Pride in Practice: Corporate Workshop with BENEŠ a LÁT

Each semester our MBA students are presented with an actual corporate or organisational problem. As a team, their task is to compile recommendations and solutions to resolve the business issue.

In December, we were privileged to have Mr. Jan Lát, owner and CFO of BENEŠ a LÁT. During his opening remarks and throughout the session, he shared the challenges faced with deep insight, openness, and enthusiasm. The company in question is a foundry, a highly energy-intensive industry. BENEŠ a LÁT is one of those enterprises extremely impacted by the current energy crisis. Furthermore, as with other manufacturing companies, BENEŠ a LÁT faces problems to engage skilled employees. Hence, the two major issues our students were deemed to undertake.

Mr. Lát provided our students with fundamental information and the challenges prior to the workshop. This allowed the participants to prepare for the session. After which, during the workshop, student teams, both on campus and on-line, worked together to prepare recommendations.

After an entire day effort, the teams presented their respective findings and proposed solutions. The review committee comprised Jan Lát, Richard Brunet-Thornton, the programme academic advisor, and Vojtěch Opleštil, the Executive Director of the Institute of Management. The group selected the presentation which focused on the method to recruit suitable personnel to remain competitive. The outstanding recommendation, which the committee especially found significant, was to develop the BENEŠ a LÁT brand as a proud component of the Czech industrial and entrepreneurial legacy. What was even most interesting, it was passionately presented by one of our international students, Mahmoud Omara. Kudos to Mo and his team!

It was a great day for all, and for Mr. Lát. We look forward to visiting the BENEŠ a LÁT factory in January. Further details to follow.