Prerequisites

At least one year study in business or law.

Course Description

In this course, participants will be exposed to practical methods for designing transactions to optimise the chances of a successful, i.e. sustainable, low-risk, and value-creating deal. The course introduces students to a Transaction Design Framework (Framework) that will enable them to:

• identify both commercial and legal issues in the transaction;

• evaluate how deal issues impact the outcomes desired by the parties; and

• craft commercial and associated legal solutions to enable the parties to close the deal successfully and ensure the long-term health of the relationships created by the transaction.

This design-based Framework provides a robust set of tools to better understand and analyze the business considerations and choices in a transaction. We will explore in the course:

• the 10 elements of the Framework (e.g. adverse selection, moral hazard, exogeneous risks, dispute resolution)

• a set of design responses to each of those elements; and

• how a design response may trigger other elements of concern to the counter-party(ies),and therefore require further analysis to get to an executable deal.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the Course Program, the participant should be able to:

A. better understand and anticipate:

• linkages between commercial/business and legal issues;

• the range of potential outcomes that a party may face (good and bad); and

• potential pitfalls in transaction design choices;

B. understand and apply the various elements of Framework to bring parties closer to concluding a transaction;

C. explore options of how to resolve and manage commercial legal and issues required to finalise and sustain transactions.

Assessment

Students will write a 45-minute in-class examination. Grading will be based on the written examination (50%) and contribution to class work (50%).

Reading

Duc V. Trang, Architecture of Deals. Academy Publishing, 2019 (Excerpts)

Duc V. Trang is a Managing Director of Landon Advisory Services, a management consulting firm focused on the legal industry. Splitting his time between London, San Diego and Singapore, Duc advises law firms and in-house legal departments on the design and implementation of transformation projects to achieve sustainable strategic value and profitable growth. Previously, Duc was with Motorola Solutions, Inc., where he held several positions including general counsel for Asia Pacific & Middle East regions; global general counsel of Motorola’s Solutions & Services division; and country manager for Vietnam. Before Motorola, he was a senior attorney at IBM, Inc.

Prerequisites

This is a 100-level introductory course with no prerequisites.

Course description

The “AI for Marketing” course is designed to equip participants with the knowledge, tools, and practical skills to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) for transforming marketing practices and designing marketing strategies using AI. From customer service chatbots and content creation to analytics and ethical governance, this course covers the strategic and operational impact of AI in modern marketing.

Participants will explore cutting-edge applications of AI in marketing strategy, product development, customer engagement, and decision-making. With real-world case studies, learners will gain the ability to interpret and implement AI-powered marketing solutions that are both effective and ethically sound.

This course is particularly relevant for students aspiring to careers in digital marketing, brand management, marketing analytics, product strategy, advertising, customer experience design, and technology-driven marketing roles, where AI fluency is becoming a critical differentiator in the job market. 

Topics

• AI-powered marketing strategies

• AI-driven consumer insights

• AI in digital advertising

• AI in retailing

• AI for customer relationship management

• AI and services marketing

• AI in product development and innovation

• Decision making with generative AI

Learning outcomes

After completing this course, students will be able to:

• Make use of fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and its strategic importance in marketing function.

• Evaluate implications of AI technologies in responsible decision-making.

• Examine innovative business solutions using AI tools and techniques.

Assessment

Students planning to obtain ECTS credits for the course will write an in-class examination a the end of the course. Grading will be based on the class participation (10%), case analysis in groups (20%), team project and presentation (30%), examination (40%).

Reading materials

• Kaurav, R. P. S., Rana, S., and Paul, J. (2025): AI for Marketing. John Wiley & Sons.

• Pradeep, A. K., Appel, A., & Sthanunathan, S. (2018). AI for marketing and product innovation: Powerful new tools for predicting trends, connecting with customers, and closing sales. John Wiley & Sons.

• Sterne, J. (2017). Artificial intelligence for marketing: Practical applications. John Wiley & Sons.

