Strict Covid-19 prevention measures and companies that generously opened their doors also during a more difficult epidemiologic situation enabled this exceptional learning experience for the International Business Management master’s students.
The first visit was made to KISKA, a leading international branding and design agency in Salzburg. Founder Gerald Kiska and Managing Partner Julian Herget together with further members of the KISKA team (Rebecca Papistock, Kim Habersatter and Alexandre Isnenghi) shared deep insights into their work and impressed the students with their positive spirit and integrated approach to branding, product design and brand communication.
The second excursion day (in Linz, Upper Austria) started at Rosenbauer International AG, the world-market leading producer of firefighting vehicles and equipment. Dr. Dieter Siegel, CEO of Rosenbauer Group, personally introduced the company strategy to the IBM students and also led a tour through the production site, in which the students could get a feeling for the highly complex manufacturing process that enables Rosenbauer to create vehicles that are perfectly customized for customers all around the world. It was a special pleasure also to meet Manuel Beißer, MA, Assistant to the CEO at Rosenbauer International AG and alumnus of the CUAS International Business Management master’s program, who helped to organize the company visit.
The afternoon was reserved for a visit at KEBA AG, a highly innovative and successful internationally active company in the field of process automation. Roman Prillinger, Vice President Sales and Chairman of the Board of KEBA China, Roland Peterseil (responsible for People, Culture and Structure at KEBA), Thomas Linde, Chief Innovation Officer, and Harald Dumhart, Technical Director at KEBA China, shared their experiences in doing business in Asia, creating a very agile form of company organization, and managing innovations in a strategic way (with unrivalled short innovation cycles) with the International Business Management students.
Besides the invaluable opportunity to learn from practicing top managers, the two excursion days in Linz were also a very welcome opportunity for the students to network and enjoy the social side of studying.
