bring themselves and their areas of expertise to the attention of the Bank Group, and to contact him if necessary.
Another key activity undertaken by Mr Whyte during his 3-day visit was a guest lecture on International Business Ethics to Master's students taking the International Business elective. The lecture, offered as part of Strathclyde Business School's Summer School, allowed students to learn first-hand from Mr Whyte's vast experiential knowledge of managing and facilitating projects in different parts of the world.
Overall, Mr Whyte's visit was an unqualified success and sets the stage for a deeper and stronger engagement with the Department of Marketing and the Strathclyde Business School. Professor Kevin Ibeh, the host Head of Department, will be continuing discussions with Mr Whyte along this line.