Business School - Master's level (all)

The course gives an advanced introduction to the principals of financial valuation and economics-based financial statement analysis. The focus of this course is on:

1. capital-market participants’ and financial analysts’ valuation methods,
2. tools to support investment decisions.

These techniques provide essential concepts for the work of financial accountants and analysts, certified accountants, stock brokers, financial consultants as well as specialists doing research.
In the first part, concepts necessary to derive inputs into valuation models, such as the modelling of projected nancial statements or the derivation of expected rates of returns from capital markets-based data are covered. Those inputs are then utilized to derive equity (or entity) values using either cash-ow based (DDM, FTE, WACC, APV) or earnings-based valuation models (RIV, AEG).
In the second part of the class, we will introduce commonly suggested methods of nancial statement analysis and put those recommendations to an economic test using available methods
from the related empirical accounting and nance literature.

Learning Outcomes

The students should get an in-depth understanding of the conceptual approaches and methods available for valuing firms. They should on the one hand understand both the theoretical con-
structs, assumptions and limitations behind those concepts, but should on the other hand also be capable of implementing them in practical (computer-based) applications.

This course examines business models and opportunities related to clean energy, specifically to decarbonized energy. We examine emerging trends in the context of technological change, business fundamentals and the parameters set by public policy.
Specific topics to be examined include:

1. Carbon Emissions and the Clean Energy Transition,
2. Modeling Cost Competitiveness of Alternative Energy Technologies,
3. the Momentum of Renewable Energy,
4. Integration of Renewable Energy Sources,
5. Energy Storage and
6. Sustainable Transportation

Learning outcomes

Understand the lecture materials, assigned readings and case studies examined as part of this course.

The course addresses conceptual issues in accounting for financial instruments and by financial institutions currently discussed by standard setters (FASB, IASB) and bank regulators. It covers
the discussion of the distinction between equity and financial liabilities, the scope of the standards, recognition and derecognition criteria for financial assets, classification and measurement of financial instruments and the accounting for hedging transactions.
 
The course aims at developing the skills to critically analyze and evaluate accounting standards in the field of accounting for financial instruments and financial institutions. Students will get an in-depth  understanding of the current accounting rules and understand the underlying conceptual discussions surrounding their development.
 
The following topics are covered in 14 lectures:

1. Introduction/Definitions Financial Instruments
2. Scope
3. Measurement
4. Amortized Cost and Provisioning
5. Classification – Part A
6. Classification – Part B
7. Initial Recognition
8. Regular Subsequent Measurement
9. Impairment
10. Derecognition
11. Risk Management/Hedge Accounting Introduction
12. Fair Value Hedge Accounting
13. Cash Flow Hedge Accounting/Full Fair Value Model Hedging
14. Guest Lecture

• Basics of international business taxation,
• taxation of inbound investments,
• taxation of outbound investments,
• transfer pricing,
• cross-border reorganizations.

Learning outcomes

• Students know the basics of international taxation (national tax law, double taxation conventions, primary and secondary EU law) and the causes of double taxation.
• Students understand the tax consequences of establishing domestic and foreign permanent establishments as well as domestic and foreign corporations.
• Students understand the impact of transfer pricing on the companies’ tax burden.
• Most notably, students are able to evaluate how multinational companies make use of internationally diverging tax burdens.

This course builds on FIN500 and extends the discussion of modern portfolio management and its applications. It covers issues in bond portfolio management, performance measurement, risk management, and fund management.

Learning outcomes

After this course students are familiar with the theory and practice of modern quantitative portfolio management. They are able to devise and assess portfolio strategies, to evaluate the performance of a portfolio manager, and to assess the risk of a portfolio.

Students wishing to take Empirical Finance must apply for a place in this course. 

The course provides students with an understanding of important empirical methods and their application in finance. It covers topics in asset pricing, corporate finance, and market microstructure. Students will learn to perform empirical analysis using the software package Stata. They are expected to acquire, before the course commences, a level of Stata competency comparable to that taught in the Stata Tutorial each semester. The course enables students to plan and carry out empirical research in finance on their own and prepares for an empirical seminar or master thesis in the finance area. Part of the course consists of the practical application of the methods learned in the lecture to various case studies.

Learning Outcomes

• A sound understanding of empirical methods and their underlying assumptions
• Students will be able to choose appropriate methods for given empirical problems and apply them in an efficient way
• The case studies enable the students to develop basic programming skills in Stata

There is abundant evidence suggesting that the standard economic paradigm of rational investors does not adequately describe behavior in financial markets. Behavioral Finance examines how individuals' attitudes and behavior affect their financial decisions. This course reviews recent research on possible mispricing in financial markets due to the nature of psychological biases. Moreover the course deals with behavioral finance models explaining investor behavior or market anomalies when rational models provide no sufficient explanations. Topics will include among others overconfidence, prospect theory, heuristic driven biases and frame dependence.
 
Learning Outcomes

Behavioral finance applies scientific research on human and social cognitive and emotional biases. After completing this course, students will be able to better understand economic decisions and how they affect market prices and returns. They will know how behavioral findings are integrated with neoclassical theory.

This course deals with quantitative methods for the management of market and credit risks. In addition, it covers risk-based performance management.

