ASEBUSS

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞?

This was the focus of the second session of the 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 in the ASEBUSS Executive MBA program, led by Prof. Robert Maftei.

The discussion connected strategic thinking with real entrepreneurial experience through the contribution of our guest speaker, Cosmin Cosma — ASEBUSS alumnus, Founder of Finqware, and President of the Romanian Fintech Association.

Cosmin shared insights from his entrepreneurial journey and from the fintech ecosystem, highlighting how innovation, open banking, and technology can reshape access to financial services and create new sources of competitive advantage.

His perspective added a valuable real-world layer to the concepts discussed in class, helping Executive MBA students connect strategy frameworks with the realities of building and scaling a business in a dynamic environment.

Thank you, Cosmin, for returning to ASEBUSS and for sharing your experience with our EMBA participants!

Our 1st year Executive MBA students started the Strategic Management course with Professor Robert Maftei, in a session dedicated to strategic thinking, competitive differentiation, and the way organizations build long-term advantage.

The course addressed an essential question for every leader: how do you distinguish an ambitious aspiration from a real strategy? Broad objectives, competitor imitation, or operational efficiency may support an organization’s activity, but they are not enough to create a strong market position.

Through concepts such as The Red Queen Effect and the Value Stick, Professor Robert Maftei offered participants concrete frameworks for understanding the dynamics of competitive advantage — from the risks of markets where organizations continuously copy one another, to the strategic choices through which a company can increase customers’ willingness to pay or optimize costs.

The session was enriched by the perspective of Burak Yildiran, a business leader with extensive executive experience in banking, technology, and operations, including roles such as CEO of Patria Bank, COO of TotalSoft, Deputy General Manager of Garanti Bank Romania, and later responsibilities within Garanti Group in HR and Cash Management.

Drawing on his own business experience, Burak shared how the Balanced Scorecard, a well-known strategic management tool, can be used not only to align organizational objectives, but also as a framework for clarity, prioritization, and personal development.

Thank you, Burak for joining our EMBA participants and for bringing such a valuable executive perspective!