Today, communication is an essential feature of business. Societal trends like globalization, mediatization and digitalization force businesses, and organizations at large, to strategically plan, develop, and manage their communication efforts. Not only are customers demanding consistent and coherent communication on products and brands, society as a whole requires companies to talk about their business and its wider repercussions in the ecological, social and public sphere. Hence, planning communication programs is a core skill for corporate communication managers. Communication needs to be aligned with the broader organizational strategy and communication efforts need to be orchestrated and integrated within the bigger organizational scheme. The course highlights the importance of the planning and management of communication in organizations and conveys the necessary skills to develop, design and adapt concrete programs within the organizational framework. However, while the know-how of planning and management is important with regard to employability, even more important is the know-why. To become excellent communicators, students need to be able to understand and analyze the content of communication concepts and how they unfold in communication campaigns and communication measures publicly. Thus, emphasis will be laid on the development of a managerial, analytical mind-set with which student will be able to understand the role of communication within the greater scheme of things.

In this course, students will learn to develop, design, and analyze communication concepts. A special emphasis is laid on the alignment of communication with organizational strategy. During the course, students will create communication concepts themselves, which will then be simulated to estimate their potential repercussions in the real world. In interactive role-play sessions, the participants will have the opportunity to apply their ideas from the drawing board in an interactive simulation. Furthermore, students will learn how to manage the conceptional work-flow by working in teams with asigned roles, and how to orchestrate the roll-out of communication measures in a hypothetical scenario.

LVP, so presence is not mandatory, but of course highly recommended.

The course combines the study of basic, academic texts with the analysis of communication concepts of businesses and organizations at large. Against the background of real concepts and campaigns, the students shall create, develop and design own fictitious concepts, which will then be simulated in the classroom. Interaction among students is imperative; within each team as well as throughout the whole class. Only then can these concepts be brought to "life", which will enable the students to experience their concepts not only at the drawing board, but also in an role-play environment. Furthermore, a special emphasis is laid on conceptual review and discussion in the course.

Written exam involving the design of a communication concept. Details will be communicated in good time.

No prior knowledge necessary.

For questions regarding the course, please write to Jens Seiffert-Brockmann (jens.seiffert-brockmann@wu.ac.at).