Rolf Pfeiffer
Special subjects in teaching, research and consulting: Marketing, International Business, Management (especially General Business Administration, Production Management, International Marketing, International Management Simulations, International Business, Opening Export-Markets, Product Market Strategies, Innovation Management, International Benchmarking).
Personal details
Date of birth: 12th September 1940
Nationality: German
Marital status: Married, 4 children
Degrees: Graduate Mechanical Engineer
Graduate Industrial Engineer
PhD in Economics
Profession: University Teacher
Education and Professional Experience
1954 – 1957 Apprenticeship as tool fitter
1954 – 1957 College for specially gifted students in Schorndorf, with final examination
1957 – 1958 Craftsman in tool making and machine repair
1958 – 1959 Trainee in engineering design office
1959 – 1962 Student at state Engineering College in Mannheim, qualified as Mechanical Engineer
1961 – 1963 Work experience in engine testing and design office during holidays from college
1962 – 1964 Student at Oskar von Miller Polytechnic in Munich, state examination as Graduate Industrial Engineer
1964 Successfully passed university entrance examinations
1964 – 1968 Studies and graduation in Economics at the University of Munich
1964 – 1966 Engineer working in production planning, production control, using electronic data processing and statistical systems for total of 12 months during university vacations
1969 – 1972 Assistant to the Director in a large company
1972 – 1973 Head of assistants' department in the department of Quantitative Economics with Prof. Dr. H. J. Jaksch, University of Tübingen
1974 Carried out study of electronic data processing market in the Federal Republic of Germany together with another colleague, supervised by Prof. Dr. N. Kloten and Prof. Dr. A. E. Ott (project financed by industry)
1975 PhD in Department of Economics, University of Tübingen
1976 – 1981 Lecturer in Company Management at the Württemberg Institute of Administration and Business Studies in Stuttgart. Work on design of this course
Since Oct. 1976 Professor of International Business at Reutlingen University of Technology and Business. Subjects: General Business Administration, Marketing
Since Oct. 1977 Repeatedly elected as member of the Board of the Society for Economic and Social Cybernetics (GWS) in Frankfurt
Since May 1979 Founder member of European Business Studies Department at Reutlingen University of Technology and Business. Subjects: Production Management, Marketing
Since Oct. 1979 Co-founder of Seminars for Exporting Industry, institute for the promotion of medium-size enterprises in Baden-Württemberg at Reutlingen and Karlsruhe Universities of Technology and Business. Leader of seminars in International Marketing, Promotion, Problems in Eastern European Trade, etc.
January 1983 Elected as Vice-President of Reutlingen University of Technology and Business by the Senate for the period of office 1983 to 1985
January 1983 Elected by the Senate as Director of the Institute of European Business Studies attached to the course European Studies for Business by the Senate for the period of office until 1985
April 1984 Co-founder of the Export-Akademie Baden-Württemberg. Appointed as acting Director. Courses opened in October 1984 with studies in International Marketing and Seminars for Exporting Industry (SEFEX).
January 1984 Elected as Head of Department of International Marketing and Director of the Export-Akademie.
Feb. 1989 –
Feb. 1995 Re-elected three times as Head of Department of International Marketing at the Export-Akademie Baden-Württemberg, and Director of the Export-Akademie
Since Mar. 1995 Professor of International Management and Management Simulations at the Export-Akademie Baden-Württemberg
Since Oct. 1995 Head of the German Division of the benchmarking project International Best Factory Awards and International Best Service Awards, in conjunction with Cranfield School of Management and SDA Bocconi in Milan
March 1997 Elected by the Senate as Vice-Director of the Department of Continues Education of the Export-Akademie Baden-Württemberg
April 2003 Elected by the Senate as Vice-Director of the Export-Akademie Baden-Württemberg
Member of the Board
Consultant to a number of companies, especially in the field of benchmarking, integrated management, etc.. Member of supervisory and advisory boards.
Member of the Foundation Board and the Management Committee of the EIAB Business School for Foreign Trade in Basel, Switzerland.
Consultative lecturer for the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
Member of the Commission on Prognosis Methodology in Chemical Technology with Dechema in Frankfurt.
Member of the Program Board of the German American Institute in Tübingen.
Member of the Executive Committee of the Society for Economic and Social Cybernetics.
Member of the Board of Directors of the Integrata Foundation.
Member of the Board of Directors of the Escuela de Marketing Internacional in La Plata, Argentina.
Languages German (native language)
English (very good)
French (basic knowledge)
Spanish (some understanding)
Experience abroad:
Periods of various duration spent abroad carrying out seminars, conferences and
other projects in all of Western and Eastern Europe, North America, South
America, and Asia. Countries visited: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzogowina, Byelorussia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, England, France, Finnland, Denmark, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Namibia, People's Republic of China, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Usbekistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA.