Cyber Core

# Cyber Core

## Abstract

Cyber Core is a 1990 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed by Alfa System and published in Japan by Information Global Service (IGS) and in North America by NEC for the TurboGrafx-16. Set in the year 2269 where Earth has been overrun by an alien race known as Hyper Insects, the player controls a Chimera bio-fighter craft, piloted by the enforcer Rad Ralph (Kato Melange in the Japanese version) in order to fend off the invaders and reclaim the planet. Similar to Dragon Spirit, Ralph has a projectile weapon for destroying air-based enemies and a bomb for destroying ground-based enemies.

Co-headed by director Kenji Hisatomi and producer Kotoshi Yokoyama, Cyber Core was the first shoot 'em up title created by Alfa System, who would later work on future projects such as Down Load and the Shikigami no Shiro series. First released on the TurboGrafx-16, the game was ported to the X68000 by SPS, featuring improved visuals and audio, as well as a rebalanced difficulty. The X68000 conversion has since been re-released only in Japan for Microsoft Windows through D4 Enterprise 's Project EGG download service.

Cyber Core on the TurboGrafx-16 received mostly positive reception from critics, but the X68000 conversion was met with mixed reception; reviewers drew comparisons with Dragon Spirit due to its gameplay system but praise was given to its technical performance, visual presentation, sound, and fast-paced gameplay, but criticism was geared towards the repetitive action and enemy attack patterns, while many were divided in regards to its difficulty.

## Gameplay

Cyber Core is a science fiction-themed vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up game. The plot takes place in the year 2269, where Earth has been overrun by a cybernetic alien race called Hyper Insects. Their primary base is an underground mobile fort known only as the mothership. To fend off the Hyper Insects, Earth's defense forces create an insect-themed bio-jet in similar form to the enemy called the Chimera, which mutates the pilot into a humanoid insect upon use. This occurs to protagonist Rad Ralph (Kato Melange in the Japanese version), who has been assigned to attack the Hyper Insects and reclaim Earth.

The gameplay structure is similar to Xevious and Dragon Spirit. The player controls the Chimera through eight increasingly difficult stages over a constantly scrolling background, populated with an assortment of enemies and the scenery never stops moving until a boss is reached, which must be fought in order to progress further. The Chimera moves in eight directions and is equipped with two main weapons: a projectile weapon for air-based enemies and a bomb for ground-based enemies. The Chimera can mutate into four types of weapons by collecting their respective color eggs when shooting at the supply carrier.

Collecting three eggs in a row also grants the Chimera shield units to sustain enemy hits but this can also prove to be a risky proposition, as the Chimera's size is increased when more weapon eggs are collected. The Chimera can also acquire special egg types, which are dropped when firing at bosses or enemy formations, that grants additional abilities such as invincibility and a destruction egg capable of obliterating enemies and bullets on-screen. The Chimera is equipped with a speed setting, which can be increased or decreased across three levels by pressing its dedicated button. The title uses a checkpoint system in which the Chimera will start off at the beginning of the checkpoint the player managed to reach before dying. Getting hit by enemy fire reduces the Chimera's firepower and shield, which results in losing a live once the shields are depleted. The game is over once all lives are lost, though the player can use limited continues at the title screen to keep playing.

## Development and release

Cyber Core was the first shoot 'em up title created by Alfa System, who would later work on future projects such as Down Load and the Shikigami no Shiro series. Its development was co-led by director Kenji Hisatomi and producer Kotoshi Yokoyama. Sei Mochizuki and a member under the pseudonym "Bokegi!" served as co-programmers. The scenario was written by Syuichi Kouyama, while Kiyofumi Katō and Satoru Kubota acted as co-designers, in addition of Masashige Yumoto acting as illustrator. The soundtrack was co-composed by Masahiro Teramoto, who also created the game's sound effects, and Toshio Murai.

Cyber Core was first published in Japan by Information Global Service (IGS) on March 9, 1990, for the PC Engine and later in North America by NEC in May for the TurboGrafx-16. The game was ported to the X68000 by SPS on October 25, 1991, featuring improved visuals and audio, as well as a rebalanced difficulty. The original X68000 version has since been re-released in digital form for Microsoft Windows through D4 Enterprise 's Project EGG service on March 26, 2013.

## Reception

Cyber Core on the TurboGrafx-16 received mostly positive reception from critics, most of which reviewed it as an import title. However, public reception of the original PC Engine release was mixed; readers of PC Engine Fan voted to give the game a 19.26 out of 30 score, ranking at the number 378 spot in a poll, indicating a middling following. The X68000 conversion was also met with mixed reception from reviewers.

Famitsu ' s four reviewers drew comparisons with Dragon Spirit due to its gameplay system. However, they praised the game's sense of speed, as well as the insect character sprites for being quite attractive and slightly creepy but criticized the enemy attack patterns. Génération 4 ' s Philippe Querleux also felt that the title was similar to Dragon Spirit, but with mecha and insect characters. Regardless, Querleux expressed that "fans of the genre will not be disappointed" with Cyber Core. Aktueller Software Markt ' s Torsten Oppermann noted that the game borrowed ideas from Dragon Spirit as well, but stated that it stands out among the PC Engine library. Oppermann commended visuals, sound and addictive gameplay.

Joystick ' s Jean-Marc Demoly gave positive remarks to its animated graphics, sound and controls. Electronic Gaming Monthly ' s four reviewers criticized its repetitive action for not being varied as Blazing Lazers and lack of difficulty balance due to the overpowered weapons. Nevertheless, they gave positive commentary to the frantic gameplay, graphical presentation and large bosses. Power Play ' s Martin Gaksch praised Cyber Core for its technical performance, good visuals, enemy variety, sound and customizable gameplay. Gaksch also commended the game's adjustable difficulty system that changes the enemy's behavior based on how much items are collected, but noted that it "stole" ideas from both Dragon Spirit and Tiger-Heli.

VideoGames & Computer Entertainment ' s Clayton Walnum gave positive remarks to the vivid backgrounds, detailed insect sprites, music, interesting sound effects and fast-pacing but felt mixed in regards to the difficult playability. Takahashi Tetushi of Japanese magazine Oh!X gave the X68000 version a positive overview, commending its graphics and music. In contrast, Japanese publication Technopolis gave the X68000 port a mixed outlook. Hardcore Gaming 101 ' s Steven Barbato noted its Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind -esque world and aesthetic, as well as the skill-based power-up system but criticized the game's difficulty for being occasionally unfair.


Graduate Women in Science

# Graduate Women in Science

## Abstract

Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), formerly known as Sigma Delta Epsilon, is an international organization for women in science. It was established in 1921 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, United States.The organization is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that works to connect, lead, and empower women in science. It has over 1,000 members and more than 30 chapters.

## History

GWIS was established on May 24, 1921, at Cornell University by women pursuing graduate degrees in the sciences. The organization was named the Sigma Delta Epsilon —SDE for short. In 1922, a similar local group for women at the University of Wisconsin–Madison agreed to merge with Sigma Delta Epsilon, establishing a national fraternity. Its purpose was "to further interest in science, to provide a fraternity for the recognition of women in science, and to bring them together in fraternal relationship".

Adele Gerard Lewis Grant served as its first president. Sigma Delta Epsilon was incorporated in the state of New York in April 1922. Its first national convention was held in 1922. It joined the American Association for the Advancement of Science as an associated member in 1936 and as an affiliated member in 1939.

In 1931, GWIS established its Formal Fellowships Fund. Its First Research Fellowship was awarded in 1941. In 1970, the Eloise Gerry Fellowship Fund, the first of the GWIS fellowships funded by a single individual rather than by fundraising and small membership contributions, was established.

Graduate Women in Science is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that works to connect, lead, and empower women in science. Its mission is "building a global community to inspire, support, recognize, and empower women in science." It has over 1,000 members and dozens of chapters spread across the United States, as well as an international chapter that was established in 2013. Its national office is in Mullica Hill, New Jersey.

## Symbols

The motto of GWIS is "United in Friendship through Science". Its guiding principles or pillars are Connect, Lead, and Empower.

Its badge is a Nile key with the Greek letters ΣΔΕ in black enamel on its crossbar. Attached to the key are a benzene ring, a thunderbolt, and the nabla. Its colors are those of the spectrum.

## Membership

Membership in the Graduate Women in Science is open to anyone, regardless of gender, who has at least a bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline.

## Activities

GWIS offers grants, awards, and fellowships. It serves an international network of women scientists and promotes the participation and representation of women in science-related events. The GWIS National Meeting is held annually in June. It also sponsors additional meetings and symposia. The society publishes a monthly newsletter.


Libra Group

# Libra Group

## Abstract

Libra Group is a privately held international holding company operating in a variety of industries. Its 20 operating entities include businesses across six continents, in six sectors: Aerospace, renewable energy, hotels and hospitality services, real estate, maritime, and diversified investments.

Libra Group originated with a company founded by Michael Logothetis in 1976; a shipping company under the name of Lomar Shipping. To diversify, in 2003 Libra Group was established as its umbrella corporation, and in the mid-2000s it expanded into diverse industries. George Logothetis is the company's executive chairman, Nick Logothetis is Vice Chairman, and Manos Kouligkas is CEO. The company is privately owned by the Logothetis family.

## History

### Lomar Shipping

Libra Group's predecessor company, Lomar Shipping, was founded by Michael Logothetis in London in 1976. Michael Logothetis's son George Logothetis joined Lomar Shipping in 1993. In 1995, he became company CEO, enlarging Lomar's fleet from less than five to more than 55 ships during the subsequent decade.

### Libra Group and diversification

In 2003, George Logothetis founded Libra Group, based in New York and London, in order to diversify and expand the shipping company into new business areas. George remains Libra Group's executive chairman.

