Copenhagen Business School

This course examines how businesses excel (or stumble) based on how well they tap the widening power and reach of persuasive communication nationally and across borders in today's digital age. Students explore how persuasion theories, corporate storytelling, thought leadership, advocacy, negotiation, and other strategic elements are applied through the organizational communication disciplines to strengthen companies and brands. Primary attention focuses on corporate social responsibility's role in building a positive reputation, driving sales, and enhancing customer loyalty. Lectures, readings, and video clips also provide insight about communicating persuasively when developing new markets, managing ongoing business issues, and dealing with controversies.

This course introduces the world of investments. It develops an understanding of individual investment decision making by introducing topics and techniques used by both personal investors and money managers. The course focuses on both individual securities and portfolios, teaching students to consider the risk and return of different types of investments, and how to use this knowledge to achieve financial goals. There is a focus on stock and bond investing. The course covers the mechanics of buying and selling securities, efficient market theory, portfolios, diversification, stock valuation, and international investing. 

This course prepares future managers for the cross-cultural challenges and opportunities awaiting them in an increasingly globalized business environment. The course examines pertinent theories and practices of high performing teams to gain a greater understanding about how culture influences an organization’s internal and external relationships, decision making, and operations. It explores strategies to bridge cultural gaps and to preempt or resolve conflict in teams. It provides insight into best dealing with culturally diverse customer, employee, supplier, and other stakeholder groups. Management communication techniques that heighten awareness of differences across cultures are a key aspect within the curriculum. Theories cover a range of brand management, leadership, organizational behavior effectiveness, work-life balance, and intercultural conflict styles, as well as team collaboration across cultures. Discussions focus on team performance and the experiences of numerous companies including Bang and Olufsen, Coloplast, Ecco, Novo Nordisk, Microsoft, Sony, and Huawei. The course also includes experiential learning by observing businesses with a focus on culture and team collaboration.

This course develops the student’s ability to participate in a professional debate concerning the solution to a business issue. This involves structured thinking and presentation of arguments, the ability to analyze counter-arguments in a timely fashion and relate constructively to other people’s suggestions. Describe the theories and models that are taught in the course Apply the theories and models of the course in case study settings Identify and analyze management accounting issues and management control issues Evaluate management control systems and management accounting practices Recommend courses of action for management with respect to their management accounting practices and control systems The aim of the course is to provide the student with both theoretical understanding and practical skills of management control systems and management accounting practices. Management control systems are perceived as a mechanism to increase the likelihood for an organization to 1) achieve its objectives, and 2) utilize resources efficiently when implementing strategies. Additionally, the management control system can become an early warning system for feeding back information to the strategic planning and control system. Alternatives to management accounting are introduced, but the main focus is on financial results control systems ranging from planning and budgeting models to Balanced Scorecards. The student will learn to integrate performance measurement, evaluation, and incentives as part of a management control system to be able to influence an organization to actions and behavior that will increase goal congruence and the achievement of objectives. The course also deals with important management control roles and ethical issues faced by managers and employees. The course contains the following elements: Management control alternatives (results controls, action controls, and people controls) Design criteria for management control systems including analysis of control tightness and cost vs. benefit Financial result control systems used in for-profit organizations including Decentralizing in financial responsibility centers Allocating resources effectively with the use of transfer prices Planning and budgeting processes Determining financial performance targets Designing performance dependent reward systems Performance measurement issues and their effects on financial results control systems, most notably the problems of myopia and uncontrollable factors Control remedies to performance measurement issues with particular focus on the Balanced Scorecard Situational influences (e.g., corporate strategy) on management control systems Management control considerations for nonprofit organization Corporate control roles and the organization of corporate governance Management control related ethical issues The class is very interactive and focuses on both theory and problem-solving skills. In line with the learning objectives, students will be assigned to groups who are going to a) present one case study and b) discuss (and challenge) one case study solution throughout the course. Groups and dates will be published on learn after the first session. Since the exam format is an oral exam, active student participation is crucial.