Ticket to Global Career

Anna Zotova, a student of the Global Business programme, spoke to us about her study and work during her second year in Austria.

Thanks to the academic mobility programme in Linz, I had the opportunity to take two internships in companies in Austria. The Academic Supervisors of the programme in Global Business helped me to find these companies. Since the ‘Global Business’  master’s  programme is organized with the support of the Federation of Upper Austrian Industries, the programme students have an opportunity to meet the directors of those companies who are members of the Federation.

It is worth mentioning that despite the current difficult economic and political situation between Russia and the EU, Austrian companies are interested in developing business in the Russian market. In order to collect information about the Russian market, companies need Russian speaking specialists with a knowledge of business organization in Russia. In this case, the courses of the  Global Business programme form an excellent platform for gaining relevant knowledge and skills.

I had my first internship in LITHOS Industrial Minerals in Asendorf. The company specializes in the processing of natural minerals into high quality ingredients for industry and agriculture. The company is planning to enter the Russian market, so they needed a specialist who could conduct a marketing analysis of the Russian market of talc and zeolite. The task was not easy,but thanks to the knowledge I’d gained while implementing business projects during my studies, I completed the marketing analysis, and in cooperation with the company's managers, we planned a number of activities connected with introducing talc products into the Russian market.

The ‘Global Business’ programme has an advantage over other similar initiatives because of the unique international experience which students acquire during their studies. Austrian managers pay special attention to the information about the programme in a students’ CV, that’s why I was invited to take an internship in LIVA Linzer Veranstaltungsgesellschaft MBH. The company is the main organizer of virtually all cultural events in Linz. Since LIVA actively works with Russian cultural centres, they needed a specialist who could coordinate cooperation with Russian celebrities.

In general the main advantage of the programme is the opportunity to make international contacts in both student life and business. The programme also helps the students to learn about business organization in European countries, although obviously, three months of studying abroad is not enough to acquire a deep knowledge of a country’s business culture.

Every student has the opportunity to continue his or her studies in Austria or Italy, though the motivation and desire to develop his or her career in a particular country are the key points of success. During my studies, my research and professional experience was focused on business development in the countries of Central Europe.

Getting a master’s degree from the Johannes Kepler University of Linz as well as internships in Austrian companies has helped me to move closer to my goal – to develop European business in Russia. International experts will always be in demand in a global business environment.