Business Member Organizations (BMOs) have an essential and unique part to play in sound social and economic development. With a diverse membership drawn from different sectors, regions and sizes of companies, they interact with public authorities, as sources of information on the major constraints affecting private sector as well as partners in discussing and co-designing more sustainable business environments. Acting as employers’ representatives, they also play an important part in tripartite national social and economic consultation bodies and as negotiation partners in the framework of collective bargaining and social dialogue at national, sector or enterprise level. They also have a very important role as providers of business development services: in exchange for membership fees, members increasingly expect, tangible, quality services such as information, advice and training in the areas of labour law, human resources management, access to finance, trade promotion etc. Finally, as member-driven organizations, they are confronted with complex issues in managing their internal resources, balancing member’s interests,

engaging with their membership and stakeholders as well as maintaining a sound revenue base. So, what does it mean to sit on a Board of such an organization? Board Members of a BMO are the ultimate decision-makers. Critically, being on the board of a BMO means having to master a complex set of tasks and being able to take a strategic view on decisions to be taken. It also implies adopting a perspective on strategic planning, governance, income generation or membership management that is unique to these type of organizations. It is mostly on the job learning. This MOOC is the first and only learning solution which provides an introduction to current and future Board Members on what is generally expected from them and how they can contribute to and shape the strategic direction of the organization. Through a mix of inputs (memos, readings), experience sharing (case studies, video interviews), practical tips (boardroom checklists, crowdsourcing of solutions) and interactions between peers (discussion fora), participants will gain both knowledge and practical skills to enhance their role as effective Board Members of a BMO.

WHY SUCH A MOOC?

• IF YOU HAVE RECENTLY DECIDED TO TAKE A NEW ROLE AS BOARD MEMBER OF A BMO;

• IF YOU WANT TO REFRESH YOUR KNOWLEDGE, CHALLENGE YOURSELF AND LOOK OUTSIDE THE BOX OR

• IF YOU WANT TO INCREASE YOUR EFFECTIVENESS AS BMO BOARD MEMBER...

JOIN FOR FREE THIS MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

(MOOC) AND EXPLORE THESE QUESTIONS FROM A GLOBAL

AND HANDS-ON PERSPECTIVE!

WHAT ARE THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF BOARD MEMBERS IN BUSINESS MEMBERS ORGANISATIONS?

WHAT SHOULD BE YOUR PRIMARY CONSIDERATIONS AS A BOARD MEMBER WHEN IT COMES TO GOVERNANCE ISSUES?

WHICH MEMBERSHIP STRATEGY SHOULD YOUR BMO DEVELOP? WHICH REVENUE BUILDING APPROACH SHOULD IT TAKE?

DO YOU APPLYTHE ESSENTIALS OF STRATEGIC PLANNING? DO YOU ASK YOURSELF: HOW DO OTHERS DO?

HOW DOES IT WORK?

MAKE IT COUNT! ON COMPLETION OF THE MOOC ASSIGNMENTS, YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF PARTICIPATION. PAYING A FEE OF 50 USD IS NECESSARY TO RECEIVE THE CERTIFICATE.

For each module, knowledge acquisition and interaction will be tested and monitored. The overall MOOC will also be systematically evaluated.

[MASSIVE] IE. AVAILABLE TO A LARGE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS, THE MAIN REQUIREMENT BEING TO BE SITTING ON A BMO BOARD OF DIRECTORS OR ABOUT TO DO SO. WORKING COMMAND OF ENGLISH IS ALSO A MUST;

[OPEN] IE. IT IS FREE LEARNING SOLUTION. TIME REQUIREMENTS TO FOLLOW THE MOOC ARE KEPT TO A MINIMUM (3 HOURS A WEEK) IN ORDER TO MAKE IT COMPATIBLE WITH PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENTS. THE OVERALL DURATION OF THE COURSE IS 5 WEEKS.

[ONLINE] IE. THE COURSE CAN BE ACCESSED ON AN INTERNET PLATFORM. REGISTRATION IS ALSO MADE ONLINE. EACH WEEK, NEW CONTENT WILL BE DISPLAYED AND PARTICIPANTS INVITED TO INTERACT, LEARN AND SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE.

[COURSE] IE. THE OBJECTIVE IS FOR PARTICIPANTS TO IMPROVE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN THEIR ROLE AS BMO BOARD MEMBER THROUGH A HANDS-ON COURSE. THE LEARNING IS CHUNKED INTO 5 CLUSTERS CALLED MODULES:

The MOOC is a:

MODULE [1]Business Member Organizations

today and in the future

MODULE [2]Governance of Business Member

Organizations

MODULE [3]Development of Membership

Strategies

MODULE [4]Revenue Building in Business

Member Organization

MODULE [5]Essentials of Strategic Planning

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

These are some of the practical benefits and take-aways delivered by the MOOC:

CONVINCED?

GET SPECIFIC SKILLS TAILORED TO THE ROLE

BOOSTS YOUR OWN PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

GET PRACTICAL TIPS AND QUICK GAINS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

LEARN FROM YOUR PEERS FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD

WHERE DO I GET MORE INFORMATION?

BUILD SOUND FOUNDATIONS FOR YOUR BMO

MORE DETAILED INFORMATION AS WELL AS A PROMOTION VIDEO ARE AVAILABLE ON THE MOOC WEBSITE. CHECK IT OUT HERE:

HTTP://LEMPNET.ITCILO.ORG/MOOC

THE MOOC STARTS THE 24TH

OF APRIL AND WILL LAST UNTIL THE 28TH OF MAY

WE COUNT ON YOU!