Key details:

Date/time: 7.00 - 10.00pm, Wednesday 24th March 2010 with sessions to follow on the 14th April, 28th April and 12th May.

Venue: UCC Rooms at Sheraton Court, Glasheen Road, Cork

Fee: EUR 180 (EUR 160 MBAAI members)

Fee includes a copy of Thomas Sowell's book: A Conflict of Visions, published by The Perseus Books Group, and a copy of 'Key Passages' selected by Professor Fanning for special attention.

The events:

We all have 'silent shapers' of our thoughts. If you are interested discovering how to think about the sources of the beliefs which largely govern our thinking in business and our views on economic matters, why not give yourself some space to do that now? By joining a small learning community you can explore these sources and learn how to manage them for more effective decision-making. This will be delivered through a combination of facilitator presentations, group analyses and participant discussions in a Reading Group on Thomas Sowell's A Conflict of Visions

With Professor Connell Fanning of UCC as facilitator, sessions will take place over four evenings, commencing on Wednesday 24th March and follow fortnightly thereafter. The first session will provide orientation and no prior reading or preparation required.

Who would benefit?

Have you ever found yourself stating a position but puzzling privately why you did so and - thinking you know - find it is 'something' deep down inside you? Have you wondered sometimes how the same people line up on opposite sides of very different types of issues or how each side 'knows' its answer to a complex issue is the correct one? Do you speculate about what makes people behave as they do, how we establish our views of the world and how facts rarely, if ever, speak for themselves? If these kinds of questions interest you, then this Reading Group using Sowell's classic book will be of value to you.

What will you learn?

Sowell's insights into how behaviour is grounded in deep personal beliefs - of which we usually are not even aware of having unless we have undertaken a conscious effort at their exploration - points to the benefits of understanding the fundamental sources of human action in business, management and the economy. Participating in this innovative and stimulating series of guided readings will re-fresh your ideas, enhance your understanding and strengthen your thinking.

Professor Connell Fanning

Connell Fanning, PhD (Cornell) is Professor of Economics and Head of Department of Economics at NUI-University College Cork and a former Dean of UCC's Faculty of Commerce. He is the author, with Professor Emeritus David O Mahony, of The General Theory of Profit Equilibrium (PalgraveMacmillan). He currently teaches and researches on the application of economic ideas in the making of choices in business with a focus on the integration of personal, professional and organizational development. He is recognized for his innovative approach to executive education and is a top rated MBA teacher.

Numbers limited due to nature of event - early booking advisable

For further information and registration contact: Christine Lewis of the MBA Association info@mbaassociation.ie   051 354301