June was a very weird month. Following some health problems, I had to take time off at the start of the month. Really off –the ‘not-even-reading-a-book-kind-of- being-off’ off.
That means that I failed to achieve most of the things on my To Do list. Still, there were some highlights during the month.
Researching
Frustratingly, I had to pause work on the co-creation paper, and missed the kick off meetings for a new project looking at Digital Marketing in SMEs. I only managed a couple of days at the end of the month to catch up with what is happening in the services industry and reflect on the implications of these for services marketing research.
Writing
Again, I had to pause work in the co-creation paper and other writing projects. I only managed to work on a conference paper.
On the positive side, I received the great news that a paper had been accepted for publication on the journal “Qualitative Research”. Yay.
Teaching
I am still involved with the Company Projects module, and looking forward to the students’ presentations next month.
Learning
My learning highlight has to be the Digital Marketing master class with Mark Schaefer and Ana Silva O’Reilly. It was a great lesson not just in terms of content – particularly about online influence – but also in terms of running this type of event. I also had the pleasure of catching up with Mark and Ana the evening before the class, when we put the world to rights and watched the world cup match between USA and Portugal.
Oh, and I had the immense pleasure of meeting computing legend Norman
Sanders, at Oxford Brookes’s graduation ceremonies. We talked about our shared love for Bletchley Park, and about early computing technology. And I learned about ‘mercury memory’, a very early form of computing memory.
But the main highlight of this month has got to be the graduation ceremonies at Brookes. When the students join our MSc Marketing programme they are fu
ll of hope and dreams, but also anxiety and doubt. So, it is always great to realise how much they have developed as professionals and individuals, and hear about the role of our degree in that transformation.
What were June’s highlights for you?
Ana Canhoto 
Dear Ana
Sorry to hear you have been unwell – I hope you are fighting fit now and feeling full of the Canhoto Lifeforce again.
You can reflect on a busy june even though it was your down time – A Dr Dalton once posed;”if we don’t write down our histories do they really ever happen?”
My June has been full of family weekends, camping and sunshine. Bravo to the UK weather. Maybe I should write it down to make sure it did really happen
😉
James
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Well, you wrote that great post about the do lectures – so, that particular history / story has been captured. Though, I do wish you would write more often!
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I wish I would write more often
I feel a tension between the Authentic James and the Me vs what I learn and see in work at Lithium
There is tension between being the authentic me vs working for an employer where much of the amazing stuff and data I see on the impact and possibility of community is client confidential – yet it is really important
It’s a true conundrum for me – and this is why I am so fascinated by the initiatives for John Stepper and his working-out-loud project – if a Deutsche Bank employee can make sense of it I’m sure I can learn
I can assure you I have intense moments of blog-able insights I just need to manage my personal stakeholders 😉
The new social dilemma of the corporate citizen?
James 😉
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Our little session was indeed very interesting!!
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And the weather helped, too 🙂
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Yes, Ana, I too hope you’re fit again. Looks indeed like you had a busy month.
For me, the highlight was that I have connected with the startup community in Düsseldorf, and now am actively participating in helping to shape it.
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Great news, Arjan. I do feel that it is important to connect with people that ‘nourish’ you – a community that you can contribute to, but also with whom you can bounce ideas and be challenged.
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I have to admire the fact that you can achieve so much when you are not well. What can you achieve when you are fit and healthy?
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Hey, you were missed in Bournemouth!
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