This course covers two different types of business projects with two great partners.

The project will run totally independently of each other.

Raiffeisen Bank International

Driving Sustainable Finance for a Brighter Future

This Business Project represents a very interesting opportunity to work on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) strategy of Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) and to contribute to the SDGs! RBI is one of the largest Banking Institutions on the European continent and heavily involved in Central and Eastern European (CEE) markets. Sustainable Finance is considered to be a game changer in the future because if the financing of projects etc. becomes better in terms of, for instance, its carbon footprint, lots of greener projects will become more profitable and less green ones may disappear at faster rate. Yet, sustainable finance is relatively new territory for banks, but also for their customers. The Sustainable Finance Unit is actively seeking opportunities to develop their sustainable finance strategy and to strengthen their position in the CEE region.

In collaboration with the Sustainable Finance Unit, from whom you will get ample input on sustainable finance early in the project, you will design the project and execute market analyses, market segmentations, and develop insights into the potential for Sustainable Finance per CEE country. You will also develop and execute an in-depth analysis of key emitters through which the Sustainable Finance Unit can maximize their impact.

McKinsey & Company

#SpeedUpFemaleTalent

The Business Project purposed by McKinsey & Company is a good opportunity to gain experience with Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) matters. McKinsey is one of the world’s leading Consultancy firms, and the Diversity of personnel plays a critical role. D&I Policies and Initiatives to attract Female Talent are in place. McKinsey wants to assess how to further develop the D&I towards Female Talent.

You will work with McKinsey to develop the project and set up interview schemes, survey(s), and focus groups to generate knowledge about the wants and need to Female Talent. Through the project, you will contribute to the McKinsey’s local Talent Acquisition and global Diversity & Inclusion initiatives.

Knowledge and Understanding:

After completing this course, students will have:

• extended their knowledge on strategy processes (especially strategic planning processes) 
• learned how to collect, analyze, and structure data
• developed project management skills
• received feedback from practitioners on the outcome of their analyses and the viability of their recommendations

Cognitive & Subject Specific Skills:

Upon completion of the course, students will have the ability to:

• develop critical thinking and defend their developed arguments in class and in front of practitioners
• apply tools for analyzing challenges in the global environment

Key Skills:

Students upon completion of the course will have the ability to:

• conduct research on global strategy processes
• gather and filter information efficiently and effectively on a specific research topic
• organize teamwork, including presentation and report writing skills
• shift material quickly and efficiently to structure it into a coherent argument and to present it concisely, tailored to a professional audience
• present this business project to the partner professionally, through personal presentation skills and support of suitable media,
• utilize the theoretical knowledge and the interpersonal skills developed throughout their studies to solve a real-life challenge.

80% of all sessions have to be attended. More than two times absence during the sessions announced at the beginning of the seminar will lead to exclusion from the seminar.

This business project uses a combination of discussions with company representatives and external solution providers, feedback sessions, presentations, group coaching, as well as individual/group work outside the classroom. Groups of students will be formed before the kick-off session.

In a first kick-off session with the supervising faculty, the challenges and milestones of the case will be outlined. At the same time, students will be familiarized with the guiding principles of project work, with the project plan and rules in handling the supervising faculty/ company interaction. Afterward, the students will officially kick-off the project in collaboration with their company. In a plenary session, the company will outline the challenges from their perspective and provide useful input for the project (e.g., experience on former, related projects) and the specific challenges to be dealt with. As a result of that, students will come up with the precise scope of the project. Subsequently, the students will receive information on the tools and will start the collaboration with the company.

Throughout the process, various feedback loops (in coaching and feedback sessions with the faculty and/or the company) will be installed to make sure that students are on the right track and get relevant input needed in each project phase.

Results will be presented to company managers at the midterm and end of this process. The verbal and printed presentations will be assessed. Students will have to actively participate in class, hold group presentations and summarize their findings in a final report (final presentation document). It is the policy of the class that no late assignments will be accepted under any circumstances. As this course format heavily relies on personal interaction between students, company and faculty, presence in sessions is mandatory. More than two times absence during the sessions announced at the beginning of the seminar will lead to exclusion from the seminar.

Assessment is based on the quality of the mid- and end-term presentation, the participation during the classes, group members’ peer ratings, and the final report (final presentation document).

Group assessment:

• Mid-term Presentation (PowerPoint Document): 20%
• Mid-term Presentation (oral Presentation): 10%
• End-term Presentation (PowerPoint Document): 30%
• End-term Presentation to Corporate Partner: 20%

Individual:

• Peer rating: 20%

Students will be assessed on:

• their ability to understand and analyze international strategy and/or management challenges,
• their ability to use the appropriate analytical techniques and to come up with relevant advice,
• the quality of the presentations and the written reports; by quality in this context we mean the clarity and persuasiveness of each bit of work. This implies an ability to work in teams.

Students failing to participate in their teams will lose the marks for that piece of work.

WU will retain a copy of all coursework for Teaching Quality Assessment as part of the ongoing quality assessment program. It is important, therefore, that students make a second copy for their own purposes.

There are no additional prerequisites for registration. Do note that, once you have registered for the course, we will ask you to submit an email to us (Markus, Julian Jonathan ) with:

a)      your CV, and

b)      a 1/2 –pager in which you say what your preference is and why this is your preference.

We will then allocate you to one of the two projects, considering fit and preferences.

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