Principles of Marketing (VO):

This course teaches the fundamentals of marketing by covering various areas of the marketing process. Students will develop a "marketing mindset" by understanding the basic concepts of marketing and consumer behavior, and knowing and applying various marketing tools within the marketing mix (product, price, distribution and communication). The focus on how marketing is done in the 21st century provides students with in-depth knowledge of interactive marketing (digital/online/social media) and other modern marketing efforts. Students will also learn how to translate their marketing knowledge into decisions and then measure and evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency with marketing controlling. In addition, after completing this course, students should be able to recognize future developments in marketing and critically question them.

Marketing and Innovation (VU):

This course covers the following content:

• Current social and cultural trends in the digitized world: How has
  consumer behavior changed recently, and how will it change in the future
  ? What role does marketing play in this?
• Digitalization and transformative technologies - new, innovative
  business models; product and service innovations. The role of new
  technologies and innovations in satisfying customer needs in the
  context of current trends.
• "Marketing for a better world": ethics and sustainability in marketing
• Basic concepts of marketing: buyer behavior, marketing research, strategic marketing, product and brand management, price management, communication management, distribution management, e-commerce and online marketing, customer relationship management, international marketing, marketing implementation, marketing controlling.
• Group project from Marketing and Innovation: In an application project, students work in groups. Each group proposes a fictitious idea for an innovative new product, service or non-profit project with which they would like to solve a customer or social problem, preferably using digitalization and/or new technologies. Following feedback from the course instructor, each team then develops a marketing plan for this idea over the remainder of the semester, from innovation to market launch.

The Marketing and Innovation specialization in the Bachelor's degree course offers students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in the field of marketing and to become more familiar with selected areas of marketing. All four courses of this specialization are held in English to prepare you optimally for the challenges of the global market.

Customer Insights for Marketing Strategy: This course provides a comprehensive look at consumers of today and tomorrow and covers the basics of buyer behavior and market research. Students will learn about topics and intersections with psychology such as consumer buying behavior, activation and involvement, perception and learning processes, and how to gain insights into buyer needs, beliefs and behaviors using traditional and digital data sources.

Data Strategies for Marketing and Innovation: In this course, students design data strategies that support strategic and tactical goals in marketing and innovation. They will gain an overview of sources of customer data, methods for analyzing and visualizing big data, and the ethical and legal boundaries of data use. Practical applications and examples illustrate the theory.

Brands and Communication in a Digital World: This course focuses on the implications, changes and challenges for brand management and communication in the digital age. The course covers all elements of the communication mix and highlights the special features of brand management for innovative products and start-ups. Current ethical issues surrounding brand management and communication will also be discussed.

Global, Technology and Service Marketing: This course focuses on international marketing, innovative technologies and service marketing, especially in the B2B sector. Students learn the basics of service marketing, its particular challenges, the analysis of the global environment and the fundamentals of technology marketing and innovation management.

Take the opportunity to expand your marketing knowledge and deepen your skills in these future-oriented and practical courses. Become part of our "Marketing and Innovation" specialization and prepare yourself for a successful career in marketing!

Applied Data Analysis in Business and Marketing:
This course teaches the basics of empirical research for solving data-driven marketing problems. Students learn how to deal with data management, data visualization and classical analysis methods such as t-tests and regressions as well as newer methods such as neural networks or market basket analyses. The course is strongly application-oriented (e.g. churn analysis or cluster analysis for customer segmentation) and uses software tools to analyze data from surveys, experiments, customer databases and social media.

Current topics in management (marketing):
This course deals with current topics in marketing and management. The content is based on the latest business events and findings and is dealt with both theoretically and practically. Experts from academia and business practice are involved to ensure a practical and well-founded discussion.

The course is divided into the following subject areas: Strategic marketing management, marketing planning, marketing objectives, marketing strategies, marketing mix, marketing implementation, marketing controlling, international marketing.

After completing the course, students should be able to
- understand strategic marketing management in terms of market-oriented corporate management in a regional, national and international context,
- analyze the marketing environment,
- apply concepts of strategic marketing management in companies in the context of market-oriented corporate management.

The Marketing in Consumer Markets specialization on the Master's degree course offers students an in-depth examination of the strategic and operational challenges in business-to-consumer marketing. The specialization comprises five carefully coordinated courses that prepare you both theoretically and practically for the demands of the market.

Managing the Brand: This course provides comprehensive knowledge of brand management. Students learn about the theoretical foundations, strategic and operational aspects and international dimensions of brand management. The practice-oriented treatment through case studies and examples helps students to develop a sound understanding of successful brand management.

Managing Touchpoints and the Customer Journey: The focus here is on the analysis and optimization of the customer journey. The course covers key topics such as customer relationship management, strategic marketing planning and the implementation of marketing decisions. Students learn how to gain consumer insights and analyze buying behavior through market research to effectively manage marketing efforts and measure their success.

