Latest trends, topics and experiences in international business life

The Intensive Seminar Programme, which has a history going back 25 years, the same as the faculty itself, was organised by BME’s Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences (GTK) between 12 and 14 October 2023. The event featured lectures and workshops by speakers from foreign universities and the hosting faculty, as well as distinguished experts from the domestic and international business arena. One of the highlights of the programme was the presentation by Dr. Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Vice Chair of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), Professor at CEU (Central European University), who shared her professional insights and thoughts on “Ending the climate crisis: will it cost a fortune?”. We asked Dr. Emma Lógó, associate professor, vice-dean for education and Dr. Mária Szalmáné Csete, habilitated associate professor, vice-dean for international affairs about the programme, the lecturers and the experiences.

The reputation and high quality of the Intensive Seminar Programme is best demonstrated by the fact that last year a total of around 400 students took part and a good number of the speakers were returning participants. But this is also indicated by the fact that several BME GTK alumni also held lectures during the 2023 programme. One of them was Viktor Vámos, Business Development Director of Addig Digital Advertising, who gave a presentation on the operation of the domestic digital advertising market. Diána Sebestyén, Business Development Manager of Kinnarps Hungary Kft., discussed legendary marketing campaigns with the participants. It is also interesting to note that as an undergraduate she was an intern at her current workplace, where she delved into topics that she eventually chose for her TDK Conference entry and her master thesis in addition to her work and the market challenges she was facing at the time. Another interesting fact was that last year’s speakers included a former OTDK-winning alumni student, E.ON’s ESG manager Tamás Rajnai, who introduced the audience to the topic of Sustainability and energy management – solutions and di/trilemmas. Many of the GTK alumni have given workshops or lectures and are still part of GTK’s teaching staff.

– Our goal is that in the near future our alumni students working for companies abroad will also share their valuable professional experiences in this course, thus further strengthening the internationalisation efforts of GTK – explained Dr. Mária Szalmáné Csete.

The prestige of the seminar programme is clearly highlighted by such speakers as Dr. Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, a world-renowned expert, who gave a 90-minute lecture in English. She talked about, among others, why climate change became one of the most significant risks for the well-being of our civilisation, how it is damaging economies and what future risks are faced by humanity. But she also looked at what options are available to reduce emissions and prepare for the expected impacts, and what responses these might require at different levels. After her thought-provoking lecture, there was a Q&A session, where many students and participants took the opportunity to discuss these issues with her in person.

New topics introduced to the Intensive Seminar Programme workshops

As a special feature of last year’s workshops, speakers from the faculty could choose a topic that they, as lecturers, do not cover in the normal curriculum, but are still very interested in. These are areas that they are passionate about, which could be incorporated into the curriculum in the future, Dr. Emma Lógó said.

In addition, there were also a number of topics that were not directly related to business and economics, but helped to develop other skills (soft, transversal and sustainability skills) that, according to the feedback from the labour market, are becoming increasingly important. In the long term, these will become integral elements of business and success,” Dr. Emma Lógó explained. One of them was a workshop on emotional intelligence, held by Dr. Beatrix Séllei, assistant professor at GTK’s Department of Ergonomics and Psychology, who is also a trainer and coach. Participants learned that developing emotional intelligence can greatly improve leadership effectiveness.

Dr. Sarolta Tóvölgyi, assistant professor of the Department of Ergonomics and Psychology at the Faculty, helped the participants to explore their internal resources.

Dr. Krisztina Szabó, assistant professor at the Department of Philosophy and History of Science, introduced students to the mysteries of management communication, decision-making and conflict management. Participants were able to put theory into practice through case studies and situational exercises. This has given them valuable tools to organise their work effectively, create an inspiring working atmosphere and develop an organisational culture.

The internationalisation aspect of the Intensive Seminar Programme

The course was created a quarter of a century ago to give business executives, most of them then studying for a Master of Business Administration (MBA), an insight into American business culture and attitudes. At that time this was unique in Hungary in the field of management studies. – This way, an academic programme and approach following international standard, became available in Hungary – Dr. Emma Lógó said about the past of the programme. In the early days, a one-week advanced training course was organised and in the 1990s lectures by English speakers were translated by interpreters. Over the years, however, the aims and structure of the programme have changed several times, because, like all teaching methodologies and elements, it was adapted by the GTK to the relevant goals of the given period. The Intensive Seminar Programme as a subject is no longer exclusive to the MBA programme, since it has recently been made available to students of other business-related master’s programmes. As of last year, it is no longer an optional subject, but a compulsory element of all master’s programmes in economics and business. This is an important element of the faculty’s internationalisation strategy, which has been launched six years ago, the vice-dean for international affairs added. 9 of the 27 workshops and 13 of the 20 lectures in last year’s three-day programme were held in English, with 13 GTK alumni and 22 non-faculty guest speakers attending.

Latest trends and values

The Faculty is planning to obtain international accreditation for its English-language master’s programmes, and currently 2 master’s programmes are undergoing an international accreditation process. To facilitate this process, in 2023, the Intensive Seminar Programme was adapted to meet the requirements of international accreditation. In addition to the lectures, the programme also included practical workshops for small groups.

The topics have also been selected in line with current international trends. These included, among others, business, ethical issues, social responsibility, and sustainability. – We always try to find the most topical issues every year, presented to our students by international experts, Dr. Mária Szalmáné Csete said. She also stressed that faculty alumni who are in leadership positions or have practical experience that they can share with current students were also invited. “This represents particularly considerable value and quality, both domestically and internationally,” the vice-dean for international affairs added.

Lectures and workshops were also held by representatives of strategic corporate partners. Speakers from foreign universities were selected on the basis of recommendations from GTK’s programme coordinators, but international strategic partners were also invited. Experts from the corporate and business sector were invited using our contact network. One such example was Schneider Electric, whose expert was asked to give a lecture, following a recommendation by a former BME-GTK student who now works for the company.

Informal meetings and networking

A recent student survey at the faculty showed that, in addition to learning new skills, business networking is also very important for master’s students. The Networking Event, which was held on Saturday during a longer break between presentations, was an opportunity to do just that, Dr. Emma Lógó explained.

This gave the participants, as well as the lecturers and workshop speakers the opportunity to get to know each other in a more informal setting. Alexandra Halmos, project leader, doctoral student and one of the leading psychologists at GTK’s Wellbeing Centre, provided excellent support for this with her team-building method. Participants had the opportunity to have 3-minute chats with each other on pre-defined topics, with Alexanda as the moderator. At the end of the event, there was a longer and less structured discussion to help build informal relationships.

GTK plans to hold the Intensive Seminar Programme again in the autumn of 2024, using the revised format, which was created two years ago, incorporating international standards. Discussions on last year’s experiences have already started with the aim of continuous improvement.