February was a dynamic month for us – we started the spring term of the academic year and welcomed our new students from 19 different nationalities who are commencing their studies with us. We also welcomed on board new faculty members with expertise in domains such as social media and self-organized workplaces. Meanwhile, our students went on field trips in Daimler Truck in Germany and Nestlé in Switzerland to learn directly from the business. We hope the highlights in the newsletter below help you reconnect with our community and send you kind regards from our team!
Monthly podcast: Marcelo Williams, Product Marketing Manager at Infineon Technologies
This month’s podcast features a chat with recent MBA graduate Marcelo Williams from Geneva airport – en route to start a new position at Infineon Technologies in Munich. From discussing his MBA management report topic, “The Internet of Things” to his experience of life in Lausanne after years in busy Sao Paolo, Marcelo shares his year at BSL with us. Listen to the podcast now.
Thought Leadership Insights: The Circle Model as a path for entrepreneurial universities to serve society
In a world that needs responsible leaders to navigate through the increasingly complex environmental, societal and economic changes of our times, how can entrepreneurial universities and business schools embrace their role as custodians of society? In her latest article in the Journal of Management Development, BSL’s thought leader Dr. Katrin Muff suggests a Circle Model connecting individual and organizational development as a path for educational institutions to re-orient their purpose in service of society. Read more now.
Guest Speaker Anne Mellano: How will big data change public transportation?
Anne Mellano, co-founder of the Swiss startup BestMile, spoke to Bachelor students in Professor Anja Langer-Jacquin’s class on Big Data & Analytics, and shared insights on how public transportation will look tomorrow. Today’s main challenge in public transportation is the absence of user personalization, suggested our guest speaker. In a brief interview for BSL, Mrs. Mellano shared some of her hopes, advice, and experiences with us. Read more now.
Gap Frame Week on Society in March 2017
We are hosting the third edition of BSL’s innovative education initiative Gap Frame Week on 20-24 March at BSL, where students from different programs work in teams and apply their creativity, imagination and a set of innovation techniques to designing a prototype initiative or start-up that will address a challenging sustainability issue. In this March edition, students will explore topics related to society. Follow related updates on social media, using #GapFrameWeek. Read more now.
From the BSL blog: Learning about Responsible Sourcing at Nestlé
To facilitate student learning on responsible and sustainable sourcing, BSL Professor Sascha Nick organized a field trip to the global headquarters of Swiss company Nestlé in Vevey for our Master in International Business students. During the visit, our students gained insights on how a large company such as Nestlé takes care of rural development and responsible sourcing of agricultural products, especially milk, cocoa, coffee. Read more on the BSL blog.
