After completing his Masters in Economics from York University, Naved Manzoor joined British American Tobacco Bangladesh Ltd. in 2004 as a Management Trainee in Finance. Currently, he is serving the same organisation as the Head of Supply Chain Finance. Despite having a fast-track and splendid career in Finance, he felt the urge to...

Even up to the early 1990s, national borders used to be much more than territories owned by one particular state – it was the line that separated cultures, rules and attitudes. And hence, companies hardly had to worry about standardised reporting practices. Fast forward to 2015 and the reporting scene has changed drastically. Spearheaded...

Drawing the curtains to the intra-university rounds, North South University Young Entrepreneurs Society (NSU YES!) has blown the whistle to kick off the nationwide inter-university phase of Masters of Ideation 2015 (MoI '15). Marking the third instalment of their premier signature event, NSU YES! has set the stepping stone for aspiring business students...

“Life is a nightmare that prevents one from sleeping,” said Oscar Wilde. But since not all of us are 19th century dilettantes who also happen to be great writers, sleep is something we require. And those sleepless nights staring at mind-numbing posts on social media and barely dragging through work the next day can not only have an impact on productivity. Enter Sleepio. Founded by sleep expert Professor Colin Espie and “ex-insomnia-sufferer” Peter Hames, Sleepio claims to be the solution...

Course overview Basic math skills are practical in any business situation. Often, numbers can be portrayed in graphical form, giving the reader clear and concise information at a glance. Being able to read and select the right types of charts and graphs in a basic business environment is invaluable. This course builds on the...

While still a student of History at the University of Leicester, Barbara Wickham, British Council's new Country Director, was approached by social services to teach Ugandan refugee communities English. What started as a fortuitous experience grew into a lifelong passion in education. “The women in these communities needed to know where to shop, how...

The city is awake. Two pairs of hands are stacking a pile of shampoo bottles on the shelves like automated machines. They still have the conditioners and hair treatment products to shelf.  Both Jasmine and Mita have been restocking the shelves since morning. Customers will start to come in any moment and they still have two more product lines to finish stacking. This is one of the most common scenarios in the city's busiest super shops, where active university students like Jasmine and Mita work as dedicated part-time employees. Starting from inventory management to accounts, almost everything is managed by these young female employees. Today the superstore industry is booming....

I get bored at work. The insipid, inane white-grey layout of the word-processor is a complete contrast to all the options at the taskbar. Only when sitting down to write does the Watermark option at the top look so appealing, and no time is a better time to check the Translate option under...

  Airtel Bangladesh Limited, the fastest growing mobile operator of the country is about to launch their flagship management trainee program for the fourth time, in a row, titled Young Leader Program.  Fresh graduates from any reputed university who have recently completed or are going to complete their graduation or post-graduation degree in any discipline within the next two months can directly apply for a full time job opportunity at Airtel through this program. Recruits are provided with an accelerated...

Course overview Communicating effectively across cultures can be very difficult. Not only must you pay attention to the cultural distinctions of your audience and adjust your style to them, but you also need to adjust your style to different forms of communication. This course offers guidelines and best practices for speaking, writing and presenting across cultures. Finally, the course provides a chance to practice communicating effectively through scenarios involving high- and low-context cultures.    

Leading property portal Lamudi has launched a new competition for business graduates in Bangladesh to promote entrepreneurship among university students.The case study competition will focus on the online real estate classifieds industry, with participating teams required to come up with innovative solutions to solve a core problem. The team that proposes the most innovative, cost-effective idea will win BDT 25,000 and a visit to the Lamudi Bangladesh office, where they will learn firsthand about business innovation and the startup sector....

1. Harvey Specter from Suits He hired a guy with no past experience and a cheat who claims to have a degree from Harvard even though he's never even been on campus. Harvey Specter is the epitome of the cool boss, suave, detached unless needed, and he's the Batman of corporate lawyers. Like someone else on this list, he has that inspirational streak that can affect almost anyone in the corporate world, from learning the correct number of buttons to wear on a suit, to winning negotiations and getting what you want, in any way possible.         2. Dr. Gregory House from House Obsessive, intrusive, utterly devoid of any sympathy for the societal...

It started off as just another normal day at the office. Hectic. Unproductive. And definitely boring. Not that there wasn't a lot to be done and papers to be signed and articles to be written. And truth be told, hell definitely hath no fury like that of a boss on D-Day. Then in sweeps Mr. Perfect Hair, churns out two 1000 word articles in a matter of an hour, takes care of all the loose ends and he is gone. Not to be seen again for another week. Regardless of the degree of truth in the story above, we all know that one colleague who is always late for work...

Course overview The idea that you can influence your boss may seem at odds with a traditional view of the boss-employee relationship. But you know best how you want to be managed to reach your goals, and if you focus on building a partnership with your boss, you will find that you have more influence than you think. In this course, you'll learn how to build influence with your boss by understanding his or her situation and knowing what you...

