MIRI : Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) will be hosting the 13th edition of the Global Communication Project, or GlobCom 2015, in Miri from June 4 to 6 June this year
GlobCom is an annual multicultural global communications project involving 15 universities in 15 countries on five continents.
It will be held for the first time in Malaysia this year. It had been held in Erfurt, Germany (2003), Barcelona, Spain (2004 and 2011), Gorizia, Italy (2005), Palma de Mallorca, Spain (2006), Lisbon, Portugal (2007), Abu Dhabi (2008, 2009 and 2012), Cheltenham, United Kingdom (2010), Stellenbosch, South Africa (2013) and Boston, USA (2014).
The participating universities are Curtin University (Australia), Curtin Sarawak (Malaysia), Universidad de Valparaiso (Chile), University of Erfurt (Germany), Institute of Journalism & Mass Communication (Commits) (India), Università degli Studi di Udine (Italy), AUT University (New Zealand), Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon (Portugal), St. Petersburg State University (Russia), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), Ramon Llull University (Spain), Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), Zayed University (United Arab Emirates), Leeds Beckett University (United Kingdom) and Emerson College (USA).
Public relation (PR) or communications students and lecturers of the universities will participate by collaborating in eight virtual international student teams, each team taking on the roles of international PR agencies and pitching for one global client.
Given the same client brief, the teams will compete to develop global PR strategies for this year’s chosen ‘client’ – the Heart of Borneo Initiative. The initiative is a unique government-led and NGO-supported conservation and sustainable development programme established by a joint declaration by the governments of Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia in 2007.
While working on their projects over two months, members of the virtual teams will collaborate online with each other via e-mail, Internet phone and social media.
They will then meet in Miri for GlobCom 2015 to present their proposals and be judged on the merits of their strategies and presentations.
Representatives of institutions of higher learning, as well as those of local non-governmental organisations, government agencies and members of the public interested to know more about the Heart of Borneo Initiative and GlobCom are invited to attend the GlobCom 2015 Symposium on June 5, during which the teams will make their presentations.
It will be held at the Auditorium of Curtin Sarawak campus.
While in Miri, the participants will be hosted to a welcoming networking event by Curtin Sarawak.
They will make their presentations before the panel of judges and audience, and attend an awards presentation dinner and a social event.
They will also have the opportunity to visit places of interests before departing Miri.
GlobCom has seven key objectives: collaborating in a multicultural team; overcoming cultural barriers; acting together online in a virtual team; working as an agency solving a global PR issue; recognising the strength of cultural diversity; learning to implement global strategies locally; and convincing via a presentation.
According to Volker Stoltz the president of Global Communication Institute e.V. and co–founder of the GlobCom project, along with Enric Ordeix the vice-president of the GlobCom Institute and a lecturer in Barcelona, the diversity and collaboration of cultures and expertise in global virtual teams can achieve great success once they overcome the initial challenges.
“Working in global virtual teams is not an easy process. Cultures are diverse and there are many prejudices and misunderstandings to be overcome, which can be frustrating.”
Meanwhile, event organiser and lecturer in Curtin Sarawak’s Department of Marketing and Management, Faculty of Business and Humanities Dr. Kamala Vainy Pillai, she said she was looking forward to a very exciting and successful GlobCom in Miri.
She also hoped that representatives of universities, colleges, government agencies and NGOs in Sarawak will take the opportunity to attend the GlobCom 2015 Symposium to discover how the Heart of Borneo Initiative, and biodiversity in Borneo in general, can be promoted effectively internationally.
For more information on GlobCom 2015, log on to www.curtin.edu.my/GlobCom2015, email [email protected], or call the GlobCom2015 Secretariat at +60 85 443 939 ext. 3916. Information on GlobCom and the Heart of Borneo Initiative can be found at www.globcom.org and www.heartofborneo.org respectively.