Study Semester "International Business and Digital Transformation"

Compulsory Foundation Modules
 

• Fundamentals of Entrepreneurial Management (5 ECTS)
  Good ideas need entrepreneurs: This module aims to raise fundamental elements of managerial competences needed in the field of entrepreneurship. Lessons will cover topics such as financing of ventures and funding alternatives, corporate financial modeling as well as areas such as marketing and cost accounting. We strive to improve the chances of entrepreneurial success for our students and their ideas for a sustainable future.

• Digitalization (5 ECTS)
  Thinking ahead of times: This module deals with in-depth aspects of digitization in national, international and intercultural contexts, how to address content to heterogeneous target groups, digital business and customer communication and the economic perspectives of companies in a global digital context. You will be able to analyze, classify and optimize various digital media in terms of language, content and economic use to design a differentiated digital business communication model in an intercultural context.
• Sustainable Development Goals (5 ECTS)
  A better and more sustainable future: The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. You will understand and reflect on the historicity and systematics as well as on the local application of these goals. In teams you will develop action portfolios as a local interpretation and implementation of a chosen SDG. Based on that concept a real or fictional application of the action portfolio in the local context of the Birkenfeld region will be conducted.
• German Language and International Business Culture (5 ECTS)
  Successful business is both global and local: As an introduction into German business culture and society, this course teaches about the 2000-year tradition of natural protection, why „quite good“ means „excellent“ and why management needs permission to let you work overtime. We will further look at intercultural perspectives and gain insights into neighboring cultures. This lays the groundwork for your visits to businesses and sites in the region where Germany, France and Luxemburg meet and where global and local business practices are forged. You will also attend a German language course according your current language level.

Elective Modules

• International Marketing and Digital Business (5 ECTS)
  Engage with the cultures of the target markets: With digitalization, the demands on marketing and its use of different media have changed fundamentally. Due to the increasing international and economic interdependencies, it is also important to open up markets with different cultures addressing the needs of the consumers living there. What impact do cultural differences have on the strategy and communication policy of a company? We examine how traditional international marketing activities relate to the global market, but sadly often ignore the diversity of people and the differences between cultures and languages.
• Consumer Culture and Strategic Marketing (5 ECTS)
  Do good and talk about it: We will question the continuing validity of the traditional equation: human progress = economic growth, and discuss the impact on corporate social responsibility generally of consumers’ developing sense of responsibility towards our environment. Step by step we will illustrate how companies have to employ strategic marketing management in order to understand markets and optimize the relations between companies and customers.
• Accounting and Finance I (5 ECTS)
  Increasing the value of a firm: You will gain first insights to the importance in financial decision making as well as respective models concerning the firms’ capital structure. Different types of funding and financing instruments will be elaborated, enabling you to determine the specific financing needs of a company, with the aim to secure the financial balance and to minimize the cost of financing. Further topics include the concept of net present value, basic methods for optimal decision making, also under the presence of economic uncertainty as well as strategic concerns.

Compulsory Foundation Modules

• Fundamentals of Sustainable Business and Circular Economy (10 ECTS)
  You can do well by doing good: A growing number of organizations are integrating sustainability into their business strategy. This module serves as a natural starting point by identifying and analyzing the structure of these modern enterprises. You will be able to demonstrate the influence of external environmental conditions on the entrepreneurial process as well as identify potential ethical conflicts and social responsibility issues involving different stakeholders of the firm.

The circular economy boosts the EU‘s competitiveness by protecting businesses against scarcity of resources and volatile prices, helping to create new business opportunities and innovative, more efficient ways of producing and consuming. Be part of weeklong activities and site visits to showcase, demonstrate and share knowledge on the latest advancements.

• Management of Non-Governmental Organizations (5 ECTS)
  From service organizations to human-rights advocacy:You will reflect on the status-quo of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and learn about chosen tools to manage them. Via case studies, you will interpret the given and potential development of particular NGOs. In order to expand the professional, methodical and social competences in the area of NGOs, you will elaborate reports on particular (global or local) NGOs in regard to pre-defined historical, managerial and trend-based aspects and criteria.
• German Language and International Business Culture (5 ECTS)
  Successful business is both global and local: As an introduction into German business culture and society, this course teaches about the 2000-year tradition of natural protection, why „quite good“ means „excellent“ and why management needs permission to let you work overtime. We will further look at intercultural perspectives and gain insights into neighboring cultures. This lays the groundwork for your visits to businesses and sites in the region where Germany, France and Luxemburg meet and where global and local business practices are forged. You will also attend a German language course according your current language level.

Elective Modules

• Ethics and Society (5 ECTS)
  Harmonization of antagonistic targets: This module explains the need for modern ethical correct business modeling and sus-tainable management in companies in all major functional and managerial fields. Practical real business exercises as well as virtual examples set you into a manager role as decision maker or project leader. You identify the parallels between classical and business ethics and realize the positive outcome. Learning more about classical ethically desired and accepted behavior you understand how to change today’s established often-misleading production ways and rigid treatment of employees to a business that reduces systematically negative impacts.
• Intercultural Communication (5 ECTS)
  Verbal and nonverbal interaction: Guten Tag! Buongiorno! Nínhǎo! No matter where you are in the world, communication is important. This module presents and discusses key terms and theories of intercultural communication such as culture, communication, identities, stereotype, external perception, transnationality, politeness and hybridity. Up-to-date research findings from applied and job-related fields (business and economy, policy, international relations) serve to reflect and enhance your understanding of the complex context of both intra- and intercultural communication. 
• Scientific Methods and Concepts (5 ECTS)
  Write like a scientist:Gain profound insights into the field of scientific work. Learn how to structure essays, research papers and a thesis and how to present your ideas to an audience. Get experience in literature research and in reading and understanding scientific papers published in top-tier journals. Your ability in analytical thinking and working will surely be increased.
• International Law and International Economic Policy (5 ECTS)
  Monitoring the behavior between states:This module introduces you to basic rules of international civil law, which is an enormously complex topic, as most countries in the world have their “own” international civil law. Achieve a certain sensitivity which enables you to evaluate the legal risks going along with certain business actions and business problems. You will also get insights to certain basic principles of the European unification and international economic cooperation. Core economic issues behind the integration process on a European and on an international level will also be highlighted.
• Accounting and Finance II (5 ECTS)
  Central tasks in the management of companies: This module aims to provide you with an introduction to national and international financial reporting standards, and to develop a broad understanding of accounting proceedings, techniques, concepts and conventions as well as the links between the three financial statements. You will also learn some of the alternative technical methods and practices of accounting and  get an understanding of the role of management accounting in decision-making and how to manage an organization.
• Social Media and Crises Communication (5 ECTS)
  Make the right decision:A social media communication crisis is rarely limited to a single social network, but spreads like wildfire across platforms. Often the digital outrage results in a major shitstorm and is also taken up by leading media. One of the main objectives of social media crisis management is to prevent a shitstorm from turning into a tangible communication crisis. Adequate social media crisis management curbs the digital wildfire and prevents greater damage to reputation.