During her time in Australia, she obtained a Master´s Degree in Public Relations and Advertising from the University of New South Wales. Furthermore, she gained professional experience from high-end organizations in the Event Management and Tourism sectors.

After returning to Brazil, she began to work supporting foreign executives and international students. During this period, she worked for the University Studies Abroad Consortium as a Student Affairs Coordinator, in partnership with the International Relations department of the Federal University of South Brazil, where she acquired solid experience working in an academic setting.

As a Programme Assistant, Mariana will be involved in organizing seminars, conferences, summer schools and other ABRI events. Furthermore, she will help the faculty with the planning, preparation and administration of courses, and support the ABRI tracks with a range of research activities.

You can find Mariana in room HG 4A-91, or contact her by email at m.t.stori@vu.nl or phone +31 20 59 83094

The research covered brands such as Bertolli, Milka and Tropicana, and showed that consumers actually like copycats with moderate similarity more than those with high similarity. “A thematic imitation is far more successful,” she explained: “Blatant similarity is disliked, whereas subtle similarity is liked. And consumers think different than lawyers may think.” The latest marketing research focuses on using fMRI studies of brain activity to supplement self-reports.

Stefan Völker of Gleiss Lutz and Tom Scourfield of CMS presented the results of two MARQUES surveys on colour and shape trade marks covering 25 jurisdictions, covering topics such as acquired distinctiveness, the importance of surveys, graphical representation/description and enforcement. The full results of the surveys will be posted on the Class 46 blog shortly, and submissions are welcome from other jurisdictions.

The panellists – Giordano Cardini of Ferrero, Birgit Choudhry of Red Bull GmbH and Sandrine Royer of Nestlé Legal – discussed practical questions about the challenges of protecting and enforcing the designs of new and established products. Topics covered included how consumers perceive different aspects of brands and court decisions from Europe, China, South Africa and elsewhere on likelihood of confusion, unfair competition and passing off. Questions included when to file, what to seek protection for, the use of surveys and the criteria applied by the courts in cases involving non-traditional marks.

Recognizing the intricate relationships between the many areas of business activity, JBR examines a wide variety of business decisions, processes and activities within the actual business setting.

Theoretical and empirical advances in buyer behavior, finance, organizational theory and behavior, marketing, risk and insurance and international business are evaluated on a regular basis. Published for executives, researchers and scholars alike, the Journal aids the application of empirical research to practical situations and theoretical findings to the reality of the business world. In her role, Mirella will be responsible for the section Technology, Interactive and Social Media.

Sander de Leeuw's article “Toward a dynamic balanced scorecard model for humanitarian relief organizations’ performance management" published in Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management has been selected by the editorial team as Highly Commended in the 2018 Emerald Literati Awards.

Besides that Sander de Leeuw has also been chosen as an Outstanding Reviewer for the same journal in the 2018 Emerald Literati Awards. He has been selected by the editorial team based on his contribution to the journal in 2017.

There will be presentations, roundtables, and lots of opportunities for networking. Topics that will be discussed are related to themes such as Digital Innovation, Big Data, Blockchain, Online Marketing, Mobile, Machine Learning, IT, Artificial Intelligence, Media, and E-commerce. Read more.

Bart van den Hooff (KIN Center for Digital Innivation), Gert-Jan Melker (Management & Organization and Mark-Jan Boes (Finance) were also nominated.

Oli Mihalache, Associate Professor at the Department of Management & Organization was the winner of the Best Lecturer Talent Award 2018. The committee was impressed by his teaching skills and his devotion to his students. The other nominees were Ella Hafermaltz (KIN Center for Digital Innivation), Jan Wrampelmeyer (Finance) and Mohammed Rezazade Mehrizi (KIN Center for Digital Innivation).

Finally Jos Akkermans (a previous winner of the Educational Awards) from the Management & Organization Department announced the winners of the SBE Best Students Award 2018, which went to Puck Terpstra this year. Puck has finished her bachelor and master with high grades in combination with social awareness. Maarten Goedmakers and Wong Wee Seng were also nominated for their excellent work.

His review of recent career research, entitled "#Trending Topics in Careers: A Review and Future Research Agenda", was chosen as the most influential and impactful paper in CDI in 2017.

The article involved working with two Master students and ultimately reviewing 693 papers in Career Development International, Career Development Quarterly, Journal of Career Assessment, and Journal of Career Development. The authors found that career success was the most popular career topic in recent years. Career decision making and employability came in at number 2 and 3, respectively. For each of the 16 trending topics, they also formulated an agenda for future research, which they hope will inspire scholars with their future work.