Upon successful completion of this seminar, students will be able to:

1. Critically assess the long-term consequences of Germany’s demographic trajectory on its social security, labor market, and political institutions.
2. Analyze the role of specific German legal and fiscal policies (e.g., taxation, inheritance, and real estate regulation) in driving wealth inequality and housing scarcity.
3. Evaluate the political feasibility and economic implications of structural reforms intended to restore generational equity and incentivize family formation.
4. Develop evidence-based arguments for policy interventions that challenge established political-economic orthodoxies.
5. Develop an ability and mindset to apply these techniques in other areas.

This course does not have limited capacity. Registration will be possible from 17 August 2026. 

• model complex business processes based on popular modelling techniques
• discuss the requirements, characteristics and effects of integrated information systems in industrial companies, including complex process interdependencies
• complete basic tasks from different functional areas in a wide-spread integrated information system.

• World Economic Forum (2016). https://www.weforum.org/stories/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/
• World Economic Forum (2025). https://www.weforum.org/publications/centre-for-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-network-2023-2024-impact-report/
• World Economic Forum (2025). https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/
• Dweck, C. S., & Yeager, D. S. (2019). Mindsets: A view from two eras. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(3), 481–496.
• Spies, P.H. (2014). The Democratisation of Innovation: Managing
  Technological Innovation as If People Matter. World Futures Review.
  March 7, 2014
• Brown, T. (2008). Design thinking. Harvard Business Review, 86(6), 84
• TestGorilla. 2025. A quick and easy guide to design thinking.  Retrieved February 4, 2025, from https://www.testgorilla.com/blog/a-quick-and-easy-guide-to-design-thinking/
• World Economic Forum (2025). The Global Risks Report 2025.
  https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2025/ (available on Learning Hub, downloaded)
• CIPD. (2025). PESTEL Analysis. https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/pestle-analysis-factsheet
• Porter, M.E., 2008. The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 78–93.
• Hines, A. & Bishop, P. (2013). Framework foresight: Exploring futures the
  Houston way. Futures. Vol. 51 (2013) 31–49.
• Hines, A. (2020). Evolution of framework foresight. Foresight. Vol. 22. No 5/6 2020, p643–651.
• Houston Foresight (2025). https://www.houstonforesight.org/future-of-work-2050/
• Kotter, J.P. (1995). Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail. https://hbr.org/1995/05/leading-change-why-transformation-efforts-fail-2
• McKinsey & Co. (2009). Enduring Ideas: The Three Horizons of Growth https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/enduring-ideas-the-three-horizons-of-growth
• World Economic Forum. (2020). Top 10 Emerging Technologies https://www.weforum.org/publications/top-10-emerging-technologies-2024/
• Oosthuizen, J. H. (2024). Applying the Triarchic Theory of Cognitive Disposition in AI stewardship. South African Journal of Business Management, 55(1), 1–9.

• Understand the fundamental principles involved in managing branded products;
• Explain the critical importance of branding for superior business performance;
• Critically evaluate a brand- or product-related argument logically, such as the notion that brand identity and brand image are not always identical because brand identity is what the brand manager seeks and brand image is what the customer seeks;
• Synthesize schools of though in brand and product management, for example the notion that a brand is a product’s name vs. the notion that a brand is a strategic market position;
• Solve complex brand- or product-related problems, such as determining whether a brand has greater awareness depth than awareness breadth;
• Evaluate empirical and theoretical brand and product research from various sources.

• Understand the fundamental principles involved in developing and managing marketing strategies
• Explain the critical importance of marketing strategy for superior business performance
• Critically evaluate a marketing strategy-related argument logically, such as the notion that either strategy follows structur, or vice versa
• Solve complex marketing strategy-related problems, such as determining whether the most valuable customer segments have been targeted by a business
• Evaluate empirical and theoretical marketing strategy research from various sources