2.1 Professional Competencies

2.1.1 Knowledge 

The students can/know/apply

• the importance and relevance of Human Resource Management (HRM) concepts and techniques

• core activities of the management process within HR, such as planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling

• key functions of HRM like employee planning and recruitment, selection of job candidates, onboarding, compensation and benefits, performance management and appraisal, communication (such as interviewing, counseling, disciplining), training and development and building employee relations and engagement

• build an effective human resource organization by considering modern technology and measurement systems to build high-performance work environments

• approaches of HRM in small and entrepreneurial firms

• manage global human resources in terms of international HRM in multinational corporations

• competencies and skills to manage oneself as HR manager, e.g. leadership, ethical practices, business acumen, provide guidance and evaluation

2.1.2 Skills 

The students can/know/apply

• manage varying HR-specific challenges by applying adequate tools and methods in different HR functions (identifying HR competencies, job analysis, job description, recruitment, selection, performance management etc.)

• good practices of establishing efficient HRM processes to support strategic and operational company goals

• methods and techniques used in employment planning, forecasting and recruiting incl. aspects of diversity

• practical guidelines for appraising performance, career and retention management

• how to conduct job evaluations and establish strategic and market competitive pay plans improving employee engagement and performance including benefits and services

• concepts and strategies of building cooperative labor relations and ethical behavior

• deal with cultural influences on international HRM and adapt HRM activities to intercountry differences

• develop tailored concepts for the organization of HRM in small and medium as well as corporate enterprises

2.2 Personal Competencies

2.2.1 Social Competencies

The students can/know/apply

• tools and methods of HRM for varying strategic and operational business challenges

• actively contribute to HRM initiatives and processes within national and international operating companies

• understand and interpret information to provide guidance to the organization

• consider and integrate perspectives of different parties and stakeholders

• understand and manage themselves as part of a diverse team, as leader, expert, communicator, consultant, facilitator, evaluator, collective bargainer etc.

2.2.2 Autonomy

The students can/know/apply

• analyze and decide on appropriate application of HRM tools and methods

• apply, reflect and further develop basic and advanced concepts and techniques of HRM 

• establish continuous process improvements as well as innovative and future-oriented approaches to HR-specific challenges including organizational changes due to digital transformation processes

• integrate their experiences and HRM skills into fundamental organizational and business practices

• Introduction to Human Resource Management

• Human Resource Planning

• Recruiting (employer branding, employee selection)

• Training and development 

• Performance management and appraisal

• Career management and retention

• Compensation and benefits

• Labor Relations 

• International HRM 

• HRM in small and medium sized enterprises and corporate companies

Lectures and exercises, case studies, problem based learning, single/partner/group work, role plays, presentations, discussion, field trip

Formal: -

Knowledge and Competencies: -

Continuous assessment within the course (100%, e.g. homework, group work, term paper, presentations, case studies)

Successful completion of examination and assessment in course (presentation individual / group)

M.A. Business Management, M.A. International Management, M.Sc. International FACT

• Dessler, G. (2019): Human Resource Management, Global Edition, 16th edition: Pearson

• Dessler, G. (2015): Fundamentals of Human Resource Management, Global Edition, 4th edition: Pearson

• Torrington, D. / Hall, L. / Atkinson, C. / Taylor, S. (2017): Human Resource Management, 10th edition: Pearson

• Ulrich, D. / Younger, J. / Brockbank, W. / Ulrich, M. (2012): HR from the outside in, McGraw-Hill

• Wilton, N. (2019): An Introduction to Human Resource Management, 4th edition: Sage

2.1 Professional Competencies

2.1.1 Knowledge

The Students can/know/apply

• the most recent developments in institutional economics,

• the basic instruments of institutional analysis like opportunity costs, asset specificity, opportunism, transaction costs,

• the meaning of the institutional framework of a society for economic development, growth and welfare,

• the relevance of the institutional environment for operational success and strategic setting of multinational enterprises,

• basic instruments of institutional analysis to real institutional networks like societies and/or regions of economic integration, and

• selected models of strategic business management to real institutional frameworks.

Part a.) Theoretical framework: A systematic study of institutions that underpin political, social, and economic interactions is crucial for getting an understanding of how differences between markets and societies affect operations and strategic direction of a multinational enterprise. The first part of this course therefore starts with an examination of how formal and informal legal structures protect property rights and enforce contracts. It shows how constitutions, legislative and case law, as well as arbitration and other mechanisms of private order contribute to the efficiency of these structures. In addition, it deals with the study of the networks that constitute the structure of social interactions and the norms that govern their function. Finally, the workings of these institutions and organizations in different cultures is analyzed and compared across societies. It will be shown that each society has worked out its own institutional structure and network to be known and to be taken into account for successfully performing cross border operations and strategies.

Students will not only learn to systematically classify and to capture these coherencies but as well learn how to anticipate them in the context of different market strategies. In addition, this part describes how a wide range of players (organizations) private businesses, policy makers, interest groups and others are involved in the process of designing these market environments. The teaching method of this part will consist of a mixture of lectures and seminars.

Part b.): Case based applications: Case based applications will accompany the study of the major theoretical approaches and models of institutional economics. The course aims to make use from a wide range of types of case studies. Smaller incident and background cases shall illustrate a concept or a method or convey information on a given institutional framework of a market. In exercise cases students will apply a specific concept or technique that has been explained in the lecture. Complex cases are considered to become part of the module as well. In these cases students are required to work on more complex assignments where students have to pay attention to possible interdependencies embodied in the case. Case work for complex cases may last over a longer period of time, may be team work, and may end up in a conference-style presentation event.

2.1.2 Skills

The Students can/know/apply

• sophisticated methodological tools from institutional economics like transaction cost analysis, asset specificity, governance, rent-seeking and commitment as well as selected topics from game theory for analyzing different institutional settings,

• use these instruments comprehensively for the whole institutional range of an institutional network, i.e. economic, legal and social institutions, 

• discretely analyze and assess the institutional terms of real institutional networks by applying these tools to real markets,

• use tools and instruments of institutional analysis for the benefit of multinational companies operating in international markets,

• transform quantitative and qualitative data regarding the institutional setting of a relevant institutional network into metrics supporting managerial decision making.

2.2 Personal Competencies

2.2.1 Social Competencies

The Students can/know/apply

• due to team oriented case study work being a part of this course, reflect, assess and illustrate their knowledge of and their findings on real institutions in teams, 

• lead and coordinate teams in a results-oriented fashion,

• present and prudently defend team results in a complex and demanding environment.

2.2.2 Autonomy

The Students can/know/apply

• reflect the meaning of social, economic, legal and political institutions for economic development, growth and welfare of a society, 

• manage and transform the theoretical issues of this course with regard to complex and diffuse institutional settings (e.g. a new market region) in order to generate new strategic directions,

• reflect challenges of a company in the background of the institutional setting of a market,

• the interplay between economic regulation and institutional framework and the strategic outline of a company and are able to derive an own mind on it,

• work out independent ideas and can transform these into a sustainable management initiative.

Part a.): Theoretical Framework

• A primer in institutional economics

• Why institutions matter 

• Static efficiency vs. dynamic efficiency

• Institutions and economic development

• Agency and structures

• Logic of institutions: a game theoretical view

• Some basics: convergence, coordination, commitment

• Institutions as commitment devices

• Institutions as information-enhancing devices

• Repeated coordination

• Institutional framework of a society

• Stylized economic systems

• Property rights

• Public governance structure and public choice

• Comparative institutional analysis and institutional development

• Differences in economic systems

• Review of empirical studies

• Institutions and strategic international management

• Economic institutions and strategic management

• Local institutions and global strategy

• CAGE framework analysis

• Augmented competition analysis

Part b.): Case based applications

• Spotting institutional voids

Further freshest case topics related to institutional economics and management

• Lectures,

• Seminar,

• Case studies

• Results-oriented presentations in oral and written form

Formal: none

Knowledge and Competencies: none

• Exam (50 %)

• Case work / presentation (40%)

• Oral participation (10%)

Minimum achievement of 50 percentage points - calculated as the sum of the achievements in the assessment areas above.

M.A. Business Management, M.A. International Management, M.Sc. International FACT

• Acemoglu, D., Robinson, J. A. (2012), Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty, Profile Books. 

• Brousseau, E., Glachant, J.-M. (2008, eds.), New Institutional Economics – A Guidebook, Cambridge. 

• Dixit, A. K., Nalebuff, B. J. (1991), Thinking Strategically: The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life, W. W. Norton & Company.

• Erlei, M. , Leschke, M., Sauerland , D. (2010), Neue Institutionenökonomik,  2nd ed., Schäffer-Poeschel. 

• Fleisher, C. S., Bensoussan, B. E. (2015), Business and Competitive Analysis: Effective Application of New and Classic Methods, 2nd ed., Pearson Education.

• Furubotn, E. G., Richter, R. (2005), Institutions and Economic Theory. The Contribution of the New Institutional Economics, 2nd ed., University of Michigan Press. 

• Ghemawat, P. (2007), Redefining Global Strategy: Crossing Borders in A World Where Differences Still Matter, Harvard Business Review Press. 

• Gronewegen, J., Spithoven, A., van den Berg, A. (2010), Institutional Economics: An Introduction, Palgrave Macmillan. 

• Hall, P. A., Soskice, D. (2001), Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage. Oxford University Press.

• Kasper, W., Streit, W. E., Boettke, J. (2012), Institutional Economics – Property, Competition, Policies, Edward Elgar. 

• Khanna, T., Palepu, K. G. (2010), Winning in Emerging Markets: A Road Map for Strategy and Execution, Harvard Business Review Press.

• Lynch, R. (2018), Strategic Management, 8th ed., Pearson.

• Morgan, G., Campbell, J. L., Crouch, C., Pedersen, O. K., Whitley, R. (2011, eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Institutional Analysis, Oxford University Press.

• Rasmusen, E. (2014), Games and Information: An Introduction to Game Theory, 4th ed., John Wiley & Sons.

• Voigt, S. (2019), Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press.

• Wall, S., Minocha, S. Rees, B.  (2010), International Business, 3rd ed., Pearson.

2.1 Professional Competencies

2.1.1 Knowledge 

a) Students will be able to

• understand international taxation principles/ systems 

• know about the basic structure and functionality of DBA based on the OCED model Tax Convention,

• have extensive knowledge of different forms of cross-border business activities,

• evaluate the importance of international transfer pricing to multinational enterprise groups and tax administrations.

• Understand the arm's length principle, the concept of comparability and the transfer pricing methods

• Know about the purpose and content of transfer pricing documentation

b) Students will be able to

• understand the reasons why comparing financial statements of companies from different countries is partly a challenge,

• know about different cultural and historical backgrounds of several countries and various ways to regulate accounting,

• have good knowledge of accounting based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

2.1.2 Skills 

a) Students will be able to

• analyze the use of double taxation treaties in international tax planning,

• assess the benefits and objectives of transfer pricing,

• examine whether, and to what extent, transactional adjustments may be applied within transfer pricing,

• deal critically with transfer pricing arrangements,

• prepare a transfer pricing documentation file.

b) Students will be able to

• solve financial reporting problems based on IFRS,

• analyze and compare financial statements based on IFRS of companies from different countries.

2.2 Personal Competencies

2.2.1 Social Competencies

a) Students will be able to 

• work independently in groups to solve case studies,

• promote their team- and communication skills,

• discuss the challenges of transfer pricing in front of the course.

b) Students will be able to 

• work on financial reporting questions in teams,

• defend their opinions towards other students and the teacher,

• present results to the course

2.2.2 Autonomy

a) Students will be able to 

• work on one's own responsibility through the relevant specialist literature to identify transfer pricing rules, practices and approaches,

• apply acquired knowledge to new double taxation issues.

b) Students will be able to

• choose and use adequate sources to solve financial reporting questions,

• work out individual opinions on financial reporting regulation.

a) Because of the globalization of the economy, international taxation is becoming more and more important for companies and governments. In addition, the pricing of goods and services within a multi-divisional organization, particularly with regard to cross-border transactions, has emerged as one of the most contentious areas of international tax law.

Topics can include:

• The international tax environment

• The 2017 OECD Model Convention

• Taxation of cross-border business activities 

• Transfer pricing methods and the arm's length principle

• Transfer pricing adjustments

• Transfer pricing dispute avoidance and resolution

• Transfer pricing documentation

b) The globalization of economy led to the need for world wide accepted financial reporting standards. The aim of the course is to sensitise the students for the differences in financial reporting around the world and enable them to analyse and compare financial statements of companies from different countries. Topics can include:

• Purposes and users of financial statements

• Accounting regulation

• International differences and harmonization

• Financial reporting issues

• Financial statement analysis

Lecture including case studies

Formal: -

Knowledge and Competencies: Basic knowledge of Taxation especially Corporate Tax; Basic knowledge of IFRS including the IFRS Organization and the Due Process

Written examination (90 minutes) 

Successful completion of examination

M.Sc. FACT, M.Sc. FACT - Controlling & Digitalization, M.Sc. International FACT, M.A. International Management

Holmes: International Tax Policy and Double Tax Treaties

Feinschreiber: Transfer pricing handbook

Navarro: Transactional adjustment in transfer pricing 

Klassen et al.: Transfer Pricing: Strategies, Practices, and Tax Minimization?, in: Contemporary Accounting Research, Vol. 34, pp. 455-493.

Alexander / Nobes: Financial Accounting, Pearson

Choi / Meek: International Accounting, Pearson

Harrison Jr. / Horngren / Thomas / Suwardy: Financial Accounting, Pearson

Melville: International Financial Reporting, Pearson

Nobes / Parker: Comparative International Accounting, Pearson

2.1 Professional Competencies

2.1.1 Knowledge

The students know

• The core issues of a project and various types of projects.

• The phases and knowledge areas of project management

• The core issues of goal, scope, time, cost and risks.

• The main methods and tools for project planning and controlling especially for global projects

• The different project organizational set-up for local and / or global projects

• The environmental factors for global business projects

• The concept of stakeholders and the roles of stakeholders in a project.

• criteria for success and failure in projects particularly in global environments

• The meaning of country and project culture

• The main global and international standards for project management

• HR related project management topics (e.g. assignment of an international team)

• Communication aspects incl. methods and tools in a global project

2.1.2 Skills

The Students can apply / are able to

• analyze and develop goals, scopes, schedules, cost plan, risk registers and baselines

• identify stakeholders and their roles

• analyse and characterize the project organization

• analyse and characterize the context of a global project (environmental factors) including cultural dimensions

• analyse and characterize different stakeholder groups in a global project

• analyse and characterize the team structure of a global project incl. assignment procedures

• analyze and develop a communication plan for global projects

• analyze and apply main methods and tools for project planning and controlling especially for global projects

2.2 Personal Competencies

2.2.1 Social Competencies

The Students can/know/apply

• lead and coordinate teams in a results-oriented fashion,

• present and prudently defend team results in a complex and demanding environment,

• improve cooperation among human resource in projects and organizations based upon appropriate policies and strategies,

• handle complexities while working in global teams,

• detect the HR competencies needed in a project or in an organization,

• develop team competencies among the members, supported by games, like Tower Building, that are part of the course

2.2.2 Autonomy

The Students can/know/apply

• manage and transform work or study contexts that are complex, unpredictable and require new strategic and / or operational approaches,

• reflect strategic and operational challenges of a global project in the background of social values,

• the interplay between economic regulation and institutional framework and the strategic outline of a company and is able to derive an own mind on it,

• work out independent projects and ideas and can do what is necessary to carry out a sustainable management initiative

This module focuses on the core issues of business projects and project management in a global environment. Apart from general project management processes, methods and tools the typical challenges, approaches and methods and tools for global business projects are presented and applied by the students. In this module students learn how to set-up global business projects and apply corresponding methods and tools for scope, time, cost, resources, risk, organization and communication management.

The intention of the course is to guide the students through the whole project management process (initiating, planning, controlling and closing) for global business projects using a global business project case. For each management step the students are introduced to the relevant theoretical concepts. They apply the concepts to the case study. This guides them into a deep understanding of the different concepts. Based on that experience the students are doing a literature review on recent developments in project management research for the specific project management element. Based on the theoretical knowledge from the lectures and the practical experience from the case study they are able to do a qualified evaluation of the respective field of research.

Further cases are analyzed and discussed in order to develop an understanding of global business projects. 

As part of the case a project plan is developed in group work sessions. This helps the students to understand the different roles in planning and controlling area and to find a consensus on their view of the project. During this process they learn to see the project plan as a tool for communication and alignment rather than a pure documentation. This is an important element of global projects 

Furthermore in global projects, people from various cultures cooperate and many differing views on values, methods, procedures etc. come together. Cultural backgrounds are therefore a factor to be considered in global projects and common views on approaches and practices are not necessarily shared by team members but have to be negotiated. This module also encompasses the cultural aspects of project management. In order to develop the students' insight into the potential impact of culture on project management, descriptions of the management styles, methods and procedures prevalent in various cultures are studied and compared critically. The classical etic approaches with an emphasis on Hofstede's dimensional classifications are applied to project management. Descriptions of the management styles, methods and procedures prevalent in various cultures are consequently analyzed in terms of Hofstede's classification of cultural dimensions. 

