Business Management Project and Communication

Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften

Version 33.0 vom 29.04.2019

22B0749

Business Management Project and Communication

• Betriebswirtschaft und Management - WiSo (B.A.)
• Internationale Betriebswirtschaft und Management (B.A.)
• International Management (B.A.)

3

In this module, a business management project that is based on a real case provided by an external organization gives students the opportunity to apply management tools, concepts and frameworks to develop solutions for a given business problem. By working on the tasks in small teams, students will experience the advantages, disadvantages as well as pitfalls of teamwork. During the course of the project, students are supported to optimise their performance, to mobilise resources for effective and efficient problem-solving and to reflect on their own behaviour within the project team. The diversity in terms of thinking and acting of the team members shall be recognised and used as a chance for synergy. Students become acquainted with various techniques and tools for project management by actively applying them as they work on their project tasks.

• The covered management topics are tailored specifically to each case provided by the external organization. The given overall problem is broken down into multiple topics that can be addressed independently by the student teams. Instructions and coachings regarding interpersonal skills as well as project management throughout the semester will support students in their personal effectiveness when working on the assigned topics.
• 1. Project task (formulation of the topic and the objective)
  1.1 Definition and analysis of the task, incl. an assessment of the context
  1.2 Development of hypotheses
  1.3 Elaboration of possible solution approaches
  1.4 Development and formulation of recommendations
• 2. Basic principles for team management
  2.1 Roles in the project team
  2.2 Effective team composition
  2.3 Organization of oneself and the other team members
  2.4 Stages of team development
  2.5 Self-responsibility in the team
  2.6 Use of synergetic effects
  2.7 Project team culture, standards and rules
• 3. Basic principles for project management
  3.1 Target setting
  3.2 Project organization
  3.3 Process definition and milestone setting
  3.4 Documentation
  3.5 Presentation and discussion of the results

Wissensverbreiterung
Students who successfully complete this module...
... are able to apply theoretically acquired foundations of Business Administration/Management in practice (i.e. in different companies, organizations, industries and geographical settings) and develop solutions for tasks and problems.
... know principles of team work and project management, and are able to carry out project work systematically.
... are able to analyse, evaluate and document results.
... are able to explore the context of a particular project and define objectives.
... are able to define work processes and set milestones.
... understand how to develop hypotheses and use them for assessing possible solutions to a problem.
... are able to present the rationale for and essence of the solutions in a concise and comprehensible way.
... have the skills to organise themselves and others within a team.
... are able to critically reflect on their strengths and weaknesses in team work and identify goals for personal improvement.
Wissensvertiefung
Students who successfully complete this module...
... appreciate management tools, concepts and frameworks for structuring, analysing and hypothesising business problems.
... are able to effectively address business problems independently.
... can draw on methodological skills to handle complex tasks.
Können - instrumentale Kompetenz
Students who successfully complete this module...
... are experienced in applying project management tools and various presentation techniques.
... have a firm command of multiple methods for problem-solving and decision-making in business contexts.
... utilize different methods to gather, process and disseminate information and data.
Können - kommunikative Kompetenz
Students who successfully complete this module...
... are able to describe a complex project, including its goals in a concise, yet comprehensive manner.
... can present results to other team members and to all stakeholders with an interest in them, both verbally and in written form (including the process steps involved in developing the results).
... are able to concisely present challenging issues and possible solutions relating to a subject to a knowledgeable and possibly critical audience.
... can present a consistent line of argument.
... can effectively respond to questions, suggestions, criticism and other feedback.
... can moderate a discussion regarding their topics and defend their positions in it.
Können - systemische Kompetenz
Students who successfully complete this module...
... can utilise their theoretically acquired knowledge and problem-solving methods in unfamiliar business contexts.
... know how to address and handle unexpected developments in business situations.
... are capable of systematically structuring tasks and transfering these into processes.
... are able to identify interrelations in complex tasks and anticpate project risks.

The instructors and the external organization present an overall problem at the beginning of a semester. Student teams will then work on specified sub-tasks throughout the semester, supervised and coached by the instructors on a regular basis. A mid-term results presentation provides students with feedback and ensures ongoing improvements and peer learning effects.

The project shall provide students with a business context in which specific sub-problems/tasks need to be solved to a large extent independently, typically by working in teams.

The instructors introduce theories and conceptual topics relevant to the overall business context and to project/team management, thereby offering methodological support to the teams. Classroom discussion of related case studies and e-learning approaches (i.e. by using the OSCA platform) further complement the learning process.

• Foundation courses in General Business Administration, Marketing, Finance and Controlling
• Management Tools and Communication and Key Qualifications

Hofmann, Kay Hendrik

• Hofmann, Kay Hendrik
• Gehmlich, Volker
• Joseph-Magwood, Abigail
• von Papen, Jost
• Kaur-Lahrmann, Ravinder

10

• Topical literature: Will be announced at the beginning of each semester, depending on the specific case provided by an organization.
  
  Team and project management literature:
• Verzuh, E. (2008): The fast forward MBA in project management. (3rd ed.). Hoboken, N.J, John Wiley & Sons.
• Ronggui, D. (2016): Key Project Management Based on Effective Project Thinking. Heidelberg, Springer.
• Stahl, E. (2012): Dynamik in Gruppen : Handbuch der Gruppenleitung (3rd ed.). Weinheim, Beltz.
• Belbin, R. M. (2010): Team roles at work. (2nd ed.). Amsterdam, Butterworth-Heinemann.
• Winkler, M. and Commichau, A. (2005): Reden - Handbuch der kommunikations-psychologischen Rhetorik. Rowohlt TB.

Portfolio Prüfung

Die Portfolio-Prüfung umfasst 100 Punkte und bestet aus einem schriftlichen Projektbericht (40 Punkte) und einem Referat (60 Punte).

1 Semester

Wintersemester und Sommersemester

Englisch