The course "International Management and Economics" consists of two parts:

• Topics related to Business Systems, CSR and Business Ethics
• Topics related to World Trade

Part 1 Business Systems, CSR and Business Ethics:

The course provides an introduction into National Business Systems and Comparative Industrial Relations. It thus provides insights into different economic cultures and strategies to address differences between business systems. 

Corporations are embedded into an institutional setting of their parent-country. This setting, the (National) Business System, shapes e.g. the labour market, industrial relations, the education system or financial institutions. It therefore strongly shapes corporate decisions as well as strategies. Business Systems also reflect the degree and basis of trust between organizations, loyalty to outside groups or the importance of individual identity and rights that also influence corporate structures, values and decisions. Since many corporations have facilities in more than just one country, getting to know different Business Systems can help to reflect on and understand markets and strategies at home and abroad.

Corporations face many different demands from internal and external stakeholders. These demands might imply contradictory actions, might not all be equally justified or might even not represent all legitimate demands in a given situation. In these not so unusual situations, responsible decision-making becomes an ethical challenge. The course aims to provide perspectives to understand and analyse these dilemma situations in corporate contexts (but also in everyday life). The structure of ethical conflicts as well as different views on goodness are analytically introduced and strategies for informed and responsible decision making processes discussed. In the second part of the course, different business oriented approaches addressing these challenges like Corporate Social Responsibility, Creating Shared Value, Labelling or Reporting are presented and critically evaluated.     

Part  2 World Trade:

It is well recognized that economic growth and development are closely interacted with natural resources and the environment. Such interactions are intricately linked with the everyday life of individual persons and households, especially in developing countries where the issues and concerns are somewhat different as compared to developed countries. Sustainability is a much more immediate concept, since it must take into account of pressing concerns such as basic subsistence and even survival. Therefore, the aim of the course is to provide students with an understanding of the relationship between economic growth, development and environmental issues. 

The course thus covers a range of topics including the drivers of economic growth, the contribution of natural resources and ecosystem services to economic growth and development, the effects of economic growth and development on the sustainable management of natural resources and the environment. The lectures are designed in a more advanced way, including theories, case studies, and exercises. The participants are thus familiar with the issues that relate environment and development at international, national and local levels.

Examination form: written exam

The course "German Economy and the European Union" consists of two parts:

• Germany and the European Union
• The German Welfare State

Part 1 Germany and the European Union:

• Analytical Preliminaries: Tools of Economic Thinking
• Germany as a Nation State: Historic Facts, Economic Figures, and Political Keystones
• Germany as a Member State of the EU-27: Promoter of the Process of Economic and Political Integration
• The Identity of the EU-27:  Single Market (“Four Freedoms”) and Fiscal Federalism (Subsidiarity Principle versus Harmonization)
• The Joint Decision-Making of the EU-27: The Institutions and their Decision-Making Rules
• The Budget of the EU-27: Small amount, large impact, no “fiscal union”
• The Making of the European Monetary Union (EMU-20) within the EU-27: Two-Speed Integration, Loss of National Monetary Sovereignty
• The Performance of the European Monetary Union (EMU-20): Issues, Disputes, Outlook

Part 2 The German Welfare State 

• Historical Origins
• Welfare State in the German Social Markt Economy
• Education System
• System of Social Security
      -    Unemployment Insurance
      -    Health Insurance
      -    Pension Scheme
      -    Long-term Care Insurance
• The Welfare State as Threat for the Social Market Economy

Examination form: written exam

The course "German Culture, Business & Language Class" consists of two parts:

• German Culture and Business
• Language Class and Excursion

Part 1 German Culture and Business:

The course gives students an introduction into how Germany became Germany. It addresses the role history still plays for many German particularities and aims at providing a base for better understanding "the" Germans of today, such as:

• Why does the German Welfare State exist?
• Why does the parliament have a 5%-threshold for entry?
• Why was conscription mandatory until 2011?
• Why is French still the most common second foreign language in school?
• Why do Germans fear inflation, have 16 different schooling laws, and are so concerned with data protection?
• Why do Germans only wave their flags during European/World Cups?

Part 2 Language Class & Excursion:

Students will attend a German language class to learn some basics of the German language. Furthermore, an excursion to Berlin will provide insights into the German culture, politics and history.

Examination form: presentations