Affairs Today is a student business journal that targets a global audience. Articles on the site are analysis-based, meaning that they provide insights into what is happening, why it is happening, and what the consequences will be. Contributors work with Affairs Today on a volunteer basis, new writers are always welcome. Read a sample article from the journal by checking out this interview with King Simeon II of Bulgaria.
1. What inspired the creation of Affairs Today?
While visiting the University of Edinburgh the CEO, Alexandre C. Gianasso, and I were looking for a business-related student publication. We noticed that all student publications were either too general or not student-operated. As both of us are entrepreneurial business students, we spotted the niche and decided to set up our own student business journal. To further stand out from the crowd of student journals, we decided that we are not just operating at our university or within the United Kingdom, but that we are a global student business journal.
2. How has the journal grown in its first year?
We started with two people last February. Over the first couple of months, we added a few contributors to the team. Real growth, however, occurred after we promoted our current COO, Ferdinand v. Götzen, from the role of contributor to editor-in-chief. Within a couple of month we incorporated Affairs Today Ltd., and increased our staff numbers. Now we have a constantly growing team of more than 20 contributors, and several managerial roles.
3. What are you looking for in contributors to your journal--and how does publication in Affairs Today benefit the contributors as well as the readers of the site?
All our contributors are students. That is the key point of the journal. We want to provide the best possible news analysis and content created by students. Besides being students, we are looking for people with drive who are motivated by the opportunity of achieving more than just getting a degree during their time at university. This drive together with a passion for writing and the topic they cover is what makes our contributor team special.
In return, they benefit from gaining first-hand experience in the field of journalism and developing their writing and analysis skills. Moreover, they are part of a growing start-up that might shape the journalistic scene of the 21st century.
4. What are your individual interests when it comes to your business and economics?
Personally, I want to awaken interest in students. A lot of students live their lives oblivious to current issues and what is going on in the world. I am confident that we can reach them by providing information from a student perspective. I also hope to show that there are reliable alternatives to established news outlets.
In terms of my interests in economics, I focus on financial markets and growth. Since the big crisis, the financial sector has been highly scrutinized. In addition, most mainstream media outlets have blamed only financial institutions for the crisis. This has been done by often misrepresenting facts. I hope to show that more factors were causing the crisis than just corporate greed and risk-taking.
5. Do you think that our global internet culture makes it easier for younger people to become involved in startups and other entrepreneurial business projects?
Definitely. Only 20 years ago it would have been impossible to set up a journal like Affairs Today without major financial support. Within a fortnight we managed to have everything running. That is all thanks to the global internet culture. Just looking around on a university campus also reveals how many internet-entrepreneurs there are. Two close friends of mine started their own internet-business and there are various meetings and conventions for students pursuing their dream for a tech start-up. Not only do they receive support from various sides, but most importantly from fellow-minded individuals. I think that we have to thank the global internet culture for that.
Thanks, Maximilian!
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