International Management &
Information Systems

The module imparts skills and application-oriented knowledge from fundamental areas of business informatics, such as computer systems, computer networks, operational application systems, database systems, software engineering, and management support systems. In addition, more specific topics, such as the business process management, which is important for today’s dynamic and highly competitive as well as IT-influenced business world, fundamentals of data security and data protection, and information management as leadership actions in IT, will be dealt with.

The first part of this module comprises basic concepts of business intelligence, e.g., data warehouse, the ETL process, OLAP, and data mining. The second part is based on the theoretical and practical learning of an entire ETL process using case studies provided by the SAP University Alliance. The third part of the module concentrates on learning and using data mining processes and tools. Students are confronted with new developments in the area of business intelligence.

Introduction to Business Marketing Management (Definition and Characteristics, Rationality and Specific Investments in Business Markets); Understanding Business Customers: Organizational Buying Behavior (Org. Buying Process, Forces Shaping OBB, Buying Center); Selecting Customers and Creating Customer Value (Value of Customers, Value for Customers); Customer Relationship Management in Business Markets (Transaction vs. Relationship Customers, Managing Customers & Customer Relationships); Services and Flexible Market Offerings (Role & Characteristics of Services, Constructing Product-Service-Bundles); Pricing (Importance and Overview of Pricing Tools, Conjoint Measurement, Value-Based Pricing, Competitive Bidding); Personal Selling (Organizing Sales Force, Key Account Management). The contents will be taught in three steps: 1. in-class teaching activities (summer camp), 2. teaching and applying contents to real case studies online (blended learning) using interactive learning tools on Moodle/eLearning platform (e.g. Wikis, Forums, Video-Conferences), 3. students develop their own case study about a particular B-to-B related decision of a real company and its analysis against the learnt background (e.g. in the company in which students are working).

The process-oriented view together with the trend towards digitization opens new opportunities and challenges for businesses. Participants will be enabled to use the opportunities and to face these challenges successfully within the application area of operations management. They get to know strategies and methods of operations management with special focuses on process management and information systems. These three fields are integrated to explore and develop modern business concepts around the ideas of "Industry 4.0".

The module contains six parts: First targets and strategies of process management and of operations management are discussed. In part two, the focus is laid on design of products and services (Product Design, Criteria, Specialties of Service Design) The third part contains methods for the design & management of business processes (Business Process Design, Business Process Management, Value Stream Mapping). In part four, concepts and methods for managing the manufacturing efficiently are discussed (Facility Layout, Capacity Management, Scheduling, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Lean Management & Manufacturing). Part five shows the possibilities for continuous improvement (Quality Management, TQM, ISO, Six-Sigma, Risk Management). The last part paves the development path of product and process management towards "Industry 4.0" (Industry 4.0 as new Development Paradigm, Implementing Industry 4.0)

Participants of the course are introduced into the importance of identifying customer needs for product management. Furthermore, they are supported to differentiate between digital and non-digital products, to apply different tools for strategic analyses, to develop product strategies for different competitive scenes, they learn how to manage an idea-to-launch-process, and they discuss the multiple links product management has to other departments within a company. Moreover, participants are introduced into the characteristics of projects, they learn methods to manage projects, learn how to choose the right projects, manage project portfolios, manage risk in projects, and they are introduced into digital tools to manage projects from the beginning of their project lifecycle up until the end of their lifecycle, including managing the right amount of project closure activities.

This module examines corporate entrepreneurship and innovation as strategic and organizational responses to ongoing digital and technological transformation. Rather than focusing on individual technologies, the course adopts a holistic perspective on how organizations sense opportunities, redefine value creation, and develop entrepreneurial initiatives under conditions of uncertainty. Students critically analyze how innovation emerges from the interaction of strategy, organizational capabilities, leadership, and work practices.

