Business leadership
Teaching language: English, SWS: 2, ECTS: 4 Performance appraisal: written assignments, class participation, and team project.
Examines the tools and processes of leadership in a business setting so students can evaluate themselves and their environment to identify areas of growth and skills development. A practical approach that links real-world business experiences and corporate performance with the scholarship and wisdom of leadership theorists. We build a bridge from leadership concepts (ways of thinking in a classical fashion) to leadership action in a business setting. We will study goal setting in the new economy, risk taking and techniques for accomplishing dramatic change by predicting problems and probable outcomes. Our investigations combine theory and practice which are amplified by the points of view of business practitioners. Class discussions consider the success and failure of applied concepts. Readings will explore the fundamentals of leadership functioning in a customer responsive economy where the old paradigm is giving way to the new reality of people who lead from below and often without formal authority. It is the intention of the course to present tools and skill-sets that are important for understanding these dynamics.
Introduction to International Business
Based on: Charles W. L. Hill: International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace McGraw? Hill, 5th Edition New York 2005 ISBN 0-07-111311-8
Chapter 1, 6, 8, 12 - 18
Web-Page: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072873957/information_center_view0/
Course goals: The aim of this course is to focus on management challenges and opportunities that are either unique to international business or arise in particularly complex or acute forms in business that spans national borders. One of the key objectives is to sensitize students to the interaction between firms, governments and societies. A firm's trans-boarder activities cannot be understood as merely the internationalization of internal functions. Rather, firms find they must adapt to new cultures, regulatory regimes and competitive environments.
Course Description: The course is designed to cover the basic principles of international business with particular emphasis on the role of international markets in shaping management decisions of large and medium size firms. The course requires students to keep abreast of current international events by regular and extensive reading of quality international periodicals, and case studies.
Course Objective: The objective of this course is to familiarize students with the basic principles of how the world economy functions and on how it may impact international business managers. The focus will be on the global environment in which multinational companies operate. Thus, participants should acquire awareness of, and an appreciation for, the diversity and complexity of the international environment. More specifically, the successful completion of this course should enable them to understand and analyze environmental problems which challenge management. While the emphasis of the course is on analysis, students will acquaint themselves with the special terms, concepts, and institutions encountered in international business management. A stimulating aspect of this course is the incorporation of various current topics from the popular business press (Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Business Week, Fortune, New York Times, etc.). In addition to comprehensive coverage of traditional international business theories and concepts, students will gain a better understanding of "how the world economy works" and of "what in the world is going on right now." This course should be of interest to nearly all students of business administration. No matter how small (or large) the business enterprise, the successful manager must take account of international and national environmental dimensions when making decisions. These dimensions are economic, political, and social in nature. Hence, this course is about markets (the economic dimension), power, (the political dimension), and culture (the social dimension) under conditions of global interdependence. The nature of and interrelationships among all these dimensions - international, national, economic, political, and social - are crucial for management decision-making. This seminar style course will emphasize advance preparation for each class period and will involve a high level of class participation. Experiential exercises and simulations will be used to illustrate key management concepts. In addition, specific readings and short video segments will be used to augment the lecture and to stimulate class discussion. Very little lecture time will be devoted to topics that the average student can readily comprehend on the basis of self study. Instead, class discussion will focus on those areas where comprehension is substantially enhanced by additional elaboration or illustration. The instructional approach will emphasize cooperative learning and will tend towards an environment in which students will feel comfortable sharing their interaction with, and learning of the course materials.
Independent Studies / Projektarbeit/Fallstudien
This course provides an opportunity for students to pursue a particular area of interest under the guidance of a faculty member. The Project work is designed to gain academic and practical experience. Students are expected to work independently or in groups by choosing the topic and method of study on their own. There are no lectures to attend, nor required literature to read. The following steps and guidelines have been established to ensure that you get the maximum benefit out of the fieldwork experience. 1. Complete a project outline. 2. Meet with your faculty member to discuss the task, responsibilities, duties, and scheduling. 3. Start working and interact with the faculty member. 4. Complete a summary paper of the project experience.
