CIIM MSc Management is a practically oriented programme designed to develop university graduates into professional managers. The Programme emphasizes learning by doing through career development seminars, company visits, real-life company projects and optional internships.
Career and Industry Seminars Course
This is one of the core courses for the MSc Management students. It is a non-academic, non-traditional course, which is comprised of a number of events, with many of them outside CIIM and outside a traditional classroom.
The objective of this course is to offer opportunities for our students to participate in a series of practical skills workshops, company visits, networking events and themed seminars in order to develop transferrable skills, draw lessons from best managerial practices and expand their professional network.
Company Visits
The company visits are the highlights of this course. A company visit normally includes a tour of the facilities, presentations by the company’s managers (HR manager or Marketing manager), and most importantly, an extensive Q&A session with the company’s Managing Director. Each student gets a chance to ask a question the top manager of a leading company.
Here is what our students say of the company visits:
“My impressions regarding our company visit to Zorbas are very positive. The hospitality and kindness were at the highest level and that is something that companies in general should strive for. Openness and readiness of the Managing Director made me really honored to be the part of this visit. I was absolutely impressed with the size of the factory and the technology that has been used and, in my opinion, they are not just a bakery any more, they are much bigger than that. The first thing that was in my mind when I saw the interior of the plant was the fact that this is the place where we -‘managers / economists / people in suits’ have bottlenecks, fixed asset, current asset, first line manager etc. All of these sound very grandiosely in papers, but the harsh reality is down in basement and dust and this is the place where everything good or bad are coming from. Information in papers is consequence of the state in production and in order to improve the results we should put ‘papers’ aside and start analyzing the real strengths and weaknesses of our manufacturing processes. The time spent with the Managing Director was very exciting for me, especially because I can see myself at the similar position in the future so this part was extremely useful and interesting” (Jovan Filipovic, MSc Management 2012, international student from Serbia).
“Career and Industry Seminars course is a great chance for me for improving my managerial competencies by having a face-to-face contact with successful managers and businesses. When visiting Engino, at the end of our tour in the plant, we had a very interesting discussion with the Marketing manager, and we had the chance to ask questions and share our ideas for the improvement of the company” (Elena Papa, MSc Management 2012)
“Visiting Medochemie was a very noteworthy experience. Being a graduate of medical physics and bioengineering, it was very interesting to watch the process but also the engineering behind the production of pharmaceuticals. It was also very important that there was a presentation about the structure of the organisation and its strategy. Studying management at the moment, I now understand how important is the organisation’s structure, marketing, the employees’culture and the strategy of the company through the years. What makes a company successful is the combination of a good product and its marketing, and Medochemie combines both. I also had the chance to combine my engineering knowledge and my newly acquired managerial knowledge to understand what exactly makes Medochemie so successful and powerful in many markets” (Aria Antoniadou, MSc Management 2013).
Practical Skills Workshops
We offer to our MSc Management students a variety of useful workshops. Presentation Skills Workshop and Networking Skills Workshop are the most typical examples.
Networking Skills
Networking is undeniably important. It is even said sometimes: “It is not WHAT you know that matters: it is WHO you know (or take it a step further: who knows you).” Knowledge and competence certainly matter, but this saying is true as well. Ability to make a first good impression may change your life!
Participants of the Networking Skills Workshop gain:
a greater ability to make networking work for them
an understanding of the concept of differentiation and how it can best benefit their future prospects for success
greater self-awareness of how to best communicate (negative vs positive words and expressions)
an appreciation of non-verbal communication
learn how to plan and deliver an ‘elevator speech’ i.e. a statement that will make them stand out
Here is what our students say of the Networking Skills Workshop:
“Attending the Networking Sills Workshop, I found many points that are very relevant to my future career development and my personal approach to life. The lecture was given by Michael Vivardi, he is a motivational speaker specializing in helping companies and individuals to achieve their goals by believing in their powers and act on them. It was very interesting that beyond the fact that his family owns a very successful company located in Limassol, that specializes in professional kitchen equipment, he decided to follow his dream and do what inspires him. As he mentioned, after visiting a similar seminar himself he understood that this is what he wanted to do in his life. After the lecture he has asked the speaker how he can achieve it. The speaker told him that he needs to do one simple thing and one hard. The simple was to spend one hour every day reading about his subject and the hard thing is to actually do it. This was for me the first lesson that I took from the workshop: that in order to succeed in any aspect of your life you have to dedicate time and effort in order to become expert in what you want to do” (Olesia Leonidou, MSc Management 2011)
“One of the important aspects of the Networking Skills Workshop was understanding the concept of differentiation. Why it’s important to be differentiated from others? This is the most important factor that will help you find a job despite the high unemployment rate. A lot of people are saying that they are sending their CVs to find a job and they always have negative feedback. In order to change these negative thoughts you have to consider and think why someone will prefer to recruit you instead of someone other if you can’t be differentiated from him and offer something unique in the company?” (Christos Christou, MSc Management 2012)
“I would like to thank CIIM from the bottom of my heart for organising the Networking Skills Workshop. It showed to me lots of positive things, and honestly I didn’t expect that it would be so interesting! I happened to walk into the classroom on that day with negativity, but from the minute that Michael Virardi started talking my mood changed. The workshop brought lots of positive thinking and also lots of good emotions. I am really thankful for such a bright event!” (Viktoriya Vakhreeva, MSc Management 2011)
See more photos in our Facebook Group (the group is open so anyone can see our pictures and posts, but only CIIM MSc Management students and alumni can be members).
Apply for a partial CIIM scholarship to join the MSc Management Programme http://www.ciim.ac.cy/programmes/download-area
The next academic year will start on September 14, 2015. Application deadline is August 21, 2015.