Two MCI graduates awarded the 2017 Science Prize

2017-11-24

Tyrolean Economic Chamber hosts ceremony to honor Martin Anderl, MCI graduate of Entrepreneurship & Tourism, and Christoph Guem, MCI graduate of Mechatronics & Smart Technologies

Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) is delightedto announce that two of its graduates have recently been awarded the Tyrolean Economic Chamber Science Prize. The award winners are Martin Anderl, BA MA, graduate of the Entrepreneurship & Tourism Master’s program, and Christoph Guem, BSc MSc, graduate of the Mechatronics & Smart Technologies Master’s program. The jury lauded the high level of innovation and emphasized the practical relevance of the winners’ works. Despite covering entirely different subjects, both theses stand out due to their focus on providing usability and benefits for those who are directly affected.

In his Master’s thesis on “Knowledge transfer in the context of family-external succession in small and medium-sized enterprises”, Martin Anderl addresses the previously neglected aspect of external succession. The focus of his thesis is on the transfer of relevant knowledge as the company’s most important resource for future generations. As part of his empirical research work, Anderl developed a model that takes both influencing factors and knowledge transfer between the source and the recipient into account. The thesis was supervised by MCI Professor Anita Zehrer, who is also the head of the MCI Family Business Center.

Christoph Guem’s goal was to improve the working conditions for operators of construction machines. His Master’s thesis provides a “Numerical investigation of the vibro-acoustic system behavior of a bulldozer”. By using the example of a bulldozer, Guem developed a simulation method to enable the early detection of noise emission that potentially interrupts the construction work. He was able to directly apply his findings to the development of a respective prototype. As a result, he could not only achieve considerable cost and time savings, but also, and in particular, an improved work environment for machine operators. This thesis was supervised by MCI Lecturer Franz-Josef Falkner in conjunction with Liebherr.

MCI Rector Andreas Altmann thanks President of the Tyrolean Economic Chamber, Jürgen Bodenseer, whose commitment has proved essential in creating and sustaining the valuable symbiosis of science and economy: “From a total of 41 submissions, 18 have come from MCI graduates. This alone shows our students’ high potential to transform research findings into practical solutions, directly benefitting relevant businesses.”

This year, altogether 41 applications were received for the renowned Tyrolean Economic Chamber Science Prize, which includes prize money of 1,000 euros. Only five of the submissions could convince the jury, consisting of Andrea Berghofer (Adler Lacke), Wolfgang Sief (SIKO), and Martin Dax. Submission eligibility requires for Master’s theses to be written at the University of Innsbruck, the Kufstein University of Applied Sciences, and Management Center Innsbruck and that were awarded an “Excellent” grade and demonstrate a high level of innovation as well as relevance to small and medium-sized businesses.

“The Science Prize is awarded to honor the best of the best. In Tyrol, there are many young talents ready to achieve great things with creativity and motivation. We want to support them in realizing their visions and, thus, build a bridge between the world of science and business adventure,” as President of the Tyrolean Economic Chamber, Jürgen Bodenseer, explains.

Tyrolean Economic Chamber press release

Further information:
Entrepreneurship & Tourism Master’s degree
Mechatronics & Smart Technologies Master’s degree
Family Business Center
Research & Development at MCI

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Press contact
Ulrike Fuchs
+43 512 2070-1527
ulrike.fuchs@mci.edu

Digital Business MBA starting this Autumn

Master's degree program by MCI and IPA - Entrepreneurial School® and Investment Punk Academy Gerald Hörhan join forces - strong online focus - studying in Innsbruck, Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich and BerlinExciting news at MCI: The Entrepreneurial School® will be offering two new Executive Master’s Programs as of fall 2018 in cooperation with Investment Punk Gerald Hörhan. The two part-time programs are targeted toward high achievers seeking leadership positions in the new economy. MCI will be accepting 60 students for these programs and has already received over 200 inquiries.The "Digital Business MBA" and "Master of Science Digital Economy & Leadership" study programs are designed to give students the skills needed in the modern digital workplace and digital enterprise development: skills which currently few people have. Therefore, the programs include modules on topics such as Online Marketing, Data Science, Machine Learning, Blockchain Technology, IT Security, Data Management and Data Protection, Venture Capital and Corporate Entrepreneurship.The Digital Business MBA is an international program focusing on the development and management of digital business models. The MSc in Digital Economy & Leadership deals with leadership psychology, organizational psychology and the psychology of markets. It is a German-language, reflexive program that examines organizations from an inside perspective.The innovative degree programs provide a high percentage of online/mobile learning and can be completed without having to stop working or reducing to part-time hours. Synchronous and asynchronous e-learning elements as well as compact attendance periods are combined in an innovative way (blended learning) and ensure maximum flexibility in terms of time and place. Most of the program can be done online. Based on the MCI blended learning concept, a combination of video courses, online teaching materials, and online live chats and discussions is available. In addition, there are face-to-face events for networking, lectures and group challenges, from Thursday to Saturday, two to three times per semester. These attendance periods are planned to be held in Innsbruck, Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin.MCI Rector Andreas Altmann explains: "Digitalization is not only changing the economy and people in a dramatic way, it is also changing the higher education landscape. In this context, MCI is playing a pioneering role together with Gerald Hörhan.""Our mission is to provide as many people as possible with economic and digital knowledge, so that they can succeed and live in financial freedom. Being able to offer academic degree programs to our clients has been a big goal for me, and we have been very committed to it. I am pleased that in MCI Management Center Innsbruck we have selected an innovative institution of higher education as a partner with whom we can offer digital education on an academic level, " adds Gerald Hörhan, founder and CEO of the Investment Punk Academy.Together they put it in a nutshell: "Everyone is talking about digitalization. We - the Investment Punk Academy and MCI - are already training people now."Investment Punk AcademyThe Investment Punk Academy, the leading German-language online financial training platform, is designed for people who want to evolve and make a difference. Online courses, seminars, lectures and a forum help people with their careers, whether it's building their own business or investing their money efficiently.The digitalization offensive of the MCIMCI launched an exemplary digitalsization offensive a few years ago. As of autumn 2018, a total of eight (!) online study programs will be available, three of which will be aimed at further education. The proportion of online students will increase from the current 8% to 20% over the next three years.Further information:Digital Business MBADigital Economy & Leadership MScInvestment Punk Academymba.investmentpunk.academy{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1350}Press contactMag. (FH) Ulrike Fuchs+43 512 2070-1527ulrike.fuchs@mci.edu

MCI Winter Program 2018

This February we are delighted to welcome 35 students from our partner universities at our Winter program.Initiated in 2017, this program is gaining popularity among our partners and this year MCI boasts in hosting students from its longstanding partners in Australia, China, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Hungary, Finland, France, Italy, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Taiwan, Turkey, Uruguay, USA and Vietnam.Unique in its nature, this four-week compact Winter program entails a blend of engineering and business disciplines as well as various modes of teaching giving students the opportunity to take courses from either one discipline or mix and match them. Students enjoy the campus experience with face-2-face as well as get a taste of online classes.The courses taught this year are: Business Ethics; Digital Entrepreneurship; Innovation & Start-ups; Beverage Technology; Biotech Product Operations; Renewable Energy; Robot Operating System and Water Pollution Control.For further information check our website at: https://international.mci.edu/en/students/mci-winter-program{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1349}

MCI as condiment specialist: Product development for the global brand Develey

The Entrepreneurial School® cooperates with leading manufacturer in specialty condiments – synergies through transfer of knowledge, joint research, development & innovation.Everything started with a conversation about good food and seasonings. This was when Katrin Bach, program director at Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) first met Bernhard Burger, head of product development at Develey. The discussion quickly expanded and lead to the question of what actually makes great seasonings. Is it taste, easy use, a fair retail price or a manufacturer’s competitive edge based on know-how, expertise and efficiency? Both production and consumption have to be factored into the equation, as well as the entire value chain and the product’s environmental impact.This is where MCI’s services meet Develey’s demands. MCI’s Master’s Program for Food Technology & Nutrition deals exactly with these issues. The cooperation focuses on analyzing and further developing recipes and processes to produce mustard and mayonnaise. Through this cooperation, Develey gains access to the analytical knowledge of MCI’s researchers as well as their specialized know-how on raw materials, such as mustard seeds. MCI students, on the other hand, benefit from working on real products and the production processes of a leading European company.Develey is a Bavarian manufacturer of condiments based in Unterhaching near Munich with a 170-year tradition of pioneering spirit and innovative drive. Its success is built on two pillars: its medium-sized family business structure as well as innovation and growth. The company has become globally known for its cooperation with McDonald’s since the early 1970s. In Austria, the most popular Develey brand is Mautner Markhof, which operates as an independent subsidiary. Develey believes in sustainability and “thinking for generations”. It holds the ZNU Standard certification and has been awarded multiple times for its sustainability concept. In Germany, Develey has six locations with a total of 2,000 employees. Develey also has production sites in France, Russia, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Tennessee (USA).Within the MCI Master’s Program for Food Technology & Nutrition, students acquire profound knowledge on food and nutrition, production technologies and processes. They learn how to identify and characterize nutrition-relevant properties and understand the various effects of different foods. The aim of the program is to empower graduates to contribute substantially to the economic development of companies in the food sector. In the course of their studies, students gain valuable hands-on experience by working on industry and research projects.MCI program director Katrin Bach considers this cooperation a perfect addition to the Master’s program: “Our students can directly apply their theoretical knowledge to practice while acquainting themselves with a highly interesting medium-sized manufacturing company located right on their doorstep.”Bernhard Burger, head of product development at Develey, is pleased to have found MCI as a like-minded academic partner: “We immediately got along well with the MCI team and quickly saw that MCI researchers clearly understood our products and processes and were able to seamlessly integrate their knowledge.”Monika Bauer, head of process development, adds: “What’s exciting and enriching for both sides is that we have been able to accompany several students working on project papers or final theses. We benefit from their findings and meet interesting young people. In turn, they get to work on topical issues that are actually implemented. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”Further information and links:DeveleyCareer at DeveleyMCI Master’s Program for Food Technology and NutritionMCI research focus Agro & Food Technology{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1348}Press contactMag. (FH) Ulrike Fuchs+43 512 2070-1527ulrike.fuchs@mci.edu