The long-standing tradition of field trips to Sarajevo was successfully continued this year. From May 5 to 9, a group of master’s students visited the School of Economics and Business at the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the course Strategic and International Human Resource Management.
Led by Christian Hirt (University of Graz) and Zijada Rahimić (University of Sarajevo), the students attended a lecture by Prof. Munira Šestić on “Women representation in upper echelons of state-owned enterprises - Bosnia and Herzegovina context”. Afterwards, they engaged in discussions with Bosnian students on the context-specific challenges of HR management in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Particular highlights of the field trip included company visits to Sparkasse Bank d.d., the furniture company Inside Ećo Company d.o.o, and Coca-Cola HBC B-H Sarajevo. Through conversations with company representatives, the students gained valuable insights into corporate practice and various HR strategies in a country undergoing economic and social transformation. The exchange offered fresh perspectives and the opportunity to directly connect theoretical knowledge with real-world business challenges.
The field trip was supported by the Office of International Relations at the University of Graz - our sincere thanks for their continued financial support over the years and also to Mediha Ohranovic for the competent support on-site!
We would also like to thank our local partners for their great commitment, especially Aida Bogućanin (HR Director, Sparkasse Bank d.d.), Tijana Vuković (Selection and Development, Sparkasse Bank d.d.), Suad Ećo (CEO, Inside Ećo Company), Elvisa Ećo (General Director Assistant, Inside Ećo Company), Nina Profaca (Talent Development, Coca-Cola HBC Adria), Hatidža Jahić (Vice Dean for International Cooperation and Business Relations, University of Sarajevo) and Munira Šestić (University of Sarajevo).
From June 1 to 5, 2026, Zijada Rahimić will, as part of a return visit, discuss context-specific HR topics with our students at the Department of Human Resource Management at the University of Graz and reflect on the experiences of the Sarajevo excursion.
Note:
A post and impressions from the study trip were also shared on the social media channel of Sparkasse Bank d.d. (LinkedIn)
