Students will be in a position to bring together the various functions of business administration from a holistic point of view; they will be able to understand the correlations between the different areas.

Students will be able to analyse problems and carve out possible solutions in the current environment and in corporate management. They will be able to establish and evaluate potential and challenges with regard to how companies are managed.

Students will be able to determine the complexity of the corporate management style applied. They will know the key factors in the company’s operational and strategic direction as well as the relevant framework conditions of the company’s approach to management; students will be able to analyse, assess and, using an online-based practical example, implement these, thus acquiring practical skills.

This Module consists of two parts:

• Interactive tutorial
• Online-based simulation game

In the sophisticated management simulation TOPsim Going Global, six different economic areas with different framework conditions are modelled. In their role as the company management of a washing machine manufacturer, the participants initially operate exclusively in their native region. However, before long, the internationalisation of the company’s activities takes centre stage. As part of this “going global” process, it is essential at first to identify and assess the opportunities and risks associated with new markets as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the company. Following the decision to enter the new market, the participants are faced with the task of drawing up appropriate market cultivation strategies and implementing them in their decisions.

Detailed Course Description

• Corporate mission statement (vision, mission, goal formation)
• Expansion decisions (market barriers, forms of market entry and opening up new markets)
• Strategic marketing (competitor analysis, marketing mix, product life cycles, corporate identity)
• International marketing mix
• Personnel planning, productivity and fluctuation
• Supply management (make-or-buy decision, global sourcing, delivery priorities)
• Utilisation planning
• Investment planning
• Finance and accounting (cost accounting)
• break-even-analysis, financial planning, balance sheet, P&L account, cash-flow statement and systems of financial control

TOPSim documentation

2 ECTS x 30 hours = 60 hours, combined out of the following:

• Course attendance: 20 hours
• Time for exercises and group work: 2 hours
• Exam preparation: 38 hours
• Exam time: 90 minutes written exam

Prerequisite for Award of Credit Points

Passing the simulation game (“pass”, “fail”)

• Interactive tutorial
• Online-based simulation game