I received my Associate of Arts degree (A.A.) from Saddleback College, graduating at the top 5% of my class. I then transferred to California State University Fullerton (CSF) where I obtained my Bachelor's degree from CSF's Steven Mihaylo's College of Business Administration & Economics, majoring in General Management & International Business. I also spent significant time studying Philosophy & Comparative Religion.
Truly inspired by the experience of an old friend and colleague who is now also a professor in his own right (at UCSD), I decided to pursue an independent post-graduate research study at the University of Glasgow in Scotland - home of Adam Smith, father of free market capitalism, in the late 18th century.
Four years later, after further enhancing my corporate experience, I decided to return to Europe to pursue my Master's degree in a distinguished European joint-university program organized by the University of Abertay Dundee in Scotland. I successfully completed my 212-page dissertation titled, "Cashless Societies & Electronic Forms of Money: An in depth analysis of e-commerce strategies of Euro-based economies and their consequential socio-political & economic threats to national sovereignties."
I hold my European M.B.A. degree (U.S. equivalent of a Master of Science in International Business) from the University of Abertay Dundee - U.A.D. - (in Dundee, Scotland) in collaboration with École de Gestion et de Commerce (College of Management & Commerce in Angoulême, France) and University of Karlskrona/Ronneby (in Ronneby, Sweden). This was a joint-university graduate studies program organized by U.A.D in Scotland in 1998.
I have also served as an independent Post-Master's visiting researcher at the University of Edinburgh, University of St. Andrews and University of Strathclyde (all three located in Scotland), as well as a Resident Researcher at the University of Lund and at the University of Uppsala (both located in Sweden).
In addition to having lingual skills in five languages (fluent in three), I possess a strong cultural and technical proficiency in diverse international business practices and possess in-depth familiarity & first-hand experience with various European, Middle-Eastern, and Far-Eastern (Asian) socio-economic mindsets, management styles & practices, norms, values, beliefs, socio-economic traits, and general business ways and means practices.
Furthermore, I have over 20 years of supervisory, management and consulting experience (in diversified roles - depending on the nature of the project) with several Fortune 500 companies such as Toshiba (Japan), EDS (the 1992 U.S. Presidential Candidate Ross Perot's start-up), Ericsson (Sweden), Leroy Somer (France), Assa Abloy (Sweden), Deutsche Steinzeug (Germany) and Hyundai (South Korea), among others.
I currently teach at Saddleback College, Irvine Valley College, and Cypress College. In addition, I have taught at Fullerton College, Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC), Los Angeles Pierce College, Orange Coast College, University of California Irvine, University of Abertay Dundee (in Scotland), École de Gestion et de Commerce (in France), and Blekinge Tekniska Hogsköla (in Sweden), focusing on a wide array of subjects such as International Political Economy, Commerce & International Relations, International Commerce & the Geopolitics of the Middle East, Geopolitics of Petroleum & Peak Oil Theory, International Business Marketing, International Business Negotiations, Introduction to Business, Applied Management Theory, Organizational Behavior, Human Resources Management, Business Communication, Principles of Advertising, Priciples of Marketing, Business Writing, and Speech/ Business Public Speaking.
Furthermore, as a firm believer in the concept of "The Learning Campus" (i.e., learning above & beyond the classroom instruction) I have served as an active Faculty Advisor/ Events Coordinator for the following on-campus student organizations: Global Awareness Club, Amnesty International, Inter-Cultural Club (for visiting International Students), World Religion Club, Political Awareness Club, Christian Student Alliance, Persian Student Alliance, Comparative Religion Club, and the Business Entrepreneurial Club.
My other teaching endeavors consist of producing, directing, and lecturing at community educational seminars focusing on enhancing public awareness in international relations & commerce issues pertaining to various war & peace matters with a specialty in the Middle East region.
As a stern believer and an advocate of the California Community College System, I plan to pursue a second Masters degree in "Leadership in Higher Education" as well as complete my PhD in International Political Economy.
MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Minds motivated. Change cultivated. Excellence elevated and greatness will be achieved!
OTHER INTERESTS
Besides the areas listed above, I also have a keen interest and have written (and continue to write) in realms such as Judeo-Christian Gnosticism, Histo-Mythology, Astrotheology, Religious Symbology, Astropsychology, Comparative Religion, Archeoastronomy, and Alternative History.
Alexander Azadgan