The end of October saw the debut “Financial Communications” event take place. It was the first in a series of planned events and was held in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce in Rostock. Organized by the Steinbeis Consulting Center Finance. Communication.Training., it featured background information provided by experts and looked at the requirements for bank lending.
More than 50 events and seminars are planned for 2013, in cooperation with chamber organizations, banks and associations. “The kick-off event in Rostock was sold out within the first few days. It is a very popular topic among banks and companies,” says Frank Armbruster, director of the Steinbeis consulting center. The idea behind the event series is an open forum discussion giving practical instructions for adding more professionalism to the financial communications between companies and banks. This is important because poor securities often aren’t the sole reason companies don’t receive bank credit or satisfactory lending terms and conditions. Actually, many credit discussions fail on account of poor communications between the business and the bank. The event in Rostock was followed by a seminar and workshop series that included ten training modules for financial communications. The event then came to a close with an innovative “World Café” and “Marketplace” for exchanging experiences and discussing the new things learned at the event. It also served to strengthen existing contacts among participants.
Frank Armbruster | Dorothee Rennwanz-Etzel
Steinbeis Consulting Center Finance.Communication.Training. (Pfinztal)
How can companies make the most of demographic developments? The key element is innovative human resources management, one that systematically integrates and encourages older employees with all of the know-how and experience they have to offer, possibly even giving them a chance to redefine themselves. Companies carry out stocktaking exercises to determine the measures and instruments they will use – things like mixed-age learning groups and mentoring models, life-cycle-oriented personnel development, or workplace health promotion. The Steinbeis Consulting Center for Business Coaching supports companies to this end.
Jil Sander sets the example: the 68-year-old founder of the eponymous fashion line has decided to take a fresh start and begin designing collections again. Demographic change in the workplace is not a new topic and the effects of changing age structures are clearly visible: The workforce is not just aging, but businesses seem to be facing a shortage of qualified specialists. This is leading companies to present themselves as attractive employers within a tightening workforce market. However, many companies seem to focus exclusively on acquiring young potential from high achievers instead of making the most of demographic changes. Steinbeis consultants are on hand to help with strategy development and implementation, as well as to contribute with coaching sessions designed to overcome these demographic changes. Companies interested in taking such steps have access to funding from the European Social Fund.
Steinbeis offers free consultations to small and medium-sized businesses to open up access to new technology and know-how sources. These companies are given contacts from the Steinbeis network of experts, comprehensive consultations and multifaceted information regarding products, technologies and processes.
The individual companies, representatives of various chambers, the regional L-Bank, institutions for promoting the economy, or the directors of Steinbeis companies can apply for the brief consultations by indicating the desired consultation topic. All necessary forms are available on the Internet.
The conditions for brief consultations include: