general presentation and swot analysis of aiesec bucharest
TRANSCRIPT
GENERAL PRESENTATION AND SWOT ANALYSIS OF AIESEC
BUCHAREST
Oana PascuMasterado em
TurismoULHT
Contents
2
About AIESEC......................................................................................................3
AIESEC’s Vision..................................................................................................3
AIESEC’s Scope...................................................................................................3
AIESEC’s Approach.............................................................................................4
AIESEC’s Values..................................................................................................4
AIESEC Network and History..............................................................................6
AIESEC Romania and AIESEC Bucharest.........................................................10
The Programs......................................................................................................10
SWOT analysis of AIESEC Bucharest...............................................................13
Bibliography........................................................................................................18
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About AIESEC
AIESEC has 60 years of experience in developing high-potential youth into globally minded
responsible leaders.
Present in over 110 countries and territories and with over 60,000 members, AIESEC is the
world's largest youth-run organization. Focused on providing a platform for youth leadership
development, AIESEC offers young people the opportunity to participate in international
internships, experience leadership and participate in a global learning environment. What
makes AIESEC unique is the youth driven impactful experience that it offers to its members.
AIESEC is run by young people for young people, enabling a strong experience to all its
stakeholders.
• The members are part of an exciting, driven global network. They are able to
contribute to societal change while exploring their own vision for a positive impact on
society.
• AIESEC is supported by thousands of partner organizations around the globe who
look to AIESEC to support the development of youth and to access top talent through the
global internship program(exchange).
• The alumni are leaders within their organizations and communities. They use the
experience, skills and inspiration AIESEC has provided them to be agents of positive change
within today’s society.
There are currently around 60,000 members and over 945,000 alumni.
AIESEC’s Vision
Peace and fulfillment of humankind's potential.
AIESEC’s Scope
AIESEC is a global, non-political, independent, not-for-profit organization run by students
and recent graduates of institutions of higher education. The members are interested in world
issues, leadership and management.
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AIESEC does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, creed,
religion, national, ethnic or social origin.
AIESEC’s Approach
AIESEC members live an integrated development experience. This involves leadership
opportunities, international internships and interacting with a global network to support their
development.
AIESEC’s Values
The values provide a way for AIESEC to encourage common behavior across the global
network.
Activating Leadership
We lead by example and inspire leadership through our activities. We take full responsibility
for developing the youth leadership potential of our members.
Demonstrating Integrity
We are consistent and transparent in our decisions and actions. We fulfil our commitments
and conduct ourselves in a way that is true to our ideals.
Living Diversity
We seek to learn from the different ways of life and opinions represented in our multicultural
environment. We respect and actively encourage the contribution of every individual.
Enjoying Participation
We create a dynamic environment created by active and enthusiastic participation of
individuals. We enjoy being involved in AIESEC.
Striving for Excellence
We aim to deliver the highest quality performance in everything we do. Through creativity
and innovation we seek to continuously improve.
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Acting Sustainably
We act in a way that is sustainable for our organization and society. Our decisions take into
account the needs of future generations.
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AIESEC Network and History
One of AIESEC's greatest strengths is the organization’s ability to bring together young
people and partner organizations from all over the world through internships, conferences and
its global learning environment.
The membership base consists of more than 60,000 young people in over 2,100 universities in
110 countries and territories. Local, National and International offices are managed by
students or recent graduates. AIESEC is run by youth, for youth.
Together, the network manages relationships with well over 4,000 partners, facilitates more
than 16,000 exchanges and 20,000 leadership roles, and organizes over 470 conferences each
year.
In the early years of the Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et
Commerciales1 (AIESEC), activities regarding exchange consisted of traineeships, study tours
and the exchange of information on studies. Traineeships were organized during the months
of November or December through careful selections by the 'local committees' (groups of
AIESEC members) and training occurred during the following summer. ‘Receiving
Committee' members of the host country played a role, completing the whole experience by
serving as a point of contact for trainees with the economic and cultural life of the locality.
Efforts by the association for better organization could also be witnessed after the congress in
Copenhagen (1952) addressing uniform procedures and employment contracts for exchange.
Development of exchange was progressing well with an annual growth of 22% but there was
a mounting concern for the quality of exchanges and thus the AIESEC Summer School
Training Programmes (SSTP) were introduced in 1966.