The Founder Institute announces a partnership with Fenox Venture Capital, a leading Silicon Valley investor in emerging markets, to fund the strongest graduate companies from the upcoming chapter in Dhaka. The program will now help aspiring entrepreneurs take their business from idea to a funded company in 3.5 months by providing weekly sessions,...

1. If you only do what you're told, you'll excel I know. School was hard. But not that hard. If you did what you were told--go to class, do the reading, turn in assignments on time, etc.--you could get As. Initiative was not required and, in fact, was often frowned on. Now--whether you work for...

Gone are the days when office etiquette was clearly defined. In today's relaxed professional environment, conduct is more casual, which means it's often difficult to know what is OK and what isn't. Fortunately, some rules of workplace etiquette are universal. These 12 tips can help you adjust to a new office or clean up your behaviour in a place you've worked for years.   1. Avoid social media. Unless your job requires you to peruse social networking sites all day, avoid them while you're on the clock. Though surfing Facebook or Twitter might be tempting, it can be detrimental to your work performance and productivity, not to mention the way your boss...

Course overview Meeting high-pressure challenges is an opportunity for you to excel and build your reputation as someone who can be counted on. Although meeting the challenge of high pressure situations is a different experience for everyone, one thing is constant: you need an attitude that leads to effective and efficient goal-oriented action. You won't always be able to control the external events that lead to pressure, but you can control your reaction. This course explains how you can understand...

We've probably all had fervid unhealthy love affairs with junk food. Seedy trysts at inappropriate hours, quickies in every shape, size and colour. With Mum out of town for December, there was nothing standing in my way of living the secret fantasy of every other man, woman or child on the face of the planet. This wanton lifestyle was doing my highly dysfunctional sleep cycle and already-undisciplined work schedule no good, which needless to say, I was completely and utterly oblivious to. Until now. Having successfully reached the bottom of my fifth, and hopefully final, gratifying box of sugary refined carbohydrates, I have decided to put an end to a...

  1. Pick a time to go to bed and wake up Stick to it, even on weekends. Bedtimes aren't just for children. They condition your mind to recognise that it is time for you to start unwinding and relaxing.     2. Give yourself a tech curfew Even better, move your electronic devices out of sight altogether. Gadgets...

A lack of organization, coupled with a tendency to procrastinate, can be a vicious cycle. Becoming disciplined, setting priorities, and eradicating time-wasting activities can reduce the desire to put things off. The key to becoming your most productive self is to embrace organization and to overcome procrastination. This course introduces you to ways of becoming organized to help you accomplish more with the hours you have. It examines the common reasons for procrastination and ways you can overcome them...

A New Year's resolution offers a starting point to re-do and refresh. Except it doesn't actually work out for most people. Only 8 percent of people get to realize their goals. The rest give up, forget or fail miserably. Pretty sure you didn't want to hear such grim statistics just before the start...

A lot of friends, a lot of food, and a lot of booze can be a sure-fire way to have an unforgettable time, but non-stop partying and mindless self-indulgence take a considerable toll on our physical wellbeing and hand-eye coordination, sometimes for days to come. Too much of a good thing can turn bad, but your New Year's Eve party does not have to come at the expense of the impressionable first day back at work.   HOW TO GET THROUGH THE PARTY IN ONE PIECE While boozing, keep in mind that skipping one round doesn't make you a party pooper. Alternating with a soda or a juice will slow down the...

There are two main reasons why resolutions made don't pan out. Too complicated: There are 20 to 200 things on your list. It then becomes a bucket list, things to do before we die. It's a decent bet we're not dying this year so we don't have to do everything. But the tannery-waste tainted fishes...

Working in an office environment where you enjoy the delightful company of 10 year olds in the bodies of 45 year olds teaches you two things. One, you don't really own anything in your workspace despite liberal application of labels; two, you won't find the stuff currently cluttering up your desk useful in...

  To take this week's free OLT e-learning course, visit: www.oltstore.com/nextstep   Overview Do you fill your life with many activities and then find it tricky to get a good balance between them? Getting the balance right can provide you with tremendous payback, but where does this balance lie? You know finding a balance is good for you, and also impacts positively on your family, friends, and coworkers. This course highlights techniques you can use to analyse your current level of balance between...

Developing countries like Bangladesh are rife with corruption and poverty, as a result of which the government is often unable to provide public goods efficiently. It is this gap in providing public service goods that non-government organizations (NGOs), which operate independently of government authorities, attempt to fill in.   At the time of independence, Bangladesh fell under the category of the development 'basket case' (as described by Henry Kissinger's state department), i.e. a country that would always depend on aid. Despite such predictions, major development indicators have shown remarkable progress. Girl-child enrolment rates in schools...

Starting with modest beginnings in 1934, the British Council is currently operating over 190 offices in almost every part of the world, and with over 60 years of operation in Bangladesh, to mark the occasion, British Council Dhaka organized a nationwide competition called Tell-Your-Tale, held across October and November. In response, people across...

NSU Young Entrepreneurs' Society (YES!) is hosting its signature event Masters of Ideation from the 9th of January. The event – which came to life in 2012 – is in its third year and comprises of two phases, the intra NSU round and the Nationwide Inter University round. Masters of Ideation is a Business...

Overview What makes a person creative? Do you consider yourself creative? Certain personal characteristics have been linked with creativity – for example, a willingness to take risks, the ability to connect diverse ideas, and open-mindedness. Most important, perhaps, is believing that you are creative. Many people get stuck because they think 'I'm not a...

As technology becomes more and more rampant in our everyday lives, the search for competent experts who understand the flow of technology also continues to increase. One of the concurrent and fundamental sectors for young graduates in the field of technology is the energy and petroleum sector. Although there is a growing search...

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS You would have to show exceptional skills within electrical systems and power system modeling, as well as strict time management, but, we doubt, this would scare you. With such a degree you would be able to find a job in the US, United Kingdom, as well as various Asian countries such as...

Overview Once you have planned the structure of a writing project, you need to plan your writing approach based on your target audience. You must take a different approach, for example, if instructing technical students how to implement a technology from the approach you would use to describe a technology's benefits to the general...

Growing up, we dream of a variety of careers, with occupations such as doctor or pilot capturing young minds with ease. Regardless of what we dream about in childhood, the hero factor and the spirit of adventure are constant. What almost nobody dreams of at an early age is becoming a Chartered Accountant....

Management Trainee (MT) Programs are special job curriculums that are designed for fresh graduates to make their entry in the corporate world interesting and learning. In our country, business students are often more acquainted with the concept of MT programs compared to students of other schools. The cool part about MT programs is...

Overview Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and deal with emotions in a healthy and productive manner. Many people don't realize that their emotions are determined by what they think, and that concrete self-management techniques exist for gaining control of feelings. In this course you'll focus on the competency areas of self-awareness and...

Blogs are not only the tools for expressing personal opinions, creativity and heritage – a blog is also a great way to advertise merchandise or service. The loyalty of the followers depends on the content and popularity of the posts. In Bangladesh, e-commerce has flourished through online ads and pages and we have...

Let me paint you a picture from the recent past, at best ten years back. A young graduate after finishing his or her studies would aspire to work for a local corporation or a MNC. Why? Because it gave him or her stability, a steady paycheck at the end of the month, and...

Kalsoom Lakhani is the Founder/CEO of Invest2Innovate, or i2i, which supports startups and the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem in developing markets, beginning in Pakistan. She is a Global Ambassador for Sandbox, a global network of innovators under 30, and is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers. She has trained young entrepreneurs and change-makers in tech forums in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Kiev, Ukraine and Almaty, Kazakhstan. The George Washington University graduate shares with Shahriar Rahman from The Daily Star about how someone should get started with their very first startup.     If someone has a startup, what are the things they need to address first? Whether you are currently running...

Overview   In the modern connected business environment, knowing the essentials of professional networking is a major asset and key for success. Networking is all about people and making beneficial connections that will help you build a stable and fulfilling career. Unleashing the power of a network isn't something to be taken lightly. Poor networking...

Although the hours can be long and the environment is bound to be fiercely competitive, sports marketing and management offer many rewards. Competitive compensation, challenging work, excellent perks such as free tickets to sporting events and the chance to meet professional athletes are only a few of the reasons sports marketing is a popular career aspiration. Most corporations rely on sports marketing to associate their brands and products with the excitement, enjoyment and admiration devoted to games and athletes. Globally, Emirates and Etihad Airways have followed this tactic quite intelligently to build their respective brands. Locally, brands like Beximco have also focused on brand building through sports marketing and management. Where...

Overview To write effective and appropriate business messages, you need to know your readers. Are you addressing multiple readers or a single reader? How much knowledge do your readers have of your subject, and what issues concern them most? Closely tied with knowing your readers, is knowing your purpose for writing. Do you need...

Mohammed Masudur Rahman, a bright young professional who graduated from the BBA Program of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka and currently is a Business Development Officer at e.Gen Consultants Ltd., a multidisciplinary international management consulting firm of Bangladesh, speaks to Next Step on his rollercoaster ride in the consulting...

Though concepts like circular economy have been around for a long time, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation took it to the next level. The foundation was established by Dame Ellen MacArthur, a living legend in sailing and the fastest person to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe. In her speech at One Young World 2014 she...

The transformative power of mobile and digital communication is shaping the world every day. And at the forefront of this movement are youths - the opinion leaders of tomorrow, the digital rebels. A platform for such rebels is the Telenor Youth Summit. Telenor Youth Summit is a platform where everyone with a brilliant idea...

