Review

Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland 1995–2005, WarsawAleksander Kwaśniewski was one of the leading figures in European Politics. He participated in the famous “Round-Table” negotiations in Poland that finally brought the peaceful transformation of Poland and the whole Central and Eastern Europe from communism to democracy. He was co-founding member and first chairman of the Social Democratic Party of the Republic of Poland and won the presidential elections for the first time in 1995.It was under his leadership that Poland finally joined NATO in 1999. During his Presidency, he courageously confronted the past, significantly contributing to the reconciliation between the Polish, German, Jewish and Ukrainian people. Aleksander Kwaśniewski inspired the international mediation efforts during the 2004 Orange Revolution, helping the young democracy in Ukraine to prevail.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1248}

A new story of Europe.Annette Schavan, German ambassador to the Holy See, RomeOn 11th of May the Entrepreneurial School® recently welcomed a convinced European within the “Distinguished Guest” platform series of MCI Alumni & Friends.Annette Schavan. longterm Federal Minister of Education and Research in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, serves currently as the German ambassador to the Holy See.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1247}

Sebastian Kurz, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs & Chairperson-in-office at the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) The MCI had the honor to welcome the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sebastian Kurz, at the Congress Innsbruck. The event was jointly organized by the Industrial Association of Tyrol.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1242}

Economic approach for the future?Dr. Antje von Dewitz, CEO, VAUDE Sport GmbH, Tettnang/DVAUDE: is the German pronunciation of the initials of the company founder’s last name, Albrecht von Dewitz, who founded the company in 1974 in an old hops barn. The company is 100 percent family owned and operated, now in the second generation of the von Dewitz family.VAUDE Sport GmbH & Co. KG designs, produces and markets functional clothing for outdoors, backpacks and bags, sleeping bags, tents, shoes, and camping accessories.The VAUDE brand and its products stand for mountain sports expertise, innovation, and social and environmental responsibility.Since 2009 Dr. Antje von Dewitz manages the company. She bans all chemicals from the textiles and focuces on sustainability. Therefore the company has received a lot of awards for the achievement.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1228}

Eugene Young, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, US Embassy in Austria, ViennaFollowing the departure of Ambassador Wesner, Eugene Young is now Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Austria. He leads the U.S. Embassy in Austria, promoting a close and productive U.S.-Austrian partnership and furthering the friendship between the Austrian and American people.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1224}

When information becomes a global threat.Robert Tibbo, Human Rights Lawyer, Hong Kong & MontrealIn 2013, Edward Snowden was a man on the run. The National Security Agency contractor had fled his home in Hawaii with a trove of classified documents that revealed the existence of a massive domestic spying operation in the United States.In Hong Kong he was put in touch with a Canadian barrister named Robert Tibbo, who came up with a daring plan to hide Snowden in the one place no one would ever look.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1221}

How to create a dynamic organization.Hap Klopp, Co-Founder and long-time CEO of The North Face®, Executive Chairman of Obscura Digital, San FranciscoOn Tuesday, March 21, in the framework of the MCI Alumni & Friends lecture series, the Entrepreneurial School® at Management Center Innsbruck took pleasure in welcoming Hap Klopp, founder of the world-famous and highly successful outdoor brand The North Face® and as such a visiting speaker who is something of a perfect specimen of the entrepreneur.Hap Klopp started off by telling his numerous listeners something about his own personal development, including an individualism that involved the desire to take his own decisions and run his own business. That dream came true with the foundation of The North Face in 1968, which soon became one of the best and best managed outdoor companies in the world. The speaker provided an overview of developments from the company’s early years to the establishment, development and continuous grooming of a successful brand. From the beginning, the keys to success at The North Face included a commitment to innovation and continuous product development, a strong focus on quality (“quality is an attitude”) as reflected in a life-long guarantee, and motivated employees who made it possible to develop the best possible products in line with the motto: “Don’t tell them how to do it; tell them why”.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1220}

Nancy Hollander, international criminal defense lawyer in Albuquerque, New MexicoIn the frame of the MCI Alumni & Friends lecture series, the Entrepreneurial School® recently welcomed the internationally renowned lawyer Nancy Hollander, whom The New York Times has described as “terrorist lawyer” because of her commitment to people classified as public enemies or accused of terrorism.Nancy Hollander began her lecture with the startling claim that three percent of the entire population of the United States is in prison – more than, for example, in Europe. Even so-called whistleblowers, exposing truths or secrets about the government everyone should know about, are arrested. Hollander also mentioned her client Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who, on the basis of a suspected connection to al-Qaida, was imprisoned in Guantánamo. His book, consisting of letters addressed to her as his legal representative, was published as Guantánamo Diary only after seven years and partial censorship. According to Nancy Hollander, of all the Guantánamo inmates he was tortured the most severely. The lawyer considers the treatment of so-called whistleblowers and that of the privacy of citizens by the US government to be alarming. In her lecture, she even went so far as to claim that this state surveillance does not protect citizens but rather spies on them.The lecture concluded with a vigorous discussion.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1219}

Federal chancellor Christian Kern visits the Management Center Innsbruck - joint event organized with the Industrialists Union of Tyrol - making Austria fit for the future through innovation - clear commitment to a shared EuropeA great day at MCI: In a joint event organized with the Industrialists Union of Tyrol, Federal Chancellor Mag. Christian Kern was welcomed having been invited to take part in the lecture series “MCI Alumni and Friends”. Kern had already been a guest at MCI during his time as CEO of the ÖBB . Now he again accepted MCI Rector Andreas Altmann’s invitation.Federal Chancellor Kern began with a clear commitment to Austria. Appointed Chancellor 10 months ago, he wished to contribute to safeguarding social and economic achievements and to positioning Austria at the forefront of these positive developments. This aim implied an unerring commitment to change.In a diversionary lecture to students, teaching staff, numerous representatives of industry and friends and partners of MCI, Federal Chancellor Kern presented his political vision for Austria. The present era of change is based on two great forces: globalisation and technological development. Both have an enormous influence on economics and the lives of people and would also present enormous opportunities. One would, however, have to admit that many citizens have lost the ability to see these opportunities, a fact that has been abused by some political forces. Therefore Austria requires an effective social policy, focusing on solidarity and justice, work and employment as the foundations of prosperity and providing the key to numerous social aims.The aim of politics is to make Austria fit for the future. This requires future-oriented measures such as concpets concerning energy supply, financial support for startups and employment for older citizens.Subsequently he turned to the European Union, founded as an ambitious peace project and constituting the greatest global economic region with its 500 million inhabitants. He encouraged the audience not to let nationalism determine the further development of the European Union. His commitment is to a strong Austria within a strong Europe. The Europe of the future must be a Europe of the people and include a social perspective.He closed by quoting Bob Kennedy – “Few members of our generation are granted the opportunity to make a difference and make history” and stating that“This cannot be achieved by the Chancellor alone. But it is the experience and commitment of many individuals that determines the fate of the masses.”>>> Einladung{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1213}

Professor Cedomir Nestorovic, professor of International Marketing and director of the Executive MBA Asia-Pacific at the ESSEC Business School, SingaporeThe MCI Alumni & Friends lecture series managed to engage an excellent lecturer in the person of Prof. Cedomir Nestorovic, to talk on the topic of Islamic business.Nestorovic, presently teaching at the ESSEC Business School in Singapore, has many years of experience in geopolitics and international marketing with a particular focus on Islamic economy. Furthermore, he is the initiator of and a keynote speaker on Islamic marketing and brand development at international conferences such as the Global Islamic Marketing Conference in Dubai and Abu Dhabi or the International Conference on Islamic Marketing and Branding in Kuala Lumpur and London.He obtained a significant award in 2012, when the Financial Times named him “Professor of the Week” for is contribution to the lexicon on Islamic finance.In the context of his lecture, Nestorovic addressed the various properties, regularities and changes over time of the Islamic market. He started by identifying seven segments that have a great influence on overall Muslim economy, with two fields having a special significance: the food industry (halal food) on the one hand and banking and finance (Islamic finance) on the other hand. Of all the relevant segments these have the greatest influence on Islamic economy. A peculiarity of these market segments is found in the fact that the market leaders stem from Western countries, including Nestlé and McDonald’s in the food sector and the Western Union Bank in the finance economy.Furthermore, Nestorovic identified the Islamic market as an exclusive market, presented and consequently perceived as being solely accessible to Muslims. This exclusivity reduces the number of consumers, while the Western products enter the shared market area. Nestorovic sees this as a serious future problem for Islamic economy, which is strongly influenced by Western products such as various TV formats, foods etc. Particularly new TV formats and new media shape the younger generations and sensitize their consumer behavior to Western products. Facebook and YouTube are considered the prime information sources in Muslim countries. The originally strict regulation of the media by authoritarian state leadership is thus circumvented.The fading of language barriers is perceived by the lecturer as a further problem for the Islamic market. In particular the increasing intrusion of English and French into the media reduces the barriers to Western products. In addition, these languages compete with, and threaten to displace national languages like, for example, Arabic on an intercultural level.In summary, this means that the Islamic market is presented with the great challenge to change from an exclusive market to an inclusive market. Nestorovic believes especially international marketing to provide an opportunity to overcome this problem.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1218}

Thomas Wieser, Eurogroup coordinator and president of the Eurogroup Working GroupAs part of the MCI Alumni & Friends lecture series the Entrepreneurial School® had the honor to welcome “Mr. Euro”, Thomas Wieser. He outlined the effects of the US presidential elections, Brexit and other recent events on the European economy and the currency union in an impressive lecture.The European Union and the euro: depending on one’s point of view, they represent a depressing or inspiring history. The EU has had to struggle with a number of crises in recent years, ranging from the financial crisis, which originated in the USA, to the debt crisis and finally the much-discussed Eurozone crisis. The latter is, however, not a purely inner-European issue, but affects all industrial nations. Wieser identifies specifically globalization as the driving force behind it. The entry of new, rising markets into international competition has presented a great challenge to the member states. The reaction of the EU states to these changing conditions is perceived by Wieser as being the origin of the Eurozone crisis.Has the currency union regained stability today? According to Wieser this is not yet the case. Events such as the election of Donald Trump to the presidency of the USA or Great Britain’s decision to leave the European Union present the currency union with further challenges. Specifically Brexit has far-reaching effects on the European economic landscape and will shape its future – but to the advantage of neither the United Kingdom nor the European Union. Wieser does not expect any significant steps towards greater integration and free trade in the coming years awaiting the exit of the United Kingdom in 2019. These will largely be determined by the need to negotiate the conditions for the exit.Wieser identifies the reason for the British vote to leave the EU as lying in the EU treaty, presenting a solution for all member states according to the principle of “one fits all”. This is contrasted with the necessity to offer different levels of integration – depending on the economic development and political goals of the individual member states. At the same time, Wieser considers it the individual member states’ responsibility to make the European Union a success.The subsequent vigorous discussion was moderated by Markus Walzl of the Department of Economics, University of Innsbruck, thus concluding a very successful lecture.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1215}

Walter Russell Mead, Professor of Foreign Affairs of Bard College and Yale University, Humanities Editor-at-Large at The American Interest MagazineWithin the framework of the MCI Alumni & Friends “Distinguished Guest” platform series, the Entrepreneurial School® recently welcomed Walter Russell Mead, James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs of Bard College and Yale University. Mead gave insights into the American Foreign Policy under Donald J. Trump. The professor of Foreign Affairs is also the Editor-at-Large of The American Interest magazine.From Mead’s point of view, Trump’s plan is trying to make the United States an Exporter of Energy through fracking technology. According to Mead, fracking creates a lot of jobs for Trump voters. He claimed that working class people that have no academic degree working in natural gas or oil fracking creates high paying jobs. For the Editor-at-Large at the American Interest Magazine Trump also wants to create new pipelines to transmit all the natural gas and oil to refineries and factories which would result in a myriad of high paid blue-collar and some white-collar jobs. All these promises of the new US president produce economic hope for the economic class - blue-collar Americans that are faced with declining wages and being told they don’t have a future, as Mead pointed out.“We don’t know what kind of president Donald Trump is going to be. We don’t know what some of his policies would be.” stated Mead. He explained that if someone attacks the US by terrorism or some other form of attack Trump will be under a lot of pressure to respond in a dramatic fashion. The professor of Foreign Affairs of Bard College often remembered the audience that he is no advocate of Donald Trump and that he doesn’t want to convince the audience that the possible reactions or actions of Trump would be a great idea. Instead he emphasized many times that there is an inner logic to the way that President Trump and the people who voted for him look at the world and how we may anticipate what will happen.Mead left the audience with the thought that the new American government will probably be more focused on bilateral relationships in Europe than on coordinating American policy with the EU. The event was chaired by MCI rector Andreas Altmann. A refreshing discussion afterwards rounded off Walter Russell Mead’s talk.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1216}

Johannes Kopf, CEO of the Austrian Public Employment ServiceAs part of the MCI Alumni & Friends lecture series the Entrepreneurial School® welcomed the CEO of the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS), Johannes Kopf.During his lecture, Kopf sketched the development of the Austrian labor market in recent years and identified factors that influence unemployment levels. He emphasized the 2009 world economic crisis, which resulted in the greatest increase of the unemployment rate in the last decades. Following an initial recovery of the labor market, the jobless rate has been increasing again continuously since 2012 and has now peaked at an all-time high. In a comparison of individual Austrian states, Kopf highlighted the difference between eastern and western states: Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Salzburg, and Upper Austria have an unemployment rate of less than 6.4 percent, while all other states exceed a rate of 8.2 percent. With 13.6 percent Vienna is well above average. The positive development in Tyrol is attributed to an established and successful mix of sectors. On the whole, Kopf’s view of the future is optimistic; yet he adds that “predictions are difficult, particularly when they concern the future” (Karl Valentin).The event was moderated by MCI Rector Andreas Altmann and was concluded with an interesting discussion.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1217}

Politics between holy war and European valuesProfessor Bassam Tibi, professor emeritus of International Relations at the University of Göttingen and Andrew Dickson White Professor at Cornell University, N Y; founder of the academic discipline of IslamologyIn the frame of the MCI Alumni & Friends lecture series the Entrepreneurial School® welcomed the founder of Islamology and International Relations professor emeritus of the University of Göttingen Bassam Tibi. Professor Tibi, born in Damascus, Syria and brought up in strict Islamic tradition, arrived in Germany as an 18-year-old. In the course of his studies he was strongly influenced by European values such as represented by Critical Theory, particularly by Adorno, Horkheimer, and Habermas. 20 years later he was appointed professor at Cornell University in the USA; today, he says his way of thinking is American. He therefore separates science from belief and speaks as a scholar and scientist rather than as a member of the Muslim faith.The proportion of Muslims in Europe is on the rise, additionally fueled by the migration movements of recent years. At present, 30 to 35 million Muslims live in Europe, eight million of them in France and six and a half million in Germany. At this point, Tibi makes a distinction between Islam and Islamism: Islam designates the religion (Iman), while Islamism refers to the goal of establishing a state according to Islamic principles and values (sharia). According to Tibi, the Islamic challenge can be traced to the fact that 63 percent of the Muslims living in Europe are supporters of Islamism. This occurs in essentially two forms, with the majority of Islamists supporting a peaceful variation of institutional Islamism. The means to achieve the desired Islamic state is here found in democracy. Tibi sees an example of this in President Erdogan’s Turkey. However, there is also a group of Islamists who consider jihad a legitimate means to attaining the Islamic state. Jihad as a holy war is then to be attributed to Islamism and not to Islam in general.Both institutional Islamism and jihadism endanger European values. The danger for Europe is exacerbated by the fact that European identity is not consistently perceived as inclusive identity, i.e. as an identity that is based on shared values, but also commonly understood as based on ethnicity (i.e. exclusive identity). Members of non-European ethnicities therefore find it difficult to gain access to a European identity.Islamism will at least remain an issue in Europe for the next 20 years. Professor Tibi proposes a possible solution to the problem by promoting the Europeanization of Islam as the adaptation to European values, combined with an inclusive European identity. Support for the media, politics and liberal Muslims, whose voices should be raised when Islamist acts of terror and attacks occur, is just as important as is bringing up children according to an Islam that includes European values: it has to be possible to be both a Muslim and a European.The discussion to follow was chaired by Claus Reitan, seasoned journalist and media expert, with the highest competency and professionalism.>>> Einladung{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1214}

Catherine Ladousse, Executive Director in Communications at Lenovo EMEA ParisWithin the framework of the MCI Alumni & Friends lecture series, the Entrepreneurial School® recently welcomed Catherine Ladousse, Executive Director in Communications at Lenovo EMEA Paris since 2005. Ladousse was involved in the foundation of the global “Women in Lenovo Leadership” diversity program. In her talk, she emphasized the importance of diversity for businesses and described specific measures of diversity implemented by Lenovo.From Ladousse’s point of view, diversity is the major driver for business performance. Our society, however, is largely influenced by unconscious prejudice fostered by education, culture, and socialization. In order to counteract such prejudice, we have to consciously reflect on our behavior. If we refuse to do so, society, as well as individuals, will time and again make the same faulty decisions. In the process of changing our thinking not only companies but also society and the actions of females themselves play an important role, as Ladousse pointed out. Therefore, she advises companies to rethink their attitude by drawing on so-called gender programs. In addition, Ladousse is convinced that respective measures are urgently required on a national level.Ladousse explained that Lenovo appreciates diversity as a valuable asset to the company. It facilitates the employees’ productivity and the company’s profitability through increased involvement. It sparks innovative ideas for new products and services and facilitates the development of emotional commitment to the company. Ladousse concluded her talk with a description of the four-step method of job instruction, which has been designed to ensure the implementation of diversity regulations.The event was chaired by MCI Senior Lecturer Regina Obexer, M.Ed. An inspiring debate rounded off Catherine Ladousse’s lecture.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1192}

Leadership | Succession | Chances | ChallengesMartin Wetscher, CEO of Wetscher GmbH and Avanti Furniture MarketIn the framework of the MCI Alumni & Friends lecture series, the Entrepreneurial School® was happy to welcome Martin Wetscher, head of the eponymous furnishing and planning house. In his guest lecture, the entrepreneur addressed the peculiarities of the Austrian furnishing business and explained what makes Wetscher GmbH, a family-run business in the Zillertal, special.Wetscher’s business, founded in 1912 and today run by the fourth generation of his family, belongs to the exceptions: only twelve percent of family-run businesses manage to survive for so long. Wetscher’s accomplishment is partly due to the fact that all family members have learned their craft from scratch, for one of the success factors for family businesses consists in being able to control and contribute to the performance of the business oneself. This principle applies to both the management and employees.A family-run business has a close relationship with its employees: as Wetscher pointed out, many second-generation employees are employed in his business. Such a close relation between employer and employee is both a boon and a bane. Accordingly, all decisions have to take into account what would be the best for the current and the next generation of employees alike. Thus, the implementation of changes and new structures necessary for business survival require a high level of sensitivity.In order to maintain its uniqueness, a business must, as Wetscher explained, also optimize its relation to the customer. His company has recognized the current trend towards individual living early and, thus, supports and motivates its employees to develop individual living spaces in close cooperation with their customers.The lecture was hosted by Anita Zehrer, head of the MCI Family Business Center, a joint initiative of MCI and the Tyrolean Economic Chamber. Wetscher’s talk was followed by a lively discussion on the peculiarities of family-run businesses, ranging from management issues to aspects of generational transfer and the specific challenges faced by family businesses.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1174}

The management of change.DI Dr. Georg Pölzl, CEO of the Austrian Postal Services, ViennaWithin the framework of the “Distinguished Guest” lecture series, organized by MCI Alumni & Friends, the Entrepreneurial School® welcomed the Austrian manager Georg Pölzl.After completion of his studies, Pölzl spent many years working for McKinsey. Later, he moved to the board of the machine and plant builder Binder+Co, before he became the CEO of T-Mobile Austria, Vienna. After a short stay in Germany, where he also worked for Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile Germany, he returned to Austria in 2009. Since October 2009, he has been the chairman of the executive board and general director of the Österreichische Post – the Austrian Postal Services.At the beginning of the panel discussion, MCI Professor Florian Bauer, who hosted the event, emphasized that we have arrived in a disruptive age. In a few years’ time, 50 percent of our jobs as we know them today and more than 40 percent of businesses will have ceased to exist. According to Bauer, businesses can only survive by demonstrating foresight and by reacting proactively to change.In a conversation with Professor Bauer, the general director of the Austrian Postal Services mainly spoke about the process of digitalization – the alteration of business models – and emphasized that in particular large businesses are affected by electronic substitution, confirming Bauer’s previous claim that foresight and consistent action are essential for businesses to survive on the market. Yet human values as well as the respectful and trustworthy treatment of each other are also of importance, as Pölzl added.To the question from the audience about how to deal with tunnel vision on executive boards, Georg Pölzl replied that micro-political conflicts impede organizational development and can be avoided, for example, by management training. This is crucial to ridding a business of potential conflict and to guaranteeing its positive development also in the long run. “Such a culture of feedback and performance orientation, paired with management programs, seminars, and team workshops make for an effective team with which one can get things done,” Pölzl is convinced.>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1173}

Life between extremes.Eva Lind, famous austrian sopranoAs part of the MCI Alumni & Friends lecture series the Entrepreneurial School® welcomed the famous soprano Eva Lind. When she was only 19 years old she had a sensational debut as Queen of the Night in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” at the Vienna State Opera and as Lucia in “Lucia di Lammermoor” in Basel. Since then she has had a meteoric international career and graced the stages of large operas and concert halls around the world.In a conversation with Rector Andreas Altmann, Eva Lind, who was awarded the Tyrolean Order of Merit, spoke about her career, the secret of her success and her love for Tyrol. The singer is particularly proud of her most recent success, namely the creation of the “Eva Lind Music Academy”. With this academy, she is devoting herself to the advancement of young national and international talents. In answer to a question from the audience about how to become an international star, Eva Lind stated that the most important things you need to be successful, apart from talent and luck, are commitment and persistence – these are also the qualities she would advise students to focus on, if they want to reach their life goals.The evening ended with an animated discussion between the audience and the charismatic singer. A particular highlight of the event was her invitation for the audience to come to her next concert at the “Schwazer Silbersaal” (a venue center in Schwaz).>>> Invitation{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1167}