Innovation Week: What Can You Look Forward to at the Department of International Business

This time the Innovation Week will take place during the 8th week of the semester (6 November – 10 November 2023) for the third time at VŠE. The aim of the week is to connect the acquired knowledge with practice and introduce new possibilities to traditional forms of teaching. There will be no classes and lectures during this week. Instead, students have the opportunity to choose from a myriad of interesting events, workshops and lectures organized for them by KMP and other departments. Previous Innovation Weeks have been very successful, with corporate partners and students alike appreciating the opportunities to connect academia and corporate practice. So, what can you look forward to this year with KMP?

• Students have the opportunity to take part in a two-day competition to solve a mystery business case. Students will be divided into groups and each group will be assigned an advisor.

Students can attend lectures:

• Škoda Auto Uplifted – 360* Brand Transformation, Martin Jahn, Škoda Auto Board Member (Marketing and Sales) and graduate of VSE will give a lecture on the new branding strategy used by the company,
• How to Understand Chinese Business Culture – Practical Experience, which will cover doing business in a cross-cultural environment, specifically with Chinese partners. Chinese guests will talk about Chinese business culture and share their own experiences of living and working in the Czech Republic,
• The world of retail through the eyes of Prazdroj, featuring Pavel Císař, Commercial Excellence Manager at Plzeňský Prazdroj, a.s., on the topic of in-store communication. The students will be tasked with a case study, which will be presented by students at the premises of Plzeňský prazdroj,
• Lectures by experts from ČSOB on practical aspects of trading on financial markets followed by solving a case study,
• Film marketing and distribution online lecture, in which the marketing director of Warner Bros Entertainment, Juan Carlos Cedeño, will present the basics of cinema screening, cinema marketing and digital communication channels,
• Introduction to Global Mobility: what you should know before you go, for those considering traveling as digital nomads, as part of a business trip or would like to become long-term delegates. The lecture will focus on the aspects to consider before making such a decision.

Practically oriented workshops:

• Workshop on Sustainable Working and Learning Environment  (IN CZECH LANGUAGY ONLY) led by Mgr. Ing. Kamila Matysová, Ph.D. and Ing. Jitka Volfová, Ph.D., which will be held for two days with a total duration of 8 hours each day. The course focuses on building a sustainable working and learning environment with special emphasis on personal growth, work-life balance, coaching, verbal and non-verbal communication, working under uncertainty and working effectively with emotions,
• Interactive workshop How to succeed in the selection process – practical demonstration (IN CZECH LANGUAGY ONLY), led by representatives of the HR department of Penny Market s.r.o., which will focus on skills that lead to success,
• Employee selection process in PwC, led by Nicole Chladová and Alice Kitzlerová from PwC, focuses on presentation and practical preparation for the selection process for Pricewaterhouse Coopers, with Employer Brand Manager Tomáš Dušenka,
• Employer Branding at PwC, led the Employer Brand Manager Tomáš Dušenka, where students will learn the skills associated with the position of Employer Branding Manager and have the opportunity to solve practical tasks within this position,
• Introduction to Data Analysis for Theses, a practical workshop on how to properly design your research and write the practical part of a bachelor’s or master’s thesis,
• A day-long interactive Human-centered design workshop organised in collaboration with Direct People, led by Michaela Stránská, focused on creating innovation,
• Sustainability and Data, which will introduce students to how the perception of the sustainability agenda has shifted from CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) to ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance),
• There will also be ‘Consulting Sessions of Term Projects’ organised by individual lecturers within the currently running courses.

Last but not least, you can take part in excursions and meet the supervisors of the Master’s and Bachelor’s programmes:

• To Nestlé, which will present on the topic of how the company is responding to different influences and trends in sustainability,
• To Kantar, which will focus on the prerequisites for a successful marketing campaign and the use of AI in marketing,
• Students will have the opportunity to visit the TATIANA boutique and meet the fashion designer Tatiana Kovaříková and hear about her inspirations and journey in the fashion industry.
• A meeting between the supervisor of the International Business Master’s programme and the students.
• A meeting between the supervisor of the Bachelor’s degree programme in International Business and students.