The course brings a CEMS corporate partner and CEMS students together to pursue an international business project, which provides students with real-life insights from corporate practices.

Teams of CEMS students solve a real-life business, strategy, and/or management challenge that the CEMS corporate partner is currently facing in the area of international business. Acting as management consultants and tutored by the CEMS corporate partner and university faculty, the student teams should:

1. Perform a systematic investigation of the international business challenge.
2. Provide a structured in-depth analysis of the current state.
3. Design alternative evidence-based solutions to the challenge – these solutions should be feasible under the corporate partner’s organizational and financial constraints.
4. Define and communicate a suggested way forward based on the current state analysis, the available potential solutions, theoretical considerations, and the collected evidence.

Both the corporate partner and university tutors support the students throughout the international business project. The course’s university tutors are Univ.-Prof. Dr. Florian Zapkau and Ilaria Gallegati, M.Sc.

We work together with two CEMS corporate partners, each has a specific business challenge:

1. zeb (https://zeb-consulting.com/en-DE) is one of the leading strategy and management consulting companies for financial services in Europe. Its current business challenge relates to the "Future Role of BigTechs in the Financial Services Industry". As Meta, Amazon, Google, Apple, etc., increasingly embed themselves into the daily lives of individuals and communities, they also strongly work towards getting a foothold in financial services. Thus, the questions are: where are they heading? What are their targets? Are potential customers willing to use their financial services? 
2. Siemens Healthineers (www.siemens-healthineers.com/) focuses on driving access to healthcare and high-quality patient care by bringing breakthrough innovations to the market. Its current business challenge is about "Shaping the Future of Education in Healthcare Technology: Go to Market Strategy for Immersive and Digital Education Solutions - Deep-Dive for Austria". Given the versatility and vendor-agnostic nature of its product portfolio, Siemens Healthineers is looking to fit and add value to courses and training programs in (university) hospitals, radiology/radiography tech schools, nursing schools, and medical community colleges by offering its products and services. Thus, the questions are: what are the relevant markets for these products? Which entry strategies should be implemented? How does the business case look?

Students will work in groups closely with one of the corporate partners on a specific international business challenge that the corporate partner is currently facing. Details on the challenge will be communicated at the outset of the course.

Upon completion of the course, students:

• Gained insights into corporate practices and understood the complexity of a corporate partner’s international business challenge from a holistic consulting perspective.
• Designed a substantiated evidence-based solution to a complex practical business challenge and formulated feasible ideas based on appropriate theories, methods, and techniques commonly used in consulting and international business.
• Demonstrated professional and social skills to collaborate effectively in diverse teams.
• Demonstrated communication skills by presenting and defending their suggested solutions in front of an academic and corporate audience.

The course relies on personal interactions between the students and corporate partner/university tutors. Therefore, presence in the course sessions is mandatory. As an exception, students may miss up to two sessions. Students must be present in the kick-off session and in all sessions in which their group is supposed to present or a course assessment takes place. Please communicate your absence beforehand to your fellow group members, the corporate partner, and the university tutors.

The course's didactic approach rests on three pillars:

1. Students’ interaction with the CEMS corporate partner (zeb or Siemens Healthineers): students work hand in hand with the corporate partner to understand the international business challenge and develop potential solutions tailored to the corporate partner’s requirements/capabilities.
2. Students’ interaction with the university faculty: students receive input (e.g., on project management and basic consulting concepts) and feedback from the university tutors during the business project.
3. Group work: students work in teams during the whole course. The majority of work happens within the teams.

The course has three main sessions at which all students and corporate partner/university tutors must be present:

1. Kick-off session (March 22nd), during which:
   1. The corporate partner’s tutors present their company, the market in which it operates, and the international business challenge. Further, they provide inputs on general project management and consulting concepts (e.g., presentation skills).
   2. The academic tutors present the course (incl. learning objectives, assessments, and schedule).
   3. Students are divided into groups.
2. Mid-term session (April 26th), during which:
   1. Students present their in-depth analysis of the challenge, preliminary alternative solutions, and a complete project plan. Moreover, they are required to participate actively in their team’s presentation and during the other groups’ presentations.
   2. The corporate partner and academic tutors ask relevant probing questions and provide feedback that the students must include going forward.
3. Final session (June 28th), during which:
   1. Students present their final findings (solution to the international business challenge) and proposed way forward. Moreover, they are required to participate actively in their team’s presentation and during the other groups’ presentations.
   2. The corporate partner and academic tutors ask relevant probing questions (when necessary).
   3. Together with the presentation for the final session, students are required to send a final report (1,500-2,000 words) that includes their final findings and ways forward.

The other course sessions may be used for group work and consultations with the corporate partner/university tutors. Students are invited to take the opportunity and set up these consultation sessions by contacting the academic and/or corporate partner tutors. A suggestion is to have at least two consultation sessions: one before the mid-term session and one before the final session. The teams are responsible for organizing the sessions, incl. defining the agenda and preparing materials to be discussed in advance

The overall course grade is based on three assignments:

1. Mid-term presentation (group assessment, 30% of final grade): students are required to hold and hand in a presentation (content: see above under mid-term session).
2. Final presentation and final report (group assessment, 40% of final grade): students are required to hold and hand in a presentation (content: see above under final session).
3. Peer review (individual assessment, 30% of final grade): students evaluate themselves and others on their contribution to the team effort.

• Enrollment in the CEMS program.
• Course registration.

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Basic knowledge of project management and consulting methods is a benefit. 

E-Mail:

• Univ.-Prof. Dr. Florian B. Zapkau: florian.zapkau@wu.ac.at
• Ilaria Gallegati, M.Sc.: ilaria.gallegati@wu.ac.at

Please also approach us before, during, or after classes.