Managing Omni Channel and Platforms: In this course, students are familiarized with the latest developments in omni-channel retailing and e-commerce. They deal with the strategic and operational design of retail processes and platforms that integrate both online and offline channels. The course deals comprehensively with the management of retail instruments such as product ranges, pricing and communication policy or location management. Special attention is also paid to the development and management of e-commerce platforms, which act as an interface between supply and demand.

Marketing Research and Analytics in Consumer Markets: This course offers students a sound education in market research. You will learn classical (e.g. ANOVA or regression) and modern analysis techniques (e.g. market basket analysis). The course covers the entire market research process, from conception and implementation to analysis and presentation of the results, supported by a practice-oriented research project.

Seminar from Marketing in Consumer Markets: This seminar covers current topics in marketing research. Students learn how to design, conduct and analyze empirical studies. The course promotes your ability to critically evaluate and apply empirical methods, which helps you to develop a deeper understanding of current marketing problems.

The specialization is completed with an oral examination in which the content from the courses is recapitulated. Detailed information on the exam content and dates can be found further down the page.

Two successfully completed courses from this specialization (8 ECTS) entitle students to participate in the Master's seminar, which prepares students for their Master's thesis. Accordingly, students can also write their Master's thesis as part of this specialization. More information on writing Master's theses can be found here.

The Marketing in Business Markets specialization on the Master's degree course offers a comprehensive in-depth look at the special features of business-to-business (B2B) marketing. Students deepen their knowledge through five targeted courses that cover both theoretical and practical aspects.

Managing the Customer Experience in Business Markets: This course provides an overview of value-based B2B marketing and enables a critical examination of current developments and challenges in the B2B sector. Students acquire skills in analyzing B2B marketing problems and presenting arguments on management issues in business marketing.

Managing the Innovation Process: The focus here is on the management of innovation processes and the introduction of new market offerings. Students develop a deep understanding of existing theories and research findings in innovation management and learn how to apply them in practice. The course encourages critical thinking and the ability to manage innovation effectively.

Managing the Salesforce: This course focuses on sales management, including the development and implementation of sales programs. Students will gain a comprehensive overview of sales management theories and their application in practice. The course aims to promote critical thinking and effective management of sales personnel.

Marketing Research and Analytics in Business Markets: In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of marketing research, including research design, data collection and analysis. The course places special emphasis on the specifics of market research in the B2B sector and enables students to apply this knowledge to concrete research projects in business-to-business marketing.

Seminar from Marketing in Business Markets: In this seminar, students apply their knowledge of business-to-business management to an empirical research project. They obtain, prepare and analyze primary and secondary data in order to achieve well-founded and practice-relevant results.

The specialization concludes with an oral examination in which the content from the courses is recapitulated. Detailed information on the examination content and dates can be found further down the page.

Two successfully completed courses from this specialization (8 ECTS) entitle students to participate in the Master's seminar, which prepares students for their Master's thesis. Accordingly, students can also write their Master's thesis as part of this specialization. More information on writing Master's theses can be found here.

The Marketing in the Services Industry specialization offers a comprehensive immersion in the unique challenges and opportunities of services marketing. Students can expand their knowledge through the following courses:

Managing Services: This course provides comprehensive knowledge about the management of service offerings. The focus is on the special features of the service business and the central methods of service management. Students learn about the economic implications of data-driven transformation, the role of customer interaction, quality management, revenue management and communication in the service sector. They develop a sound understanding of service business and service management tools as well as methods for the effective management of service processes.

Managing Revenue and Capacity: This course focuses on the principles of revenue management, which is essential for the revenue-oriented design of sales processes. Topics such as price differentiation, capacity management, overbooking management and dynamic pricing are covered. Students learn how to create demand forecasts and how Behavioral Operations Management is used to optimize revenues. The introduction to conjoint analysis complements the understanding of complex pricing and capacity strategies.

Managing Communication: The course addresses modern challenges and trends in marketing communication. The course offers a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals and theories of communication policy and provides knowledge on the efficient use of communication tools in a rapidly changing media environment. Students will learn how to develop communication strategies to address challenges such as product similarity, market oversaturation and information overload and how to use engagement as a central element of communication.

Marketing Research and Analytics in the Services Industry: This course reviews and reinforces the fundamentals of marketing research, with a focus on the services sector. The course covers research design, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and data analysis. Students practise the phases of the market research process using projects from services marketing and acquire skills in the practical application of research tools.

Seminar from Marketing in the Services Industry: In the seminar, students apply their comprehensive knowledge to research and develop innovative service business models. The basics of designing service business models and the use of relevant technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, blockchain and Internet-of-Things are covered. Students gain practical experience in researching, designing and evaluating business models in the service sector.

The specialization is completed with an oral examination in which the content from the courses is recapitulated. Detailed information on the examination content and dates can be found further down the page.

Two successfully completed courses from this specialization (8 ECTS) entitle students to participate in the Master's seminar, which prepares students for their Master's thesis. Accordingly, students can also write their Master's thesis as part of this specialization. More information on writing Master's theses can be found here.