At the time of the company's formation, international shipping was still its chief area of operations. Between 2004 and 2007, during a boom in the shipping business, Libra Group sold off most of Lomar's ships. With the profit from the ship sales, the new company purchased a fleet of airplanes, which were at a cyclical low, and set up an aircraft leasing division, Lease Corporation International (LCI), which leases aircraft to airlines such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Libra Group repeated this successful "buy-low, sell-high" formula of going counter to prevailing market trends several times in the ensuing decade, building a large diversified multinational organization out of the former small shipping company. Each of the company's new ventures was headed by existing top personnel or close associates.

### Expansion

In 2006, Libra Group started expanding beyond aviation. Its new major ventures included real estate, hotels and hospitality, and renewable energy.

In December 2009, after ship values slumped in the wake of the financial crisis, Libra Group re-entered the shipping business and purchased Allocean and its fleet of 26 ships. From December 2009 through December 2013, the company purchased a total of 73 ships.

In 2009, the company also re-entered the aircraft leasing market when LCI purchased a new fleet of aircraft. In 2012, LCI expanded operations to include helicopter leasing as well.

Libra Group has also expanded beyond its core businesses of shipping, aircraft leasing, real estate, hotels and hospitality, and renewable energy, to include a variety of interests including media, home furnishing, and financial services. Between 2008 and 2014, the company purchased $7 billion to $7.5 billion of assets globally. As of 2023, the company has 20 operating entities in nearly 60 countries around the world.

## Industry sectors and subsidiaries

### Maritime

Lomar Shipping, the original predecessor to Libra Group, is a Libra maritime subsidiary. Between 2004 and 2007, at the height of a boom in the shipping business, Libra Group sold Lomar's fleet of nearly 70 ships. The company made a substantial profit from sales, which occurred before the 2008 financial crisis.

In December 2009, after ship values had slumped from the recession, Lomar purchased a new fleet and returned to the shipping sector, investing $1.4 billion in 91 vessels – mainly container ships – between 2009 and late 2014. As of late 2013, Lomar operated a fleet of nearly 60 ships, including bulk carriers, reefer ships, container ships, offshore support vessels, liquefied petroleum gas tankers, chemical tankers, platform supply vessels, anchor handling tug supply vessels, and product tankers.

In 2014, Lomar sold its entire fleet of six offshore support vessels for approximately $100 million, just before oil prices crashed; during this period the company sold additional vessels as well for another $100 million. Lomar purchased six container ships and two product tankers in December 2014, and seven more container ships in February 2015. As of 2017, Lomar had a total fleet of over 80 vessels. Lomar recorded close to 2 billion in vessel sales during July 2020 to June 2023.

Lomar acquired 166-year-old Carl Büttner Holding’s chemical tanker fleet for $160 million in October 2022.

In 2024, Libra Group announced that the Group had exited the container shipping market after selling close to 100 vessels for more than $2 billion over several years to focus on innovation and sustainability as new drivers of growth.

Americraft Marine, a Libra subsidiary, acquired St. Johns Ship Building in Florida in 2022 to build and service Jones Act -compliant fleets. The shipyard builds aluminum vessels, including crew transfer vessels (CTVs) used to service the offshore wind farm industry.

Lomarlabs was launched in March 2023 to explore adaptive maritime technologies such as carbon capture devices, robotics, and removable wind sails. The same year Lomarlabs announced a collaboration with Seabound, a maritime emissions reduction and carbon capture start-up. In September 2023 a new Libra Group maritime subsidiary, Seapath, formed a joint venture with Pilot LNG to develop the first dedicated LNG bunkering facility in U.S. Gulf Coast. In March 2024 Seapath launched a maritime leasing business focused on Jones Act-compliant vessels with $25 Million in initial transactions.

In January 2024, Americraft delivered the WINDEA Courageous, the first of 3 Jones Act-compliant Incat Crowther crew transport vessels (CTV) ordered by WINDEA CTV LLC.

### Aerospace

Lease Corporation International (LCI), Libra Group's aircraft leasing subsidiary, was founded in 2004. LCI offices are located in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. Since its inception, LCI has undertaken approximately $10 billion of transactions in the aviation market. It leases fixed-wing aircraft to airlines in Europe and Asia, including Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Oman Air, and Hong Kong Express Airways. After selling its fleet of aircraft in 2007, LCI purchased new aircraft in 2009.

In 2012, LCI expanded into helicopter leasing. In 2014, LCI purchased nearly $1 billion in helicopters from Airbus and AgustaWestland; in early 2015 it added 11 more helicopters from AgustaWestland. Helicopters leased by LCI are used for offshore oil operations, for commercial and governmental use, and for search and rescue as well as emergency medical services. Its lease clients in early 2015 included Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and Australian Helicopters in Australia, and HeliService International in Germany.

In February 2024, LCI announced a commitment to acquire up to 21 more rotorcraft from Leonardo Helicopters under a new framework agreement.

Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Company (SMFL) acquired a 35% stake in LCI from Libra Group in March 2023. In January 2023, LCI signed an agreement with Elroy Air, developer of advanced autonomous cargo aircraft systems, to acquire up to 40 of the company’s Chaparral vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. In April 2022, LCI signed an agreement with BETA Technologies to acquire up to 125 of the company’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

In January 2024 LCI launched LCI Analytics, a new research and advisory division focused on consultancy and research services for critical rotorcraft and advanced air mobility operations.

Libra Group announced its project to become the first space leasing company in June 2023, offering satellites, spaceports and various infrastructure elements through a new subsidiary, Space Leasing International (SLI).

In November 2023 SLI acquired a satellite ground station in Alaska, the second of over 20 ground stations to be leased by SLI to RBC Signals.

### Hotels and hospitality

Libra Group has several hotel subsidiaries, which operate luxury hotels worldwide. The company established Grace Hotels, an international luxury-hotel management company that began in Greece. In 2018 Auberge Resorts Collection took over management of the Grace hotels with Libra Group taking a strategic interest in Auberge. The hotel chain's first location, Grace Mykonos, received the highest award at the 2007 European Hotel Design Awards. The Grace Santorini was in Condé Nast Traveler ' s Gold List in 2012, and the Vanderbilt Grace in Newport, Rhode Island was listed in Tatler ' s top 14 hotels in the U.S. in 2015.

Other hotel companies owned by Libra Group, which has a portfolio of 70 properties, include Aria Hotels in Greece. Elandis develops, owns, and manages real estate, that has included hotels and hospitality properties. In 2016 it opened the first Hyatt Place hotel in Brazil.

### Renewable energy

Libra Group owns four renewable-energy subsidiaries with a total footprint and pipeline of around 4GW. EuroEnergy, based in Greece, operates solar and wind energy plants. Greenwood Energy develops and manages on-site solar energy systems for public and private sector organizations wishing to offset their energy costs in Latin America. Greenwood also had a solar-power engineering, procurement, and construction division, called Greenwood Biosar. In 2014 Greenwood Biosar built Panama's first utility-scale solar power plant. Convergen Energy Latvia develops sustainable power sources and renewable energy in the Latvian market.

In April 2022 Latin American subsidiary Greenwood Energy, together with the Confederación Indígena Tayrona (CIT), the organization of indigenous peoples of northwestern Colombia, launched the Terra Initiative, a utility-scale solar project in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. In 2023 EuroEnergy acquired a 114-megawatt wind energy development in Udbina, Croatia for €150 million, and announced its partnership with Afcon Renewable Energy to invest in renewable energy across Poland, increasing the company's European project portfolio to more than 400MW.

In April 2023 GSI, the group’s North American renewable energy subsidiary, acquired Ontario, Canada-based renewable energy developer Saturn Power’s 1.4GW solar and energy storage projects located across five states in the U.S. and two Canadian provinces.

In January 2024, Iyuhána Solar, a partnership led by GSI alongside the Ocean Man First Nation community, was awarded a contract by regional Canadian utility SaskPower to build and operate a 100MW solar PV facility.

### Real estate

Libra Group's real estate subsidiaries are involved in the development and management of residential, retail, commercial, and hospitality properties worldwide. The company formerly operated a real estate brokerage, management, and consulting services firm, Singapore Residential. It also owned First Oriental, which was involved in real estate development in Southeast Asia. In Greece, Libra Group has owned a Sotheby's International Realty brokerage. Other real estate subsidiaries include Elandis and Mayfair Investments and investor and management company FCA Group in Panama. In September 2020, real estate subsidiary Elandis announced a joint venture between Libra Group and international asset manager M&G Investments for multifamily properties in the U.S. Grace Hotel Santorini is owned by Libra Group’s Athens and Madrid-based real estate subsidiary Sparta. Sparta also owns a portfolio of hotels in New England, USA.

Libra Group has a strategic interest in Argentina-based real estate investment and development company, Amerisud. The company previously developed Optima Business Park in three phases and a residential complex, Beccar Plaza, both in Buenos Aires.

### Diversified investments

Libra previously held LXM Group, a financial services provider, and Riposte Capital.

Libra Group has 20 operating entities around the world. Its diversified companies, which fall outside of its main areas of operation, include Principal Media, a film and television company based in Los Angeles, which, in November 2022, invested in Toronto-based TV and film production company, Chesler/Perlmutter Productions. Libra Group also has a 50% stake in the luxury natural-fiber mattress and home furnishings company COCO-MAT. In March 2022 Libra Group announced an investment in GreenMet, formerly known as Greentech Minerals Holdings. The company is active in the development of sustainable supply chain infrastructure for critical rare earth minerals, such as green steel.

## Corporate affairs

### Operations

Libra Group's headquarters are located in New York. The company also operates 26 offices worldwide, including locations in Miami, Beijing, Buenos Aires, and Athens.

As of 2023, the company has 20 operating entities around the world. The major subsidiaries operate in six separate industries: Aerospace; renewable energy; hotels and hospitality services; real estate; maritime and diversified investments.

Several of Libra Group's past subsidiaries were responsible for the management and oversight of subsidiaries within a specific geographic region. Some of these included First Mediterranean Investments, a holding company for specialist investment companies focused on the Southeastern Mediterranean and Balkan regions; and First Oriental Investments, was a specialist real estate investment and development company for Southeast Asia. Libra Group also operates Libra Capital and Libra Group Services, providing investment-management and legal, accounting, marketing, and administrative services to other Libra Group subsidiaries.

### Leadership

Libra Group is privately owned by the Logothetis family, whose members fill several key roles in the organization. George Logothetis is the company's executive chairman and founding CEO, appointing Manos Kouligkas to succeed him as CEO in 2022. Nicholas Logothetis is the vice-chairman. Constantine Logothetis is a non-executive board member and was formerly vice chairman. Adamantios Tomazos is the senior executive board member, and was a founding director of Lease Corporation International, the international commercial aircraft leasing subsidiary of Libra Group. Former United States ambassador John Negroponte is a former director of Libra Group and an advisor to the board. Leon Logothetis is the former head of the company’s Los Angeles–based film company Principal Media. Phaedra Chrousos is Chief Strategy Officer. In March 2023 Praveen Vetrivel was appointed Chief Financial Officer.

### Philanthropies

In 2011, Libra Social Responsibility was formed. In September 2023, it was spun off into Libra Philanthropies, the sister organization of Libra Group and an independent 501c3. Libra Philanthropies is involved in several education, mentorship, and social projects. In partnership with the American College of Greece and the Greek America Foundation, the company established an internship program in 2011 to facilitate study abroad and work-experience programs for Greek and Greek-American students. In 2012, the company pledged € 5 million to create the Hellenic Initiative's Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award, which provides mentorship and funding to Greek entrepreneurs; as of 2017, Libra Group has committed €10 million to supporting entrepreneurship in Greece through the award. The company also launched the American Entrepreneurship Award, for U.S. communities facing a disproportionate lack of opportunity – initially Bronx, New York and Miami-Dade County, Florida – in 2016.

Some of its other programs include the Seleni Institute for women's maternal physical and mental health, and the HOME Project which aids refugees and provides safe shelters for unaccompanied refugee children.

Libra Group is a founding sponsor of the My Brother's Keeper (MBK) Alliance, launched in May 2015 by President Obama. The MBK Alliance helps young men of color throughout the U.S. reach their full potential, by ensuring and improving educational and workplace opportunities. As part of its involvement with the original My Brother's Keeper Initiative launched by Obama in February 2014, Libra Group has partnered with Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) by providing internship placements for young men of color at Libra and its global subsidiaries. In 2016 the company pledged funds, services, and resources to the Obama administration's Partnership for Refugees to aid the global refugee crisis. It also signed the Obama administration's Equal Pay Pledge to pay women commensurately with men and eliminate gender-based hiring bias.

In September 2023, the Logothetis family launched Libra Philanthropies. Libra Philanthropies is a fully independent sister organization of Libra Group that was launched by the Logothetis family as a 501(c)(3) foundation. It comprises 10 philanthropic initiatives.


Death of Daniel Farr

# Death of Daniel Farr

## Abstract

Daniel Farr was a British Army soldier who in 1997 died under mysterious circumstances in Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, England. His death was widely covered in British news media and led to the creation of the Daniel Trust.

## Service and death

Daniel Farr was a man from Market Weighton in East Yorkshire. He joined the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire in June 1996.

In 1997 Farr suddenly died at the Infantry Training Centre, in Catterick Garrison. His death was suspected by his family to have been linked to the nuclear-biological-chemical warfare training which Farr had undertaken in the weeks prior to his death.

According to Farr's mother, he had been begging to leave the Army for months before his death, and that he was absent without leave a few days before his death.

## Legacy

After Farr's death, his family made connections with the relatives of other British soldiers who have died at Catterick Garrison and also the relatives of soldiers who died as part of the deaths at Deepcut army barracks, including the family of a British soldier whose corpse had been found in his barracks with two bullet wounds.

In 2005 it was reported that his family were calling for a public inquiry examining the British Army's non-combat deaths.

Farr's mother Lynn became an activist and founded the Daniel Trust in her son's memory. She also went onto become an anti-bullying campaigner.


James McRae (disambiguation)

# James McRae (disambiguation)

## Abstract

James McRae or MacRae may refer to:

- James McRae (rower) (born 1987), Australian rower

- James McRae (United States Army officer) (1862–1940), U.S. general

- James W. McRae (1910–1960), American engineer

- James Macrae (botanist) (died 1830), Scottish botanist

- James C. MacRae (1838–1909), justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court

- Jimmy McRae (born 1943), British rally driver

- Jim MacRae (American football) (1878–1957), American football player and mayor

- Jim MacRae (Canadian football) (1926–?), Canadian football player and lawyer


Carlos Alazraqui

# Carlos Alazraqui

## Abstract

Carlos Jaime Alazraqui (born July 20, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. His extensive voice-over work includes the original voice of Spyro from Spyro the Dragon; Shameless O'Scanty, Leslie P. Lilylegs, Elliott Sampson and Tad Tucker on New Looney Tunes; the Taco Bell chihuahua in the Taco Bell commercials; Denzel Crocker, Juandissimo Magnifico, and Sheldon Dinkleberg on The Fairly OddParents; Rocko and Spunky on Rocko's Modern Life; Scooter on SpongeBob SquarePants; Lazlo, Clam, and other characters on Camp Lazlo; Rikochet in ¡Mucha Lucha!; Grandpapi Rivera in El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera; Carlos Casagrande, Sergio, Vito, and other characters in the franchise of The Loud House; Mr. Weed in Family Guy; and the Disney character Panchito Pistoles since 2001. He is a weekly contributor on The Stephanie Miller Show. In live-action, Alazraqui is known for playing Deputy James Garcia on Reno 911!.

## Early life

Alazraqui was born Carlos Jaime Alazraqui in Yonkers, New York on July 20, 1962 to Argentine parents. He has Sephardic Jewish heritage from his father. His mother was a Methodist priest. He moved with his family to Concord, California, at an early age. Alazraqui graduated from Concord High School. He attended college at California State University, Sacramento from 1982 to 1986, where he began competing in open mic contests. After winning in his fourth year, Alazraqui took his prize money and moved to Los Angeles.

## Career

### Stand-up comedy

Originally, Alazraqui began his career in stand-up comedy. He was the winner of the San Francisco Comedy Competition in 1993, beating out fellow comedians Marc Maron and Patton Oswalt.

In addition, Alazraqui joined Miller's Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour in 2014, playing some of the dates with Ward and he has a semi-regular segment on Miller's radio show Coffee with Carlos.

### Film and television

Alazraqui is known for his live-action work in Reno 911!, in which he portrayed Deputy James Garcia for five seasons (2003–2008). He played the same role in the series' 2007 spin-off film Reno 911! Miami. As a nod to this role, he also played a "bumbling" Reno cop in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode " Let it Bleed." He has been a celebrity on the Tom Bergeron version of Hollywood Squares.

Alazraqui also wrote and starred in The Last White Dishwasher, a short film.

In 2020, he reprised his role as Deputy James Oswaldo Garcia in the seventh season of Reno 911! which aired on Quibi. He also appeared in the 2021 Paramount+ movie, Reno 911! The Hunt for QAnon. The eighth season of the series, now titled Reno 911! Defunded, premiered on The Roku Channel in February 2022.

He reprised his role as Denzel Crocker in The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, a live-action sequel to The Fairly OddParents, which premiered on Paramount+ in March 2022.

### Voice acting

Alazraqui has performed several voices for Nickelodeon cartoons, including Rocko on Rocko's Modern Life, as well as Denzel Crocker and Juandissimo Magnifico on The Fairly OddParents, Winslow T. Oddfellow and Lube on CatDog, and Scooter on SpongeBob SquarePants. He also voiced several additional voices for the Cartoon Network shows, Cow and Chicken, Kidscity: The Village Dome of Kids, and I Am Weasel during their runs in the mid-late 1990s. He also voiced Spyro in Spyro the Dragon. He was later replaced by Tom Kenny as Spyro in Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!, Spyro: Year of the Dragon, and Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly. In 1997, he voiced Crash Bandicoot in promotional trailers for the game Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, also switching out live performances as him with Tom Kenny at E3 1997. He also voiced the Taco Bell chihuahua in the Taco Bell commercials, Rikochet in the first two seasons of ¡Mucha Lucha! and Mr. Weed (the head of the "Happy Go Lucky" toy factory) on Family Guy. It is mentioned in the DVD commentary track that Alazraqui was reluctant to leave Family Guy. In particular, Seth MacFarlane suggests that the death of Alazraqui's character took the actor by surprise. He also voiced Dr. Julius No in GoldenEye: Rogue Agent.

In 2005, he added the voices for two Cartoon Network series: The Life and Times of Juniper Lee where he played Monroe, a guardian dog with a Scottish accent and three characters in Camp Lazlo: Lazlo, Clam and Chef McMuesli. In 2006, he added Salty Mike from Squirrel Boy and Walden in Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! on Nick Jr. to his credits. He played Wisk in Glen Hill's 2000 film version of L. Frank Baum 's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. He also provided the voice of Nestor in the Happy Feet films. He has also voiced the Hanna-Barbera characters Baba Looey, Mudsy the Funky Phantom, and Loopy De Loop in modern appearances.

Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, a storyboard writer for Rocko's Modern Life, described Alazraqui's normal voice as bearing "no accent at all". Marsh describes Alazraqui's "Scottish accent" as "one of the best" and that he performs his other accents as "all very well". According to Marsh, Alazraqui uses various accents in his comedy routines. He had worked for the Disney Channel on Handy Manny, where he provided the voice for Felipe, the bilingual Phillips-head screwdriver and for Abuelito, Manny's grandfather. He was the original "voice guy" on the Stephanie Miller Show, later being replaced by Jim Ward, who had previously substituted for him. In January 2008, Alazraqui returned to fill in briefly while Ward recovered from surgery. In 2014, he voiced Mesmo and Torts in Mixels. He voices Tio Tortuga in Sheriff Callie's Wild West.

