Bachelor-Studium Business Administration

Fundamental concepts of business administration:

• Management
• Goals, planning and decision-making
• Constitutive management decisions
• Company organisation
• Human resource management
• Resources and materials
• Production of goods and rendering of services
• Corporate accounting
• Monitoring and controlling
• Investment
• Integration of all management operations

• Social  aspects of sustainability:
  • Demographic development
  • Distribution, access and participation
  • Rights and justice
  • Quality of life and security

• Ecological Aspects of Sustainability:
  • Consumption of resources
  • Eco-systems and climatic change
  • Bio-diversity
  • Ecological footprint

• Economic aspects of sustainability:
  • Prosperity and growth
  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  • (Eco-)efficiency and effectiveness
  • Green-Economics, post-growth model and general interest approach

• Introduction to accounting and management accounting (Anglo-American and Austrian systems)
• Guidelines for accounting
• Double-entry bookkeeping
• Booking of current business transactions
• Overview of the annual financial report
• Introduction to annual financial report analysis

• Business calculations (percentage and proportion calculations)
• Basics of business mathematics focusing on model building (cost, revenue and profit functions, contribution margin, break-even-point, long and short-term bottom price limits)
• Basics of financial mathematics (simple interest, compound interest, all-year and in-year interest, annuity computation, debt redemption)

• Fundamentals of academic research (types of sciences, pure and applied research, scientific quality criteria, common knowledge and scientificknowledge, types of scientific statements, types of scientific papers and evaluation criteria of scientific papers)
• Creation process of a scientific paper
• Researching literature, evaluating and ranking literature
• Qualitative research methods (interviews, group discussions, etc.)

• Coping with longer word documents, i.e. the use and mastery of texts, templates, document structure,master and slave documents, footnotes, illustrations and further numbering, contents and further lists esp. for the use in seminar and Bachelor papers
• Expanded use of MS PowerPoint
• Expanded use ofMS Excel functions
• Expanded treatment of theoretical areas in information technology as well as an introduction to computer networks
• MS Projects

• Fundamentals and theories of interpersonal and social communication
• Economic, political, legal and ethical conditions of social communication
• Basics of intercultural communication in a global environment
• Classic forms/types of technology-based communication (traditional media channels)
• Innovative forms of media-based communication (social media)

• Non-verbal communication: identify one’s own body messages, understand body language of others
• The seven phases of presentation
• Efficient use of audio-visuals andoptimum visualization
• Coping with unpleasant situations

• Public law:
  • Legal sources, emergence of bills
  • Hierarchical structure of legislation
  • Substantive and procedural law
  • Constitutional law
  • Administrative law

• Private law:
  • Terminology and classification of private law
  • Interpretation of legal norms, natural and legal person (capacity to contract)
  • Legal transactions
  • Essentials of law of obligations

Fundamentals of an organisation:

• Componentsand structures of an organisation
• Directional systems
• Organisational development
• Organisational structures and working processes
• Significance and features of company size
• Role of management in a nationaland internationalcontext
• Analysis of success factors of modern organisation structures (e.g. corporate culture, IT Infrastructure)
• Centralisedversus decentralised corporate structures
• Corporate culture

• Evaluations as part of annual Report
• Financial reporting in  a manufacturing company
• Cash-flow calculations
• Balance-sheet analysis
• International accounting standards
• Ratios
• Planned calculations and budgeting

• Definition of the concepts
• Consumer purchasing patterns
• Operative marketing: product policy and services marketing
• Distribution policy
• Communication policy
• Price policy

• Basic concepts of statistics, univariate and bivariate data description and multivariate analyses
• Basics of probability calculation, theoretical distributions
• Maximum likelihood estimation
• Statistical tests

• Quantitative research methods
• Reasoning of a scientific paper
• Approach and possible applications of scientific research methods for the social and economic sciences
• Methodological debate
• Creation of a scientific paper

• Fundamental project management concepts: the concept pf project, project types, benefits and limitations of project management,
• Project commissioning and goal, project start, -coordination, -execution, -controlling- and conclusion
• Project scope and definition of context
• Project organisation, roles in a project, project teamwork, project culture
• Project management methods: activity planning, scheduling, resource and cost planning
• Project risk management (risk analysis, action planning, risk controlling)
• Project documentation
• Social competences in project management
• Implementation of selected project management methods with a concrete training project

