GENERAL PRESENTATION AND SWOT ANALYSIS OF AIESEC

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Contents

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About AIESEC......................................................................................................3

AIESEC’s Vision..................................................................................................3

AIESEC’s Scope...................................................................................................3

AIESEC’s Approach.............................................................................................4

AIESEC’s Values..................................................................................................4

AIESEC Network and History..............................................................................6

AIESEC Romania and AIESEC Bucharest.........................................................10

The Programs......................................................................................................10

SWOT analysis of AIESEC Bucharest...............................................................13

Bibliography........................................................................................................18

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About AIESEC

AIESEC has 60 years of experience in developing high-potential youth into globally minded

responsible leaders.

Present in over 110 countries and territories and with over 60,000 members, AIESEC is the

world's largest youth-run organization. Focused on providing a platform for youth leadership

development, AIESEC offers young people the opportunity to participate in international

internships, experience leadership and participate in a global learning environment. What

makes AIESEC unique is the youth driven impactful experience that it offers to its members.

AIESEC is run by young people for young people, enabling a strong experience to all its

stakeholders.

• The members are part of an exciting, driven global network. They are able to

contribute to societal change while exploring their own vision for a positive impact on

society.

• AIESEC is supported by thousands of partner organizations around the globe who

look to AIESEC to support the development of youth and to access top talent through the

global internship program(exchange).

• The alumni are leaders within their organizations and communities. They use the

experience, skills and inspiration AIESEC has provided them to be agents of positive change

within today’s society.

There are currently around 60,000 members and over 945,000 alumni.

AIESEC’s Vision

Peace and fulfillment of humankind's potential.

AIESEC’s Scope

AIESEC is a global, non-political, independent, not-for-profit organization run by students

and recent graduates of institutions of higher education. The members are interested in world

issues, leadership and management.

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AIESEC does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, creed,

religion, national, ethnic or social origin.

AIESEC’s Approach

AIESEC members live an integrated development experience. This involves leadership

opportunities, international internships and interacting with a global network to support their

development.

AIESEC’s Values

The values provide a way for AIESEC to encourage common behavior across the global

network.

Activating Leadership

We lead by example and inspire leadership through our activities. We take full responsibility

for developing the youth leadership potential of our members.

Demonstrating Integrity

We are consistent and transparent in our decisions and actions. We fulfil our commitments

and conduct ourselves in a way that is true to our ideals.

Living Diversity

We seek to learn from the different ways of life and opinions represented in our multicultural

environment. We respect and actively encourage the contribution of every individual.

Enjoying Participation

We create a dynamic environment created by active and enthusiastic participation of

individuals. We enjoy being involved in AIESEC.

Striving for Excellence

We aim to deliver the highest quality performance in everything we do. Through creativity

and innovation we seek to continuously improve.

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Acting Sustainably

We act in a way that is sustainable for our organization and society. Our decisions take into

account the needs of future generations.

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AIESEC Network and History

One of AIESEC's greatest strengths is the organization’s ability to bring together young

people and partner organizations from all over the world through internships, conferences and

its global learning environment.

The membership base consists of more than 60,000 young people in over 2,100 universities in

110 countries and territories. Local, National and International offices are managed by

students or recent graduates. AIESEC is run by youth, for youth.

Together, the network manages relationships with well over 4,000 partners, facilitates more

than 16,000 exchanges and 20,000 leadership roles, and organizes over 470 conferences each

year.

In the early years of the Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et

Commerciales1 (AIESEC), activities regarding exchange consisted of traineeships, study tours

and the exchange of information on studies. Traineeships were organized during the months

of November or December through careful selections by the 'local committees' (groups of

AIESEC members) and training occurred during the following summer. ‘Receiving

Committee' members of the host country played a role, completing the whole experience by

serving as a point of contact for trainees with the economic and cultural life of the locality.

Efforts by the association for better organization could also be witnessed after the congress in

Copenhagen (1952) addressing uniform procedures and employment contracts for exchange.

Development of exchange was progressing well with an annual growth of 22% but there was

a mounting concern for the quality of exchanges and thus the AIESEC Summer School

Training Programmes (SSTP) were introduced in 1966.

It was a movement of expansion from the ‘traditional' traineeship exchange programmes and

gave more meaningful experiences to the exchange participant. SSTPs engaged a limited

amount of selected trainees, each undergoing unique training and education but in a common

field or topic on a project. Every week they took time off from their firms to meet for lectures

and group discussions and at the end of their traineeship period, joint and individual reports

1 Note: Nowadays, the French acronym AIESEC is no longer used by the organization, since in the history AIESEC expanded to other backgrounds different to Economic and Commercial Sciences.

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were produced. By the end of 1969, 22 SSTPs were successfully carried out in eleven

different countries.

In 1967, work began on a program dubbed Student Traineeship Exchange System (STRES)

for an effective and fair approach to facilitate flow and standardization of information.

Exchange numbers have already reached the 4500 mark and matching that large group of

students to the diverse array of traineeships was stretching the capacity of AIESEC.

To meet this need, an international committee of Electronic Data Processing (EDP) made up

of AIESEC members was put together to create and implement a new computer matching

program. As a result from that, STRES was developed by students from the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology with the help of IBM donated computers. They undertook a great task

of translating forms into something the computer could understand while enabling exchange

controllers to familiarize with the codes and procedures involved. The Paris International

Congress in 1969 saw people for the first time, anxiously waiting until the wee hours of the

morning for matching by the mainframe computer with punch cards in deciles.

A shift of focus to member education and talent development to prepare AIESEC members

for a future in the business environment occured in the 1970's. Alignment of the global

association as a whole led to the emergence of International Theme Programmes (ITP).

Henceforth, these became a formal part of AIESEC.

Pioneers to this new initiative were the programs; “Management Education in the 80's” (1976-

1978) and “International Trade” (1978-1980). Under the ‘umbrella' of the international theme,

projects were run independently in a local, national and regional level in recognition of the

rapidly changing world. There was not a truly international theme with involvement of all

committees including those involved in researching the theme. Nevertheless, awareness

across nations was attained through the engagement of students, business people, academia

and the community.

In the attempt to meet the challenges of tomorrow head on and become a change agent,

AIESEC Global Seminar Series (AGSS) was initiated in 1988. AGSS then turned into a

World Theme Conference (WTC) event. This series of seminars was conducted with the

objective of educating youth and gathering their opinions on issues related to sustainable

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development, such that they would be able to have an impact on society through their

combined voice, and later in life as leaders.

At the end of this the 80s, AGSS and ITP merged to become the Global Theme Program

(GTP). GTP had a similar aim to AGSS, but with a more proactive approach, an example of a

GTP theme being “ Entrepreneurship and Corporate Responsibility: New Opportunities for

Global Development”. The program at a point was functioning almost as a separate entity

within AIESEC itself.

Advancements in Information technology in the 1990's saw the ongoing development of

communication and exchange tools. The emergence of the AIESEC Global Information

Systems (AGIS) embraced new internet technology to connect operations across the globe.

Further developments included the use of file type protocol (FTP) to retrieve materials,

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to run real-time online meetings, and open access to the

international website www.aiesec.org to 70 countries. Such changes meant that not only was

the International Traineeship Exchange Program, (ITEP,) managed online, but also a large

portion of local commitee budgets were now freed up from the costs of physical

communications. AGIS would later become known as "Insight".

Insight had the advantage of using the internet to send data, and continuous matching was

able to take place, (previously matching was done at specified times.) Unfortunately the

successes of Insight were outnumbered by issues with the system, so it became clear that a

new version was required. Insight ll was born, and ended up being used for several years until

the initiation of Insight XP in 2004.

The introduction of Issue-Based Experiences Experiences (IBXPs) began as a way to ensure

that young people who have identified a passion for a particular issue have the chance to live

an experience that not only enables them to gain general leadership skills, but also expertise

on a particular issue. This process supplements what AIESEC offers to its members;

experiences to support them in developing needed competencies to lead positive change and a

strong interest and knowledge in one of the key topics of the world that needs positive

leadership.

AIESEC Learning Networks (LNs) are part of IBXPs, consisting of: Finance, Education,

HIV/ AIDS, Corporate Responsibility, and Entrepreneurship. AIESEC members get the

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chance to lead teams and go on international internships, while organizations benefit from

access to AIESEC's membership base.

In the 2000's, the organization saw a steady increase in exchange performance with over 5000

students sent on internship in 2008. The introduction of development internships, as a distinct

pool of exchanges, added to the diversity of experiences offered. During this period of time

the introduction of further management and measurement tools for exchange have supported

countries to increase the number of exchange experiences they are providing.

