Nordic co-operation in new course at Arcada

The Integrated Business Planning (IBP) course is a result of a research project at Arcada. The Nordic co-operation is an important and appreciated element that creates new contacts and strengthens Arcada's education and research activities. During the course, which took place in both Helsinki and Oslo, the participants were introduced to research in the field through lectures by researchers from Arcada, Kristiania, Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany and MIT-Zaragoza Logistics Center in Spain.

Guest lecturer Yasel Costa Salas from the MIT Zaragoza Logistics Center.

“This was an important course for Arcada's strategy for Nordic co-operation for global relevance, . The lectures were held on site in Helsinki and Oslo, which was a concrete way to gain insights into practices in both countries. Another important element of the course was European cooperation. The course participants also gained insight into research and development for IBP in Germany and Spain” says Henrik Nyman, course coordinator at Arcada.

Timo Rantala, Head of Integrated Business Planning at Tikkurila and course coordinator Henrik Nyman begins the afternoon's lecture.

Contact with the business community was another important element of the course. The course included guest lecturers from industrial companies in Finland, Sweden and Norway. Among others, the Norwegian food company Nortura presented their IBP processes.

“Integrated Business Planning is a multifaceted process and we have tried to lift this aspect in the course. We have had guest lectures focusing on decision-making, financial management, technology, data and systems, and practical cases. A successful IBP process can take decision-making in companies to a whole new level” says Nyman.

Students satisfied

The focus of the course was also appreciated by the students. Course participant Daniel Janols, who studies Information Systems at master level at Kristiania and has a background in IT, was satisfied with the course content and the guest lecturers' expertise in their fields.

“I think the course was a good fit for me and what I wanted to learn. I also appreciated the cooperation between Kristiania and Arcada, which provided me new contact networks. I would like to see more co-operation like this in the future.”

Students at a lecture in the Integrated Business Planning course.

More collaborations and courses in the future is also what the course coordinators hope for.

“We have collected valuable feedback from all course participants on how to develop the course for the next time. The aim is still to combine academic research in the field with the latest insights from industry” says Nyman.

Are you curious about the course? At Arcada we offer further education in technology, culture, media, business, social and health care. Read more about our course offerings in our course calendar.