Lviv Business School of the Ukrainian Catholic University marked the opening of Key Executive MBA and MS in Technology Management.
Rev. Bohdan Prakh, Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University, welcomed the new LvBS students, “At the Ukrainian Catholic University we cultivate the spirit of creativity, sacrifice, communication, and changes. We proclaim faith in a new country that we should build together.”
The keynote speech was given by Lubomyr Chabursky, an expert in IT consulting (Canada), who talked about corporate social responsibility. He thinks that conducting business in a socially responsible manner has become the latest marketing and promotion tool to attract customers who want to support social responsibility. “My thesis is that acting in a socially responsible manner is intrinsically good for you personally, and therefore it is intrinsically good for your business. I believe that a person will be more effective in whatever they do when they act in a manner that is closely consistent with their personal values,” said Lubomyr Chabursky.
In his opinion, there is a logical connection between social responsibility and success in business if you believe in the following propositions: 1) creativity leads to success in business; 2) creativity and authenticity are in a symbiotic relationship with each other. “I do not yet have empirical evidence for this proposition and belief. But recently I have been reading interviews of successful Ukrainians in a project called theukrainians.org. That project asked many interesting Ukrainians how they define success and how they understand responsibility. It was very revealing that most of the people interviewed defined both success and responsibility in terms of acting, living, and achieving goals while being consistent with one’s personal values.”
Lubomyr Chabursky suggests one exercise to get in touch with your personal values. He learned it from Victor Frankl – a Holocaust survivor. “I adapted his thought experiment slightly, and I call it the Regrets Exercise. Jump ahead and imagine yourself 85 years old – looking back on your life.
– What do I regret doing?
– What do I regret not doing?
– What do I not regret doing?
– What do I not regret not doing?
Your answers will inform you of your personal values. Now travel back in time to the present day and give yourself the 2nd opportunity to live according to your answers. If you can’t imagine yourself as an 85-year-old person, don’t worry. There are plenty of 85-years around. Talk to them.”
Tom Gilb, a lecturer of MS in Technology Management, added, “I really like Ukraine’s energy. I’ve been to Kyiv, Odessa, Lviv, and I’m happy that I can help move this country forward. As entrepreneurs we talk a lot about finances, but often overlook the issue of values. I think we should pay more attention to values as they are the primary tool both in our personal life and business. The rest is secondary.”
The new participants were also greeted by Shauna Tonkin, Executive Director of International Programs and Initiatives at Regent University and LvBS lecturer, “I believe that education lies in the basis of mental activity. Education lies in the basis of who we were created to be. I’ve known Lviv Business School from the very outset and have been observing its dynamic development. Here you can find a favorable environment for growth and goal achievement.”
Growing companies by growing people is LvBS’ slogan. Sophia Opatska, Dean of LvBS, pointed out, “We try to make Ukrainians more open to the world and at the same time to turn global attention towards Ukraine. We do believe that we can grow companies by growing people. And we can already see the development of this city and the whole country through the people growing at our School.”
