getAbstract: Rise to top of the class at Daimler Corporate University

The student body at Daimler Corporate University is extremely exclusive. It consists of 2,500 sophisticated and driven executives. getAbstract first provided the university access to 8,000 business book summaries, which were downloaded nearly 50,000 times within the first year. The results include A+ grades and a 97% approval rating. The use of the abstracts continues to rise.

Daimler Corporate University (DCU) is one of Germany's first corporate universities, and was created from the merger of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler. An example to other European corporate universities, DCU exists only to serve top management, amounting to 2,500 executives.

The university aligns to Daimler's four pillars of global presence, superior products, leading brands and innovation/technology leadership. When executives turn to DCU, they are focused on leadership, general management and strategy. The corporate university designs and delivers traditional education for its target population.

In addition, it developed and maintains a virtual learning platform, DCU Online, which provides practical information and self-managed learning to its globally dispersed executive community.

Online boost

DCU Online's management team discovered a problem: amid the pace of daily business in a multinational corporation, executives weren't fully using the university's online resources. When probed for reasons, the executives were explicit about what they wanted: relevant, up-to-date content applicable to their client relationships, and it had to be short, smart, useful, fully searchable, completely accountable and on demand. In other words, getAbstract.

When DCU Online added getAbstract's distilled, intelligent, reliable content, it became an eye-catcher in DCU's new system: 50,000 downloads within the first year. Because it is easy to use and understand - distilled into attractive five-page summaries - instantly applicable and sophisticated, executives signed up enthusiastically. A further pull factor is the sheer range: getAbstract boasts a library packed with more than 8,000 summaries of the best business books around.

"Executives were explicit about what they wanted: relevant, up-to-date content applicable to their client relationships."

getAbstract's content is a perfect match for DCU's constituency. The concise book summaries cover the most current, crucial material on leadership, management, strategy and many other relevant business topics. And do the 2,500 members of DCU's exclusive audience like it? The 97% approval rating says so.

Drive and qualifications

getAbstract changes constantly. It adds new book summaries throughout the working week. The content is always fresh, the main reason why usage is so high, and the summaries slice right to the heart of what Daimler's busy people need, such as:

Easy access - executives can download summaries instantly to their PDAs, read them as PDF files on screen or print them out to read during moments that might be otherwise wasted.
Time is money - Daimler's top managers must use their time efficiently. That does not mean scrolling patiently through entire books on screen. Daimler top managers love the getAbstract format: main points, review, summary, key quotes and - in ten minutes and five pages - a complete picture.
Tailor-made content - attractive format, editorial quality and comprehensive selection. Each week, executives receive an emailed summary chosen in accordance with each individual's preference of subject matter, and everyone has access to the 8,000-title library.
Adaptable to many forms of corporate learning - DCU has already used the summaries in blended learning and in internal training sessions.
Integration into DCU's content - it offers a single sign-on and a highly responsive search function.

Why getAbstract works

Today, getAbstract is a prime international supplier to Daimler. The company expanded the scope of getAbstract to include its total quality management group and its corporate library. Daimler now generates a demand of more than 100,000 downloads a year. getAbstract created an advanced statistical system that supplies clients with comprehensive reports. Daimler can keep track of the active download rate. The evidence is empirical and available instantaneously.

"And do the 2,500 members of DCU's exclusive audience like it? The 97% approval rating says so."

The numbers tell the final score: an internal survey reports that Daimler executives give getAbstract a solid 97% approval rating, and user acceptance has been excellent among DC executives based in 80 countries.

Daimler Corporate University was created from the merger of car manufacturers Daimler-Benz and Chrysler.