Learning Outcomes

After a successful completion of the course, students will be able to measure market and credit risks. They will know how to calculate the value at risk for individual financial positions and for portfolios of financial instruments. In particular, they will be able to apply the delta-normal-method. Furthermore, they will understand the notion of credit value at risk and the most important credit risk models. Students will be familiar with methods used for a risk-based performance management and for capital allocation. 

Introduction
In the preliminary chapter, the logistics of the course will be announced. In the introduction we will then discuss the setup and historical development of the asset management industry in important markets, as well as the products available.

Setting up a Fund
In this chapter, we will look at the definition of delegated asset management and the most important products like mutual funds, and hedge funds. Relevant regulatory rules, fund characteristics, and the pricing, distribution and sales process will be covered as well. We will also go through some recent real cases.

Investment Process
In this chapter, we will look at the different forms of market efficiency. Based on this, we will  cover the Active versus Passive Debate and the resulting implications for the investment process. We will discuss different tactical asset allocation & security selection strategies as well as topics relating to strategic asset allocation. The chapter will also provide insights that relate to risk management as a key component of successful asset management.  

Performance: Measurement, Determinants & Prediction
The fourth chapter covers external and internal performance evaluation, performance attribution, determinants of performance, performance persistence as well as rankings and ratings. Moreover, the chapter will also provide some insights in the implications of different kinds of performance measurement in reality.

Investor Behavior & Managerial Incentives
This chapter covers topics related to the behavior and incentives of investors and asset managers using recent findings in academia and real world cases.

Outlook
In our last session, we will discuss recent trends in asset management like socially responsible investing (SRI). Finally, we talk about the job market prospects before summarizing the course.  

Note that some contents of the chapters might slightly change due to the contribution of guest lecturers.

In this lecture, theoretical concepts and methods in process management will be presented. After completing the class you will be able to

• recognize the significance of process management
• model and analyze business processes by using particular techniques and tools
• define the structure of processes in a semantically precise way
• examine the (dynamic) behavior of objects in processes
• improve the design of processes

Information technology (IT) is changing our society and the world of business. It is difficult to think of any business process or functional area that is unaffected by IT in contemporary firms. All conscientious managers, particularly those who are or aspire to be leaders, have a duty to manage all resources including IT resources which are becoming increasingly critical for success in a responsible and thoughtful manner. Regardless of their current functional affiliation or career goals, managers’ future success will critically depend on how they lead and direct IT-enabled strategic changes.
This course introduces some of the key issues in managing IT. It provides an overview of IT systems in contemporary firms and how they enable and support a firm’s strategic and operational goals. By understanding how to engage in IT-related decision making and governance, managers can craft superior strategies and use IT as a lever to innovate and transform for competitive success. We will deal with decisions regarding the alignment of IT and business, the governance of IT within the firm, the outsourcing and offshoring of IT, and the controlling of IT initiatives. All of these issues will be dealt with from a strategic management perspective.

Learning outcomes

This course is designed for students who desire an insightful synopsis of IT management concepts and practices. It emphasizes the management of information systems. The course examines issues associated with managing IT in various settings. Information management issues will be discussed considering aspects of planning, controlling, and governing.
 
After completing this course students will be able to

• analyze complex decisions of IT management (alignment, governance, outsourcing, and controlling)
• find and evaluate different options for action regarding these decisions
• give structured advice on feasible actions that should be taken.

IT management today is challenged by fast technological change, new digital opportunities, growing cost pressure, and increasing business and regulatory requirements. IT management needs to ensure that IT functions become much more agile, flexible and efficient than ever before. For a state of the art IT management, a solid knowhow with regard to

• Intelligent demand management
• Application and data architecture
• IT infrastructure
• Organization and workforce management
• Business/IT governance and lean IT processes
• Sourcing and location setup incl. vendor and partner management

is crucial.

In addition, it is expected that IT managers have a good understanding of the core business of their company (business/IT alignment) and sound IT cost management capabilities. Furthermore, IT managers need to be able to understand opportunities of digitization, evaluate the value of new technologies and drive digital transformation jointly with the business.

Learning outcomes

The lecture addresses key challenges that IT management is facing today and explains the capabilities and tools required to manage these challenges successfully. The concrete application of the lectured content will be explained using selected case studies. The lecture focuses on banking as one concrete industry example. The fundamental principles, however, can be applied across industries

This course provides students with an introduction to scientific research methods and theories in the field of information systems. Master students gain a broad overview of the strengths and weaknesses of different methods and theoretical persp
ectives. This overview prepares them for conducting own, bounded research projects (e.g., master theses) as a first step towards a
scientific career. This course primarily targets students of the MMBR but is also open to students of the MMM and the Master
in Business Informatics.
In this course, students come to understand the importance of theory for organizing and cumulating knowledge as well as the importance of rigorous empirical methods to establish the validity of findings. The course covers publicat ions in premier IS journals to exemplify and discuss procedures of qualitative, quantitative, and design-oriented research.
The course is taught in a seminar style, requiring students to prepare readings for discussions in class. Attendance in classroom
sessions is mandatory. Students are required to prepare textbook chapters and selected readings on IS research in advance of the course. A list of required readings is distributed after registration. In addition, students are assigned contemporary articles published in IS journals that must be evaluated based on the topics covered in the course and presented during classroom sessions. Each  student finally writes a term paper of four to five pages on an assigned topic.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, students

• are able to prepare, plan, and execute own research endeavors (e.g., master thesis).
• understand the relevance of methods and theories in meaningful research.
• know quality criteria and corresponding means to improve research designs.
• have gained an overview of most common methods and theories in IS research.