In 2023, Alazraqui joined the cast of The Case of the Greater Gatsby, a noir parody podcast produced by Shipwrecked Comedy, playing a singing cowboy actor in 1940s Hollywood. The show also features his Fairly Odder co-stars Lesli Margherita and Mary Kate Wiles (Wiles is also a producer). The show premiered on July 26, 2023.

### Web

In 2009, he collaborated with Ted Nicolaou on the web series The Club, which was released in November 2010. The series features Jill-Michele Meleán, Debra Wilson, Johnny A. Sanchez, Lori Alan, and Daran Norris.

In 2013, Alazraqui starred as a drug dealer in one episode of the Melinda Hill web series Romantic Encounters.

## Personal life

Alazraqui resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife and two daughters. One daughter Rylee is a voice actor as well. Rylee is the voice of Rohk-Tahk in the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Prodigy.

## Awards and nominations

- 2012 – Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in a Television Production – The Fairly OddParents - Nominated

- 2015 – Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in a Television Production – The Fairly OddParents - Nominated

- 2016 – Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program – The Fairly OddParents - Nominated

- 2017 – Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in a Television Production – The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show: Ponce de León - Won

- 2022 – Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie - Reno 911!: The Hunt for QAnon - Nominated


Whiston, Merseyside

# Whiston, Merseyside

## Abstract

Whiston is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. Previously recorded within the historic county of Lancashire, it is located eight miles (ten kilometres) east of Liverpool and 0.75 miles east of Huyton Quarry. The population was 13,629 at the 2001 Census, increasing to 14,263 at the 2011 Census.

A new village, Halsnead Garden Village, was approved with government support in 2017 and will be located in the Halsnead area of the town. The new village will contain over 1,500 houses, a primary school, a country park, and various community and leisure facilities. Construction is estimated to cost around £270 million.

## History

The first record of Whiston comes in 1245, being rendered as "Quistan" and being within the West Derby Hundred in Lancashire. Archeological evidence such as a neolithic polished hand-axe and mesolithic tool fragments suggest that the region was host to pre-historic settlement up to 12,000 years, ago while other archaeological finds include remnants of a Roman tile workshop in nearby Tarbock and a medieval shovel head.

The main industry of Whiston's earlier documented history is agriculture, with the first recorded mill in the area being held by local lord Henry Travers from 1190. By 1521, the first documentation of coal mining is made, which would in time become Whiston's primary industry. By 1700, the coalfields of Whiston, Prescot, and Sutton were producing 25,000-50,000 tonnes of coal annually, and this would only increase as the Industrial Revolution progressed and the Whiston area became host to tens of collieries over the 18th and 19th Centuries. By 1901, the population of Whiston was 3,430.

The Church of St. Nicholas on Windy Arbor Road was consecrated on 30 July 1868, replacing a chapel dating from 1846. It hosts a war memorial, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, which was struck by lightning in 1928. The memorial was replaced in 1932. The stone-built Methodist Church on the High Street dates from the 19th century.

Whiston had a sanatorium, an isolation hospital, and a workhouse, part of the Prescot Union workhouses.

Whiston was previously host to Halsnead Hall, a neoclassical manor that housed the Willis family, chief landholders in Whiston from 1684 until the auctioning of their estate in 1929. Halsnead Hall, demolished in 1932 and now the site of Halsnead static caravan park, was designed by the renowned architect Sir John Soane. Before its demolition, it was the sole example of Soane's work in either Lancashire or Cheshire.

## Governance

Prior to boundary changes in 2016, Whiston consisted of the Whiston North and Whiston South wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. The North and South wards were separated by the Liverpool to Manchester Railway, which runs directly through the town. The former borough wards of North and South are still used in the form of Town Council wards, but for the purposes of Borough representation, Whiston elects three councillors via the combined ward of Whiston and Cronton.

Whiston lent its name to and was formerly the headquarters of the Whiston Rural District within the County of Lancashire before the Local Government Act 1972. Today, Whiston Town Council oversees parish level administration.

## Transport

Whiston is crossed by the historic Liverpool to Manchester Railway, and is served by Whiston railway station with services to Liverpool and Manchester, operated by Northern. Local bus routes to Runcorn, Liverpool, St Helens and Huyton also serve the town. These are operated by, among other smaller local providers, Stagecoach and Arriva.

## Health

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust operates Whiston Hospital. The hospital supports the primary maternity department for the Knowsley and St Helens boroughs, alongside a regional Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit serving North West England, North Wales and the Isle of Man. The Trust is a member organisation of the teaching hospital system partnered with the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Edge Hill University.

## Industries

Local industry includes Glen Dimplex Home Appliances, producing kitchen appliances and employing approximately 1,000 people.

## Education

### Primary education

- St Luke's Catholic Primary School

- Halsnead Primary School

- Whiston Willis Primary School

- St Leo's & Southmead Catholic Primary School

### Secondary education

In 2010, two of Whiston's secondary schools were closed and redeveloped under the Labour Party governments 'Building Schools for the Future' scheme. This £150 million programme created seven new 'Centres for Learning' to replace the ten existing secondary schools within the Knowsley borough.

- Knowsley Higher Side Comprehensive School, Cumber Lane.

Constructed in 1964, Knowsley Higher Side Comprehensive School was one of the first comprehensive schools in the local area, purpose built under the Labour Party 's education reforms to formally abolish the tripartite system of education; to amalgamate grammar, technical and secondary modern schools into one appropriately named Comprehensive System. In March 2010, after serving the local area for 46 years, Higher Side Comprehensive School was permanently closed and subsequently demolished to make way for the new St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Centre for Learning which was constructed on vacant land behind Higher Side's main buildings. The land on which Higher Side once stood now serves as a car park and recreational area for staff and pupils of the new St Edmund Arrowsmith.

The only remaining building of the former Higher Side School site is the former Whiston & Prescot City Learning Centre (CLC), now St Edmund Arrowsmith Science Hub. The building was originally constructed and opened in 2000. Pupils of the school who were still enrolled at Higher Side at the time its closure were transferred to its replacement Knowsley Park Centre for Learning (now The Prescot School) based on Knowsley Park Lane, Prescot.

- St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy, Whiston, Cumber Lane.

Closed, relocated and rebuilt behind the former Knowsley Higher Side Comprehensive School on Cumber Lane. Renamed as 'St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Centre for Learning' for a while. The original St Edmund Arrowsmith Building on Scotchbarn Lane was retained for several years and redeveloped as a youth training academy, but has also since been demolished.

## Notable people

- Alan Allport, historian

- Peter Briggs, screenwriter

- Melanie C, singer, "Sporty Spice" of the Spice Girls

- Martin Dwyer, jockey

- Steven Gerrard, footballer

- Steve Hampson, rugby league player

- Jamie Harrison, cricketer

- Craig Hignett, footballer

- Martin Kelly, footballer

- David Leather, cricketer

- Stuart Maconie, radio presenter and author

- Kym Marsh, actress and singer

- Conor McAleny, footballer

- Dave McCabe, lead singer and guitarist of The Zutons

- Natalie McCool, songwriter and musician

- Rachel McDowall, actress

- James Roby, rugby league player

- Willy Russell, screenwriter and playwright

- Matty Smith, rugby league player

- William Snowden, cricketer

- Mark Ward, footballer


# 2024–25 UEFA Champions League league phase

## Abstract

The 2024–25 UEFA Champions League league phase will begin on 17 September 2024 and end on 29 January 2025. A total of 36 teams will compete in the league phase to decide the 24 places in the knockout phase of the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League.

Aston Villa, Bologna, Brest, Girona and Slovan Bratislava will make their debut appearances since the introduction of the group stage. Brest and Girona will also make their debut appearances in European football. A total of 16 national associations will be represented in the league phase.

This will be the first season with the single-league format, which replaces the group format used until the previous season. With the format change, the number of matches prior to the knockout phase will increase from 96 to 144.

## Format

Each team will play eight matches, four at home and four away, against eight different opponents, with all 36 teams ranked in a single league table. Teams will be separated into four pots based on their 2024 UEFA club coefficients, and each team will play two teams from each of the four pots – one at home and one away. The top eight ranked teams will receive a bye to the round of 16. The teams ranked from 9th to 24th will contest the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th are eliminated from all competitions, with no access to the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League.

### Tiebreakers

Teams will be ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are equal on points upon completion of the league phase, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:

- Goal difference;

- Goals scored;

- Away goals scored;

- Wins;

- Away wins;

- Higher number of points obtained collectively by league phase opponents;

- Superior collective goal difference of league phase opponents;

- Higher number of goals scored collectively by league phase opponents;

- Lower disciplinary points total (direct red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);

- UEFA club coefficient.

## Teams and seeding

The 36 teams were divided into four pots of nine teams each, with the Champions League title holders automatically placed as the top seed of pot 1. All remaining teams were allocated to pots based on their 2024 UEFA club coefficients. The participants include:

- 29 teams which entered at this stage

- 7 winners of the play-off round (5 from the Champions Path, 2 from the League Path)

Notes

## Draw

The draw for the league phase pairings was held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 29 August 2024, 18:00 CEST. All 36 teams were manually drawn using physical balls. For every team manually drawn, automated software digitally drew their opponents at random, determining which of their matches were at home and which ones away. Each team will face two opponents from each of the four pots, one of which they will face at home and one away. Teams could not face opponents from their own association, and could only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association. The draw started with Pot 1, assigning opponents to all teams, one after the other, and continued with the other pots in descending order until all teams were assigned their opponents.

