Interview with Prof. Dr. Rer. Pol. Waldemar Pförtsch, MBA-International Management

Professor Pförtsch has been teaching International Business at Pforzheim University for over 20 years. Not only does he have a great depth of knowledge in B2B Marketing, but he also has extensive international consulting and teaching experiences in digital transformation. He is the author of many business books and articles, and he also lectures at multiple business schools around the globe, including in China, UK, USA, India, and Peru. Having understood market trends of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and the Internet of Things (IoT), Prof. Pförtsch has offered a new business course for students so that they can understand the demands to help their future employers position themselves advantageously. The new course offering is called Digital Transformation and Marketing. The course provides a research- based and framework-driven approach to understand digital transformation and digital marketing.

What benefits do students gain from participating in the Digital Transformation course?

“They learn how the new situations require new business models and what marketing consequences are drawn from the new models. Students learn how companies are changing and will continue to change. They must see what marketing activities they need to build upon the changes. I will introduce a new principle of Human to Human (H2H), which is different from the traditional B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumers). People will talk to each other. Difficult parts are taken away by automation and digital processes. The importance of human interaction is extremely important. As a result, we need to know how to do that and keep it flowing. Digital Transformation will be around for the next several years, and we need to be prepared. This course prepares the students to lay the groundwork.”

What are you looking forward to in this Digital Transformation course?

“I look forward to teaching the course very much. I’ll introduce new principles, and I will also learn from the students because they have unique experiences from all around the world and from different companies. It’ll be a great opportunity to blend the learning for the students and for myself.”

In summary, digital transformation is “disrupting” the world and how business is being done. The course helps equip MBA students to strategize, manage and lead these changes. Here are a few comments from students about the new course offering:

"It was really nice and enriching to be able to take part in this class of the MBA program. The discussions with the MBA students and the professor were very interesting, and I learned a lot about the digitalization in different business models,” said Muriel from Germany in the master program of Creative Communication and Brand Management.

Mingming from China in the MBA program said, “We learned a lot of new trends in this class. Now we have some ideas about what digitalization is and what companies are doing to keep up with the trends and new business needs.”

Text: Hellen Phan-Lesti, MBA class of 2019 / MBA Office
Photos: MBA