Prof.
Dr. Mike Schulze
Professor of Controlling, Accounting and Financial Management at European
Management School (EMS), Mainz/Germany & Institute for Business and
Management Heidelberg Skopje.
1. At the founding assembly of the Institute for
Business & Management Heidelberg – Skopje (IBMHS) a few months ago, the
members elected you as member of the International Advisory Board. Can you
explain to our readers the four pillars of the Institute?
The IBMHS offers a wide range of education programs and is based on four
different pillars: seminars & conferences, e-learning, open programs and
university study programs. The first pillar, seminars and conferences, covers
individually bookable seminars provided in classroom. Furthermore conferences
offer the possibility to receive impulses on new topics, to exchange ideas with
experts and other participants and to network. The second pillar, e-learning,
provides forms of learning in which electronic or digital media are used for
the presentation and distribution of learning contents. This pillar therefore
enables distance and time-independent learning for students. In the third
pillar, open programs, students can choose from certificate programs in the
following subject areas: Risk Management, Compliance, Banking, Controlling, and
Accounting. In all programs, the IBMHS draws on the expertise of experienced
speakers and conveys the seminar content in a practice-oriented and interactive
manner. The last and fourth pillar offers postgraduate, higher education study
programs where official university degrees can be obtained. This is certainly
the premium education format of the institute.
2. Which is the biggest practical benefit for companies in Germany
when talking about dual education (which will also be implemented within the
IBMHS MBA study programs)?
Dual education combines theory and practice. The education alternates between
university-based and company-based learning periods. The university provides
the theoretical knowledge, while the companies offer practical training for the
students. At the end of studies, the students graduate not only with a
university degree but also with a vocational training certificate. This
significantly increases the chances of graduates on the labor market.
3. Which companies will be included in the dual degree study
programs from the Institute for Business & Management HEIDELEBRG Skopje?
It’s not that important to talk about certain companies at that point in time.
I would rather highlight that the idea is to give the students of IBMHS the
opportunity to get in touch with different companies and organizations. We
would like to integrate companies from various branches, so production
companies, service companies and governmental organizations so that students
can experience the full range of the economy and possible later employers.
4.
Why do you think the German dual model of education should stimulate Balkan
students?
Here the answer is very easy: because it’s about investing in your own future.
With the dual model of education we offer students a great chance to develop,
personally as well as professionally. The graduates will be highly attractive
to the labor market and I think that this is the best stimulation that can be
offered.
5.
Why has IBMHS chosen Macedonia for implementing the German dual study model?
Macedonia is in very promising situation at the moment, a NATO and later even
EU membership seems to be within reach. To be able to make use of those
decisive political developments and its underlying economic potential, the
country, as a prerequisite, needs to make further progress in education in the
next years. The IBMHS has recognized this, wants to be part of this process and
we believe to be able to provide a relevant and unique contribution.
6.
One of your main fields of expertise as a professor is controlling. Can you
please briefly explain the range of activities of controllers as a profession?
Controllers design and accompany the management process of defining corporate
goals, planning, steering and regulating corporate actions. They mainly assume
two roles within the company: on the one hand they are internal consultants and
partners of the management and thus co-responsible for achieving corporate
objectives. On the other hand, controllers are internal service providers in
that they are responsible for providing accurate and relevant information to
the management, e.g. in form of management reports. Controllers are important
for the companies in which they work and to whose success they contribute. They
are in high demand on the labor market. They also have successful careers; many
board members in big companies were controllers once in the course of their
careers.
Prof. Schulze, thank you very much for this interesting interview!