• Scarcity, economic principle, labour division
• Types and functioning of markets
• Labour market
• Consumer and utility theory
• Theory of the firm
• Transaction and opportunity costs in the economy
• Externalities

• Intercultural communicative competence for international projects being executed in the company
• Levels of human activity
• Comprehension and definition of culture as well as cultural components and characteristics
• Intercultural competence- skills and abilities (cognitive element, emotional element , social element)
• Firm and cultural diversity, multi-cultural experiences
• National and sub-cultures
• Contradictories views of culture
• Values and symbols within firms
• Ethical behaviour and „other cultures“

Business law and social aspects

• Introduction to legal principles in Austrian and European law
• Labour and employment law
• essentials of contract law
• Mistakes in contract formation
• Important contract types
• agency
• porperty law
• defaults
• damages compensation law

Company law

• Development, marketing environment, market research
• Strategic marketing: market segmentation, targeting & positioning
• Strategic marketing management
• Competitive strategies, global marketing

• Marketing research process (study design, data collection preparation of data)
• Current developments in marketing research
• Current professional standards (e.g. ESOMAR, VMÖ)

• Terms, significance and fundamentals of procurement, logistics and production
• Goals and tasks of procurement, logistics and production
• Supply Chain Management
• Materials management and control (e.g. stock control, goods in stock, inventory costing)
• Transportation (e.g. transport operations, Transport alternatives, transport optimisation)
• organisation (e.g. administration and strategy of procurement)
• selected problems and practical examples

• Fundamentals and the organization of HR management
• Personnel requirement and planning
• Recruiting and selecting personnel
• Development of personnel
• Laying of personnel
• Payment systems
• Selected issues from skilled worker shortage, employer branding, retention management, skills management, diversity management

• Sensory processes, perceptual organisation, identification and recognition
• Learning behaviour
• Cognitive processes (problem solving, evaluating, decision-making), focus on language
• Personality, personality theory
• Social cognition and relations
• Social processes

• Fundamentals of cost calculations
• Marginal costing
• Transition and internal accounting
• Cost type accounting and cost centre accounting
• Cost unit accounting at full and partial costs
• Marginal costing
• Break-even-analysis
• Standard costing
• Modern cost management
• Budgetary control
• Capital budgeting

• International trade and flows of capital
• Impacts of creating or cutting jobs
• Tariffs, quotas and barriers in trade
• Foreign exchange market
• Determinants of exchange rates
• The role of the rate of interest
• FX risk management techniques
• International bank transactions
• Macroeconomic principles and adaptations

• Delimitation of micro/macroeconomics
• Macroeconomic goals
• Efficiency of economics
• Macroeconomic supply and demand
• Unemployment, productivity, inflation, interest and exchange rates
• Foreign trade and its impacts, competitiveness of a nation
• Fundamental aspects of economic policy

• International law
• International organisations
• International relations
• EU: structure and institutions
• Sources of EU law
• European human rights convention
• Competition law
• Patent law

• Controllership and Controlling
• Goals of controlling
• Organisation of controlling
• Strategic controlling:
  • Tasks of strategic controlling
  • Strategic planning
  • Strategic monitoring
• Operative controlling:
  • Tasks of operative controlling
  • Operative planning
  • Operative monitoring
• Designing of controlling systems

• Fundamentals of finance management:
  • goals
  • organizational integration
• Static and dynamic capital budgeting inclusive of critical evaluation
• Corporate financing:
  • options
  • decision criteria
  • internal financing
  • external financing

• Fundamentals of quality management and process management
• Quality methods and tools
• Quality management systems and models
• Quality ratios
• Continuous improvement process
• Process-oriented management
• Process optimisation
• Process visualisation
• Risk management

• Thematic distinction of the Bachelor paper I
• Structure of Bachelor paper I
• Coaching by advisor
• Drafting of an independent paper in adherence to the current guidelines

• What is a team and what can it achieve?
• From groups to teams – stages of team building and related problems
• Roles in a team – means to select team members
• Team leader – challenges and management tools
• Conflict management in a team
• Team meetings – professional arrangement and execution

