In-depth Specialist Skills - Customer Centricity

Customer Orientation is probably among the most frequently mentioned concepts confronting today´s global competition. However, studies show that it turns out to be quite difficult to transform organizations into truly customer centred ones. During your education you will learn how to manage this by 

• understanding international markets with high complexity and dynamism
• gaining insight into (1) the behavior of customers as well as sellers and their decision behavior; (2) the subjectively perceived value of your products and services
• identifying potentials for uniqueness and competitive advantages
• deriving strategic plans for market entries or expansions
• develping 3R-programs (retention, recovery, recruitment)
• learning how to cope witch internal as well as external resistance to change, and how to transform an organization to a truly customer centred one

Interdisciplinary Skills – Entrepreneurial Thinking

In a survey conducted by us in the year 2005 we found out that Austrian CEOs and HR Managers frequently assess Marketing Managers as being well skilled in the operational field of Marketing (Advertising, Product Management, Sales), while lacking an understanding of more general financial and strategic circumstances of the corporation. Thus, you will be educated to relate your marketing actions to other departmental functions and financial aspects to make sure an ever increasing ROM (return on Marketing Investment). To master this challenge you will deepen your knowledge in Managerial Finance; Entrepreneurial Thinking; Business Simulation; or by taking classroom concepts into the real world, either into the company where you are working or another.

Social Skills – Cultural Understanding

Working alongside people from different countries and cultures will be your daily business. Thus, gaining an understanding of communalities and differences between them will be crucial for your success as will a good command of the English language. As, from a European and especially an Austrian perspective, the Eastern European and Central Asian markets are of foremost importance we predominantly concentrate on these cultures. English is not only the language of tuition. You, of course, will be intensively trained in English throughout the course, as well. Other languages like German for incoming students or Slavic languages are offered, but on an optional basis.

You will learn how to manage yourself and others, guide a group, coordinate various interdisciplinary teams on an egalitarian basis and how to utilize modern technology in doing so. Finally, you will be lectured in the economic, social and legal situation in CEE and the EURASEC. You will also be well educated in utilizing Market Research Techniques for analyzing new markets you are striving for.

Cognitive Capacities – Evidence Based Management

Many— too many — management concepts are out there, many of those again have not proved their practical usefulness, so far, or have even turned out to be ineffective, inefficient or even harmful for companies, if applied. As a successful manager you will have to be experienced in identifying the useful ones before applying them. This brings into play a way of running a business which is based on facts and evidence. You will learn how to think critically and analytically and how to increase certainty of judgment. The benchmark for this discipline is Science. You will learn the methods used by science to improve certainty on assumptions and to distinguish wishful thinking from empirical observations. In writing your master thesis you will (1) see that different opinions and pros and cons of approaches are more often the rule than its exception; (2) learn how to cope with complex questions; (3) structure them and neatly define the problem and the possible solutions; (4) theoretically and practically found your arguments and (5) finally communicate your solutions in an understandable way. This skill makes you an initiative and independent thinker who carries out reasonable actions.

Here you can find the curriculum.