Overview Are you reluctant to voice your opinions to your colleagues for fear they'll be judged negatively? Do you find yourself avoiding awkward communication situations? Confident interpersonal communication skills are essential for healthy and successful relationships, whether personal or professional. Communicators have an enormous advantage if their relationships are based on rapport-building trust...

Overview Creativity and innovation are critical components of just about every organization. But innovation doesn't pertain only to new inventions, products, or reworked designs. It also involves incremental improvements to the way things are done. Knowing how to build and support an innovative culture is an important skill for any leader to master. The...

The law has its own sense of appeal. Nowhere is this fact more evident than amongst our burgeoning young middle class population, which has grown up with American drama series and movies. Today, characters like Harvey Spectre from Suits and Alan Shore from Boston Legal are not just household names among the youth,...

Fayaz Taher, Cofounder and CFO at Startup Dhaka, said  “After holding GIST boot camp competition, Grameenphone  Demo Day, Telenor Digital Winner – we wanted to show case the opportunities not just within our border but in this  region so that greater investment flow and partnership happens in the ICT sector.”    Grameenphone and StartUp...

Stepping out of the airport, the first things to grab my attention were the gigantic banners all over the city saying 'Welcome OYW delegates'. Every corner of the city was filled with the white and blue of OYW, welcoming young minds from all over the world. There was no doubt that the biggest...

In our desperate attempts at making small talk and appearing oh-so down-to-earth, we often make the mistake of blurting out the inappropriate at interviews. And even if it's just an informal meeting with potential bosses or co-workers, there's a limit to what you're at liberty to say. As important as it is to...

BRAC Business School's Center for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) and Sapien Strategy Consulting & Research signed a MoU on October 27, 2014 at BRAC University Campus. As part of the MoU, CED and Sapien will launch advanced management courses for professionals and arrange various training programs to cater to the need of the Bangladesh...

Md Musharrof Hossain has been elected as the President of the Asia Pacific Federation of Human Resources Management (APFHRM) at a board meeting held in Santiago, Chile on 13 October, 2014. APFHRM is a network of human resources and people management associations in the Asia Pacific region. As a collective, the Federation's purpose is to advance the standing of the HR and people management profession within the region. APFHRM is also an active branch of the World Federation of...

Dealing with the balance of ethics and the law is a day-to-day challenge for many managers. While you might be inclined to act in ways that are legal in the technical sense, there is value also in recognizing the intent behind a law. Meeting the spirit of the law often comes down to...

CP Food Truck, Matrz, Chopsticks, Yummilicious, Izza Wrap, HM Food, Petuk, Food Street, Spaghetti Wheels, Munchies Republic, Hot Box, Deluxe Street Food, Bon Appetit, and the list never ends! Dhaka has become the new core of the food cart business. These are most often found in Gulshan and Banani, but now the trend is spread into the Dhanmondi area as well. So what is so special about food carts? Well apart from the delicious taste and convenience on the streets, it is a very profitable business if managed perceptively.     Secrets Of The Trade   I talked with Nadvie Ahmed, Managing Director at The Cart Company. Nadvie used to have a food cart...

The media of promotion is chiefly Facebook. So, you virtually have to spend nothing if you are reaching sufficient people over Facebook. You can alter your choice of social media website based on your target market. For example, food blogging is a rising trend among today's youth. All of these things have made...

It is perhaps difficult and mostly improbable to perceive whether any job can be as satisfying as one that relies mainly on contributing towards others. It is widely perceived by most of the people that jobs in the non-profit sector are low-paying and less easy to maintain when it comes to achieving an effective work-life balance. After all, the majority of jobs in this field involve relocating to a new place---usually a rural area----and helping the natives there to develop their society and to attain greater knowledge. However the pay, the career and the overall lifetime of a job in this field should help people look past the minor...

Next Step is partnering with Core Knowledge, an initiative of Rahimafrooz Group, to introduce the best of e-learning to professionals. Skills development is a major challenge across industries and through this partnership we hope to tackle this problem by providing learning options to a broad set of users. Core-K’s Online Learning Tools’ courseware covers...

Businesses took a skidding jolt on the day Zuckerburg decided to open Facebook to people outside the Harvard network. One of the biggest inventions of the 21st century, the platform successfully connected millions of people to the rest of the world and, upon realizing the potential this social network held, businesses have started...

1. Research and know your audience. What topics and interests are they most social about? Does the audience on different social media platforms vary? 2. Only use those networks and platforms that best speak to your audience. Do not waste resources, time and effort developing content and strategy for a platform if it is not applicable to the consumers you are targeting. 3. Establish your set of key performance indicators (KPIs). What exactly do you want your efforts on social media to achieve? What does this success look like in quantifiable terms? 4. Write your very...