Archive for March/2009

Professor Raúl Respaldiza and the students of the Master in Sports Management visit one of the world’s best known sporting venues.

During the first face-to-face period in February 2009 in Madrid, the students of the Master in Sports Management and Professor Raúl Respaldiza had the opportunity of visiting the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. As part of the “Sports Facilities and Property Business” class, students and the manager of the facility analyzed the key success factors for the successful management of this large “multi-use venue”. It was not only soccer fans who were impressed with the professionalism and range of facilities, as one of the students mentioned: “An amazing experience. It was an excellent field study of sporting facilities (and other MSM topics).”

Within the same module the students also visited the Telefónica Arena Madrid, another sports facility which is part of Madrid’s 2016 Olympic bid.

These visits are just an example of the IE learning experience, where learning goes beyond classroom education. For more creative learning approaches, just visit Learning experIEnces.

Just some weeks ago the Financial Aid Office started his own blog to keep you even more updated on your finance options of our Bachelor and Master programs. The idea is to inform you about the latest additions to scholarships and other financial aid options. Also you can learn about recurring questions which they feel should be discussed more in detail.

If you navigate through the blog you will quickly find the new IE Fellow program which allows the stipend to take over project-based research or marketing responsibilities. This is a great way to finance your studies as you have close connection to other IE members and you get challenging tasks which can be helpful for your future career.

So, take your responsibility in this matter and make your research on your best financing option for your program at IE.

A team of students from IE Business School’s Master in Finance have won 1st prize in the 4th edition of the CFA Institute’s Global Investment Research Challenge organized in Spain in collaboration with Bolsas y Mercados Españoles and Spanish business daily El Economista. The members of the winning team were Jonas Aita (Germany), Sebastian Mentzen (Germany),  Andrés Dobles (Costa Rica), Naz Okten (Turkey) and Sakhee Joisher (UK), who analyzed the stock market value of Spanish television channel Antena 3 TV and made investment recommendations before a panel comprised of directors from the CFA Institute, Bolsas y Mercados Españoles, and El Economista. The IE Business School team will be competing in the European phase of the competition on April 2 in London, the winners of which will be participating in the worldwide final of the Challenge on April 3.

Ignacio de la Torre, Director of the Masters in Finance at IE Business School, sees participation in a competition like CFA Spain as an extremely positive experience for IE’s students. “This year they were required to gauge the stock market value of Antena 3 TV. They prepared their report and value model and presented them to a panel of expert analysts, facing challenges similar to those they will encounter in the financial world after they graduate. Now comes the next phase, in which we will be competing against a team from London Business School for the European title”.

IE Business School’s Master in Finance is aimed at young professionals with a markedly international profile who want to pursue a career in firms operating in fields related to venture capital, financial markets, investment management, finance consulting and auditing, or in public finance, the world of corporate finance, or as an independent financial adviser.  IE’s Master in Finance is a ten-month program taught in English which equips participants with a deep knowledge of management in the field of finance.  Students also prepare the first Chartered Financial Advisor (CFA®) exam, the most renowned international qualification for financial analysts.

IE Focus, March 2009 | By Jorge Diezhandino. MBA part-time 2005,  IE Business School;  Senior Consultant at Alfa Consulting

According to José María O’Kean, Professor of Economic Environment at IE Business School, “there are elements in Spain that can help mitigate the immediate crisis, such as tourism and, to a certain extent, exports, but the model is still one of low-level productivity”. Indeed, as far as the present situation is concerned, replacing the construction sector with the tourist sector and support from exports is logical, but maintaining such a low-productivity model means not only failing to improve our business sector’s competitiveness, but also increasing the difference with those who, in this environment of change, are doing just that. Consequently, only the businesses that successfully assume the change required for improving their productivity will successfully overcome the crisis and come out strengthened at a time when, more than ever, it is essential to reduce costs on the value chain. Read more…

IE Focus March 2009 | By Manuel Alonso, Professor at IE Business School

Let’s face it, the customer is always right, and this long-standing truth is growing truer by the day thanks to new technologies. Traditional marketing doesn’t work anymore.
The main effect of the exponential technological development of marketing in recent years has been the increase in consumer power in commercial relations. We have to accept the situation: the consumer is in command. He is no longer an isolated person bombarded by commercial strategies that lead him to take purchasing decisions. He has his own opinion, which he can say very easily through digital channels, directing it not only at advertisers, but also at other consumers, over whom he has huge influence. It is very easy to gather from this statement that usual advertising has abandoned the traditional unidirectional format to become not bidirectional between brand and customer, but rather multidirectional, where customers exchange information with each other.

Bearing in mind this situation, it comes as no surprise that the 2007 New Year cover Time magazine always dedicates to the person it considers as being most important in the previous three-hundred-and-sixty-five days was dedicated to you, and me, and each and every one of us, since we are at the helm of the new information era in which the consumer has become the prosumer: he has unlimited options for choosing products, for comparing them, for hearing other buyers´ opinions, for influencing manufacturers and advertisers… And all that power is making him more difficult to reach using the staler advertising formats, especially in the cold, corporate tone. Read more…

Please note that our next virtual session will take place on Tuesday 24th March, at 18.00 hrs (GMT+1), where you will be able to get to know our University and discover the content and structure of our degree courses:
•    Bachelor in Architecture (taught in English or Spanish)
•    Bachelor in Art History (taught in English or Spanish)
•    Bachelor in Biology (taught in English or Spanish)
•    Bachelor in Business Administration (taught in English or Spanish)
•    Bachelor in Communication (taught in English or Spanish)
•    Bachelor of Laws (taught in English or Spanish)
•    Bachelor in Psychology (taught in English or Spanish)
•    Bachelor in Tourism Management (taught in English)

If you wish to take part in the Virtual Session, just register here. If you are unable to take part in our Virtual Session on the specified date, feel free to consult our events webpage where you can subscribe to any of the events we organise, both virtual and on campus.

We would like to remind you that at IE University, we offer a wide ranging program of financial aid and scholarships. Our Academic Excellence Scholarships are aimed at outstanding students with an excellent academic trajectory, and offers a grant covering up to 75% of the annual course fee for the entire duration of your degree.

We understand that going to University can be a life-changing experience.  If you have any questions or queries regarding IE University, or require assistance in any subject matter, feel free to contact us and we will be more than happy to help.

February 2008 | By Guillermo de Haro, Professor at IE Business School

We all have our own personal brand, and Personal Brand Management can help us to enhance our image using the same techniques that enable companies to sell themselves better.
Valuing things is always complicated. As someone once said, “only a fool confuses value with price”. In The Undercover Economist, Tim Hartford also gave a masterful explanation of how the utility (and, therefore, the perceived value) is different for each product or service, for each individual and even for each situation, and the price is a key element for making the system work, making it more fluid. That´s why putting a price on something is so complicated. And if we also try to put a price on ourselves, it is even more complicated. If you don´t believe me, ask people how much you are worth.

In Saxon cultures, they have no problem: you are worth as much as you earn. Nowadays, there are certain subtleties. If we ask a BoBo (Bourgeois Bohemian), they give more value to a million dollars that come from a book or a new company than from speculating on the stock exchange, something that would be valued very highly by a yuppie. And if I ask my mother, I would be listed on the stock exchange in less than 24 hours and I would also guarantee its recovery.

In my classes, I always tell my students that we should think of ourselves as another company. This exercise helps them gain a better understanding of things thanks to a new viewpoint that involves us in decision-taking processes. We can calculate our results account, value ourselves as an asset and value our assets, as well as determine our liabilities. And, as such, we can speak of the value of our brand and start thinking how to manage it. Read more…