25 hrs in summer semester 2018 in semi-blocked mode (2 weekly hours per semester)

9 blocks á 3 hours incl. written exam

Lecturer: Dr. Manfred Reichl

This course can be regarded as a "spin-off" of the seminar "Scenarios of globalization", held by Dr. Reichl since 2008 – a consequence of the ever increasing importance of China for the global economy. The highly successful teaching and learning method of the globalization-course will be continued. The two seminars complement each other.

Structure and schedule, starting at 5:00 pm on each of these dates

Di., 19. Mrz. 2019 17:00 20:00 TC.4.04 Seminarraum (30)
Di., 26. Mrz. 2019 17:00 20:00 TC.4.04 Seminarraum (30)
Mi., 27. Mrz. 2019 17:00 20:00 TC.4.14 Seminarraum (30)
Do., 28. Mrz. 2019 17:00 20:00 TC.4.16 Seminarraum (30)
Mi., 3. Apr. 2019 17:00 20:00 TC.4.14 Seminarraum (30)
Mo., 8. Apr. 2019 17:00 20:00 TC.3.08 Seminarraum (30)
Mo., 29. Apr. 2019 17:00 20:00 TC.3.08 Seminarraum (30)
Do., 9. Mai 2019 17:00 20:00 D1.1.074 Seminarraum (30)
Di., 14. Mai 2019 17:00 20:00 TC.4.04 Seminarraum (30)

Reserve Dates:

Do., 16. Mai 2019 17:00 20:00 TC.4.16 Seminarraum (30)
Mi., 22. Mai 2019 17:00 20:00 TC.4.14 Seminarraum (30)

Course description

Since China started to implement its new, market-oriented economic model in the 1980ies and early 1990ies, China has become the second biggest economy after the US, regaining its leading position, which it held until the 18th century. During the last decade, China has had an ever increasing influence on the global economy. It has rapidly developed from a low-cost manufacturing location for high-volume consumer products and from a vast market for Western investment goods in the 1990ies to a producer of intelligent and increasingly competitive investment and consumer goods. It has not only started to compete with established Western companies in their home turfs, but is increasingly active as acquirer of Western technologies and assets. The ambitious attitude of its people, the protectionist approach of its politics, and the scale of its home market are challenging developed countries and established companies. Its demand and sourcing strategy of raw materials have increasingly influenced global production volumes and prices in agricultural, metal or energy sectors.

The course will develop an understanding of the economic background and attitude of Chinese society, China’s recent economic structures, trade flows and trends, economic forces, as well as risks and opportunities for Western companies and investors.

After participating in the course, students should be able

i) To understand the structure of China’s economy with regards to economic sectors, regions, social values, and the role of the state,

ii) To judge Chinese companies, their strengths and weaknesses, and their global strategies,

iii) To assess China’s demand and supply potential for Western companies as well as approaches for investing in China,

iv) To understand the impact, which China and its companies are having and still might have on world markets.

Participants will prepare and present specific topics, like historic and recent developments, characteristics and role of state-owned companies, situation and trends in specific industries (e.g. in Agriculture, Consumer Goods, Energy, Automotive), or financial markets. Thus, they will develop sensitivity for trends, impacts and interrelation of various subjects with regard to China.

Missing 3 (out of the 9) classes will results in negative evaluation.

It is Dr. Reichl’s experience that participants benefit the most if they study, prepare and present many subjects on their own or in small teams. Students highly appreciate the opportunity to work in a practical way (as later in companies) and to get presentation experience. Since most information is available online, the real value-added of the course will be in connecting and interpreting information, data, and trends, which will be prepared and presented by one or more students. Consequently, the course will include about 15 short presentations by students on pre-defined subjects.

Thus, the course will be held in a highly interactive mode, with the students preparing and presenting defined subjects, and working in teams on cases. There will be a homepage available for the course on learn@wu, providing a platform for discussions and blogs of students. Students are expected to participate in these online discussions. In addition, the course will be supported by guest speakers, who will highlight their own experiences, views and interests.

i) Pre-course assignment (15%) – written

Pick two articles of the reading list and express your opinion on max. two DIN A4 pages (1 ½ lines, character size 11). It is recommended to comment on articles on related subjects. Upload the document with your opinion statement until the first day of the course. (Header of page containing: name of participant, articles commented)

- Evaluation according to substance of opinion and clarity of expression

ii) Class participation (15%) – oral

Students are strongly encouraged to actively take part in the discussions and contribute their own experiences.

- Engagement will be tracked.

iii) Teamwork and seminar presentations (25%) – oral

Students are required to engage in teams to prepare homework jointly (e.g. subjects like regulatory environments, cases or industries) and to present the results in short presentations

- Engagement will be tracked and evaluated

iv) Participation in the online discussions/blogs (10%) – written, online

During the course, Dr. Reichl will provide an online discussion/blogging possibility on predefined subjects. Students are expected to participate and feed in fresh thoughts

- Engagement will be tracked

v) Exam (35%) – handwritten; on paper

On May 14, 2019, 7:00 pm, there will be a one hour written exam, where the students will answer questions about the discussions during the course and write short statements on his/her opinion on certain subjects and/or cases.

- Students should have studied/have experience with economics/business for at least 3 years

- Students must have written an Opinion Statement (in English language; 2 pages) on two of the articles in folder "Reading material" (obligatory; registered students, who do not deliver the pre-course assignment cannot be considered for participation).

The seminar is limited to 25 attendees. There will be a waiting list, since our experience is that (1) at the beginning of the registration period, students are overbooking various seminars, with the consequence that they are fully booked after a few hours; (2) appr. 20% of the students usually cancel their registration for the course during the following days. So if the course is already fully booked, please contact jana.salot@wu.ac.at for the waiting list.

This course can be regarded as a "spin-off" of the seminar "Scenarios of globalization", held by Dr. Reichl since 2008 – a consequence of the ever increasing importance of China for the global economy. The highly successful teaching and learning method of the globalization-course will be continued. The two seminars complement each other. The previous attendance of the Seminar Scenarios of Globalization is however not madatory for attending this course.

Students should have studied/have experience with economics for at least 3 years.

Please address all administrative issues to the cems@wu.ac.at
•Dr. Reichl can be reached via cems@wu.ac.at  (direct coordinates will be provided during the course)

Lecturer: Dr. Manfred REICHL

After his long-term position as a Senior Partner and Managing Director of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Austria and Central/Eastern Europe, Dr. Reichl stepped down from operative management in mid 2007, after 20 years with the company. Today, he is acting as a Senior Adviser to major companies, he is investing into small and medium sized companies, and serves in various non-executive positions. Before joining Roland Berger in 1987, he had been a European Marketing Program Manager at Hewlett Packard in Böblingen/Germany for four years; before that, he had served as an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Management and Organization in Graz/Austria, lecturing IT-organization, Computer Aided Design and Artificial Intelligence. He studied at the Technical University in Graz/Austria, at Stanford University in California, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Reichl holds a Dipl.-Ing. degree in Civil Engineering and Doctor degrees in Engineering and in Law.

Dr. Reichl has worked in China for the World Economic Forum (WEF, Davos) and for companies focusing on China. He was hosting and chairing conferences on China, and is cooperating with Chinese companies in his role as investor. In addition, he is lecturer of the course "Corporate Governance" at the Ludwig Maximimlian University in Munich, and of the course "Scenarios of globalization" at the WU, where China has been playing an increasingly important role.

www.manfredreichl.com