This module gives an overview on Pervasive Computing systems. These systems consist of dynamic collections of (possibly mobile and/or embedded) devices that collaborate with each other depending on the state of their current physical environment or context.
The module introduces systems, concepts and algorithms for Pervasive Computing, e.g. adaptation frameworks, context management, sensors and actuator networks.

Learning outcomes

After this course, the students should know about

• Location and Context Aware Systems
• Context Management
• Localization, e.g. using GPS
• Sensor and Actuator systems, including Sensor Networks
• Smart tagging systems, e.g. using optical tags or RFID
• Adaptation and dynamic reconfiguration techniques
• System software for Pervasive Computing

More and more products, from consumer to business markets, show an ever increasing amount of software at their very heart. The ability to understand, design, and manage software-intense
products has become of great importance to ensure sustainable success across all industries.
This module introduces key aspects of the entire software product lifecycle, ranging from product strategy and planning, to the
actual product development and finally the post-development phase covering aspects such das the product launch and product support.
Furthermore, the interplay between processes, people, and  practices will be discussed and contemporary software development paradigms will be framed into this interplay. This course puts specific emphasize on the two roles of the product manager and the product designer (also: Usability / User Experience Professional) within software development. Following an interdisciplinary perspective, this course will introduce key concepts from the field of management, marketing and human computer interaction. The course contents will be put into
a practical perspective by selected industry talks. Furthermore, as part of a case study, the students will be asked to analyze and propose solutions for a given software product development challenge leveraging the knowledge acquired within the lecture and industry talks.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will

• know basic concepts and characteristics of software products and the associated software product lifecycle,
• understand the underlying mechanisms for a successful interplay between people, processes, and practices within product development,
• understand key concepts and methods required for fulfilling the product management and product design role,
• analyze and propose solutions for a given software product development challenge along the entire lifecycle.

In our largest lecture, CC504 - Corporate Social Responsibility, which is attended by approx. 450 Master students each year,we cover different topics related to sustainable management in a total of seven sessions (from basic theories of CSR to more current approaches such as Creating Shared Value to Social Business and Sharing Economy as current trends). In each session, we also integrate a guest speaker from business practice who reflects the content from a practitioner's perspective. This can be a CSR manager of a large company (e.g. Coca Cola, Adidas, IKEA, H&M or SAP), a founder of a start-up (e.g. Premium Cola or ListnRide) or a non-profit organisation (e.g. Greenpeace, WWF or Amnesty International). Each session and the respective guest lecture will be recorded on video. The guest lectures will be made freely available via our Youtube channel if the speakers have given their consent. The contents of the lecture will also be recorded on video and made available to the students for exam preparation.

Learning outcomes

Through participating in this course you should…

• develop an understanding of the concept of CSR.
• be able to understand the discussion around CSR on an institutional, organizational, and individual level.
• be able to see the roles that various stakeholder groups play (e.g., employees, customers, investors, NGOs, the media…).
• get insights into topics and methods of current research on CSR.
• gain knowledge on current topics, trends, and challenges in CSR management (e.g., innovative business models, the sharing economy…).

Successful entrepreneurs pursue new business opportunities often in a pioneering way and contribute to innovation, growth, as well as employment generation. But how exactly do they manage the entry into a market and the grow their ventures? What strategies can they implement to achieve sustainable competitive advantage? What are the overall challenges they face? These are examples of fundamental questions that will be addressed in MAN 632 Advanced Entrepreneurship. You do not need any other prerequisites to join except for a passion for Entrepreneurship and Startups.
The theoretical foundations of the course lie in theories on managerial aspects of entrepreneurship. Whereas MAN 630 Introduction to Entrepreneurship focuses on the early stages and the foundations of entrepreneurship from nascent entrepreneurship to seed stage, MAN 632 Advanced Entrepreneurship continues in the Life-Cycle Approach from Seed Stage to Series A and beyond.
Entrepreneurial managers require an in-depth understanding of the ongoing challenges in key functional areas such as innovation and technology management, management of (fast) growth, finance (attracting venture capital, valuation of a business, exit decision), human resource management, strategic management, management of internationalization and related issues. Next to theory, guest lecturers and startup events will deepen your insights on entrepreneurship in practice and provide room to ask current entrepreneurs questions about how they manage their ventures and startup life cycle.
By the end of this course, students will have gained fundamental knowledge on theoretical and practical entrepreneurial mechanisms. They would be able to think critically and evaluate entrepreneurial topics from various perspectives. Some of the areas we touch upon (such as entrepreneurial finance) could be a complete course in their own right. This course aims at the big picture: with entrepreneurial strategy, we will set the frame of what is essential to grow the business. You will be familiarized with the (high-tech) business life-cycle and relevant stages therein. We will consider management implications towards “growing the business” and specifically look at the role of 1) Marketing & Sales 2) The Team 3) Internationalization and 4) Entrepreneurial Finance to foster growth. Thus, students will gain insights about marketing in the growing venture, (high-performance) entrepreneurial teams, familiar with opportunities and challenges in internationalization and gain basic knowledge on valuation, venture capital and entrepreneurial finance in general. Toward the end of the course, we will look into more specialized issues facing entrepreneurs at later stages (e.g. financing and term sheets). In general, students will also be provided with a strong theoretical basis to conduct future research (e.g. their master thesis) and be enabled to connect with entrepreneurs and gain insights from practice. The case presentations will foster their skills of applying entrepreneurial tools, their problem-based learning as well as their team-working skills. Students will be well-prepared to conduct their own research (given that they complete the MAN 770 Research Seminar in addition) in their Master Thesis and will be given plenty of opportunities and triggers to advance their own entrepreneurial pursuits. 
Founders and experts are invited to MCEI's flagship events - Startup Lounges and Founder Talks. These events are meant to insipire students in their startup journeys and their attendance in these open-to-public events is strongly recommended. Overall, the course is intensive and requires students to carefully prepare, read and understand the course material (it should be remembered that 6 ECTS are a total workload of up to 180 hours). Thus, active attendance and participation is crucial for students in order to be able to make the best out of this course. Although this course does have some hands-on elements, MCEI's application-oriented courses is MAN 631 Creativity and Entrepreneurship in Practice (available in HWS/Fall semester only) to help students found their own businesses and MAN 633 Entrepreneurial Spirit (available in both FSS/Spring and HWS/Fall semesters) to help students to either further develop their own startup or to join a startup with a student team.
If you like theory and reading next to some practical insights or just want to obtain a solid foundation on what entrepreneurship is, and to find some inspiration for venturing on your own entrepreneurial pursuit, then this course can be quite helpful. No other prerequisites are needed.
 
Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course students

• will have gained fundamental insights into theoretical perspectives on entrepreneurship
• have learned tools that facilitate growing a business
• have some idea on how investors look at new ventures
• will be acquainted with case study training and elements of problem-based learning (PBL)
• will have improved their case solving and presentation skills
• have a solid foundation e.g. for a seminar or master thesis at MCEI's chair - especially for the “Inside the Venture” theses
• have improved their problem solving capabilities

Note on choosing MAN 632 vs. alternatives:
You should choose MAN 632 if you:

• are interested in combining insights from lectures with readings at home and with insights gained from speakers in Startup Lounges, Founder Talks and in class to maximize your learning.
• are interested in startups and entrepreneurship in general and want to gain a top-level view on both entrepreneurship in theory and practice.
• like the practical world but do not want to lose sight of the underlying academic foundations.
• love aiming for the big picture and love discussing topics of interest from a variety of angles.
• do not like courses based on keywords and phrases to learn but on concepts to put into perspective and forming your own sophisticated line of argumentation.

You should not choose MAN 632 if you:

• expect this to be a multiple-choice-style course of memorizing material and then jotting buzzwords down on the exam. Our interactive style of teaching and a wealth of readings will get you frustrated – focus is set on understanding concepts rather than memorizing them.
• expect teaching staff to tell you what to learn and what to forget – this is up to you (see point above).
• want to develop or advance your own startup project in class. Apply for MCEI courses MAN 631 or MAN 633 Track 2 instead.
• want to advance an existing startup project and get the feeling of what it is like to work in a startup with all the responsibilities this brings along, join MAN 633 Track 1 instead.

The course focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary for developing a new global business. 'High tech’ and 'low cost’, or frugal innovative start-ups are compared and contrasted as potential solutions to the global unemployment crisis taking business cycles, cultural contexts and levels of development into account. Models of managing international change are the basis.

Please note: This term, this course is neither coordinated nor instructed by the MCEI Team but by affiliated lecturers at the Institute for SME Research (see instructors section below). Please contact the instructors or the secretariat's office in case of further questions on content, admission or course outline.
 
Learning Outcomes
 

• Internalizing the factors which make for success in starting a business with an international market focus
• Team-building to assess the factors necessary for success in creating new international business designs which confront either resource scarcity or high tech design challenges
• Working with GEM comparisons of national competitiveness and considering which government policies and global business cycles are most conducive to helping entrepreneurs set up new ventures
• Learning models of adapting to globalization project both from the developing to the developed countries as well as from the rich to the poor

This course is intended to expand the knowledge of students on basic human resource management (HRM) processes and instruments by adding an international and a strategic dimension. In the first part of the module (international dimension), we examine the impact of national context on HRM and discuss basic HRM functions in international organizations. Topics include international recruiting and selection, training and development, compensation, and employee relations.
In the second part of the module (strategic dimension), we focus on the dynamics of HRM systems. Various approaches to how singular HRM practices conceptually and empirically form bundles are considered. We review how HRM practices can be aligned with respect to other HRM practices (horizontal fit) and to objectives of organizations (vertical fit) in order to form HRM systems that help improve organizations' performance.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module, students will be able to...

• understand the impact of culture and national context on HRM,
• analyze differences in international HRM systems,
• design basic HRM practices in international organizations,
• align HRM practices with respect to their horizontal and vertical fit,
• and comprehend the processes of translating HRM systems into organizations' performance.

In this course, we study performance management and analyze the link between incentives and individual’s performance in organizations. Based on the performance management process, the course covers performance measurement and monitoring, key performance management tools, and implementation of performance management systems targeted at employees in organizations. Furthermore, the course investigates the role of incentives in organizations, both theoretically and empirically, from a psychological and economic perspective.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module, students

• will be able to select and implement appropriate performance measures,
• are familiar with formal performance appraisals,
• understand the link between pay and performance,
• are able to analyze the effectiveness of incentives both theoretically and empirically, and
• are able to design performance management systems.

In this course, we will critically reflect upon the role of corporate centers of multinational companies (MNCs). A particular emphasis will be placed on the challenges faced by corporate centers and their opportunities for value creation in their quest to turn a conglomerate discount into a conglomerate premium.  
 
The course centers mainly on the following topic areas:

• Managing and creating value for the multi-business firms (i.e. conglomerate discount vs. conglomerate premium).
• The Corporate-Management-Model and its value creating levers (i.e. normative frame (values, mission, vision, goals) corporate strategy (concept, configuration, coordination), corporate governance (structure, style, systems)).

The lecture is outlined as follows:

1. Introduction
2. Conglomerate premium and discount
3. Corporate-Management-Model
4. Normative frame
5. Corporate concept
6. Configuration
7. Coordination
8. Managing growth
9. Corporate governance I
10. Corporate governance II
11. Guest lecture
12. Structure, style, systems  
13. Long-term vs. short-term orientation

Learning outcomes

• Students will acquire and demonstrate expert knowledge in the specific subject area of corporate strategy (i.e. about the challenges and value creation opportunities faced by corporate centers of MNCs).
• Students will be able to apply and critically reflect upon contemporary theories, models and tools utilized in strategy research and practice (i.e. the repertoire of analytical tools applied by corporate centers to fulfill their “parenting” role).
• When analyzing fictitious or real-life business cases, students will be able to identify key issues, derive appropriate solutions, and have good understanding of their impact on strategic decision outcomes.
• Students will be able to design and deliver professional and effective oral presentations of their own strategy case analyses.

In our video seminar, students produce, for example, their own documentaries on sustainability topics and present them at the end of the semester at a film festival in Mannheim's Atlantis cinema. They will be supported by our video tutor Ali Bhadakshan Rad. They also have access to the Chair's own cameras and the video laboratory, where software is available for editing the material.

Learning outcomes

In this module, students will independently work on, elaborate, and present issues regarding the challenges and limits of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The course places special
emphasis on the effective communication of insights using appropriate media.

In cooperation with SocEnt BW and SAP, this seminar gives students insights into the areas of digitalization, sustainability, and social entrepreneurship. During the seminar, students work in teams (of approx. 4 students) on ideas for digital social businesses and develop them in the course of one semester until they could be implemented. The students gain a deeper understanding of the potential of digital technology to remedy social and environmental problems. Members of SocEnt BW and SAP support the students as mentors and coaches. During the semester, an excursion to the Wizemann.space in Stuttgart will take place where students will work on challenges as part of a hackathon. At the end of the seminar, the students pitch their ideas at the final event in front of a jury of practitioners. The best idea will receive an award.

Kursbeschreibung
Spenden sowohl von Privatpersonen als auch von Unternehmen und Stiftungen stellen für Nonprofit-Organisationen eine der zentralen Finanzierungsquellen dar. Im Zuge der Internationalisierung des Spendenmarktes und der stetig sinkenden Anzahl von Spenderinnen und Spendern bei einer gleichzeitigen Erhöhung des Spendenvolumens nimmt der Wettbewerb um Spenden immer weiter zu. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist eine Professionalisierung der Fundraisingaktivitäten von Nonprofit-Organisationen zu beobachten. Fundraising beinhaltet die systematische Analyse, Planung, Durchführung und Kontrolle sämtlicher Aktivitäten einer Nonprofit-Organisation zur Akquise finanzieller oder sachlicher Spenden. Dieses Seminar befasst sich anhand wissenschaftlicher Literatur mit den aktuellen Entwicklungen in der Finanzierung und im Fundraising von Nonprofit-Organisationen.

Ablauf
Die Veranstaltung beginnt am Donnerstag, den 14. Februar 2019, und findet zweimal wöchentlich in der Lehrstuhlbibliothek in L5,4 Raum 207/209 statt. Es handelt sich bei der Veranstaltung nicht um eine klassische Vorlesung, sie hat vielmehr Seminarcharakter. Sie setzt sich zusammen aus Input der Dozentinnen, Referaten von den Studierenden und interaktiven Abschnitten. Die behandelten Themen umfassen unter anderem die Finanzierung von Nonprofit-Organisationen, aktuelle Entwicklungen im Fundraising, klassische und neue Fundraisinginstrumente sowie verschiedene Kontexte des Fundraising.

Zeitplan Datum Thema

14.02.2019	Grundlagen: Finanzierung von Nonprofit-Organisationen
19.02.2019	Grundlagen: Grundlagen und Rahmenbedingungen des Fundraising
21.02.2019	Grundlagen: Der Fundraisingprozess
26.02.2019	Individuelle Spender: Mechanismen und Charakteristika
28.02.2019	Individuelle Spender: Relationship Fundraising
05.03.2019	Individuelle Spender: Die Rolle elektronischer Medien
07.03.2019	Fundraisingkampagnen
12.03.2019	Kontexte: Fundraising in Stiftungen
14.03.2019	Kontexte: Fundraising in Unternehmen
19.03.2019	Kontexte: Crowdfunding
21.03.2019	Fundraising und Ethik
02.04.2019	Posterpräsentation
04.04.2019	Gastvortrag
09.04.2019	Wrap-up

The course will be held by Prof. Dr. Mary Feeney from the University of Arizona. Drawing from public management research and theory, this course will highlight and discuss current issues in public management. The course readings will focus on developing an understanding of current academic research as applied to practice. Key topics will include street-level bureaucracy, sector comparisons, technology use in government, managerial motivation, diversity and inclusion, and representative bureaucracy. Please find the syllabus on our website: https://www.bwl.uni-mannheim.de/helmig/lehre/

Worldwide public and nonprofit organizations make an important contribution to society. In order to face the increasing economization and globalization in the public and nonprofit sector, organizations need to professionalize. Combined with the public and nonprofit-specific organizational purpose, these tendencies pose particular challenges to public and nonprofit management. These will be highlighted by analyzing scientific papers and by discussing practical cases and project work. Please find the syllabus on our website: https://www.bwl.uni-mannheim.de/helmig/lehre/

The lecture “Innovation Management“ provides an overview of theoretical foundations and fundamental conceptions in the field of innovation management. The lecture further analyses innovative activity at the industry as well as at the firm level. In particular, determinants that affect the development and the spread of innovations will be scrutinized. At the industry level, special emphasis will be put on the prediction of market development and future trends. At the firm level, the development of innovation
strategies and alternative implementations of innovation processes will be covered. Core topics are, for instance, a business venture's incentive systems, organizational structures that are supposed to foster innovative activity, collaboration in innovation processes,
commercialization strategies, and the design of internal interfaces between different departments.

Organizational behavior is defined as the systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act within the organizations where they work. The lecture presents essential theories and concepts explaining how individual and group behavior shape the internal dynamics of organizations. The course deals with factors that facilitate or hinder effective behavior. Topics include communication, motivation, individual skills, abilities, and emotions, group dynamics, leadership, power, organizational culture and organizational design.

Theoretical foundations of empirical research. Statistical foundations of empirical research (key summary statistics, important theoretical probability distributions, methodology of hypothesis testing and key test statistics). Introduction to qualitative empirical research. Introduction to experimental empirical research. Introduction to survey-based empirical research. Introduction to empirical research based on secondary data.
The course also contains R Lab Sessions and an optional training in R via Data Camp.

Learning outcomes

• Participants understand the epistemological possibilities and limitations of empirical research in the domain of business administration.
• Participants are capable to describe a dataset using appropriate summary statistics and test simple hypotheses about the structure of the data.
• Participants are capable to perform initial statistical analyses in R.
• Participants know the general approach to conducting qualitative studies, experimental studies, survey-based studies and studies based on secondary data.  
• Participants understand fundamental methods for analyzing causal relationships (particularly ANOVA and analysis of regression). They are able to properly interpret results from these methods. 

The module provides an overview of the process of market research projects and deals with methods of data analysis and interpretation.
The focus of the lecture is multivariate methods of interdependence and dependency analysis. In particular, strengths and weaknesses as well as possible fields of application of each analysis method in the context of market research will be discussed. In addition, the application of individual methods using standard statistical software will be presented.

Marketing begins and ends with the consumer - from understanding consumer preferences and needs to providing consumer satisfaction. Thus, a clear understanding of consumers is critical in successfully managing the marketing function in any organization. This course examines the nature of consumer behavior and consumer decision process. We study the effect on consumer behavior and decision making of psychological influences (such as learning, motives, perception, and beliefs and attitudes). Understanding consumers' behavior and the irrationality of the human decision-making process is key to developing winning marketing strategies for advertising, branding, pricing or promotions. We will discuss in this course also econometric models of such consumer behavior, and then investigate the implications for optimal firm decision making and market outcomes.

This course provides strategy concepts, analytical frameworks, and hands-on tools for participants to execute industry analyses and to develop competitive strategies. Building on consumer behavior, customer analytics, industry analyses and strategy foundations, we analyze and discuss in this course the competitive behavior of firms (including pricing, market positioning, product development, expansion, entry and deterrence) under various economic conditions of industry structure.

The lectures about “Customers, Markets and Firm Strategy” cover the following topics:

• Consumers’ valuation of products and services
• Consumers’ purchase decision
• Procedures to determine consumers’ demand function
• Competitor identification and market definition
  • Measuring market structure
  • Market structure and competition
• Market entry and market exit decisions
  • Entry-deterring strategies
• Dynamic competition across time
• Industry analysis (Five-Forces Analysis)  
• Strategic positioning for competitive advantage
  • Value creation
  • Diagnosing cost and benefit drivers
  • Broad coverage versus focus strategies
• Information disclosure and strategy
  • Unrevealing and disclosing information

Businesses worldwide have been facing a fundamental change in the ways that customers interact with companies, brands, and each other. Customers are more socially connected than they ever have been, they expect more from companies and brands, and information reaches them faster than ever before. These developments caused a major shift towards human-centric marketing. The rise of digital technologies has thus fundamentally
changed the way companies craft marketing strategies and how marketing creates, communicates, delivers, and exchanges value to customers. In light of these fundamental changes, the overarching goal of this course is to establish a perspective on digital marketing strategies companies can employ to occupy a sustainable position in the age of social, digital, and mobile.

Learning outcome

The course will equip students with the relevant knowledge, perspectives, and practical skills required to develop marketing strategies that leverage the opportunities offered by digital technologies for achieving business and marketing goals. The emphasis of this course is on understanding what various digital platforms and tools offer to companies, how to build digital marketing strategies in order to have a solid foundation from which to evaluate opportunities in the digital economy.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• Relationship Marketing as the conceptual background of CRM
• Goals & concepts in CRM
• Instruments in CRM

Foundations in Sales Management

• Definitions
• Objectives and challenges in sales management
• Sales strategy
• Competitive advantage in sales

Channel Design

• Sales entities
• Channel configuration
• Evaluating channel efficiency
• Trends

Managing External Sales Partners

• Understanding the partners business
• Conflict
• Power & dependence
• Cooperation
• Contractual governance

Managing the Internal Sales Force

• Design of selling activities
• Organization of the sales force
• Sales planning and sales information system
• Staffing, training and directing the sales force

This course is designed to introduce students into the field of online marketing communications and digital communication management. The emphasis will be on the role of advertising and other promotional mix elements in the online marketing communications program of an organization. The development of a marketing communications program requires an understanding of the overall marketing process, customer behavior, communications theory, and how to set goals, objectives and budgets. Attention will be given to the various marketing communication tools used in digital marketing including online advertising, online reputation, or social media. We will examine the process by which integrated digital marketing communications programs are planned, developed and executed as wells as the various factors and considerations that influence this process.

Please refer to the chair's website for further information on the course: kuester.bwl.uni-mannheim.de/en/curriculum/course_offering/master/mkt_621_global_marketing/

The course examines the key aspects of consumer behavior. It defines consumer behavior as the acquisition, consumption, and disposition of goods, services, time, and ideas by (human) decision making units. Based on this definition important implications for retailing are explored.
Starting from the Elaboration Likelihood Model, we distinguish between the central and peripheral route of information processing and discuss topics such as decision making and store choice (both high and low involvement).

The course “Interactive Marketing” provides strategy concepts, analytical frameworks, and hands-on tools for participants to develop and execute interactive, direct and digital marketing strategies. Specifically, we discuss various foundations of interactive marketing such as customer database analysis or customer relationship management, as well as rules, tactics and strategies associated with interactive and digital media, including digital sales channels and revenue models as well as digital pricing. 

The lectures on “Interactive Marketing” cover the following topics:

1. Basic Principles of Interactive, Direct and Digital Marketing 
2. Database Marketing 
   1. Scope of marketing analysis 
   2. From data and data sources to information and insights
   3. Creating and managing customer databases
   4. Sources of customer information 
3. Direct Marketing Strategies 
   1. Creating direct marketing strategies
   2. Segmentation applications for direct marketing
   3. Analytical techniques for direct marketing
   4. Direct marketing strategies and big data 
   5. Database targeting models and price discrimination 
4. Relationship Marketing and Customer Relationship Management 
   1. Customer relationship management from a business strategy perspective
   2. Customer value management
   3. Customer lifetime value (CLV)
   4. Customer equity 
5. Digital Sales Channels and Revenue Models 
   1. Business and revenue models in the digital age
   2. Digital Sales Channels and their Distinctive features 
   3. Online marketplace analysis
   4. Online versus offline competition  
6. (Digital) Multichannel Marketing 
   1. Multichannel / omnichannel retailing
   2. Consumer behavior in a multichannel, multimedia retailing environment
   3. Implementing multichannel customer management
   4. Multichannel marketing communications 
7. Pricing of Digital Products, Online Services and Information Goods 
   1. Price discrimination of digital products, online services and information goods
   2. Versioning of digital products and information goods (economics of versioning)
   3. Bundling of digital products, online services and information goods
   4. Dynamic pricing: conditioning prices on purchase history

Although brand names represent one of the most valuable (intangible) assets for a firm, creating and nurturing a strong brand poses considerable challenges. Branding is therefore a critical management task that has both strategic and tactical elements. The concept of brand equity can provide managers with valuable perspective and a common denominator to interpret the potential effects and trade-offs of various strategies and tactics for their brands. Brand management involves the design and implementation of marketing programs and activities to build, measure, and manage brand equity.
The objective of this course is to introduce participants to proven techniques and frameworks for assessing and formulating branding strategies and tactics that improve the long-term profitability of their brand names. This course revolves around understanding how to develop effective branding strategies, while keeping in mind economic and psychological factors of branding. This course should be useful for those pursuing careers in marketing, general management, and consulting.

In this course we discuss methods and concepts that were  developed to support and improve rational decision making in various areas of application. We will cover decisions under  certainty and risk (EUT), decisions with single and multiple  objectives, and decisions given incomplete information about probabilities or preferences. The course also covers descriptive
decision theories such as Prospect Theory. An introduction into  probability calculus including Bayes Theorem will be given. We will also discuss various visualization techniques such as decision  trees and decision matrices.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course students will know about rational decision processes, and how to structure and visualize decision problems. They will be able to use decision analysis techniques
at an easy level to deal with multiple objectives, risk, intertemporal outcomes and incomplete information. Moreover they will know about typical behavioural findings that conflict with the prescriptive methods.

This course addresses current issues in supply chain management practice. Specific topics include, e.g., supply chain inventory assessment, sales and operations planning, supply chain performance measurement, and supply chain organization. These topics will be addressed in the context of real-life cases from consultancy practice. Participants will work on these cases in groups of two or three. They will propose solutions by applying theoretical concepts and methods to the specific case setting. They will present and discuss their solutions in class and receive feedback on their theoretical approach and on practical feasibility.

Learning outcomes

Participants will be able to systematically analyze complex, unstructured, and relevant supply chain management issues. They are able to apply theoretical knowledge to derive meaningful solutions for real-life challenges in supply chain management. They will also develop presentation skills to effectively communicate the results and insights of a supply chain management analysis.

Services are the largest and fastest growing segment of our economy. However, services pose particular challenges to managers due to their intangible and experiential nature, time-sensitivity/perishability and high levels of customer involvement. Accordingly, managing services requires tight integration between operations, marketing, strategy, technology, and organizational issues from an integrated viewpoint with a focus on the customer. Therefore, it is important to understand both how services differ from manufacturing operations and to understand the potential and limitations of how traditional operations management techniques can be applied to services.

This course provides managerial concepts and selected analytical tools for effectively and efficiently managing service operations in face of these challenges. In particular, we will look at critical management decisions related to service strategy development, service operations design, process analysis, capacity management, service pricing and revenue management, service quality management, customer relationship management, etc.
 
For understanding and developing the managerial concepts underlying productive service systems, we will rely on fundamental theory, state-of-the-art research insights, and actual case studies of firms that have achieved long-term profitability in practice. Applications cover a broad range of service industries, such as transport and communication, retailing, hospitality, professional services, e-services, as well as service functions of the manufacturing sector.

Learning outcomes

Students will

• get familiarized with the challenging decisions and problems in service (operations) management, and
• learn concepts, analytical tools and managerial insights to deal with these issues in order to gain competitive advantage through service operations.

The course should be useful for anyone with an intention of going into professional services such as consulting; into industry (service or manufacturing), where the importance of managing service processes is increasing every day; or with a desire to set up their own service business.

Fulfilling a customer order typically involves multiple parties, such as suppliers, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers, each of them having their own objectives. At the same time, all parties are dependent on each other to serve the final customer. Supply chain management addresses the interplay between individual objectives and overall supply chain performance. The key insight is that supply chain coordination can generate a win-win situation, benefiting all supply chain members. This course discusses the need for supply chain coordination and introduces several mechanisms for achieving it. Key topics include supply chain coordination, incentive alignment, supply chain contracts, and information asymmetries.

Learning outcomes

Students will understand the potential of coordinated decision making along the supply chain. They will also be aware of obstacles that complicate this coordination. The students will get to know mechanisms for aligning incentives of different supply chain members, e.g. by means of appropriate contracts. They will be able to quantify the effects of these mechanisms by means of corresponding mathematical models.

This course introduces mathematical modeling approaches for planning and scheduling of manufacturing operations. Operational and tactical planning tasks are formulated as linear and mixed-integer linear programming models. All lectures will be given in a computer lab, where the optimization models are implemented and solved using standard software. Different heuristic techniques to cope with high complexity are introduced and implemented. During the course the students will work on several assignments.

Learning outcomes

Students learn how to formulate production planning and scheduling problems as mixed-integer linear models and how to implement them in standard software to derive optimal plans/schedules. The students also learn to deal with the complexity of real-world problems (e.g., via aggregation, relaxation, and decomposition techniques), and how to perform sensitivity analyses in order to get useful managerial insights.

In today's e-business environment, there is an increasing number of unlocked opportunities to increase profits through Revenue Management (RM). RM is a short-term planning instrument in order to effectively match supply and demand and thereby maximize profitability – by selling the right product to the right customer at the right time through the right channel for the right price. RM takes into account that on the supply side, resources to produce these products are usually constrained and often perishable, and therefore, the effectiveness of the abovementioned market-related decisions is highly interrelated with resource allocation decisions.
Today, RM is a large revenue generator for several major industries relying on sophisticated RM systems; Robert Crandall, former Chairman and CEO of American Airlines, has called RM “the single most important technical development in transportation management since we entered deregulation.” While airlines have the longest history of development in RM, applications have rapidly diffused beyond airlines to industries such as retailing, hospitality, railways, car rental, telecommunications and financial services, internet service provision, electric utilities, broadcasting and even manufacturing.
For outside observers, RM may seem often like an art. But finally, the most important pillar of RM is analytics – including systematic data analysis, forecasting, and powerful optimization that allows taking all market- and supply-related profit drivers simultaneously into account. This course provides the key ideas, the underlying basic models and state-of-the-art methods of RM. The course includes lecture-style class sessions, exercises, and home assignments to be accomplished in teamwork.

Learning outcomes

Students will gain insights into practical applications of RM, get familiar with the underlying models and methods and enhance their analytical skills.

Looking back over the past twenty years, competitive purchasing approaches created significant value for firms by driving substantial cost savings to the bottom line. However, the widespread usage of professional procurement techniques has eroded the advantages that they had for pioneers in the 1990s and in the early years of the current century. In addition, environmental, competitive, geopolitical, and technological changes have created an uncertain business environment in which a mere focus on purchasing cost will not be sufficient to support sustainable competitive advantage.
Against this backdrop, this module covers advanced approaches in procurement that aim at creating “value beyond cost”. Based on an end-to-end analysis of the key procurement processes, the module addresses the following core topics: Demand and supply analysis (need identification and specification management; supply market analysis; RFx; cost modeling; optimization levers), sourcing decisions and awarding of business (analytical models for supplier selection, auctions, negotiation), relationship governance (contracts and price models; fairness, reciprocity, justice), operational purchasing (purchase-to-pay process), management of non-performance and conflicts, and technological enablers.
This course is of interest to students seeking more in-depth knowledge of the processes and tools in modern procurement. For each topic covered, concepts, frameworks, and analytic tools are presented.