Independent University Newspaper
Copenhagen Business School
Independent University Newspaper
Copenhagen Business School
The clock is ticking. On Thursday morning (5 October), CBS employees will know if they are up for dismissal or not. But what will happen on the day? What emotional stages are you likely to encounter? And who will be there to pick you up when you are feeling the blow of being laid off? CBS WIRE has talked to HR and the consulting agency Actief Hartmanns to provide you with answers.
CBS is laying off a number of employees soon, which will affect our university in different ways. When employees are fired without having done anything wrong, it shatters the trust between the organisation and employees, while also taking a toll on productivity, according to a CBS expert. Layoffs also affect the ‘survivors’, who are forced to adapt to a changed workload and the loss of cherished colleagues.
It’s been ‘welcome back’ from the summer holidays for a few weeks now – and soon goodbye to some with a message many had anticipated with dread: a reduction totalling at least the equivalent of 60-70 full-time staff members.
Can an AI tool improve diversity? That, at least, is the idea behind Develop Diverse, a new tool being implemented at CBS to attract a more diverse pool of candidates to job postings. The programme scans job ads for biased words and suggests more inclusive alternatives. According to Sofie Gottlieb, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead, it has proven to increase the number of qualified applicants.
CBS joins the increasing number of public institutions banning TikTok. Due to the risk of sensitive user data – and CBS data – being compromised, the platform is no longer allowed on official devices, unless there is a legitimate business need. Morten Ingvard Falck, Chief Information Security Officer at CBS, also recommends that students stop using the app.
The scale of the government’s planned reforms, which involve an unprecedented redesign of the Danish education system, worries Nikolaj Malchow-Møller, President of Copenhagen Business School. But he also sees opportunities in the investments in lifelong learning opportunities and thinks CBS is well positioned to be relevant in the new education landscape envisioned by the government.
In the spring of 2020, political science associate professor Mads Dagnis Jensen, like many others, was celebrating the end of lockdown drinking a beer with some fellow political science researchers in Christianshavn. At a time when just about everyone was comparing different governments’ Covid-19 measures, you can bet that these comparative politics nerds also were. “Why don’t we write a book,” one of his colleagues suggested.
“If online lectures are live, breaks are recommended” and “No one can expect to receive feedback outside normal working hours”. These are some of the guidelines in a new codex made and introduced by CBS Students and Teaching and Learning. In total, the list contains 26 tips on how to act responsibly and ethically in online classrooms.
As a result of the reorganization, five employees have either resigned or will resign from their positions in the months ahead, according to a statement on CBS Share. Moreover, 46 employees and 17 student assistants will be relocated. The aim is to move the employees to a new physical location in week 42.
As part of the new strategy under development, five units are undergoing reorganization, which can result in major changes for the employees involved. According to two shop stewards, the Senior Management cannot eliminate layoffs. The shop stewards say the announcement of the new organization is bad timing and encourage CBS to do everything to avoid layoffs.
When Italy closed down entirely on the morning of Tuesday March 9, it may have seemed a rather drastic move. However, less than 48 hours later, Denmark followed suit. Giulio Zichella, an Assistant Professor at CBS with family in Italy reflects on the situation both there and in Denmark. “People in Italy are afraid and they are asking whether the situation could become even more complicated,” he says.
PhD Fellow at CBS, Joachim Delventhal’s pension company, JØP, invests his money in the biggest weapons manufacturers in the world, fossil fuels, and tobacco. Though this angers him, Danish law and collective agreements prevent him from switching pension company, so he is ready to give up his pension. JØP responds to his criticism.
CBS Pride is getting ready for another season on August 17. “Students are here to do more than chase a business career,” explains David Brodecky, one of the organizers. This year, attendees can look forward to events such as Drag bingo, a special talk, QueerLab, a banner workshop and a dance. But to David Brodecky, the Pride is much more than one big party. It’s personal.
Ole Helmersen, Senior Shop Steward, has asked for the Senior Management’s opinion regarding a shortage of Danish-speaking teachers who, according to him, are being assigned extra classes in Danish. The issue will be brought up at an upcoming meeting in the General Consultation Committee.
After ten years of service at CBS, Somchai Bronlow will no longer be juggling coffee mugs, warm croissants, white tablecloths and thousands of plates for meetings and events. Instead, a sustainable fish farm in Thailand awaits.
