Firms, Markets and Money: Principles of Economics for Business (Semester 1)

In this course participants will learn fundamental knowledge in microeconomics and macroeconomics. This course will provide a solid understanding of economic analysis with the goal of developing critical analysis skills in the spheres of micro- and macroeconomics that lasts throughout the student’s education and professional careers.

Financial and Managerial Accounting (Semester 2)

This course is divided into two distinct parts - Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting. The first part of this course, Financial Accounting provides a comprehensive introduction into Financial Accounting. Participants will learn about the accounting system of firms and how their information is stored and utilized for measurement and reporting issues. Students will gain solid knowledge of accounting concepts and workings and develop the ability to make perceptive use of this information. The second part of the course, Managerial Accounting, provides students with an introduction to cost systems and performance measurement tools utilized for managerial decisions. The second part specifies on internal reporting with the purpose of managing the firm.

Financial Management (Semester 2)

The focus of this course is to provide a rigorous introduction to the principles of modern financial management, analysis and applications to business challenges. Students will learn to understand how firms meet their financial objectives by using financial decision-making. This course also provides knowledge about major financial concepts, tools and techniques, which aid firms in achieving maximal value by improving decision making.

Applied Economics for Decision Making in Business (Semester 3)

In today’s ever-changing business environment, managers and decision makers will benefit from the practical use of applied economics. In this advanced economics course, participants will learn how core and advanced principles in economics are applied in in managing different business functions such as Marketing, Management & Strategy and Business Finance. Students will develop strong analytical skills and able to learn a set of frameworks and tools for analysis that can be applied across markets of different degrees of competition as well as to numerous areas and management functions, ranging from business strategy, expansion, managing human capital, financial decision making, financial markets, to pricing, and consumer research.

Managing Operations and Supply Chains (Semester 1)

Managing Operations and Supply Chains covers both manufacturing and service industries and explores core concepts and advanced principles and techniques of operations and supply chain management. This course provides a perspective of the various functions that exist within a supply chain, including processes, drivers and performance indicators. Apart from understanding supply chains, successful management requires the ability of situational decision making. Operations Management is devoted to improve decision making under different possible scenarios. This course provides a critical understanding of decision models and how these simplified representations of situations can aid in understanding complex problem formulations.

Managing People and Organizations: Strategy & Leadership (Semester 2)

Leadership in organizations is one of the main keys to success and is highly interwoven with the organizations structure and strategy. However, managers need to understand “how” to lead people and projects, “how” to make use of power and influence and how all of this interacts in an organization, before acting. In this course, participants will have the chance to discover their personal goals, beliefs, motivations, and habits, which are necessary to develop an effective leadership style. They will understand how these will influence issues of Human Resource Management, organization culture and structure and strategy. These outcomes will allow participants to create changes in business, deal with inherent ambiguity and risk in organizations, and utilize advanced managerial practices.

Business Analytics for Insights (Semester 3)

Explorative, Diagnostic and predictive analysis are key elements in management decision making. Such datadriven management decisions can enhance firm performance across all business functions. In this course, working professionals in the MBA program will learn business analytics for insights that can help managers and decision makers discover challenges and opportunities and leverage data- and fact-based planning and control. With the abundance of data available today, students will understand how data can be structured and analyzed to mine business insights and improve decision-making.

Innovation and Creativity in Management (Semester 1)

Innovation and Creativity are the key drivers of success for management. Management teams in companies that have experienced substantial gains in shareholder value, particularly over the last decade, have done so based on a culture of creativity and innovation. Innovation and creativity can be successfully managed in organizations to create a sustainable competitive advantage. This course addresses the fundamental question of how to successfully manage and facilitate innovation and creativity in organizations.

Business and Society: Ethics and Sustainability (Semester 3)

In the context of global value chains and complex ecological, social and health requirements, society's expectations of ethical action by entrepreneurs and managers have risen sharply. It is more important than ever for managers and executives to develop ethical language skills and, to this end, to adopt a holistic view of the economy as part of society as a whole. They must learn to make moral decisions, to create responsible structures in their organizations, and furthermore to participate in the social discourse on ethical issues. In order to do so, they must take note of the legitimate expectations of stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers, society) and take these into account in their business practice. Participants in this course will learn how ethical and sustainable value propositions can be integrated into organizational actions and why this is essential both for business and society.

Managing Products, Markets and Consumers (Semester 1)

In a broad sense, the success of any organization depends largely on how well it can attract and retain customers, in order to achieve its goals. To attract customers, the organization must have something of value to offer to them. The central premise of marketing, therefore, is all about understanding, creating, communicating and delivering that value to customers. This course is designed to provide an appreciation of the role of marketing in an organization and to help students develop a structured approach to analyzing marketing problems, sharpen marketing decision-making skills, and, design and execute effective marketing strategy.

Creating, Managing and Delivering Exceptional Service (Semester 2)

With services dominating most industries and being a large contributor to the GDP of most economies, it becomes crucial for managers to know how to create, manage and deliver exceptional service. The main feature of this course is the combination of theory and practice in the field of service management. The lectures are based on theoretical frameworks and cutting-edge empirical research, which are then linked to a practitioner perspective and exemplified based on real life company case studies.

Seminar on Advanced Topics in Business Administration (Semester 3)

This course on advanced topics in business administration aims to address urgent and topical challenges in the field of business each year. Placed in the third semester of the program, it will leverage the knowledge, competencies and skills that students have acquired thus far in the program and allow them to enhance their comprehension, analytical and decision-making abilities in tackling a prevailing challenge. Topics will vary according to the need of the hour in the field of business. Sample, indicative examples include (but definitely not limited to) - crisis management, preparing for the future of work and society, business strategies during a recession, etc.

Masterarbeit (Semester 4)

The aim of the Master’s Thesis in the MBA program is to enable students to undertake a deep and thorough analysis to solve a concrete project for their organization (or for an organization or enterprise of their choice) by using and applying scientific methods and newly acquired knowledge in the MBA program.

The students should be able to structure a research question, to link different scientific perspectives and develop strategic, actionable recommendations for the organization to act on.

March of Year 1: Global Immersion in the Silicon Valley: Digitalization, Scaling Up, and New Business Models:

This global immersion course in the Silicon Valley is designed to provide a unique action-learning opportunity for participants to have a first had experience of a thriving, “Innovation and Digitalization” focused ecosystem. Working professionals in the MBA program will embark on a one-week trip to Silicon Valley, where they will visit five cutting edge companies of different sizes, industries and life-stages of digitalization and learn from senior business executives of those organizations. This will be accompanied by lectures on how to successfully re-invent current business models, transform organizations through digitalization, and scale up innovations

[Translate to Englisch:] März des zweiten Jahres: Business Immersion in Germany: Achieving Global Growth and Competitiveness: 5 ECTS-Punkte; Modulprüfung: Präsentation und Hausarbeit.

A central business question in most organizations, regardless of their size or life stage, is where and how will we achieve growth. In a globally competitive world, achieving sustainable growth is a prized target for companies. This business immersion course in Germany is designed to provide a unique action-learning opportunity for participants to have a first-hand experience of a thriving ecosystem that is focused on “global growth” and “competitiveness”. Working professionals in the MBA program will embark on a one-week trip in Germany, where they will experience the “living business lab” of cutting-edge companies that have succeeded in achieving global expansion and growth. Furthermore, participants will learn from senior business executives of those organizations how to grow globally and achieve long-term, sustainable competitiveness. This will be accompanied by lectures on how to build globally competitive business models and transform organizations through sustainable growth.