• Process management in projects
• Tasks, methods and responsibilities in a project management process
• Communication structures to design project management processes
• Process design of project start, -coordination, -controlling, -conclusion
• Criteria to evaluate the quality of project management processes in case studies
• Standard project plans,checklistsand action chart in a project management process
• Conflict line organisation /project organisation

• Overview of project management software, ICT-support in project management, communication platforms and social media
• Selection criteria for project management software
• Benefits and limitation of ICT-support in projects
• Virtual projects
• Project management software as planning and communication tools
• Problem areas with the selection of project management software (e.g.: conflict IT-policy and interfaces of cooperating or partner companies)

• Basic models and axioms of communication
• Definition and positioning of corporate communication in a business context and the significance of „Responsible Communication“
• Internal and external communication
• Stakeholder management and communication
• Public relations and media communication
• Fundamentals of project communication

• Technological and social basics of digital communication
• Positioning (structure, functions and relative significance) of social media in the media system („Why & How“)
• success factors, planning, implementation and effects of social media-based communication Actions
• legal and ethical aspects of the use of social media

• Definition and dimensions of integrated communication
• Integration of communication objectives, actions and means
• Corporate … Identity, Culture, Branding, Reputation, Responsibility
• Integrated market communication in practice (PR, „classic“ media communication vs. online/social media, CRM, advertising)
• Investor relations and public affairs

• Coaching during the practical training
• Preparing an interim report
• Preparing a final report
• Presentation on the work placement

• Concept of entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurship in the context of different strategies (formation, change/growth, succession)
• Prerequisites for successful entrepreneurship (business idea/product, individual skills, setting, etc.)
• Identity models for planning basis for business cases of innovative products

• Planning as essential part of controlling and of company management
• Theoretical presentation of the integrated system of profit planning, financial planning and balance sheet management
• Implementation of budgeting and financial planning

• Creation of Bachelor paper II inclusive of planning a project;
• Topic-specific literature research
• Application of rules of content and form
• Presentation of selected chapters

• Technical, formal, temporal and psychological circumstances of project communication with media (topicality, conciseness, interview situation)
• Quality criteria for clear, efficient and sustainable communication relations
• Practical training and reflection on the experiences in the group

• Simulation („experiential learning“)
• Analysis, planning, execution and reflection/evaluation of integrated communication tasks/actions (understanding of roles working in teams)

• Specifics of different types of projects:
  • Projects in research and development
  • Sponsored research projects (international / EU and national sponsorships)
  • EU-project life cycle management
  • national/international projects and their contractual essentials/specifics
  • Projects of different industrial sectors
  • Projects in profit and non-profit areas
• Specific challenges when managing international projects
• Specific transnational coordination tasks when planning and executing a project
• Social competences in different types of projects
• Teamwork and leadership in project types
• Intercultural aspects of transnational  project collaboration
• Harmonization of technology when processing international aspects

• Structures and cultures of project-oriented companies/organisations
• Models to evaluate the capability maturity of project-oriented companies
• Project portfolio management
• Quality management in projects
• Decision-making structures in project-oriented companies (investments, project proposal, design of project portfolio)
• Methods and processes of reporting in project-oriented companies

• Business case thinking as success factor in projects
• Relationship of projects, processes and investments
• Investment life cycle and project chains
• Feasibility studies
• Structure and content of a business case analysis
• Investment analysis
• Investment controlling
• Process of drafting business cases

Technical, formal, temporal and psychological conditions of communication with media (topicality, conciseness, interview situation)

•   Quality criteria for clear, efficient and sustainable communication relations

• Simulation („experiential learning“)
• Analysis, planning, execution and reflection/evaluation of integrated communication tasks/actions (understanding of roles working in teams)

• Introduction to (quantitative and qualitative) research of media impacts
• Methods of success monitoring

• Definition of different risks in crisis situations
• Prevention and management of crises in their different development stages
• Theory of „agenda-setting“
• Methods and stages of implementation in issue management

• Presentation and reflection of the quality criteria for „media-specific and target-group oriented messages“ (e.g. internal reports and external press releases)
• Practice of creation of relevant (journalistic) messages („content“) for different dialogue groups, situations and communication channels