After last year’s success, CBS is turning up the volume a notch for this year’s Copenhagen Pride Parade. A bigger truck, the DJ That Fucking Sara, and more t-shirts have been ordered. Both the Dean of Education and a co-organizer of CBS’ participation underline the importance of CBS’ presence at the Pride.
At the metal festival, Copenhell, more than 23,000 people joined to enjoy a type of music which has other people wrinkling their noses, covering their ears, and asking whether you worship Satan. CBS WIRE met with three people from CBS to ask why they went to ‘hell’.
The Danish Government has made a suggestion to change the rules regarding the sideline activities of non-EU employees. The proposal states that international researchers should have the right to do as many sideline activities as they want, without it leading to possible court cases. Problems, CBS professors Brooke Harrington and Mitchell Dean have experienced themselves.
Senior Management promises to be more visible in the future as a response to a report made about the mistrust towards DIR among academic staff. But being more visible only solves 50 percent of the problems, argues Keld Laursen, who took part in the making of the report. Employee representative, Ole Helmersen, is satisfied with the outcome, and expects DIR to take note of the report.
CBS is laying off a number of employees soon, which will affect our university in different ways. When employees are fired without having done anything wrong, it shatters the trust between the organisation and employees, while also taking a toll on productivity, according to a CBS expert. Layoffs also affect the ‘survivors’, who are forced to adapt to a changed workload and the loss of cherished colleagues.
27 Sep 2023
Exam anxiety? Lost student card? I’ve wedged my car between a Fiat 500 and a lamp post, can you help? You never know what you’ll be asked next. But that’s just how the Campus Desk team like it. And if they can’t fix your problem, they’ll know someone who can. CBS WIRE asked the team about the whole range of topics they advice on every day.
22 Sep 2023
Employees and union representatives have posed many questions in the wake of the 17 August announcement of a firing round. In this interview, University Director Arnold Boon explains how Senior Management has been working with the budget and a change of financial strategy since the fall of 2022, and why layoffs are now necessary.
11 Sep 2023
The political parties behind the master’s reform have adjusted their original proposal to shorten or reorganize up to 50 percent of master’s programmes after pressure from CBS and the other Danish universities. Fewer shortened master’s and longer to implement changes are some important revisions to the reform. CBS’ president is pleased that the government and other parties behind the reform have listened to some of the critique given by the universities but raises concern about cutting more study places in bachelor’s programmes.
15 Sep 2023
A successful university environment such as CBS is often associated with academic pursuits, but campus life extends far beyond the classroom. At CBS Quiz Time, a student society motivated by creative thinking and social engagement, students join in a refreshing range of creativity, excitement, and social interaction. CBS WIRE talked to Celine Møller-Andersen to find out about the society’s vision, strategies and the factors that are driving its rapid expansion.
22 Sep 2023
The alliance of European business schools met at CBS in June to enhance recruitment strategies, stay informed on industry trends, and analyse where the global economy is heading. The CBS MBA Programmes shares some key take-aways from Associate Dean and Professor Jesper Rangvid’s presentation.
08 Sep 2023
The employees in charge of bachelor admissions at CBS are a small exclusive team. They ensure the validity of diplomas and the fulfilment of entry requirements for bachelor’s degrees at CBS – and, not least, that the applicants get the necessary help to upload the right documentation and find their way around the application procedures.
07 Sep 2023
If you believe that going on exchange is difficult, you might be surprised to learn that there is a space for everyone. Grades and points from extra-curricular activities do matter to some extent, but even with grades at the lower end of the spectrum, an exchange trip is within reach.
18 Nov 2022
Algorithms have a hold on the stock markets that has fuelled the need for regulation. But how do we regulate what we don’t understand? The second generation of trading algorithms are designing their own investment strategies – and they are so complicated that we are unable to understand them.
12 Sep 2022
BOOK REVIEW: Read about new methods for managing stress in working life.
22 Oct 2021
Two researchers tell the story of how the pandemic completely altered their research topic and how they dealt with it.
23 Sep 2021
BOOK REVIEW: Scapegoating the finance sector has become a national sport. Imagine, banks are daring to charge negative interest. But much of the criticism is based on prejudice, claim two professors.
17 May 2021