Drawing on current academic research, structured discussions, and case analyses, the module enables students to apply conceptual frameworks to real organizational decision contexts. Particular emphasis is placed on data-informed judgment, the critical reflection on the role of artificial intelligence in innovation processes, and the development of dynamic capabilities within established organizations.

By the end of the module, students are able to assess innovation initiatives not only in terms of technological feasibility, but also with regard to value creation, organizational readiness, and long-term strategic impact.

In the first part of the module, students elaborate the basics of e-commerce and e-business, they discuss the dynamic development of the technological infrastructure and company-specific diffusion of e-business and e-commerce concepts. The second part concentrates on strategies and applications, in particular the customer relationship and the supply chain management as well as the electronic procurement. Furthermore, e-business models and their specific characteristics are covered, e.g., with regard to network effects, another focus is put on digital marketing.

After discussing the main idea of ERP systems in contrast to alternative solutions (Best of-Breed), the core business processes in SAP ERP are covered. After this, the module focuses on the strategic value of ERP systems, using the live simulation ERPsim. Finally, ERP system implementation and configuration are addressed and current developments, e.g., InMemory databases, are dealt with.

After covering the conceptual foundations of Information Management and looking at the dynamic development of the relevant socio-technical environment this module focuses on Managing Information, Managing Information Systems, Managing Information and Communication Technologies, and the Management of the Information Management Function. A complete set of process management, process modeling, and process mining will provide the basics of optimizing business. In addition, the IT-Infrastructure Library (ITIL) & COBIT, which contains a collection of best practices for IT Service Management, is dealt with. Moreover, a practical project in content management system will enhance the concept of implementing information management knowledge.

The module comprises three main areas: the European Central Bank (ECB) and its monetary policy, European integration and foreign trade. The starting point is a detailed introduction to the German and European economy. The first focus is put on the ECB's role in the institutional mix, the refinancing process of commercial banks, and the transmission process of monetary policy. Recent developments like virtual currencies are also dealt with. Focus two covers the process of economic integration in general as well as in the specific context of the European integration. Recent developments (Brexit etc.) are discussed. In the third focus, foreign trade topics, i.e., exchange rate systems, the formation of exchange rates in a small and open economy as well as the essential theories of pricing (UIP, PPP) are thematized.

The module consists of three parts: 1. Development and Future of International Business and Globalization, 2. Developing International Strategies: Markets, Production, Innovation, 3. Intercultural Management & International Human Resources.

The module discusses principles involved in organizational change and outlines how to manage that change. In particular, the role of leadership and teamwork is addressed, with special emphasis on industrial organizations. Initially, we will analyze how an organization works, how change affects organizations, the most common types of organizational change, as well as management tools and techniques required as an organization passes through various stages of the change cycle. On that basis, the selection of a leadership style appropriate for a team performance context, how to build trust between team members, how to truly empower others and how to manage the conflicts that arise over task performance and interpersonal issues will be discussed. Where appropriate, examples and case studies of change management and leadership styles in managing change are used. The module contains three parts: 1) the foundations of organizations, 2) strategies for planning change, 3) implementation of change in corporations and how to manage it.

Part I: Management Accounting: Control Systems and Performance Measurement, Shareholder Value, Incentive Systems; Part II: Investment Decisions: Investment Criteria and their Critical Evaluation, Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, Project Analysis; Part III: Financing: a) Risk: Risk and Return, Diversification, Market vs. Unique Risk, Capital Asset Pricing Model, Weighted Average Cost of Capital und Company Valuation b) Financial Analysis and Planning: Long-Term and Short-Term Planning, Liquidity c) International Financing: Foreign Exchange Markets, International Investment Decisions. Each chapter will be followed by case studies, which require the application of learnt contents to real-life company situations. The exercises and case studies will be solved with MS Excel. Solutions will be discussed in international teams via the e-learning platform Moodle by applying its various tools of electronic co-operation (wikis, tasks, video and electronic material uploads, video conferences, badges etc.). Optional Excel courses are offered to provide a rather homogeneous Excel knowledge in class.