“In the search for excellence” – a slogan that is true both for the Zurich Elite Business School (ZEBS) and myself. Holding a masters degree in business (Vienna University of Business Administration and Economics), in sports sciences (University of Vienna/Australian Catholic University/Sydney) and a Ph.D in natural sciences (University of Vienna) I have experienced academic life intensively both as student and young researcher. Although I was lucky to have had excellent university professors I at times missed the direct link between theory and real life business. Therefore I was looking for a management program that has a clear emphasize on applied management.
Despite the sheer endless list of business schools providing as many different courses it did not take me long to spot ZEBS as an extraordinary business school. The innovative and unique threefold training approach sounded absolutely promising. The International Management Program (IMP) consists not only of theoretical teaching (first post) but associates contents immediately with practice via real life case studies or real projects run by the attendee’s home companies. This is realized by the leadership program (second post); via leadership program the students are shadowed by a very experienced senior mentor. It is the mentor’s task to identify the student’s weak points, develop a clear performance profile in conjunction with the aspirant’s entrepreneurial tasks and to steer the student the right track if loosing sight.
Professionalism is also shown in the way ZEBS commits to its objectives. The school is not only pledging close liaison with day to day business (as many schools do) but underpins this agreement by actually contracting with the partner companies for which the aspirants carry out several projects (third post); in my case at the world’s leading security and medical assistance provider where I manage the business development of the North German area. Working in the crises management scene means being able to perform whilst under time pressure, often limited information, resource shortage, lack of communication and sometimes in even most hostile or remote areas and bearing in mind that human lives are at risk.
Although ZEBS expects the aspirants to totally perform at the IMP-courses it credits the additional work load and the ZEBS approach clearly aims to support the students in mastering their challenging business rolls. This is due to the fact that ZEBS considers its program only to be successful if the attendees also show excellent occupational results.
At this point I have to say that so far my high expectations regarding the quality of the program have fully been met. All of the lecturers glimmer as being experts with most recent knowledge and also as being successful business men or women.
In the meantime I am convinced that this school is setting new standards in the MBA-scene and I am convinced to have made the right choice. However, the future clearly will reveal the quality of the International Management Program – it will proof right with the entrepreneurial success of its highest capital – the IMP-Fellows.
Guenther, IMP – Fellow at Zurich Elite Business School