The IBR MBA: a challenge to communicate to the point

When I entered IBR Institute of International Business Relations I had two key objectives in mind: to gain access to the latest management know-how and to certify my professional qualification. Of course I expected to learn something new and to obtain a prestigious MBA diploma at the end. However, unexpected was challenge of the whole educational process that turned out to be much more sophisticated than I thought first.

While being loaded by regular work, IBR challenged us to absorbe new and interesting text materials for our studies. But it was not only the reading, it was much more the process of understanding key issues, translating them into the reality of our daily work and then finally presenting in writing management reports that would suggest ways of improving the status quo at work. All this was done under strict time limits and based on a format common in international business. Due to the fact that we did not orally defended our management reports, they had to be to the point and to convince the other party, in our case our professors on the other side. I quickly realised that it was not enough to be creative and professional. It was tough as I had to communicate clearly and take the cultural differences in communication into consideration, like in a real global business setting. It was an intensive and painful training that I enjoyed as it helped me to become even more professional, locigal and structured.

The MBA opened doors to new friendships and relationships with interersting people I never met before. These friendships were born in an atmosphere of searching and absorbing professional knowledge by mature people - a very special atmosphere. I would like to thank IBR particularly for this experience.

The IBR MBA: a very different approach to learning

If you ask me about what was the most striking in the IBR MBA, I would answer like this:

• being many years in business, it was good to return to the class-room. However, what impressed me most was the approach to team learning. We all had an opportunity to share, to listen to one another and to receive valuable new input from professionals in IBR that were coming from completely different cultures.
• I enjoyed very much the IBR approach to adult education. The whole study process took into account that I have my job responsibilities and that I have a family that needs me as well. We all realised soon that IBR put a lot of know-how into the teaching process that allowed to accommodate all our major commitments.
• I read newspapers and professional journals on a regular base. I always thought that I would have a clear understanding of market and business developments. However, the IBR MBA managed to open completely new horizonts by making use systematically of analytical managerial instruments. On one side I am impressed, on the other side I feel much more confident to meet the challenges of the future.
• and last but not least: you are simply challenged as a person, in the way how you make decisions, how you think and act. And that is maybe even the hardest examination in the IBR MBA.

"When we started our MBA I realised that we all had many different expectations: receiving a prestigious MBA diploma, accelerating our personal career development, increasing one's own value on the job market or structuring existing knowledge. At the end of the programme, however, we received far more than we could have even dreamt of: It was a live changing experience. Beyond all our expectations the MBA completely changed our way of thinking. For me the difference is similar to comparing school students that are about to enter university with those that have a good university degree behind them for a number of years.

Studying at IBR not only helped me to structure my knowledge and experience ...

Studying at IBR not only helped me to structure my knowledge and experience but to also gain a lot of new approaches to practical issues I face in my business life on a daily basis. Moreover, because of studying at IBR I received a very decent promotion at my job and nowadays I am responsible for a business group within Schering, which was something I have been pursuing very much in my carrier. Thank you for your guidance and excellent way of teaching the issues of contemporary business!

The IBR MBA: influenced my life in many directions

I would like to express my gratefulness for having been admitted as an IBR MBA student. For me IBR influenced my life in many different directions that I did not envision at the time of enrolment. Here are some of them:

• The assignments helped me to summarize my experience and knowledge.
• The schedule increased my efficiency as a person, investor, entrepreneur and manager.
• The study taught me to work systematically and to reach the end of a deal.
• The theory gave me tools to approach every question in my life and I know that I can do everything what I want.
• The atmosphere increased my positive attitude towards life as a whole and presented me new friends.

If you are reading this message you are most probably looking for an additional justification of your decision to become an IBR student. (Alternatively you’re a student or ex-student and open it, well... basically for the same reason.)

Our ways to IBR are individual. Our expectations from the IBR MBA are surprisingly shared and traditionally high. We all dream up of a standard and want IBR “to correspond”. The reality is that it could never be your 100% satisfaction level. A strong positive argument is that IBR cares about you 100%.

...stimulating and exiting MBA

IBR’s MBA course is tailor made for entrepreneurs and ambitious office executives. The course was very stimulating and exciting.

The impressive aspects of the course are:

• All the concepts were related to our day-to-day management of business.
• The curriculum was updated with latest management principles & practices.
• The international faculty shared their rich experience & knowledge during our residential periods which was enriching to us.

Can the MBA be beneficial also for top managers?

Why would you study in an executive MBA, if you are already a top manager and cannot climb higher on your career ladder?

Why would you as a top manager sacrifice your weekends and holidays in order to spend them for your MBA studies, residential periods and business consultation sessions? And when I think about this: I am not talking about a few months, but nearly two precious years of my life...

When we were about to start, Dr. Andreas Kelling, the IBR MBA programme director, welcomed us with a smile in his face: "We all will reach our mutual goal if at the end of this programme YOU will look differently at business and think differently about problem solving, leadership and effective communication". Congratulations, Dr. Kelling, you have done it! No, WE have done it!

"Due to circumstances and the initiative of IBR I managed to join this programme. I call it circumstances because the fact that I participated in a promotion seminar of IBR in May 2001 was of pure accidental nature. It predetermined my choice of programme, a programme that has a unique format and advanced interactive technologies as well as own work. My expectations before and after I started the MBA differed tremendously. Even after a year I was purely motivated by my carrier and higher salary expectations. I didn't even think about benefits that the MBA might have for my employer. I was so mistaken when thinking about after-effects not the reasons for something happening.