It was a movement of expansion from the ‘traditional' traineeship exchange programmes and
gave more meaningful experiences to the exchange participant. SSTPs engaged a limited
amount of selected trainees, each undergoing unique training and education but in a common
field or topic on a project. Every week they took time off from their firms to meet for lectures
and group discussions and at the end of their traineeship period, joint and individual reports
1 Note: Nowadays, the French acronym AIESEC is no longer used by the organization, since in the history AIESEC expanded to other backgrounds different to Economic and Commercial Sciences.
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were produced. By the end of 1969, 22 SSTPs were successfully carried out in eleven
different countries.
In 1967, work began on a program dubbed Student Traineeship Exchange System (STRES)
for an effective and fair approach to facilitate flow and standardization of information.
Exchange numbers have already reached the 4500 mark and matching that large group of
students to the diverse array of traineeships was stretching the capacity of AIESEC.
To meet this need, an international committee of Electronic Data Processing (EDP) made up
of AIESEC members was put together to create and implement a new computer matching
program. As a result from that, STRES was developed by students from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology with the help of IBM donated computers. They undertook a great task
of translating forms into something the computer could understand while enabling exchange
controllers to familiarize with the codes and procedures involved. The Paris International
Congress in 1969 saw people for the first time, anxiously waiting until the wee hours of the
morning for matching by the mainframe computer with punch cards in deciles.
A shift of focus to member education and talent development to prepare AIESEC members
for a future in the business environment occured in the 1970's. Alignment of the global
association as a whole led to the emergence of International Theme Programmes (ITP).
Henceforth, these became a formal part of AIESEC.
Pioneers to this new initiative were the programs; “Management Education in the 80's” (1976-
1978) and “International Trade” (1978-1980). Under the ‘umbrella' of the international theme,
projects were run independently in a local, national and regional level in recognition of the
rapidly changing world. There was not a truly international theme with involvement of all
committees including those involved in researching the theme. Nevertheless, awareness
across nations was attained through the engagement of students, business people, academia
and the community.
In the attempt to meet the challenges of tomorrow head on and become a change agent,
AIESEC Global Seminar Series (AGSS) was initiated in 1988. AGSS then turned into a
World Theme Conference (WTC) event. This series of seminars was conducted with the
objective of educating youth and gathering their opinions on issues related to sustainable
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development, such that they would be able to have an impact on society through their
combined voice, and later in life as leaders.
At the end of this the 80s, AGSS and ITP merged to become the Global Theme Program
(GTP). GTP had a similar aim to AGSS, but with a more proactive approach, an example of a
GTP theme being “ Entrepreneurship and Corporate Responsibility: New Opportunities for
Global Development”. The program at a point was functioning almost as a separate entity
within AIESEC itself.
Advancements in Information technology in the 1990's saw the ongoing development of
communication and exchange tools. The emergence of the AIESEC Global Information
Systems (AGIS) embraced new internet technology to connect operations across the globe.
Further developments included the use of file type protocol (FTP) to retrieve materials,
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to run real-time online meetings, and open access to the
international website www.aiesec.org to 70 countries. Such changes meant that not only was
the International Traineeship Exchange Program, (ITEP,) managed online, but also a large
portion of local commitee budgets were now freed up from the costs of physical
communications. AGIS would later become known as "Insight".
Insight had the advantage of using the internet to send data, and continuous matching was
able to take place, (previously matching was done at specified times.) Unfortunately the
successes of Insight were outnumbered by issues with the system, so it became clear that a
new version was required. Insight ll was born, and ended up being used for several years until
the initiation of Insight XP in 2004.
The introduction of Issue-Based Experiences Experiences (IBXPs) began as a way to ensure
that young people who have identified a passion for a particular issue have the chance to live
an experience that not only enables them to gain general leadership skills, but also expertise
on a particular issue. This process supplements what AIESEC offers to its members;
experiences to support them in developing needed competencies to lead positive change and a
strong interest and knowledge in one of the key topics of the world that needs positive
leadership.
AIESEC Learning Networks (LNs) are part of IBXPs, consisting of: Finance, Education,
HIV/ AIDS, Corporate Responsibility, and Entrepreneurship. AIESEC members get the
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chance to lead teams and go on international internships, while organizations benefit from
access to AIESEC's membership base.
