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Sunday, January 22, 2006

W.A.Y.N.C.R.? Number 1, Bruce Cronin

Some of you who attended Auckland University in the '80s and '90s might remember my first "Where Are You Now, Campus Radical?" profile, Bruce Cronin.

Cronin is now is Director of Postgraduate Programmes at the University of Greenwich Business School, UK. He teaches on corporate strategy and business networks.

"He has researched, consulted and published on the role of business networks in strategy and innovation. He convenes the University’s Business Network Research group and is a certified consultant for the UK Cynefin Centre for Organisational Complexity. Corporate clients have included Unilever, NHS, Pearson, McGraw-Hill, The Work Foundation, and the London Knowledge Network."

Previously Cronin led the International Business programme at Massey University before moving to the UK in 2001.

"His professional affiliations include the International Advisory Board of the Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Change in Organisations, the European Academy of Management, and the International Network for Social Network Research."

Heavy stuff for a Maoist radical who stirred up at Auckland Uni for many years.

In the '80s, Cronin was involved in Auckland's Progressives Club and was AUSA International Affairs officer in 1984.

He was very close to the Workers Communist League and was probably a member. certainly, he lived for a time with Leonie Morris, a well known WCL activist.

In the late '80s he was involved with CORSO, then in '89 briefly joined Jim Anderton's, New Labour Party.

By 1990, Cronin was a research officer for the Northern Labourers Union. In 1991 he was a member (with Keith Locke) of the Editorial Group of "Agenda" magazine-which provided news and resources from a "broadly socialist viewpoint", Agenda

In the early 90s, Cronin was back on campus as a research officer for AUSA. He played a leading role in the "Education Action" protest group and was a leading member until at least 1997 of the neo-Maoist "Radical Society".

Radsoc supported Peru's notorious "Shining Path" guerillas and did things like plastering the US consulate with images of Mao and protesting outside the Peruvian embassy.

Cronin also had links to the "People's Plan for the 21st Century", a Pan Asian grouping of radical social movements. He also travelled to Manila to work with groups opposed to the Asian Development Bank and helped organise an Asia-Pacific Student Conference.

Eventually he left Auckland, for Massey University and much bigger things.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I remember him too well. Fortunately he was not the most effective in persuading people to his cause.

8:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

some graduated to more sinister groupings,however.at least 2 members joined red astion in the 1990's

2:35 AM  

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