IMB Programme Director, Janez Prašnikar, PhD.:»The idea is not only reproducing knowledge, but also creating new knowledge.«
IMB – International Full Time Master Program in Business administration is a truly unique, according to many even elite, master program. It is intended both, for students with former business experiences and those without that kind of experiences. Cooperation with international experts from the academic and business sphere and project work solving true business problems truly present the best preparation for entering the business world. This year we celebrate the 20th anniversary. We discussed about the program with the program director Janez Prasnikar.
IMB program evolved from MBA program, which is designed also for non-economists, who are already present in the business world. Where are the differences between the two programs, knowing that they are both organized at the Faculty of Economics Ljubljana? Who decides for which option?
It is true, the IMB program was developed from MBA. It was a typical residential program, which was organised in Radovljica. The key idea was, as in the MBA program, for the people with business experiences to live together. The goal was to take advantage of the synergies needed for successful solving of business problems. A synthesis of knowledge was created by putting together trained professors and managers of known businesses. The program as such was running for four, five years. A high level of participation was essential (25 – 30 students). At one point, financial problems evolved, and only eighteen students were left. Through seeking other possibilities, today’s organisational form of EF’s work was created. Such changed program did not satisfy my ambitions. The idea should not only be a reproduction of knowledge, but also creation of new knowledge. The program should also have a research component. The motive for people from the practice was lost.
In the year 1998, the program was brought to Ljubljana, with same principles, but a new dimension. The students were not the ones from the practice, they were ones who completed their bachelors and wanted to be brought closer to the practice. This was exactly where the research motive came about, as experience should be gained through analysis.
What should the students expect in 2 to 5 years after the study? Today, where can we find the students, who graduated from the IMB program?
Everywhere. We can find them in the academic circles, most stayed at this university. In every generation, there are two to three students, who are my colleagues now. We can also find them in the top management positions. Just to name a few examples, our students are working as the president of Petrol, members of the board in Triglav, Unicredit. Especially in the financial sector, where due to the crisis, employees needed to be replaced. Our students are very successful, but also young, and has it not been for the crisis, it would probably be harder for them to achieve those top company positions. Most of them are drawn to the business sector. They are the founders of their own companies even. Mohar, a fifth-generation student, today owns one of the most successful Slovenian businesses. We can also find them in the public sector.
And abroad?
Now you touched the weak spot. The program was developed in a way that established foreign professors get involved in organic manners in the execution of the program. The aim was to improve opportunities in our country. Enthusiastic students from our areas took advantage of their experiences and due to the crisis in Slovenia, the best students leave.
However, that was not your primary goal, probably the program was also supposed to promote Slovenia?
Of course, that is also a part of my task. The role of professors is also writing recommendations; other professors and I write recommendations to the students leaving Slovenia to go abroad, especially to Germany. Some students left for the USA. In this sense the program got more and more international, which is also good for the program. Though, not for me personally. Of course, it is important at this moment, for the students, who have graduated from the program, to have a good starting point to be able to grab positions elsewhere.
How do you see the program in the next 3, 5, 10 years? What role will it have on the Faculty of Economics and on the international academic and business sphere?
The program has been developed from one ambition. However, it was penetrated in the environment of the Faculty. There have been discussions with the graduates from our program, whether through the movement of the program it will become like the other programs of the Faculty. I was of the opinion that if you have ambitious people and the structure of the program is set up challenging enough, environment should not have an effect. Nonetheless, it was proven after 20 years from the founding of the program, that the environment became restrictive factor. In the sense that, if it was not for the big efforts by my collegues and me, the program would be probably merged with the others. The financial crisis is spreading into the pedagogic circles, from the view of financing pedagogues, it is becoming harder and harder to motivate them. Keeping in mind that the program is partly directed into research, we try to combine spheres. The Faculty needs to acknowledge the fact that the program is the leading in our country and take that into account. In the 20-year-old project a lot of non-paid energy and time has been invested. We would like to fly with a helicopter, but cannot even walk. To the certain point, the program is compatible, however if we want to »fly« we have to invest much more. The program budget is far below the norm for similar programs. A half of the professors should be international and half from Slovenia. The higher the quality of the foreign professors, the higher the price. For now it is working, but could easily stop working due to the lack of finances.
Is the future of the program unsure? Is there a possibility of cancelling the program?
As long as I am present, the program will not be stopped and will also not go into lower quality. However, this means, as we already talk about business, we are going to search for new sources all around, including research work. It is also about cutting sources, some of my closest colleagues are underpaid for their research work.
The interest of the students for the program remains high, at the same time, they are aware that the program is challenging.
From a historic perspective, there has been a lot of selection in the last 20 years. A person deciding for the program knew what was expected and required and based on this decided whether to do it or not. We can be very satisfied regarding this, as it allowed us to have very good and interested students enrolled. And this is the key to have a powerful group of students and therefore be able to set the level of the program so that the ones on the border can also join. We kept trying to have a good mix of domestic and foreign students, which served for that charm where people become a family having lived together for a year. A strong Slovenian group would serve for an even better integration. This year, we have students from 14 countries. It is almost a cultural shock, we have students from Japan, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Germany, Portugal, Canada. If one of the foreign student has a health problem, there are always two Slovenian students by his side. And when in such a moment these students become friends, a chemistry has been achieved that is needed in such a diverse group.
The key point is that we get used to group work. Most students that write to me from abroad say we taught them crucial things. Nobody asks you where you are from, what you are, but they ask you whether you are capable of something. The subjects available in research are important especially so that the students recognise the problem. They can also determine who is supposed to do what. I am talking about team work. We have enough connections to good companies, and from them we get problems and we present them with solutions and this way we get another aspect. What the company thinks of it.
Are the companies only Slovenian?
If we take the advantage of Droga, it is today also a Croatian company. In the past, we had projects with Italians. We worked together with companies in this »Yugo-pool«, of course this is still our area. It is a lot easier to discuss with people from Sarajevo and Belgrad about group projects that involve our students, then in Austria for example. We have projects with Google. It is important to keep our eyes opened and seek opportunities, this is called entrepreneurship. We are an entrepreneurial program. Always looking for new challenges so that the students can feel it is worth it.
Lana Grunčić Krajnc, EFnews
Proofread by Živa Furlan, EFnews
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