The switch to a primarily computer-based draw was made due to issues with the complexity and duration required by a manual draw. The draw software, developed by AE Live, guaranteed total randomness within the framework of the draw conditions and prevented any deadlock situations. The software was reviewed by external auditor Ernst & Young, which also provided review and control of the manual and digital draw operations on-site.

## League phase table

## Results summary

## Matches

The fixture list was announced on 31 August 2024, two days after the draw. This was to ensure no calendar clashes with teams in Europa League and Conference League playing in the same cities.

In principle, each team will not play more than two home matches or two away matches in a row, and will play one home match and one away match across both the first and last two matchdays. The matches will be played on 17–19 September (exclusive week), 1–2 October, 22–23 October, 5–6 November, 26–27 November, 10–11 December 2024, 21–22 January and 29 January 2025. All matches will be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except for the competition's exclusive week, which also includes Thursday fixtures. The scheduled kick-off times will be 18:45 (two matches on each day) and 21:00 (remaining matches) CET/CEST. The only exception is the final matchday, where all fixtures will be played simultaneously at 21:00.

Times are CET or CEST, as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

### Matchday 1

### Matchday 2

### Matchday 3

### Matchday 4

### Matchday 5

### Matchday 6

### Matchday 7

### Matchday 8


INSEEC Business School

# INSEEC Business School

## Abstract

The INSEEC School of Business and Economics (French pronunciation: /ɪnsɛk/; French meaning of the acronym INSEEC: Institut des Hautes Études Economiques et Commerciales; English: Institute of Higher Studies in Economics and Commerce) is a French private business school grande école and a member of the French Conférence des grandes écoles (CGE).

The school has French, European and international campuses in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Chambéry, Beaune, London, Monaco, Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux, Madrid, Barcelona, Abidjan and Shanghai as well as San Francisco. It was previously called the INSEEC Business School until its renaming in 2019.

Founded in 1975 by José Soubiran in Bordeaux, the INSEEC School of Business and Economics grew gradually by acquiring other academic institutions in business administration, economics, engineering, design, social and political science in France and abroad.

INSEEC Grande Ecole is the founding school of the French private university INSEEC U now called OMNES Education.

## History

The Grande Ecole INSEEC School of Business & Economics grew at a fast pace, and especially internationally, underpinned by Career Education Corporation until October 24, 2013. From a local School founded and based in Bordeaux, it has developed tiers with the American Education System via its Franco-American Business School: the MBA Institute - American BBA INSEEC Campus in Paris, which prepares French and International Students for an MBA in the United States, enabling them to obtain a diploma at the end, recognised both in Europe and in the US. Strong bounds have been created with several American Universities such as: Emory (Atlanta), Indiana University of Pennsylvania or San Francisco State University allowing students to dive into American Campuses.

- 1975: Founded by José Soubiran, a French businessman born in 1944, Knight of the Legion of Honour (French Order of Merit), founder of the first institute for psycho-motor skills.

- 1976: INSEEC was the first French Business School to sign an agreement with the University of California, Berkeley in 1976.

- 1983: Establishment of the School in Paris.

- 1988: the ECE (Ecole de Commerce Européenne): the European School of Business was founded in Lyon and Bordeaux.

- 1990: Establishment of a Campus in Lyon.

- 1994: Acquisition of the MBA Institute, a Franco-American Business School established in Paris since 1982, providing an American education and preparing French students to study in the best MBAs in the USA. The MBA Institute then became the American BBA INSEEC-MBA Institute, whose Director of Program is Robert Bradford, a San Francisco State University alumnus.

- 1996: INSEEC acquired Sup de pub, a former university from Havas EuroRSCG.

- 2003: The Chicago-based corporation Career Education Corporation, the leading American company in education, acquired the INSEEC Group.

- 2008: INSEEC Business School becomes a Grande Ecole, and thus member of the Conférence des Grandes Ecole at the Chapter of Management Schools.

- 2009: INSEEC starts a double-degree agreement with the Marburg University in Germany. INSEEC starts a tripartite agreement with Griffith College and the SRH Hochschule Berlin. The same year, establishment of INSEEC's incubating Junior Enterprise on the Bordeaux campus.

- 2010: The INSEEC Group purchases the International University of Monaco. INSEEC starts a partnership with Arts et Métiers ParisTech (ENSAM Engineering School).

- 2011: INSEEC starts a tripartite agreement with Tsinghua University, Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University

- 2012: The INSEEC Group buys the Consular Business School of Chambéry (ESC Chambéry) to create INSEEC Alpes Savoie Business School, an additional campus in the Alps. The incubant on-campus students' consulting association: INSEEC Conseil becomes officially Junior Enterprise -accredited, after being bestowed this label upon by the French National Confederation of Junior Enterprises.

- 2013: Career Education Corporation cedes its shares of the INSEEC Group. APAX Partners and BPI France acquires the INSEEC Group, making INSEEC's shareholders fully French again.

- 2014: Acquisition of CREA Geneva - Switzerland. Establishment of the Luxury Business Institute (LBI) in Shanghai.

- 2015: The ECE (Ecole de Commerce Européenne): the European School of Business becomes the BBA - INSEEC (BBA as for Business Bachelor), a 4-year American Bachelor curriculum. Establishment the same year of a Strategy Cluster in Lyon, specialised in Strategic Management. Establishment of INSEEC Wines & Spirits Campus in Beaune (Burgundy).

- 2016: Establishment of the Campus in San Francisco. APAX buys Schools from the American group Lauréate International, namely: EBS, ESCE, ECE, IFG and the CEPC.

- 2017: The INSEEC Group is renamed INSEEC U. The Grande Ecole INSEEC Business School becomes INSEEC School of Business and Economics. INSEEC Business School is AMBA -accredited. INSEEC U. acquires HEIP (French: Hautes Etudes Internationales et Politiques, established in 1899 as: Ecole des Hautes Etudes Sociales), a Higher Education Institute specialised in Political Science, Diplomacy and International Relations, with campuses in Paris, London and Lyon. Establishment of a Crea Geneva campus in Lausanne, Switzerland.

- 2018: HEIP (Hautes Etudes Internationales et Politiques - part of INSEEC U. Group) signs an agreement with Macquarie University in Sydney. Start of a cooperation with the European Think-Tank LEAP (French: Laboratoire Européen d'Anticipation Politique, English: European Laboratory of Political Anticipation) established in 1997 as "Europe2020" by Marie-Helene Caillol (the current president of LEAP) and Franck Biancheri, founder of the European student network AEGEE (French: Association des États Generaux de l'Europe).

- 2019: INSEEC U. valued at almost 1 billion Euros and becomes the first French unicorn in higher Education. The CINVEN fund buys INSEEC U. from APAX. Cooperation initiated with the Citris Foundry, an innovation and start-up incubator on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, with the HAX accelerator founded by the French entrepreneur Cyril Ebersweiler and Sean O'Sullivan, with the American multinational Sales Force, and with the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute as part of the Art + Tech programme of INSEEC U.

- 2020: INSEEC U. becomes financially the strongest Business School in France.

- 2021: INSEEC U. is renamed as OMNES Education.

- 2022: Acquisition of the EU Business School Group by OMNES Education, with campuses in Barcelona, Geneva (which is now the second campus of OMNES in Geneva), Montreux and Munich. The same year, acquisition of Centro de estudios de innovacion - a School in Marketing and Design in Madrid, Spain.

- 2023: Opening of a new campus in Brittany, in the city of Rennes.

## Values

INSEEC's values, like most other French Grande Ecoles, revolve around the humanism of the French Enlightenment era and the School of Thought of French Humanism as well as the French Renaissance. As such, French Grande Ecole Educational Institutions follow principles of universalism, knowledge emancipation and Cartesianism, following the influence of the French Encyclopedists of the 17th century.

This has led to pedagogic influences into INSEEC's Grande Ecole curriculum such as the compulsory "humanist internship", as part of which students have to carry out a work placement in a charity or an association. Other pedagogic unique features of Grande Ecole and INSEEC which are typically French and ensue from the French Enlightenment: the teaching of general culture which represents a third of the first year Grande Ecole curriculum for Freshmen. Double-degrees in law, anthropology, philosophy and humanities in general is also possible via partnerships with Bordeaux University or the UVSQ (Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University / University of Versailles / University of Paris Saclay).

## Campuses

The INSEEC Business School has campuses in:

- Paris (several campuses)

- Bordeaux (several campuses)

- Lyon

- Chambéry (in the French Alps)

- Beaune (in Burgundy)

- Rennes (Brittany)

- London, United Kingdom

- Monaco, Monaco (French Riviera)

- Geneva, Switzerland (several campuses)

- Lausanne, Switzerland

- Marseille, France

- Montreux, Switzerland

- Munich, Germany

- Madrid, Spain

- Barcelona, Spain

- Shanghai, China

- San Francisco, United States (several campuses)

- Abidjan, Ivory Coast

## Academic curricula

### Grande Ecole academic features

The Grande Ecole INSEEC School of Business & Economics provides provides Grande-Ecole degrees, i.e. solely Master's Degrees, MBAs and PhDs (Grande Ecoles do not bestow diploma lower than a European Master's degree level). OMNES Education provides bachelor's degree, non-Grande Ecole Master's degrees, Grande-Ecole Master's Degrees, MBAs and Diploma, as some Schools of the OMNES group are not Grande Ecoles. A Grande Ecole, literally "Great School", is a higher education institution and part of a French league of universities, which select students via national competitive entrance examinations (in French: concours) to safeguard meritocracy and impartiality.

#### National competitive examinations as prerequesite of French Grande Ecoles

One of the prerequesite of a Grande Ecole (along with having the Grande Ecole -label), is to select students via national competitive examinations. The latter are well-acknowledged to be particularly stringent. While students prepare for these National Competitive examinations right after their high school diploma (often obtained with a magna cum laude or summa cum laude) during a two-year preparatory programme in high schools proposing such curricula; some other students will start an Undergraduate or Bachelor's degree and prepare for the national Competitive examinations along their studies at Universities or private Colleges in France or abroad. Both pathways have their own advantages and drawbacks.