Furthermore the module shows how project management is shaped by project management associations (PMI®, IPMA®, OGC®, etc.), international standards, certificates, etc., and introduces these organizations, standards and certificates.

Summarized the module shows how global business projects can be managed from different point of views (organizational view, people view, cultural view, methods and tools view, and standard view).

The learning outcomes within the standards of European Qualification Framework (EQF) are defined and documented for the Knowledge, skills and competence levels. The objectives are to enable students to explain concepts of project management and to consider the challenges in global business projects. At skills level, they will be able to detect, develop and apply tools and techniques for project management for global business projects. The students will also develop competence to analyze and develop new concepts for global project management. They understand the connections to other areas of the international management.

Lectures incl. practitioners' best practices, seminar, case studies, presentations, results-oriented presentations in oral and written form

Formal: none

Knowledge and Competencies:  Basis project management knowledge (phases and knowledge areas as well as main methods and tools of project management)

• examination (90 minutes) (50%) and 

• Continuous assessment (coursework assignment, presentation) (50%)

Successful completion of examination and successful continuous assessment during the semester (Presentation etc.)

M.A. Business Management, M.A. International Management, M.A. European Master in Project Management

• Armstsrong, M.:. Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice; Kogan Page, 2012

• Bhagat, Rabi S.; Steers, Richard M. (eds.): Cambridge Handbook of Culture, Organizations, and Work. Cambridge University Press, 2009

• Frigenti, Enzo; Cominos, Dennis: The Practice of Project Management, 2nd edition, Kogan Page, 2006

• Gerais, Roland: Happy Projects!: Project and programme management. Project portfolio management. Management of the project-oriented organization. Management in the project-oriented society, MANZ'sche Wien, 2005

• Hedeman, Bert, e.a: Project Management Based on PRINCE2®, Van Haren Publishing, 2009

• Hofstede, Geert; Hofstede, Gert Jan; Minkov, Michael: Cultures and Organizations: Software for the Mind, Third Edition. Mc-Graw-Hill, 2010

• Larson, Gray: Project Management - the Managerial Process, 4th edition, McGraw Hill, 2010

• Lientz,  Bennet; Rea,  Kathryn: International Project Management, Routledge Verlag, 2012

• Morris, Peter W.G.; Pinto, Jeffrey K. (eds.): The Wiley Guide to Managing Projects, John Wiley, 2007

• Nakata, Cheryl (ed.): Beyond Hofstede: Culture Frameworks for Global Marketing and Management. Palgrave, 2009

• Project Management Institute: PMBOK® - 5th edition, PMI®, 2012

• Scott,  W. Richard; Levitt,  Raymond E.; Orr, Ryan J.: Global Projects; Cambridge University Press

• Schelle, Heinz; Ottmann, Roland; Pfeifer, Astrif: Project Manager, GPM, Nuremberg 2006

2.1 Professional Competencies

2.1.1 Knowledge 

The students learn about the importance of quality management and process improvement strategies in the fields of production, logistics and service. They learn how to visualize process flows and identify bottlenecks in supply chains. The know how to apply quantitative tools in order to analyze relationships between input and output parameters. They learn how to implement sustainable changes in supply chain operations and how to evaluate and visualize the outcomes.

The focus is on a complete framework of techniques of supply chain operation improvements to reduce costs and improve customer experience. The students will be familiar with the scientific theory as well as the operational implementation so they will know the benefits and limitations of the concepts.

2.1.2 Skills 

The students can apply the tools of the framework to improve real life problems. They will be able to discover critical-to-quality parameters and to conduct root cause analysis. They can identify and evaluate improvement measures and design sustainable implementation concepts including cost calculations. They are able to present their ideas to executive management and can evaluate the results.

2.2.1 Social Competencies

The students will jointly plan and adhere to project time schedules. They are part of a cooperative and result-oriented team. They will present project results clearly, concretely and in a top-down way to executive management.

2.2.2 Autonomy

The students can independently define realistic target and scope of optimization projects. They can learn new methods self-directed if necessary for the project success and can choose between different solution approaches by applying appropriate trade-offs. The students will consider time, costs and process limitations.