In the 2000's, the organization saw a steady increase in exchange performance with over 5000
students sent on internship in 2008. The introduction of development internships, as a distinct
pool of exchanges, added to the diversity of experiences offered. During this period of time
the introduction of further management and measurement tools for exchange have supported
countries to increase the number of exchange experiences they are providing.
The 60th anniversary celebrations of 2008 saw AIESEC celebrating the history and
achievements of 60 years of activating youth leadership in over 100 countries and territories.
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AIESEC Romania and AIESEC Bucharest
AIESEC Bucharest was the first active NGO in Romania, starting from March 1990, founded
with the help of AIESEC Wien. Since then AIESEC Bucharest has constantly helped students
and communities fill in the gap generated by the discrepancy between formal education and
the desired ambitious one.
The aim of the activities has been unchanged in the last 20 years: empowering youth and
developing their change agents potential. Nevertheless the organization has adapted its
approach at the same pace as the market needs changed.
There are 15 local committees in Romania: Bucharest, Iasi, Cluj-Napoca, Targu-Mures,
Brasov, Timisoara, Pitesti, Ploiesti, Galati, Craiova, Constanta, Sibiu, Oradea, Arad, Suceava
offering students an extended learning environment.
The Programs
The organization provides a practical learning and development experience to its members,
through them being part of a team and taking responsibilities towards managing AIESEC’s
performance and the delivery of its experiences.
Duration of a Team Member experience: minimum 8 weeks
What students gain through this program:
Practical team experience
Hard and soft skills development
Access to a global network
An entrepreneurial and responsible attitude
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AIESEC Bucharest provides practical learning and development through the experience of
managing a team. Team Leader Program participants contribute to the development of others while
ensuring AIESEC’s performance and
Duration of a Team Leader experience: minimum 8 weeks
What can students gain through this program:
A practical team leader experience
Organizational and planning skills
A network of contacts
AIESEC Bucharest provides an internship in a host company, through which a young person
contributes to the goals of the organization, completes a job description requiring special expertise
or skills, and receives supervision and evaluation on his or her professional development.
Previous work experience is required.
Duration of a GIP experience: the internship varies in length, from 2 to 18 months
What can students gain through this program:
A professional development experience
A cross-cultural living and working experience
Access to the know-how of big companies
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AIESEC Bucharest provides international volunteer experiences through which young people
develop themselves while empowering individuals, communities or organizations. They focus on
areas and issues with the need for direct social impact and sustainable solutions.
Duration of a GCDP experience: minimum 6 weeks
What can a student gain through this program
Possibility to work with young volunteers from around the world
The opportunity to create positive societal impact
Personal development
Live in another country and experience their lifestyle
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SWOT analysis of AIESEC BucharestSWOT analysis (alternately SLOT analysis) is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey, who led a convention at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies.
Setting the objective should be done after the SWOT analysis has been performed. This would allow achievable goals or objectives to be set for the organization.
Strengths: characteristics of the business, or project team that give it an advantage
over others
Weaknesses (or Limitations): are characteristics that place the team at a
disadvantage relative to others
Opportunities: external chances to improve performance (e.g. make greater
profits) in the environment
Threats: external elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the
business or project
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STRENGHTS
People : if there is a word that should define any AIESEC Local Committee, then the
word that would define AIESEC Bucharest is PEOPLE. There are many development
opportunities for the people, and they have taken advantage of them as much as they
could. The results can be seen today, as the people in the local committee are very well
prepared and they are ready to run for leadership positions and who want to have an
impact through what they achieve.
International network recognition: AIESEC Bucharest is known all around the world.
The members of the international network have heard about the Local Committee of
Bucharest. It is one of the committees renowned for exchange, but also for the highest
number of applicants 3 recruitments in a row. Also, AIESEC Bucharest provides several
GCPs (good case practices) in many of the areas, as well as when it comes to the projects
organized which are very handful for the others. Because of this, but also because of the
strong bonds our members have with people all around the world, LC Bucharest has a
positive image.
Motivation: In the local committee there are always many factors that bring motivation
when it comes to the members. Each of the members triggers his or her motivation from
somewhere else, but the most important is that every member is encouraged to find it. In
most of the cases the members find their motivation in conferences, seminars, training
sessions they attend, our reward and recognition system and personal satisfactions. They
work in a healthy environment, surrounded by people who resemble them and in a very
well established organizational culture.