For candidates coming from preparatory classes, the French national competitive examinations are organised in pools of examinations (Banque de Concours d'Épreuves). INSEEC belongs to the BCE pool. Grande Ecoles only deliver master's degree, with curricula which vary from 3 years up to 2 years (3 years, after successful completion of the national competitive examinations after an Undergraduate Degree-level; 2 years after successful completion of the national entrance competitive examination at a Bachelor-Degree level).

The most selective will enroll less than 10% of candidates, i.e. 90% of candidates are bound to fail, not because they are perform poorly, but because a handful of students performed better, which is in itself, the principle of a competitive examination. In some Grande Ecole, it is possible to retake a Grande Ecole national competitive examination as many as one wishes, whereas some others limit the possibilities to retake the examination to a maximum of three times.

### Curriculum and academic features

#### First Grande Ecole academic year (equivalent to the last year of a European Bacherlor's degree)

During the first Grande Ecole academic year, which is the equivalent of a Bachelor (sometimes referred to in French as Licence 3 or abbreviated L3), an induction week will take place, followed by a typical student orientation.

Throughout this week, groups of students will have to work out a project, not obviously dealing with business and economics, which will have to be presented along with a report in front of a panel of professors. The goal is to foster group work, team spirit, break the ice among first year students, meet milestones deliverables and train student to defend a thesis in front of a jury, in an academic and corporate way.

At the end of the first year, students have to complete the "Corporate Ethnological Mission". As part of this mission, students form groups and have to draw lots for a randomised subject, which they will have to study in an ethnological fashion. The students' group will be chaperoned by a professor and will have to deliver a Thesis -like report after thorough experts' interviews and literature research, which will be defended in front of a jury during a Viva Voce.

The Grande Ecole INSEEC School of Business and Economics proposes an elective one-week intensive military training with the National Active Non-Commissioned Officers School (ENSOA), a French military academy. This military training often takes place at the end of the first Grande Ecole academic year.

During the first year, students will study from scratch or study again the fundamentals of Business and Management until the first semester of the second academic year, as some new enrolled students do not always have an academic background in business studies. Indeed, as long as you pass the National selective examination with a successfully validated undergraduate degree or bachelor's degree, you can get enrolled in a Grande Ecole. General culture plays a prominent role in the first year of the Grande Ecole curriculum and represents a third of all classes.

Studying in a partner university abroad, or on one INSEEC's campuses abroad is possible during the first year.

#### Second Grande Ecole academic year (equivalent to the first year of a European Master's degree)

During the second semester of the second academic year, students can specialize in a major of their own liking: Corporate Finance and Accounting, Market Finance, Strategic Marketing, Operational Marketing, Communication and Public Relations, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management. Further Specialization is possible too in terms of Languages (Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Arabic) or else. Studying abroad is possible during this year too, so is studying in another university branch of the OMNES Education group.

During, the second year, INSEEC organises across all its campuses an INSEEC Business Games too.

#### Third Grande Ecole academic year (equivalent to the second and last year of a European Master's degree)

During this third and last year, students who remained in France have a strong academic focus on their major during the first semester. During this same semester, Professor-Researchers from their respective INSEEC laboratories will teach quantitive and qualitative tools for research-purposes, in order to prepare students in advance for their Grande Ecole Master's Thesis; before the start of the second semester, during which students will carry out their last compulsory internship. At the end of the INSEEC Grande Ecole curriculum, students must have carried out a minimum of 11 months of compulsory internship (with an average of 11,82 months during the academic years 2017 and 2020) and a maximum of 41 months; and must have spent at least 6 months abroad, without exceeding a maximum of 41 months either.

The third Grande Ecole academic year is also the main year (but not the only one) for Erasmus exchanges, semesters abroad and Double-Master's Degrees with partner universities.

Since 2007, during the third academic year, the Crisis Management Night takes place, during which students are trained to react to crisis situations. Students will come to the School's campus at 10pm and until dawn will have to form groups in order to solve problems, following pre-defined scenarios prepared by the faculty. Changes to the scenario happen every hour and students must provide deliverables throughout the night, as per defined milestones. Students studying abroad from a partner university are exempted from this programme. Students from other Higher Education Institutions, such as the student magistrates from the Bordeaux National School for the Judiciary (in French: Ecole National de la Magistrature) are invited to the Crisis Night.

Along those lines, as part of the main final examinations at INSEEC, a Viva Voce, in French: Grand Oral (often abbreviated as: Grand O') must be taken in order to complete graduation, during which every students will randomly be attributed a subject to present and defend in front of a jury. Many Grandes Ecoles use Grande Oral as part of their selective examinations or final examinations.

## Agreements

INSEEC has woven a network of 183 partner-Universities in 41 countries and 300 international students hosted throughout the OMNES Education campuses every year. In total, the whole INSEEC gathers 515 international academic agreements. In 2016, INSEEC Business School was the fourth Grande Ecole in France with the highest number of students studying abroad.

### Agreements

- The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

- Georgetown University, Washington D.C.

- University of California, Berkeley

- Sorbonne University - Paris

- Panthéon Assas University - Paris

- Renmin University - Beijing (人民大学 - 北京)

- Fudan University (复旦大学)

- University of Shanghai (上海大学)

- University of International Business and Economics - Beijing (对外经济贸易大学)

- Copenhagen Business School

- Grande Ecole Engineering School: École centrale d'électronique

- HEIP (School of Higher International and Political Studies, French: Hautes Etudes Internationales et Politiques), formerly named School of Higher Social Studies (French: École des hautes études sociales) founded in 1894 by Dick May. The Graduate and Doctoral School of HEIP: Center for Diplomatic & Strategic Studies (CEDS) Paris

- The Graduate and Doctoral School of HEIP: Center for Diplomatic & Strategic Studies (CEDS) Paris

### Dual Degrees and Tripartite Degrees

- Tsinghua University (清华大学),

- The UVSQ (Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University / University of Versailles / University of Paris Saclay) for Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate of Business.

- Bordeaux University,

- International University of Monaco

- University of Granada

- SRH Hochschule Berlin

- Macquarie University

- University of Marburg (ACQUIN -accredited)

- Aarhus University, School of Business and Social Sciences: triple crown (AMBA, AACSB, EFMD) double Master's Degree partner university

- HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management (AASCB and ACQUIN -accredited)

- Arts et Métiers ParisTech (ENSAM Engineering School)

- École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the "Special Military School of Saint-Cyr") – often referred to as Saint-Cyr, is the foremost French military academy

- ISM University of Management and Economics

- Assumption University of Thailand

- RWTH Aachen

## Rankings

INSEEC Business School ranked 7th out of 60 universities in a ranking from Canévet & Associates, a French consultancy. The main criterion of the ranking was the employability of alumni in the top 25 most attractive companies in France.

In the table below, the Grande Ecole INSEEC School of Business & Economics ranks in average 21st (weighted arithmetic mean) best Grande Ecole Business School in France from 2008 until 2022 by the following magazines, consulting companies and institutions: L'Etudiant Magazine, Le Figaro, Challenges, Le Point, Le Parisien, SMBG / Eduniversal, SIGEM (French Integration System for Grandes Ecoles of Management via Preparatory Classes).

INSEEC's worst ranking was given by the French magazine Le Point for the year 2009: 36th and best ranked by the French magazine Challenge in 2008: 12th followed by the French daily Newspaper Le Parisien in 2012 and again in 2013 (13th). All maximum ranking values are written in bold in the chart below, for each issuer, and all worst rankings are underlined. The total amount of French Grande Ecole Business Schools fluctuates yearly owing to several reasons. First, the Grande Ecole parent organisation (Conférence des Grandes Ecoles) has been continuously integrating new members by bestowing its Grande Ecole-label upon these new Business Schools. Second, along this phenomenon, the French Grande Ecole Business Schools ' landscape has witnessed an unprecedented trend of inter-schools mergers and acquisitions. In short, the average total number of French Grande Ecole Business Schools oscillates up to roughly 40 Schools, but can overtake this value. For instance, in its ranking published in the year 1999, Le Nouvel Economiste ranked up to 51 Grande Ecole Business Schools.

Other sister-Business Schools of the INSEEC School of Business & Economics, such as the EBS - European Business School (European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) -accredited) ranked 92nd best worldwide in the professional ranking of world universities compiled by the French Engineering Grande Ecole Paris Mines in 2011. This ranking is based on the number of alumni currently holding the position of CEO in one of the 500 largest companies in the world according to the Fortune Global 500 ranking established by the American business magazine Fortune.

## Campus life

### Students' associations

Similarly to many French Grande Ecoles, INSEEC School of Business & Economics hosts more than 30 students' associations on-campus which spans a wide array of missions: charity, gourmet food, wine, sports, arts, digital media, debate, video games, to cite a few.

The students' association landscape in most French Grande Ecole revolves around three major associations: BDE (Bureau des Etudiants, in French: Students' Association), BDS (Bureau des Sports, in French: the Association of Sports), BDA (Bureau des Arts, in French: the Association of Arts) following a one-year rotation via elections. Any students on-campus can vote to elect a team led by a president and vice-president for each BDE, BDS and BDA. The BDE is in charge of organising students' life in general, for example: students' well-being on-campus, discounts at local restaurants or shops around the school, students' night life. The BDS and BDA embody a similar role but will organise activities: Sports for the BDS (sports events, students' rugby league, sailing classes, cruises & events for students of the OMNES Education 's Schools, sailing competitions against other Grande Ecoles such as The EDHEC Sailing Cup ("ESC") (Course Croisière EDHEC or "CCE" in French) is the leading student sporting event in Europe and the world's biggest intercollegiate offshore regatta) and the Arts for the BDA (on-campus concerts, events, visits of museums, cinema on-campus, classes of theatrical performance at the National Theatre of Bordeaux).

