International Marketing Research

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to distinguish between management decision and market research problems; they will be able to phrase suitable and feasible research hypothesis, the know different sampling methods and their limitations, the understand different research methods and designs and apply some, e.g. questionnaire design and their close link to analytical possibilities; they are aware of the interdependence between models and methods (e.g. quantitative and qualitative research and analysis methods).
Students are trained to draft one research plan, including a possible timeline from management decision problems and derived research problems to analysis and presentation of findings.

Module Content

The course covers the following topics:

• Definition of marketing research, the marketing research process and developments within the marketing research industry (outsourcing and specialization)
• Definition of the research problem and determination of research objectives
• Different research designs
• Secondary versus primary data
• Observations, focus groups, in-depth interviews and other qualitative methods
• Data collection methods
• Questionnaire design
• Determining and selecting a sample
• Field work, non-responses, screening
• Basics on analysis models
  
  

Cross-Cultural Marketing

Learning Outcomes

Students know about the difference between „cultural“ and „national“ aspects.
Students know Hofstedes and Malinowskis approach to cultures. Students know about cultural drivers of buying processes, buying decisions and consumer preferences.
Students know how to research and evaluate different key buying decision drivers for a specific cultural setting, they are able to adapt the marketing-strategy and marketing-mix to a specific situation – or they know what steps would be needed to be able to do so.

Module Content

The course covers the following topics:

• Hofstede’s concept of culture
• Malinowski’s, Hall’s and Schein’s concepts of culture
• Buying processes and consumer preferences, cross-cultural consumer behaviour
• Learning concepts across cultures
• Local consumers and globalization of consumption and offers
• Intercultural marketing communication

Business to Business Marketing – Theory

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to develop a marketing plan for B2B marketing and sales projects. They understand the different  steps involved, the iterative process behind it (learging loops with in the marketing planning process) and know about the need of information processing and marketing controlling. By studying various models and processes of B2B marketing planning, students are able to understand, structure and write a B2B marketing plan based on which they are able to evaluate a proposed marketing project systematically and thus improve the quality of marketing decision making. Students are trained to write one full marketing plan on a B2B marketing project. They are able to answer questions on this matter comprehensively.

Module Content

The course covers the following topics:

• Organizational / B2B procurement and marketing decision making (processes)
• Marketing research and information management in international B2B environments
• Buying Center and Team Selling Approaches
• Innovation and product development in B2B settings, especially “outsourcing” and “cooperation” and “co-opetition” strategies
• B2B marketing plan
  
  

Business to Business Applied Research Project - Theory

Learning Outcomes

Students will apply the B2B concepts discussed in the development of a marketing plan: they know how to write a full presentation of a marketing plan including B2B marketing strategies and actions, P+L, and controlling.
They understand the different steps involved, the iterative process behind it (learging loops with in the marketing planning process) and know about the need of information processing and marketing controlling. They are able to apply this knowledge for their own project (theory – praxis transfer know-how). By  applying various models and processes of B2B marketing planning, students are able to understand, structure and write a B2B marketing plan based on which they are able to evaluate a proposed marketing project systematically and thus improve the quality of marketing decision making. Students are trained to write one full marketing plan on a B2B marketing project. They are able to answer questions on this matter comprehensively.

Module Content

The course covers the following topics:

• Purpose of a (international) B2B marketing plan Marketing, different addressees
• Structure of a marketing plan
• Focus and balancing the key content and key messages of a marketing plan
• Buying Center and Team Selling approaches and their effects on marketing actions and P+L and controlling
• B2B marketing plan executive summary

Applied quantitative methods & SPSS

Learning Outcomes

During the course, students will learn how to apply statistic software programs to answer the objectives of research. The course focuses on the understanding in each analyzing procedure by using statistic formula, statistic software program, and on interpreting results from estimated value and hypothesis tests. This course covers fundamental statistics, estimation and hypothesis testing by employing Crosstabs, Anovas, correlation analysis and regression.

Module Content

The course covers the following topics:

• Research process and SPSS basics
• Frequency distribution and dispersion
• Sampling and exploring assumptions
• Analyzing categorical data
• Analyzing variances
• Correlation and regression
• Multidimensional analysis

Applied Business Development Project

Learning Outcomes

By applying various models and processes of innovation management, students are able to understand, structure and run through a new product-/ market development process (nationally and internationally), evaluate new business venture systematically and improve the quality of milestone decisions within innovation processes.
Students are trained to evaluate and present cases on new business opportunities in oral and in written form. They are able to answer questions on this matter comprehensively.

Module Content

The course covers the following topics:

• Definition of any given new business venture case and its related project(s) – especially internationally
• Selection and adaptation of appropriate models, tools, methods or schemes to structure and analyse a given business (i.e. product or market) development task
• Collection of information by suitable means of market research, including specifics for international markets
• Evaluation and compiling of findings
• Deduction or creation of solutions on how to approach the business development task
• Systematic evaluation of proposed solutions
• Presenting, defending and reporting of solutions / approaches selected
  
  

Product and Market Development - Theory

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to distinguish between well- und ill- structured problems and their altered need of information processing. By studying various models and processes of innovation management, students are able to understand, structure and run through a new product-/ market development process, evaluate new business venture systematically and improve the quality of milestone decisions within innovation processes.
Students are trained to evaluate cases on new business opportunities. They are able to answer questions on this matter comprehensively.

Module Content

The course covers the following topics:

• Definition of product & market development, diversification, innovation and ill-structured problems
• Critical success factors in new product / market development processes
• Structure of innovation processes, such as e.g. the ‘Stage- Gate-Model from Cooper et al.
• Organizational needs on how to overcome ill-structured (business) problems
• Techniques on how to create and evaluate new ideas and concepts

Business Ethics

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to recognize and (re-)evaluate the ethical dimensions of business decisions in our competitive global business world. By applying various ethical theories and processes of decision making, students are able to understand, structure and to evaluate the complexity of typical ethical dilemmas in business decisions of our global and multicultural business world. Students are trained to present and evaluate complex topics and sophisticated theories in oral presentation and in written form. They are able to answer questions on this matter comprehensively and can explain relevant interrelationships.

Module Content

The course covers the following topics:

• Definition of “good” as a basis concept of all moral discussions (as discussed by Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Descartes, Moore)

Ethics in Business:

• Globalization and the role of Business Ethics
• Corporate social responsibility, Corporate Accountability and Corporate Citizenship
• Ethical theories: Teleological, Deontological, Meta, Descriptive, Normative and other ethical theories; alternative perspectives and pragmatic use of ethical theory
• Ethical decision making – example model
• Ethical Model of discursive and communicative ethics
• Managing Business ethics – codes of ethics, social accounting, organizing for ethics, codes of conduct
• Managing stakeholder relations
• Corruption and bribery
  
  

Master’s Thesis

Learning Outcomes

Students show their ability to make use of their understanding which they acquired in their studies and practical project work by structuring, discussing, developing and scientifically researching a topic: this they show by writing the master thesis.

Module Content

Students deliver a paper that is on master level and of adequate content, structure and language.
The paper is driven by the individual topic.

• Strategic Market Management
• Advanced Digital Market Research
• International Communiations
• Sales and Controlling
• Consumer Psychology & Pricing