Development of opportunities for the members: AIESEC Bucharest has offered in the
past year countless development opportunities. The members have participated in
conferences (local, national, international), have had leadership opportunities, have been
encouraged to think out of the box and contribute with their ideas, they have been
attending trainings delivered both by other members, alumni or company representatives
and have been involved in the organizing of the events and conferences.
AIESEC is the number one choice of the students in Bucharest: due to the prestige
among the students and companies, AIESEC has become the number one choice among
all the other student organizations present in Bucharest.
Exchange: AIESEC offers a valuable exchange (internship abroad) experience, different
from the ones offered by other companies or NGOs due to the fact that is taking care of
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the EP(exchange participant) before, during and after their internship. Our members are
helping the future interns abroad to find their internship, assist them when applying for it,
offer all the support with all the documents and procedures before departure including
future accommodation. During their internship, the hosting local committee offers
reception activities for the interns and support when they have problems or challenges
both where they are working and for all the social issues that might occur due to the
cultural shock they might have. At the end, the home local committee offers reintegration
activities and support. Also, in 2010 we have reached the highest number of Exchange
opportunities offered to our members in the whole 20 years of experience.
Members’ retention rate: it has been growing in the past year, reaching around 40% for
the old members (at leat one year of experience in AIESEC Bucharest) and 98% for the
new members.
Addressing to several age groups: AIESEC Bucharest offers development opportunities
for each cycle: kindergarten (Grady Project), Elementary school (Stepping Stones
Project), Highschool (Grow Project) and students (all the other projects such as AIESEC
Universiy, Leadership Talks, CSR Bridge etc)
WEAKNESSES
Local Group of Supporters: AIESEC Bucharest doesn’t have a group of supporters as
high as it should be. This is why the Local Committee is missing some opportunities and
sometimes the quality of the events decreases due to the lack of funds. Moreover, the
plans for signing a once again with the current partners should be applied sooner
(regarding the duration, the support methods, promotion etc)
Financial Management issues: AIESEC Bucharest has at the moment some
expenditures (fixed costs) which are too high
External environment visibility: the visibility of AIESEC Bucharest has decreased in
the past years because of the inefficient media partnerships signed
Infrastructure: is inappropriate in relation with the number of members and activities
Product development: AIESEC Bucharest doesn’t have currently a healthy product
development process.
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OPPORTUNITIES
Issue Based Projects: currently there are no members in AIESEC Bucharest with
experience on certain issues, therefore we are encouraging them. The people who are
working on such projects (like the CSR project) have the chance to understand better the
issue and to have a full image of it. Around them there can be created Learning Cyrcles,
events, activities for all our members. Moreover, AIESEC Bucharest can be closer to the
current reality of the market in Bucharest.
PBoX: Projects Based on Exchange- this is an easy way of rising the exchange numbers
of the Local Committee on one hand. On the other hand, taking into consideration the
international network and the market in Bucharest, they are very useful for AIESEC
Bucharest, promoting one of our values: Living Diversity. By this we understand
bringing internationalism in Bucharest and offerting the students in Bucharest the chance
to experience it without travelling.
The market in Bucharest is emergent: this leads to the creation of new companies
every day, rising the target of companies that we can address to, as well as creating a
good environment for the issue based project with the topic Emerging Markets.
Students are more interested in extracurricular activities: the students are more and
more interested in participating at different conferences and events organized by NGOs
and companies as well as being part of an NGO due to the importance of them in the end
in the CV. Therefore, the number of applicants is constantly around 600-700 in every
autumn recruitment although the number of NGOs is growing annually, and our events
always have enough and qualitative participants.
THREATS
Working abroad opportunities: at the moment there are several specialized agencies
which offer students working opportunities abroad such as Work and Travel. They do not
offer though the same type of experience, being based usually on the financial gain, not
on the personal and professional growth.
Financial crisis: it affects the companies which are in our target, which leads to fewer
corporations with the corporate sector. Moreover, it might affect our number of
applicants, as more and more students need a financial support during their studies other
than the one offered by parents or scholarships, therefore choosing to work during the 3-5
years spent in the university.
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Establishment of several NGOs in Bucharest: in the past years there have been
founded several NGOs in Bucharest which are attracting a significant number of students
every year. These might grow in a more rapid pace and attract the students who are in our
organization’s target, therefore diminishing our monopoly.
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Bibliographywww.aiesec.orgwww.aiesecbucharest.rohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis