The first company that the IBM students (who come from 18 different nations and four continents in this year´s generation) visited was the global technology, supply chain and manufacturing solutions provider FLEX. Viktoria Harrer, Martin Schlintl and Markus Zimmermann from the FLEX Althofen management team organized a factory tour and a management discussion which was directly transmitted into the modern “hybrid” classroom at FH Kärnten and felt almost “as real” as an on-site excursion visit.
In the afternoon, students got a chance to meet Sabine Herlitschka, CEO of Infineon Technologies Austria AG (a globally leading player in the semiconductor industry) for an intensive discussion of the challenges in a top management leadership role and of the development of Infineon as a leader in “environmental high-tech”, for example, through producing CO2-saving microchips for energy efficiency applications.
The highly successful “virtual” excursion visits also showed how digital technology can help to integrate more learning from managerial practice in the study experience of an international master´s program.
Top managers from FLEX and INFINEON meet International Business Management students in a virtual excursion meetings
Learning from managerial practice is an important cornerstone of the International Business Management (IBM) master´s program at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (FH Kärnten). Even though travelling options for excursions were restricted due to the current Covid-19 crisis, a successful “virtual” excursion was organized for the IBM students on 28 October 2020.