Business Friday of the department Business & Management

On Friday, June 16, 2023, the MCI Department of Business & Management / International Business & Management hosted this year's Business Friday. For years, this series of events has been a must-attend event for partners and friends of MCI who want to exchange ideas and actively participate in discussions on current and forward-looking business topics.

This year's theme of this proven knowledge and discussion platform was "Game Changer 'AI' – nothing less than the next industrial revolution changing studying, working, and thinking". Together with company representatives, alumni, students and prospective students, the top-class speakers discussed the current challenges of AI and how companies can exploit the potentials.

Inspiring presentations by Prof. Dr. Sabrina Schneider – Professor at the Department of Business & Management – Management, Strategy & Innovation, by our alumnus Mag.(FH) Ing. Martin Schmid – Managing Director, MONTFORT Kunststofftechnik GmbH, Koblach, Vorarlberg, by our alumna Mag. (FH) Simone Eichler – HR Business Partner, Red Bull GmbH, Fuschl am See, Salzburg as well as Julian Mautner, MSc. – Managing Director, stillalive studios GmbH, Innsbruck and finally Dr. Gabriela Leiß, MBA – Head of Global People Development, Plansee Group, Reutte, Tyrol illuminated the topic from economic, technical and not least social perspectives. Lively and stimulating, yet critically reflecting discussions on current developments complemented the presentations. You can find the exciting lecture titles here.

This year we were able to embed our Business Friday into the legendary Alumni Weekend. This gave us the opportunity to continue discussing the hot topic of AI in a convivial atmosphere into the evening.

MCI Professor Bernd Kirschner, Head of the Department of Business & Management / International Business & Management and initiator together with Professor Oliver Som of our Business Friday, once again took the opportunity to lead the program and moderate the plenary discussion. At the end of our Business Friday, Professor Kirschner looked back on a successful event and summed it up happily: "Business Friday was a complete success again this year. The event delivered what the title promised: an afternoon full of inspiring presentations and plenty of thought-provoking impulses on highly topical developments surrounding AI. The passionate discussions during the event and at the subsequent happy networking showed once again that these topics are currently leaving no one untouched. I am delighted that we were able to make a valuable contribution and, on behalf of the MCI, I would like to thank all the speakers and participants who made this event possible."

And Professor Som encouraged all attendees to address the current challenges AI brings: "Addressing the challenges of AI allows us to harness the potential of this technology, understand its impact, and ensure it is in line with our values and goals."