Business Administration

This course presents an integrated approach to distribution strategy and retail channel management. It addresses analytic, strategic and managerial aspects of distribution (the creation of product and service availability through marketing channels), and retail marketing (the management and marketing assortments of merchandise for direct sale to the consumer). Typically, topics include marketing channel structure and functions, the retailing industry, channel design, channel structure, channel power and conflict, distribution intensity, retail product selection, assortment planning, retail buying, retailer's own brands, channel integration, wholesaling, franchising, strategic alliances in distribution, international retailing, non-store retailing, electronic retailing, and electronic distribution channels.

This course on Advanced Marketing elaborates on the theme of creating value for customers in order to gain value for the company. In this course students use their already developed marketing knowledge to investigate the current marketing challenges and practices of companies in an industry of their choice. The course copes with state-of-the-art marketing practices which are increasingly studied by marketing scholars. As many of these new or advanced marketing practices are directly linked to using digital or online technologies, the course also pays close attention to these challenges and new trends. Moreover, students look at the marketing practices of those organizations that are usually not at the focus of traditional marketing literature, like small companies or non-profit organizations. Focusing on these recent trends show students that current marketing practices often use knowledge that has its roots in very different disciplines beyond economics and business management, such as cognitive psychology, sociology, communications, and increasingly engineering and IT. Thus, the course has a multidisciplinary character. In recent years the changes in customer preferences, cooperation in and between markets, and also usage of (mobile) IT-infrastructure has given rise to totally new business models and marketing strategies. Social media is used by consumers and businesses alike and more and more companies are actively using IT to create value for their customers. The whole process of buying, bargaining and selling can take place online, not to mention researching the needs and wants of customers too. A dominant view in marketing is that firms (as producers) are the drivers of innovation. More and more however users or (potential) customers seem to become the source of various marketing practices, including product development (e.g., user-generated products), promotion (e.g., customer-generated ads) and pricing (e.g., pay-whatever-you-want-pricing). Traditional marketing theory has been developed mainly in the context of larger corporations, typically operating in a business-to-consumer market. The more a business deviates from blue-chip companies like Philips, Sony, Unilever or Procter & Gamble, the more difficult and less useful traditional marketing models can be applied. However, creating value for their customers and users is also an important questions for small companies and increasingly for non-profit organizations (such as museums, zoos or public educational institutions). Students therefore also take stock on marketing practices in these “deviant” organizations.

This course offers a study of time series analysis with a view towards model-based predictions. It uses modeling and computational methodology applicable to a wide range of scientific fields, including engineering, environmental sciences, biochemistry, and natural language processing, but it focuses on applications for economics and finance, such as the extraction of stochastic business cycles and volatility prediction using daily and intraday high-frequency data.

Basic skills in statistics and computing with R are a prerequisite. Previous coursework in econometric analysis of linear time series is recommended.

This course provides a study of the function, structure, and mechanism of money, the banking system, and financial markets. It examines not only the origins and nature of money, but also financial institutions and markets that have evolved over time. It also helps students to develop an appreciation for important concepts and theories in economics, from interest rates and central banking to stocks and bonds. Text: Frederic S. Mishkin, THE ECONOMICS OF MONEY, BANKING AND FINANCIAL MARKET. Assessment: Two Midterm Exams (40%), Final Exam (40%), Class Participation (10%), Attendance (10%).

This course provides a study of strategic marketing and its relationship with marketing operations and analyzes key variables in the field of strategic marketing. Topics include: strategic marketing; marketing plans; market segmentation and strategic positioning; products; sales and distribution; pricing strategies; communication strategies; control of marketing activities; market research: concepts and stages; qualitative and quantitative research methods and techniques.

This course examines the key issues in human resource management in multinational corporations (MNCs). Topics include: design and structure of the MNC; international workforce planning, recruitment, and staffing; human resource issues in managing mergers and acquisitions; global leadership and ethics; diversity management in MNCs.