As usual in most Grande Ecole, a Gala soirée is organised once every academic year - not to be confused with the graduation ceremony. Usually, an on-campus student association is solely dedicated to organise this annual event. At INSEEC, the election results of a BDE (Bureau des Etudiants, in French: Students' Association) unfolds during the yearly Gala soirée evening.

### Online and on-campus broadcasting services

INSEEC also broadcasts its own media stream: INSEEC TV, consisting in short videos about Economics, Business, Political Science, Sociology and Pedagogy, where academic experts from the OMNES Education institution or from the Research Laboratories the INSEEC School of Business & Economics can debate, share new ideas or present their latest academic research.

### Start-ups and spin-offs incubators

INSEEC hosts 6 business incubators along with Junior Entreprises. A Junior Enterprise is a typical Students' founded incubating campus-based association, which business model is based upon consulting services provided to local customers, where student's are in charge of its profitability and management. The management team's turnover of such on-campus micro-enterprises follow academic years. Junior Enterprises are often found on Grande Ecole campuses, although not exclusive to Grande Ecoles.

Companies incubators such as the Incub'INSEEC (also called Innov'INSEEC) in Paris and Bordeaux differ from Junior Entreprises (often called: Junior, by students in France), as their goal is not to create an on-campus entrepreneurial association in consulting, but rather to foster entrepreneurship by helping alumni and current students to establish their own start-up. Incub'INSEEC will provide infrastructures, workshops, conferences, commodities, communication networks in order to underpin students' and alumni's nascent entrepreneurial projects. Junior Entreprise follow a different set of rules and prerequisites. Unlike companies stemming from Innov'INSEEC, they are no spin-offs. They are dedicated to students in order to sharpen their entrepreunarial spirit and put into practise their theoretical knowledge. As such, students will have to carry out assignments (called missions) for local customers, such as accountancy and finance audits, consulting services in communication and marketing. Another distinctive feature of Junior Entreprise: they need to pass several years of testing and audits in order to be certified by a National Organisation as Junior Entreprise. They are bestowed upon this accreditation by the French National Confederation of Junior Enterprises (in French: Confédération nationale des Junior-Entreprises - CNJE) founded in 1969.

### INSEEC Junior Enterprise

The first Junior Entreprise of INSEEC is INSEEC Conseil on the Bordeaux Campus of the Grande Ecole INSEEC School of Business & Economics, which officially became a Junior Entreprise-accredited by the French National Confederation of Junior Enterprises in 2012. Amongst its most notorious customers, it counts the French transnational company Veolia in Transport, Water and Waste Treatment or the multinational company in accounting services KPMG, Coca-Cola or France second biggest regional daily press in terms of issuance in 2019, the Bordeaux-based Sud-Ouest newspaper. As Junior Enterprises are associations, they can get sponsors. INSEEC Conseil is sponsored by the French Bank: BNP Paribas, the world's eighth largest bank by total assets.

### Bloomberg Terminal

For training-purposes, a Bloomberg trading room is available on the Campus of Paris and Bordeaux, for students enrolled in the Financial Markets major, during the last year of the Grande Ecole Curriculum. A Bloomberg Aptitude Test can be taken on both campus too.

### Paris Leadership Week

Twice a year, during the second and last year of Master's degrees students, experts in geopolitics and in management, as well as senior executives are invited to talk in English and in French, about the latest management method and trends, and latest geopolitical developments on the international scene. The impact of management on society is discussed, but also the inter-dependences of each academic disciplines. Key-note speakers are usually senior executives from SMEs and multinational corporations working in fields such as Finance, Sports management, Marketing, Business Development, Human Resources; but also management experts, consultants, sociologists and experts in international affairs.

### Inter-campus debates and rhetoric contests.

Debates and rhetoric competitions are organised on-campus, but also inter-campus, where INSEEC can compete against other Schools of the OMNES Education group, along with courses in eloquence given at INSEEC's campuses.

### Optional military training

The Grande Ecole INSEEC School of Business and Economics holds a one-week intensive military training with the National Active Non-Commissioned Officers School.

### INSEEC Business Games

Every year, students enrolled in the second semester of the Grande Ecole Master's degree first academic year will attend the Business Games, which is an on-campus event, during which students are confronted to a business case, but are free in the way they can appraise and solve it. The Business Games last a week, are not inter-campus Games and bestow the best teams in a general ranking, and according to a specific ranking too, in which the teams which performed the best in either Marketing, Sales, Finance / Accounting or Strategy will be bestowed upon a prize from a Jury composed of Scholars and Executives invited on-campus for the occasion.

## Notable alumni

- Michel Landel, born in Meknes, Morocco. He was the CEO, Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Sodexo until January 2018.

- Jacques-Antoine Granjon, French entrepreneur and CEO of Veepee

- Arthur Sadoun, French businessman, chairman & CEO of Publicis Group

- Christophe Blanchet, Politician and Deputy at the French National Assembly

- Julien Noble, President of international Marketing at the global headquarters of Universal Pictures.

- Sébastien Missoffe, Vice President & Managing Director France at Google

- Olivier de Muret de Labouret, Group Consolidation Manager at Kering, and founder of INSEEC's incubating Junior Enterprise on the Bordeaux campus in 2009.

- Sophie Boardman, Vice President of Products at Gaynor Minden.

- Jean-François Raudin, General Manager France at Air Canada

- Victoria Dellinger, Public Relations and Partnerships Officer of the UNESCO (United Nations)

- Laura Georges, former professional football player

- William Rozé, Member of the Capgemini Group Executive Committee and former CEO of Altran (now called: Capgemini Engineering)

- Arnaud Deschamps, vice-president at Nestlé | Head of Nescafé Dolce Gusto

- Cyril Baillardran, CEO at Canelés Baillardran

- Stanislas de Bentzmann, cofounder of Devoteam and former director of KEDGE Business School

- Philippe Claverol, Vice-president - Sales and Marketing - Stellantis

- Frédéric Grangié, President of Chanel Watches and Jewelry

- Georges-Mohamed Chérif, Founder, CEO and artistic director of Buzzman

- François Castro-Lana, co-founder of Creapills

- Vanessa Moungar, Franco - Chadian executive, INSEEC and Harvard alumnus. Head of diversity and inclusion at LVMH Director of the Gender, Women and Civil Society Department at the African Development Bank in July 2017. Appointed to the Presidential Council for Africa in 2017 of French President Emmanuel Macron.

- Head of diversity and inclusion at LVMH

- Director of the Gender, Women and Civil Society Department at the African Development Bank in July 2017.

- Appointed to the Presidential Council for Africa in 2017 of French President Emmanuel Macron.

## Alumni network

There are around 40,000 INSEEC Alumni registered on LinkedIn, and 100,000 according to the ADI (The INSEEC Alumni Association, in French: Association des Anciens de l'INSEEC).

INSEEC was in September 2016 the sixth French Grande Ecole with the largest alumni network on LinkedIn.

The three largest employers of INSEEC alumni in 2022 were Crédit Agricole, BNP Paribas and AXA.

In the ranking 2021 of L'Etudiant, the Grande Ecole INSEEC School of Business & Economics reached a grade of 4 out of 5, the equivalent of a magna cum laude in terms of its alumni network potency which reached in 2020: 58,880.

## Notable faculty

With 77% of prominent professors amongst its faculty staff, the Grande Ecole INSEEC School of Business & Economics received the grade 5 out of 5, the highest grade given by L'Etudiant, the equivalent of a summa cum laude. INSEEC's faculty is composed of full-time faculty/researchers, full-time faculty/teaching faculty, adjunct professors, visiting lecturers and guests professors.

- Sylvie Faucheux, Director of Research and Academic Innovation, is an Economist and Professor / Researcher in the Economics of Sustainability, Sustainable Innovation, Management of smart cities, the Economics of Ecodistricts and Green Building. She is a knight of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques, a member of the Ordre national du Mérite, a knight of the Legion of Honour and holds the Marianne d'Or award of year 2009 for her actions in favour of sustainable development.

- Erik Orsenna (second from the left), President of OMNES Education 's Academic Advisory Board, here with French President Emmanuel Macron and former Minister of Culture Françoise Nyssen. Orsenna is a London School of Economics and Science-Po Paris graduate in Philosophy, Economics and Political Science, he was a close collaborator of François Mitterrand and held several government positions in the 1980s and 1990s. He is a member of the Conseil d'État and of the Académie Française.

- Christine Albanel, President of OMNES Education 's Research Responsible Advisory Board. She is a French politician and civil servant. From May 2007 to June 2009, she was France's Minister for Culture and Communication in François Fillon 's government.

- Fathallah Sijilmassi is a Moroccan politician and economist. He is the current Secretary General of the secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean.

- Marie-Hélène Caillol is a professor in Geopolitics, Sociology, Anticipation and Political Science. She is an analyst of the global systemic transition and crisis as well as a specialist in European, Mediterranean and international affairs. With Franck Biancheri, she is the co-founder of the European Think-Tank LEAP (French: Laboratoire Européen d'Anticipation Politique, English: European Laboratory of Political Anticipation) established in 1997 as "Europe2020" and is the current President of it.

- Mary Teuw Niane is a Doctor in Mathematics, Minister of Education, Innovation and Research (from 2012 until 2019), he is currently Professor at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal.

- Gilles Moutiers, is a Doctor in Physics, Senior Expert and Programme Director in Global Security and Embedded Systems at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. He is also Chief Editor of the scientific journal European Physical Journal, Nuclear sciences and technologies section.