The 60th anniversary celebrations of 2008 saw AIESEC celebrating the history and

achievements of 60 years of activating youth leadership in over 100 countries and territories.

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AIESEC Romania and AIESEC Bucharest

AIESEC Bucharest was the first active NGO in Romania, starting from March 1990, founded

with the help of AIESEC Wien. Since then AIESEC Bucharest has constantly helped students

and communities fill in the gap generated by the discrepancy between formal education and

the desired ambitious one.

The aim of the activities has been unchanged in the last 20 years: empowering youth and

developing their change agents potential. Nevertheless the organization has adapted its

approach at the same pace as the market needs changed.

There are 15 local committees in Romania: Bucharest, Iasi, Cluj-Napoca, Targu-Mures,

Brasov, Timisoara, Pitesti, Ploiesti, Galati, Craiova, Constanta, Sibiu, Oradea, Arad, Suceava

offering students an extended learning environment.

The Programs

The organization provides a practical learning and development experience to its members,

through them being part of a team and taking responsibilities towards managing AIESEC’s

performance and the delivery of its experiences.

Duration of a Team Member experience: minimum 8 weeks

What students gain through this program:

Practical team experience

Hard and soft skills development

Access to a global network

An entrepreneurial and responsible attitude

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AIESEC Bucharest provides practical learning and development through the experience of

managing a team. Team Leader Program participants contribute to the development of others while

ensuring AIESEC’s performance and

Duration of a Team Leader experience: minimum 8 weeks

What can students gain through this program:

A practical team leader experience

Organizational and planning skills

A network of contacts

AIESEC Bucharest provides an internship in a host company, through which a young person

contributes to the goals of the organization, completes a job description requiring special expertise

or skills, and receives supervision and evaluation on his or her professional development.

Previous work experience is required.

Duration of a GIP experience: the internship varies in length, from 2 to 18 months

What can students gain through this program:

A professional development experience

A cross-cultural living and working experience

Access to the know-how of big companies

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AIESEC Bucharest provides international volunteer experiences through which young people

develop themselves while empowering individuals, communities or organizations. They focus on

areas and issues with the need for direct social impact and sustainable solutions.

Duration of a GCDP experience: minimum 6 weeks

What can a student gain through this program

Possibility to work with young volunteers from around the world

The opportunity to create positive societal impact

Personal development

Live in another country and experience their lifestyle

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SWOT analysis of AIESEC BucharestSWOT analysis (alternately SLOT analysis) is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey, who led a convention at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies.

Setting the objective should be done after the SWOT analysis has been performed. This would allow achievable goals or objectives to be set for the organization.

Strengths: characteristics of the business, or project team that give it an advantage

over others

Weaknesses (or Limitations): are characteristics that place the team at a

disadvantage relative to others

Opportunities: external chances to improve performance (e.g. make greater

profits) in the environment

Threats: external elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the

business or project

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STRENGHTS

People : if there is a word that should define any AIESEC Local Committee, then the

word that would define AIESEC Bucharest is PEOPLE. There are many development

opportunities for the people, and they have taken advantage of them as much as they

could. The results can be seen today, as the people in the local committee are very well

prepared and they are ready to run for leadership positions and who want to have an

impact through what they achieve.

International network recognition: AIESEC Bucharest is known all around the world.

The members of the international network have heard about the Local Committee of

Bucharest. It is one of the committees renowned for exchange, but also for the highest

number of applicants 3 recruitments in a row. Also, AIESEC Bucharest provides several

GCPs (good case practices) in many of the areas, as well as when it comes to the projects

organized which are very handful for the others. Because of this, but also because of the

strong bonds our members have with people all around the world, LC Bucharest has a

positive image.

Motivation: In the local committee there are always many factors that bring motivation

when it comes to the members. Each of the members triggers his or her motivation from

somewhere else, but the most important is that every member is encouraged to find it. In

most of the cases the members find their motivation in conferences, seminars, training

sessions they attend, our reward and recognition system and personal satisfactions. They

work in a healthy environment, surrounded by people who resemble them and in a very

well established organizational culture.

