Academic Exchange in Paris and Lyon
From March 13 to 17, 2023, an International Week took place at INSEEC Grande École in Paris and Lyon — both partner universities of FH Kufstein Tirol. Seventeen faculty members from nine countries participated in this year's events.
Networking and culture
INSEEC Grande École operates 16 universities (five of them in France) and has produced over 120,000 graduates from 140 countries since 1975. This makes the institution an attractive partner for the International Relations Office at FH Kufstein Tirol. As part of the program, contacts were established with colleagues from INSEEC Grande École and also with international colleagues from other participating universities from all over Europe as well as North and Central America: From the ISM University of Management and Economics in Lithuania to the Kozminski University in Poland to ITESM Tec de Monterrey in Mexico, and Centennial College in Canada. All participants seized the unique opportunity to expand their perspectives during an intensive lecture week, engage in intercultural exchange, and explore new ideas and perspectives from other universities.
Knowledge transfer Kufstein-Paris-Lyon
During the academic exchange, Dr. Bernd Wollmann brought in his longstanding international marketing expertise and delivered the lecture "The Future of Luxury Brands: Branding Between Sustainable Strategy and Short-Term (Influencer) Hypes." This lecture discussed the current challenges, especially in the luxury brand goods industry, which involves an ever-growing tension between long-term strategic alignment (especially towards sustainability) and short-term influences by interacting with influencers and their activities. Using the example of the luxury brand Louis Vuitton, founded in 1854 in Paris, different future scenarios for the industry based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Sirgy's self-congruity theory were discussed. "I thoroughly enjoyed the exchange with my international colleagues, particularly the cooperation with our partner university. Particularly for the International Business Studies program, interacting in an international context is essential and a significant professional and personal enrichment," Wollmann summarized his stay in France.
Lecturer mobility at FH Kufstein Tirol
FH Kufstein Tirol promotes the mobility of university staff, including within the framework of Erasmus+. The program allows faculty members to gain international teaching experience and gather new inputs for their teaching and research activities. It also promotes the expansion of academic networks and the development and establishment of international cooperation and research projects. The organization and execution of the Erasmus+ Staff Mobility are handled by the International Relations Office at FH Kufstein Tirol. "Our internationalization strategy aims to expand international mobility for our university staff, especially within the framework of Erasmus+. This provides interested parties with the opportunity to gain professional experience abroad, which is also explicitly desired by the management," added Hannelore Wimmer, BSc, Head of the International Relations Office.