Psychological safety means open communication and a positive error culture, the opportunity for everyone to get involved and be heard. A matter of course in the Board of Directors, one would think. But is that really the case?
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A highlight of the Rochester-Bern EMBA program is the one-month residency at Simon Business School in Rochester, NY. It's hard to believe that this has already come to an end. We've just returned to Switzerland, enriched with fresh insights, knowledge, inspiration, and new ideas. For me personally, it has transformed the way I perceive and approach technology.
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More people have more brainpower and more ideas, which leads to better results – sounds logical, but is often not the daily reality in organizations: Employees hold back their thoughts for fear of being rejected or excluded. Mistakes and concerns go unspoken, and opportunities for improvement are lost. The consequences can be enormous. Many scandals and corporate failures can be traced back to a lack of a psychological safety culture. But it is possible to do better, and managers can learn how to improve psychological safety in their organizations.
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Nowadays, almost every company claims to be sustainable. Can companies use sustainability to set themselves apart from the competition? Prof. Dr. Filip Caeldries – professor at TIAS School for Business and Society (The Netherlands) and lecturer at the Rochester-Bern EMBA program sheds some light on this question.
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Every year, our EMBA students immerse themselves in the Asian market and discover a whole new way to succeed in business. In 2025, their journey takes them to India: a country offering incredible potential.
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In this study, Michel Degosciu, Karl Schmedders and Maximilian Werner analyze three decades of return data from listed private equity (LPE) companies, focusing on the return averages and volatilities of two notable market indices and comparing them to a global equity index. Their fndings indicate that LPE has generated higher average returns, commensurate with its higher volatility, in comparison to the global index. Additionally, they observe that, on average, LPE companies have traded at a discount to their book values since the Great Financial Crisis. Importantly, this discount exhibits a strong negative correlation with an indicator of macro-financial stress, which emerges as a predictive factor for LPE market performance.
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"One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results." - Milton Friedman
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Having the right people is the key to a successful business. With changing demographics, it is becoming increasingly difficult for companies and entrepreneurs to recruit talent. At the Rochester-Bern Alumni/ae Seminar, this topic was discussed and unexpected solutions were found.
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In this blog post I want to focus on the topic of leadership. Influenced by the impressions from our Asia Experience in South Korea - particularly with regard to working conditions and values in the world of work - I spoke to fellow students about their leadership guidelines. I also wanted to know how far they had moved away from their childhood career goals :-)
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Is it worth the effort? The study journey of an EMBA degree is not easy, but the rewards far outweigh the obstacles. Some examples from our alumni/ae show the career benefits.
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Student again! My path to the Rochester-Bern EMBA and what I have already learned in the first classes.
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In the RoBe Connect Talk, Sibylle Sommerer talked about how we prepare for tricky conversations and what helps us to stay focused.
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The reaction of employees is often the decisive factor in whether a phishing attempt is successful and causes damage to a company or not. RoBe alumnus Marco Rast explains why training is crucial.
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For small and medium-sized companies in Switzerland, the use of AI technologies such as ChatGPT can provide a real competitive advantage. Four Rochester-Bern alumni talk about how they use ChatGPT in their field.
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"Understanding resilience doesn't make you resilient," says Markus Renevey. Because resilience needs to be lived and practiced. In this article, he explains where resilience comes from and how it becomes part of life.
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A lot of energy is required for the development and application of artificial intelligence (AI). At the same time, it can help to make processes more efficient and therefore more energy-saving. Which approach prevails?
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In my newest blog, I want to give an insight into my current life with a full-time management job, family and studies and share "life hacks" for better juggling these three balls.
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What presents were under the RoBe Christmas tree for me and what colorful packages can I still look forward to?
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Judit Varga, an experienced finance professional at Takeda Pharmaceuticals International, shares her experiences in Tokyo. She graduated from the Rochester-Bern EMBA in 2020 and is now taking the next step in her career by immersing herself in the cultural intricacies of Japanese life and business.
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Company mergers. New management. Uncertain job situation. Many companies in Switzerland – from finance to pharma – currently find themselves in transition and integration processes. Businesses are impacted by macroeconomic factors like inflation, humanitarian crises in war-ridden countries, global supply chain struggles and challenges filling job vacancies to name a few. This sea of uncertainty has amplified our need for a lighthouse – to guide us in a new direction, help create structure, and increase growth prospects despite the currents surrounding us. The beacon of light I am referring to is further education.
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Have you ever wondered why the NZZ suggests certain articles to you and not to others? Want to understand why some NZZ articles are behind a paywall while others are free to access? Cristina Kadar, Senior Data Scientist at the NZZ, gave a guest lecture to our EMBA Class 29 students and provided an exciting insight into a real-life example of data management.
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Effective communication is crucial to selling your products and services to customers. A brand can only be successful if it is understood by the target audience and its stakeholders. On November 3, Rochester-Bern organized an event for EMBA alumni/-ae, where Prof. Dr. Marlies Whitehouse and Dr. Lucia Malär spoke about "Professional literacy for successful communication" and "Unlocking successful marketing communication".
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An important part of RoBe's international EMBA program is the four-week stay at the University of Rochester and the Asia trip in the third part of the program. In what words can the Rochester month be summarized? Focus, fun, cultural experience and social experiment.
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One of the highlights of the Rochester-Bern EMBA experience is its thriving network of alumni/ae. For the past 30 years, EMBA graduates have advised candidates on the program experience, returned as guest lecturers – and ended up working with other RoBe alumni/ae. Philip Weis and Michael Mühlemann are one such example.
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"It's not a question of if, but when it happens" — a statement that comes up again and again in connection with cyber attacks. Bettina Zimmermann, expert for crisis management and security as well as guest speaker at Rochester-Bern Executive Programs explains what an attack means and how companies react correctly.
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To all the women (and of course everyone) out there: Many more reasons to join the EMBA program at Rochester Bern. Or: A homage to my fellow female students
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Daniel Hollenstein works at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited, Zurich Branch. How does he come to work for the world's largest bank? What are the tasks of a Chinese bank in Switzerland? And how did his Rochester-Bern Master’s prepare him for the challenge? This article provides answers.
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New technologies will change our familiar landscape and have a major impact on cybersecurity. How can we set the course so that we can tap into the great potential of these technologies and markets? Marcel Zumbühl took the participants on a tour of the playing fields of the future at the RoBe lunch talk about Artificial Intelligence, Metaverse, Quantum Computing and Participatory Security.
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With this student blog I will take you on my learning journey during the next months. And in this first post I will explain to you the connection between my study start and a risk curve with high volatility.
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Marvelling at the Empire State Building, a walk in Central Park and a ride over the Brooklyn Bridge. For RoBe alumnus David Hehlen, this is reality. He has been working as a Corporate Advisor at UBS in New York since November 2022. In this article he tells us what it means to work abroad and how the RoBe EMBA prepared him for the adventure.
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Those who negotiate better also get through life better. For managers in particular, negotiation skills are no longer a "nice to have," but indispensable. Expert Jochen Luksch explains how to negotiate effectively and efficiently.
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Becoming more aware of oneself and the environment - mindfulness is an effective method to promote reflective and authentic leadership behavior. Professor Marco Furtner explains why mindfulness is particularly important in dynamic leadership.
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VUCA - Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity wonderfully describes the zeitgeist and how life feels in today's society. Executives in particular are often exposed to strong stresses and must possess a great deal of resilience in order to master their everyday lives.
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Speaking in front of an audience takes courage. An additional challenge are online meetings, where it is even more difficult to engage the audience. Sibylle Sommerer is the owner of Speak GmbH and gives tips on how to make a successful digital appearance.
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