Development of opportunities for the members: AIESEC Bucharest has offered in the

past year countless development opportunities. The members have participated in

conferences (local, national, international), have had leadership opportunities, have been

encouraged to think out of the box and contribute with their ideas, they have been

attending trainings delivered both by other members, alumni or company representatives

and have been involved in the organizing of the events and conferences.

AIESEC is the number one choice of the students in Bucharest: due to the prestige

among the students and companies, AIESEC has become the number one choice among

all the other student organizations present in Bucharest.

Exchange: AIESEC offers a valuable exchange (internship abroad) experience, different

from the ones offered by other companies or NGOs due to the fact that is taking care of

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the EP(exchange participant) before, during and after their internship. Our members are

helping the future interns abroad to find their internship, assist them when applying for it,

offer all the support with all the documents and procedures before departure including

future accommodation. During their internship, the hosting local committee offers

reception activities for the interns and support when they have problems or challenges

both where they are working and for all the social issues that might occur due to the

cultural shock they might have. At the end, the home local committee offers reintegration

activities and support. Also, in 2010 we have reached the highest number of Exchange

opportunities offered to our members in the whole 20 years of experience.

Members’ retention rate: it has been growing in the past year, reaching around 40% for

the old members (at leat one year of experience in AIESEC Bucharest) and 98% for the

new members.

Addressing to several age groups: AIESEC Bucharest offers development opportunities

for each cycle: kindergarten (Grady Project), Elementary school (Stepping Stones

Project), Highschool (Grow Project) and students (all the other projects such as AIESEC

Universiy, Leadership Talks, CSR Bridge etc)

WEAKNESSES

Local Group of Supporters: AIESEC Bucharest doesn’t have a group of supporters as

high as it should be. This is why the Local Committee is missing some opportunities and

sometimes the quality of the events decreases due to the lack of funds. Moreover, the

plans for signing a once again with the current partners should be applied sooner

(regarding the duration, the support methods, promotion etc)

Financial Management issues: AIESEC Bucharest has at the moment some

expenditures (fixed costs) which are too high

External environment visibility: the visibility of AIESEC Bucharest has decreased in

the past years because of the inefficient media partnerships signed

Infrastructure: is inappropriate in relation with the number of members and activities

Product development: AIESEC Bucharest doesn’t have currently a healthy product

development process.

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OPPORTUNITIES

Issue Based Projects: currently there are no members in AIESEC Bucharest with

experience on certain issues, therefore we are encouraging them. The people who are

working on such projects (like the CSR project) have the chance to understand better the

issue and to have a full image of it. Around them there can be created Learning Cyrcles,

events, activities for all our members. Moreover, AIESEC Bucharest can be closer to the

current reality of the market in Bucharest.

PBoX: Projects Based on Exchange- this is an easy way of rising the exchange numbers

of the Local Committee on one hand. On the other hand, taking into consideration the

international network and the market in Bucharest, they are very useful for AIESEC

Bucharest, promoting one of our values: Living Diversity. By this we understand

bringing internationalism in Bucharest and offerting the students in Bucharest the chance

to experience it without travelling.

The market in Bucharest is emergent: this leads to the creation of new companies

every day, rising the target of companies that we can address to, as well as creating a

good environment for the issue based project with the topic Emerging Markets.

Students are more interested in extracurricular activities: the students are more and

more interested in participating at different conferences and events organized by NGOs

and companies as well as being part of an NGO due to the importance of them in the end

in the CV. Therefore, the number of applicants is constantly around 600-700 in every

autumn recruitment although the number of NGOs is growing annually, and our events

always have enough and qualitative participants.

THREATS

Working abroad opportunities: at the moment there are several specialized agencies

which offer students working opportunities abroad such as Work and Travel. They do not

offer though the same type of experience, being based usually on the financial gain, not

on the personal and professional growth.

Financial crisis: it affects the companies which are in our target, which leads to fewer

corporations with the corporate sector. Moreover, it might affect our number of

applicants, as more and more students need a financial support during their studies other

than the one offered by parents or scholarships, therefore choosing to work during the 3-5

years spent in the university.

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Establishment of several NGOs in Bucharest: in the past years there have been

founded several NGOs in Bucharest which are attracting a significant number of students

every year. These might grow in a more rapid pace and attract the students who are in our

organization’s target, therefore diminishing our monopoly.

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Bibliographywww.aiesec.orgwww.aiesecbucharest.rohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis