Research & practice-based cooperation projects

Marketing and International Management at Alpen-Adria Universität Klagenfurt is highly practice-oriented, not only in terms of teaching, but also in terms of research.

Practical projects are attractive if, in the course of the project, scientific issues that fall within the research interests of the MIM team can be investigated. Various types of cooperation are conceivable.

Cooperation projects with Austrian or international companies or institutions can be carried out on various levels. The type of cooperation that is most suitable depends on the nature of the research question or the joint research proposal:

Cooperation projects with companies

• Compulsory work experience: A compulsory work experience placement towards the end of the degree programme is a key component of the Applied Business Administration curriculum at the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt. For this, students spend four months independently carrying out a marketing project in an Austrian or international institution, with expert supervision from the MIM team. Alternatively, they gain an insight into the diverse range of tasks of a large marketing department and are able to benefit from the practical knowledge of established marketing managers.
  Contact person at the department: Prof. Sonja Grabner-Kräuter
• Practical Master’s theses: For practical research questions with high scientific relevance, practical Master’s theses are a suitable form of cooperation between the university and the business world.
  Contact person at the department: Prof. Ralf Terlutter
• Research projects (funded by third parties): Scientific areas of interest with a relation to practice can also take the form of comprehensive research projects at the Department of Marketing and International Management. The requirements for acceptance of a research project are, on the one hand, that the project objective corresponds with the research interests of the MIM team and, on the other hand, that suitable funding is available. If necessary, the funding must ensure that additional project assistants are entrusted with the implementation of the research project.
  Contact person at the department: Prof. Ralf Terlutter

The examples of successful cooperation projects show that the MIM team has taken a pioneering path.

Project partners from previous years:

• Economic chamber of Carinthia [Wirtschaftskammer Kärnten]
• GfK
• Consorzio Bibione Live
• Weiße Liste

Students of Business Administration spend a semester of their study programme on a work placement and learn how to apply theoretical knowledge, under the expert supervision of the MIM team, within the framework of a four-month project at an Austrian or international institution or company.

An interesting research question for a further practical Master thesis in collaboration with the provider of the work placement often arises from the semester spent in a work placement. In any case, by participating in the project, the students leave their ‘business cards’ in the company where they carry out their placements, thereby gaining a critical advantage when they start looking for work after finishing their studies. Within the framework of courses too, practical projects (such as WKK Exportoffensive, collaboration with L’Oréal) are carried out in the Department of Marketing and International Marketing. Practitioners are invited to give lectures at the university.