## Research

With originally two main research laboratories: one in Paris and one in Bordeaux, INSEEC has 5 research centres since it became the INSEEC School of Business & Economics (part of the OMNES Eductation institution). Full-time faculty researchers are fully employed by INSEEC's Research Institute on one of the INSEEC's Research Laboratory (on the campus of Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon or Monaco). At the Grande Ecole INSEEC School of Business & Economics, 98% of professors were doctors and 46% of them hold a PhD from abroad, according to the French magazine L'Etudiant recorded for the academic year 2018/2019, i.e. faculty staff holding a PhD, obtained in France or abroad and working as permanent professor on-campus at least 4 days a week.

Research at INSEEC revolves around the following fields:

- Risk forecasting and assessment in complex environments: Governance, risk and value creation, Finance and innovation, Mathematical models for scientific and financial purposes, Finance and economics in an era undergoing rapid global changes, Financial services, corporate governance and risk management.

- Governance, risk and value creation,

- Finance and innovation,

- Mathematical models for scientific and financial purposes,

- Finance and economics in an era undergoing rapid global changes,

- Financial services, corporate governance and risk management.

- Social transition and emergent behaviours: Social transition and emergent consumer behaviours, Consumption in a globalised and digitalised world, Smart city sensors (in cooperation with OMNES Education 's Grande Ecole Engineering School: ECE, as part of the "PI- ECE ", in French: Programme interdisciplinaire ECE; in English: ECE 's interdisciplinary research programme), International Management, Sustainability, Luxury and Hospitality.

- Social transition and emergent consumer behaviours,

- Consumption in a globalised and digitalised world,

- Smart city sensors (in cooperation with OMNES Education 's Grande Ecole Engineering School: ECE, as part of the "PI- ECE ", in French: Programme interdisciplinaire ECE; in English: ECE 's interdisciplinary research programme),

- International Management,

- Sustainability, Luxury and Hospitality.

- Creation and innovation: Social transition and emergent consumer behaviours, Consumption in a globalised and digitalised world, Smart city sensors, Innovative processes and emergent behaviours in a globalised world, Innovative luxury consumer experience management and emerging consumers behaviours.

- Social transition and emergent consumer behaviours,

- Consumption in a globalised and digitalised world,

- Smart city sensors,

- Innovative processes and emergent behaviours in a globalised world,

- Innovative luxury consumer experience management and emerging consumers behaviours.

- Smart interactions: Networks, interactions and their geography, Consumption in a globalised and digitalised world, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (in cooperation with OMNES Education's Grande Ecole Engineering School: ECE), Global value chains, distribution & Supply Chains, Globalisation challenges for SMEs in finance, hospitability and luxury.

- Networks, interactions and their geography,

- Consumption in a globalised and digitalised world,

- Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (in cooperation with OMNES Education's Grande Ecole Engineering School: ECE),

- Global value chains, distribution & Supply Chains,

- Globalisation challenges for SMEs in finance, hospitability and luxury.

According to the Magazine L'Etudiant in its yearly rankings, the quality of research articles is categorised into 5 levels of quality:

- 1*: the most prestigious level. L'Etudiant will take into account the number of articles published from 2017 until 2019 in the Scientific Journals ranked 1e, 1g and 1eg by the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and 1* by the FNEGE (French National Foundation for Management Education) The lower-tier research publications are taken into account separately by L'Etudiant, i.e. categories: 2, 3, 4.

- L'Etudiant will take into account the number of articles published from 2017 until 2019 in the Scientific Journals ranked 1e, 1g and 1eg by the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and 1* by the FNEGE (French National Foundation for Management Education)

- The lower-tier research publications are taken into account separately by L'Etudiant, i.e. categories: 2, 3, 4.

- INSEEC is a M-accredited Business School, according to the French Magazine L'Etudiant. The M-label means that the Business School considered is able to deliver Master's degrees of Science or of Arts and is involved in Research activities.

- The M-label means that the Business School considered is able to deliver Master's degrees of Science or of Arts and is involved in Research activities.

- Research productivity: The INSEEC School of Business and Economics has been bestowed upon the grade 12,2 out of 20, the equivalent of a cum laude (3 Points out of 5) by the French Magazine L'Etudiant in terms of Research Productivity in 2021. The criterion " Research Productivity " is a ranking criterion taking into account the number of articles and their quality published by professors a considered Business School within the last three years, in that case: from the 1 January 2017 until 31 December 2019. Those publications must be affiliated to the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and FNEGE (French National Foundation for Management Education), the whole divided by the Business School's numbers of students. This criterion indicates the performance of the School according to its size.

- The criterion " Research Productivity " is a ranking criterion taking into account the number of articles and their quality published by professors a considered Business School within the last three years, in that case: from the 1 January 2017 until 31 December 2019. Those publications must be affiliated to the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and FNEGE (French National Foundation for Management Education), the whole divided by the Business School's numbers of students. This criterion indicates the performance of the School according to its size.

- Research potency / output: The INSEEC School of Business and Economics has been bestowed upon the distinction " Very Good " and a grade of 4 out 5, the equivalent of a magna cum laude, by the French Magazine L'Etudiant in 2021. The criterion " Research potency / output " takes into account the number and the quality of research articles of the last three years, i.e. 1 January 2017 until 31 December 2019. Those publications must be affiliated to the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and FNEGE (French National Foundation for Management Education), ranging from category 1* being the most prestigious scientific literature publishers to 4, being the least prestigious. The intermediate prestige-tiers are ranked in descending order of importance: 1, 2, 3. This criterion enables big performers, i.e. large schools with significant Research resources to stand out in terms of quality and quantity of submitted scientific papers.

- The criterion " Research potency / output " takes into account the number and the quality of research articles of the last three years, i.e. 1 January 2017 until 31 December 2019. Those publications must be affiliated to the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and FNEGE (French National Foundation for Management Education), ranging from category 1* being the most prestigious scientific literature publishers to 4, being the least prestigious. The intermediate prestige-tiers are ranked in descending order of importance: 1, 2, 3. This criterion enables big performers, i.e. large schools with significant Research resources to stand out in terms of quality and quantity of submitted scientific papers.

The Research Laboratories of the Grande Ecole INSEEC School of Business & Economics are part of a larger construct involving the whole OMNES Education. The Research Network of OMNES Education involves Grande Ecole Business Schools & Engineering Schools throughout several French & European Research Laboratories. The research topics revolve around the OMNES Education 's core specialties and academic offer. The cornerstones of Research at INSEEC are twofold: multidisciplinarity and transversal syllabi, in order to foster knowledge cross-seeding and bridge synergies between laboratories and faculty staff. The PI-ECE (ECE- Lyon Interdisciplinary Program), focusing on Smart City sensors, exemplifies these two pillars well.

In total, there are five research laboratories for nine campuses, which involve around 120 Research Professors. During the first year of the Grande Ecole Master's Degree, students can carry out an introductory course in the form of a pedagogic project (called in French Mission de Recherche, in English: Research Mission), in a research subject of their own liking amongst the INSEEC research specialities, where the-said students will be chaperoned by a Professor Researcher during several weeks. The final project will have to be defended in front of a panel of INSEEC 's researchers and professors during a Viva Voce, including the submission of a report written in a research article fashion. The same year, in other words in the run-up of the final Grande Ecole year, students are also trained by Professor Researchers to use quantitative and qualitative research tools in order to carry out and analyse as well as defend their Master's Thesis in front of a Jury, as part of the Grande Ecole final Viva Voce, which takes place along the so-called Grand Oral (Viva Voce of General Culture and often abbreviated in French as Grand O).

## Accreditation and memberships

The INSEEC School of Business and Economics is AMBA -accredited and a member of Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). It has received accreditation from the Union of Independent Grandes Écoles, EFMD, VISA (in French: Le visa du ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche, in English: Approval of the French Ministry for Higher Education and Research), DD-RS (in French: Développement durable et responsabilité sociétale, in English: Sustainability and Societal Responsibility), CEF DG (in French: Commission d'évaluation des formations et diplômes de gestion, in English: National Commission for the Evaluation of Training and Qualifications in Management), the latter enables French business schools via the decree number 2001–295 on April 4, 2001, to be accredited as a master's degree -level higher education institution.


Carl Fischer (baseball)

# Carl Fischer (baseball)

## Abstract

Charles William "Carl" Fischer (November 5, 1905 – December 10, 1963) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played seven years in Major League Baseball between 1930 and 1937. He played for the Washington Senators (1930–1932, 1937), St. Louis Browns (1932), Detroit Tigers (1933–1935), Chicago White Sox (1935), and Cleveland Indians (1937).

## Early years

Fischer was born in Medina, New York, in 1905 and attended Medina High School.

## Professional baseball

Fischer began his career in professional baseball in 1925 at age 19 with the Cambridge Canners of the Eastern Shore League. He spent parts of six seasons in the minor leagues, including stints with the Scranton Miners, Manchester Blue Sox, and Johnstown Johnnies. He was with the Newark Bears of the International League for three years from 1928 to 1930. He compiled an 18–13 record for the Bears in 1929.

Fischer played seven years in Major League Baseball between 1930 and 1937. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns. He appeared in 191 major league games, 105 as a starter, and compiled a 46–50 record with a 4.63 ERA and 376 strikeouts in 823 innings pitched.

Although his major league career ended in 1937, Fischer continued to play professional baseball for another 10 year in the minor leagues. He played for four years in the International League for the Baltimore Orioles from 1938 to 1939 and for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1939 to 1941. He next played five years in the Pacific Coast League for the Seattle Rainiers from 1942 to 1946 and for the Portland Beavers in 1946. He concluded his playing career in 1947 with the Pensacola Fliers of the Southeastern League. He also served as manager of the Selma Cloverleafs of the Southeastern League for a portion of the 1947 season. He then coached a Junior Canadian Legion team in Kitchener, Ontario.

## Later years

In 1949, after retiring from baseball, Fischer purchased a newsroom and went into business in Albion, New York. He and his wife, Grace, lived in Medina, New York. Fischer died following a heart attack at his home in Medina in 1963 at age 58.