MCI Impresses at Tiroler Sparkasse’s Graf Chotek Prize

2015-06-23

MCI employee Mai Anh Dao awarded 2015 prize – MCI graduate Daniela Wiesinger scoops SME Special Award for 2015

This year, the coveted prize for outstanding theses with an economics or business management element went to Mai Anh Dao for her Master's thesis “The Common Ground Phenomenon and Its Influence on Cultural Integration in M&A,” which she wrote at the University of Innsbruck School of Management and which has already won several awards. Her work explores the influence of company characteristics on the success of mergers and acquisitions. Before following her Master’s program at the University of Innsbruck, Ms. Dao completed the MCI’s Bachelor’s program in Entrepreneurship & Tourism and is now on the academic staff at the Entrepreneurship School®.

Explaining the jury’s decision, spokeswoman Prof. Dr. Anita Zehrer said: “This year saw 37 outstanding theses entered for the Tiroler Sparkasse’s Graf Chotek Prize. Ms. Dao’s work won over the jury thanks to the skill she showed in tackling the subject and her extremely thorough bibliographical research, which offered both depth and breadth and thus built on the latest research findings as well as generating significant added value for industry players. The jury felt that the winning submission was truly exemplary as it showed an excellent understanding of the academic approach.” The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Florian Bauer, Study Coordinator Strategy and Organization at the MCI and Director of the SMA Research Lab. “Company acquisitions are a key issue, not least because they are worth more in volume terms each year than the GDP of Germany, for example,” he said. “However, the success rate of acquisitions is very low at around 40 percent. In her truly exemplary thesis, Ms. Dao looked at informal coordination and was able to demonstrate that, in certain circumstances, it offers a real alternative to structured or ‘top-down’ approaches.”

The SME Special Award for 2015 went to Daniela Wieser, a graduate from the MCI’s International Business Master’s program, which is taught in English. This was in recognition of her thesis “Supply Chain Management as a Service: An Empirical Investigation in SMEs,” which studies the risks involved in procurement management.

Other nominees included Astrid Früh, Sandra Muxel, and Julia Zraunig, all three of whom completed a Master’s program in the MCI’s Tourism Department.

The Graf Chotek University Prize is sponsored by Tiroler Sparkasse and awarded every two years. It is an important initiative in support of young academics. “As a bank with over 190 years of history, we feel our responsibility also includes promoting Tyrol as a center of research,” said Dr. Hans Unterdorfer, CEO of Tiroler Sparkasse, explaining the motivation behind the award. “The Graf Chotek University Prize is designed to support hopeful, talented young individuals.” Entries are invited from the authors of theses dealing with current topics and problems in the fields of business management, economics, or social sciences and awarded top grades at the University of Innsbruck or the MCI. The winners are selected on the basis of the practical relevance and academic quality of the theses submitted. With a total of 5000 euros in prize money, the award is one of the biggest targeted at young academics.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Further information:

Brochure on the Graf Chotek University Prize 2015
Tiroler Sparkasse media release

{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=980}

Press contact:
Mag. (FH) Ulrike Fuchs
Leiterin
Marketing & Communication
+43 512 2070-1510
ulrike.fuchs@mci.edu

Sensational result for the MCI

FIBAA Premium Seal double for the Entrepreneurial School® In 2014, the MCI underwent the regular university audit and had an additional voluntary audit performed for institutional accreditation. In both cases, the impressive result was the award of the internationally recognized and highly prestigious Premium Seal. The two Premium Seals are convincing proof of academic quality at Management Center Innsbruck and show that the MCI maintains quality standards that are well above the international average. Brigitte Auer, as head of Quality Management at MCI, confirms the wisdom of the strategy pursued by the MCI from the very beginning: "Thanks to our consistent quality-first policy, Management Center Innsbruck was able to position itself with the leaders in the Austrian university education scene from the start. The two Premium Seals awarded are a mandate to continue to do everything possible to further develop our products and services and satisfy international quality requirements to the full.” The MCI’s Rector Dr. Andreas Altmann adds: “MCI Management Center Innsbruck was founded in 1995/96. In the meantime almost 3000 students, 1000 teachers, 200 partner universities and countless companies and graduates all over the world place their trust in the MCI. The two Premium Seals are a source of motivation and strengthen our resolve for our future work." The audits were carried out by the international FIBAA Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation, which has offices in Bonn and Zurich. {phocagallery view=category|categoryid=962}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

MCI achieves success in medical engineering

Tyrolean Economic Chamber awards Science Prize for system to minimize radiation exposure of patients For the second time in a row the Science Prize of the Tyrolean Economic Chamber goes to two graduates of the master program in mechatronics. This year, Thomas Gabloner and Michael Marek have been able to impress the jury with their master project in the field of medical engineering: In cooperation with the Innsbruck Medical University, the graduates have developed an innovative system for radiofrequency ablation, which considerably reduces the radiation exposure of patients during the treatment of tumors.The method of radiofrequency ablation relies on thermal energy created through the application of radio frequency current to treat tumors. In order to destroy the tumor tissue, the RF current is delivered directly to the diseased cells via needle electrodes. The exact location where the electrodes need to be applied is determined by use of x-ray guidance. The surgeon manually places the electrodes in the predetermined location. This procedure, during which the patient is constantly exposed to radiation, takes approximately 21,2 seconds. A method for the automated placement of electrodes, as developed by the MCI graduates Gabloner and Marek, can significantly reduce the radiation exposure of the patients during the treatment. Precise placement of the electrodes moreover guarantees that healthy tissue does not get affected. The advancement of the procedure includes the automatic generation of four images via x-rays. Once the images have been obtained, the position of the electrodes is determined within approximately 4,8 seconds on the basis of control and image processing algorithms. Thus accelerating the process of placing the electrodes, the method substantially improves the effectiveness of tumor treatment.The Science Prize of the Tyrolean Economic Chamber is awarded to acknowledge exceptional diploma and master projects as well as dissertations which display a high degree of innovation, and present small and middle-sized enterprises with immediate application possibilities. For Andreas Mehrle, Head of the MCI Department for Mechatronics, the award confirms the success of the degree program in Mechatronics offered at MCI: “The rewarded projects represent the broad and promising range of opportunities opening up by the study of Mechatronics. I wish to congratulate Thomas Gabloner and Michael Marek on their exceptional achievement.”MCI Rector Andreas Altmann emphasizes: “MCI students are trained to become academic engineers, who demonstrate their ability to break down highly complex theories into practical requirements already during their studies. The award is encouragement to further develop and expand our study program in engineering in order to meet the requirements of practice.”Project Summary{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1039}Presscontact{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

MCI launches double degree program with Kingston University

MCI students will be able to obtain an additional Master of Laws degree at Kingston Law School in LondonThe Entrepreneurial School® has taken another big step forward in its internationalization efforts by signing a double degree agreement with the renowned Kingston University. MCI students from the “Strategic Management & Law” Master’s program can now obtain a “Master of Laws” (LL.M.) degree in addition to their “Master of Arts in Business” (MA) degree from MCI.The new cooperation allows students to receive two reputable and internationally recognized degrees and thus adds another exclusive double degree option at an attractive location to the MCI’s range of programs. MCI has been offering double degree programs with the Università Carlo Cattaneo (LIUC) and Edinburgh Napier University and has now created a third opportunity with Kingston University. Thanks to efficient transfer of credits and well-aligned curricula, students can earn two degrees in four semesters.Prof. Dr. Ralf Geymayer, program director of the “Strategic Management & Law” Master’s program, is very pleased with the cooperation: “With an additional title, optimized language skills and a treasure trove of experience our graduates will be able to distinguish themselves even more in the job market. Kingston University is an excellent new partner not only on a professional level but also in terms of its location. With its cosmopolitan urban setting and great cultural heritage London is the perfect place for a stay abroad.”Siri Harris, BA LLB LLM, senior lecturer at Kingston Law School: “With the launch of this double degree program, our students will benefit from an international spirit, a high-quality joint study program and the ties of friendship connecting our institutions. We are proud to be able to offer our students this great opportunity to receive degrees from two recognized universities.”{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=xxx}Pressekontakt und Rückfragen:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}