Department of Business & Enterprise Management and HNU University of Applied Sciences, Germany – HNU MBA International Extension Programme:
Live Strategy Exercise, April 2023
The Department of Business & Enterprise Management at FEMA have recently run and concluded the April 2023 edition of HNU University of Applied Sciences’ MBA Live Strategy Exercise in Malta. This forms part of the German business school’s executive postgraduate International Extension programme.
Restarted following a COVID-induced hiatus, this year’s HNU cohort accompanied by Professor Dr Thomas Hänichen, were engaged on an intensive programme of applied strategy sessions and consulting, incorporating enterprise collaboration and in vivo strategising. Directed by Dr Nathaniel Massa from the Department of Business & Enterprise Management, the exercise is run in collaboration with HNU faculty.
Normally held annually, the programme rides on the back of the Department’s long-standing alliance and collaboration with HNU’s Department of Business and Economics.
For this edition, the collaborating top management team and enterprise partners were Gutenberg Press Ltd, a long-established market leader in printing, with extensive export activity and international presence.
Entailing remotely coordinated preliminary analysis and case familiarisation prior to arrival – the strategy exercise in Malta involved extensive meetings and interaction with Gutenberg top management, on-site review of operations and key facilities; as well as specialist HNU participants ‘embedded’ with divisional managers at the company.
Facilitated strategy workshops and masterclasses at University of Malta’s Valletta and Msida campuses were complemented with research, in-depth investigation and strategising – conducting a comprehensive review of the company’s competitive stance, dynamic challenges and potential strategic opportunities. At the end of the week, Gutenberg’s top management were presented with strategic observations, recommendations and areas for consideration; followed by further discussion – consolidating the collaborative exercise.
The profile of this international cohort of HNU final-year Executive MBA participants included executives employed at multinational blue chip companies such as Veolia, Teva Ratiopharm, Enikon Aerospace, Liebherr-Components GmbH, Crane ChemPharma & Energy, Zalando Stores and Trumpf SE+ Co GmbH; as well as other German SME champions of industry – engaged in sectors spanning automotive, aviation, precision engineering, pharma, electronics, logistics, laser technology, online retail and advisory.
The Department of Business & Enterprise Management thanks Gutenberg Press Ltd’s leadership and management team for their active engagement on this strategy exercise geared towards creating mutual value and opportunities for critical insight and learning – and wishes them every success.
In concluding the programme, a formal award dinner and certificate presentation were held at Palazzo Capua, Sliema.
