Author: Mark A. Ashwill

Tips for Entrepreneurs

Mark A. Ashwill Articles , ,

Memo to entrepreneurs:  read this, take it to heart, live it.  Good advice from Thuan Pham, Chief Technology Officer of Uber, excerpted from a recent Tech in Asia article about him. It's about the work, innovation, quality, impact, taking risks, learning from failure and leaving a legacy.  If all of the pieces of the puzzle … Continue reading Tips for Entrepreneurs

Dog & Pony Show Revisited: At an Education UK Exhibition?

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Say it ain't so, Joe!  I happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to stop by the British Council Vietnam's Education UK Exhibition in HCMC, which was held on 13 March at the Rex Hotel.  Much to my surprise and disappointment, I noticed large groups of students, school uniforms and all (on a Sunday?), … Continue reading Dog & Pony Show Revisited: At an Education UK Exhibition?

Of Smoke, Mirrors, & Educational Consultants

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I continue to document and add to my rather lengthy inventory the many ways in which educational consulting companies cheat their clients and partners.  This began with an article I wrote in 12/14 for University World News entitled Walking the walk – Ethical agency-based recruitment. Here's one that involves an upcoming US higher education mini-fair.  … Continue reading Of Smoke, Mirrors, & Educational Consultants

Good Morning Future Wealth, Vietnam

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For reformers, the country’s economic and political rise could be just about to start. Good piece by Anthony Fensom about a joint report, New Report Lays Out Path for Vietnam to Reach Upper-Middle-Income Status in 20 Years, released on 23 February 2016 by the Vietnamese government and the World Bank, that suggests Vietnam could achieve upper-middle … Continue reading Good Morning Future Wealth, Vietnam

Vietnam Consumer Confidence at Highest Level Since 2008

Mark A. Ashwill Uncategorized

According to a TNS Consumer Pulse study conducted before Tet, consumer confidence in Vietnam it at its highest level since 2008, which bodes well for 2016. The study surveyed consumers in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Hanoi, the two largest cities in Vietnam, to discover their feelings about Vietnam's economy.  (Follow this link to … Continue reading Vietnam Consumer Confidence at Highest Level Since 2008

“These Obscure Colleges Sign Up Thousands Of Foreign Students With Little Oversight”

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Both Northwestern Polytechnic and Silicon Valley University are accredited, a distinction that allows colleges with many foreign students to avoid the most stringent oversight. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s student visa program depends on the accreditation system: it requires less documentation from accredited schools that want authorization to admit foreign students than it asks of unaccredited … Continue reading “These Obscure Colleges Sign Up Thousands Of Foreign Students With Little Oversight”

June 2016 Vietnam Strategic Recruitment Retreat

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I'm pleased to announce that I will lead a Strategic Recruitment Retreat (SRR) in Phan Thiết, Vietnam from 17-19 June for colleagues whose institutions have targeted Vietnam as a high recruitment priority.  The purpose of the retreat is to give them the tools they need in terms of knowledge, insights and strategy in order to … Continue reading June 2016 Vietnam Strategic Recruitment Retreat

Set Thine House in Order

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America’s Love Affair with Guns & the Potential Impact on International Student Recruitment We have a pattern now of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere in the world. - US President Barack Obama Exceptional indeed.  Another day in the US, another mass shooting.  Aside from the tragic fact that another 14 … Continue reading Set Thine House in Order