Justin Paul holds three Ph. D.s - from the University of Brighton, England, IIT, and an honorary Doctorate from Calcutta. He holds First Rank in the world, in Business Administration in the ScholarGPS Ranking of 3 Million scholars based on the Geometric Mean Index of Publications, Citations & H-Index in the Last 5 Years category. His citations are growing at 1,100 per month, with an H-index of 101 & 50000 citations. A former Lecturer at the University of Washington, former Provost and Dean- NMIMS University, he is a professor at UPR, San Juan, USA and Korea University. He was a visiting professor at the University of Reading for 3 years. He holds Distinguished or honorary titles from Spain, Hungary, Poland, Korea, and France. He has been a vis professor in 70+ countries and 400 universities, including MIT, University of Porto-Portugal, University of Queensland, Deakin University, IIM-K, University of Ljubljana -Slovenia, University of Chicago, WU-Vienna, & at many Universities in Japan, England, Spain, Korea, Poland, Hungary, Germany, France, Croatia, China, Kosovo, and Lebanon. He transformed the International Journal of Consumer Studies into a Q1 journal, with the highest Impact Factor and Cite score in the world, from a Q4 status during his 6 years.

Dr. Paul introduced the Masstige model and measure for branding, the CPP Model for internationalization, the SCOPE framework for small firms, the 7-P Framework for International Marketing, and the TCCM Framework for literature reviews. He has taught full courses in Denmark, France, Lithuania, Poland & US as a visiting professor and served/ed as a keynote speaker at 100s of conferences, including UVSQ-France, GAMMA, EMOK-Hungary, KSMS-Korea, the Polish academy & often in India. He has published three best-selling case studies with Ivey & Harvard. He is an author of books- Business Environment (4th ed), International Marketing, Services Marketing, Export-Import Management (2nd edition), and Management of Banking & Financial Services by McGraw-Hill, Oxford University Press & Pearson, respectively. He has served as an Associate Editor with Journal of Business Research, European Management Review, European Management Journal, & Journal of Strategic Marketing. His total downloads exceed 1 million.

Target group

• Students from all backgrounds are invited to participate. No prerequisites are required.

• This course is ideal for students pursuing marketing, business, management, and entrepreneurship, as well as those interested in changing the world.

Course description

Innovative way of brainstorming business ideas and creating corresponding business models that aim to tackle global challenges. Hackathons are fast-paced environments in which students are expected to use their creativity, teamwork and time-management, and entrepreneurial mindset. The solutions offered as the outcome of the hackathons can serve as the platform for further development and initial implementation. In our experience, using hackathons for global challenges provide out of the box solutions to complicated issues and allow students to use their academic competences outside of the university setting and vice versa.

Learning environment 

We designed our two hackathons as short sprint-like sessions that enable students to use their creativity. Both hackathons have a specific topic, and the students must design their own business ideas and corresponding business model in a team. At the end of the hackathons students present their results in a pitch-like competition.

• Tools used: Business Model Canvas, Business Idea Canvas, Business plan Canvas, Storyboards / flow charts

• Methods: creative thinking, teamwork, data-driven decision making

Learning methods

Active learning methods, including brainstorming, business ideation, business modelling, teamwork, presenting and pitching, research.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course the student will gain experience in:

• Brainstorming business ideas around a certain topic

• Researching and developing business ideas in a short period of time

• Linking their business idea to a business model

• Cooperating and working in entrepreneurial teams

Assessment

Deliverables required for grading:

• Pre-course readings and reflection (10%)

• Attending, and actively participating all sessions (30%)

• Presenting the teamwork result (2 x 25%)

• Final reflection (10%)

For the completion of the course student need to fulfil all the four above-mentioned tasks.

Jim Seltenrijch is the Head of the Impactful Entrepreneurship program at Estonian Business School and a lecturer in entrepreneurship and strategy. He obtained his degrees from Leiden University (BSc and MSc), Tartu University (MA), and University College London (MA). He is currently writing his PhD on the topic of entrepreneurship education and story- and process-based curricula.

Marge Täks, Ph.D. is the Head of the Management, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Department at Estonian Business School and a Senior Lecturer in entrepreneurship and research design. She obtained her degrees from EBS (BA and MA) and University of Tartu (PhD). In her academic leadership roles, she focuses on strengthening teaching quality and program development.

Target group

• The course has a management focus and the primary target group are students in business administration, economics and related disciplines who want to be better equipped for intercultural encounters in a business career.

• While many examples during the course will relate to a business context, also students from other disciplines are welcome to take the course, if they want to prepare for intercultural encounters in their professional career or in other contexts.

Course description

In a globalized and interconnected world, it is important to be able to handle intercultural encounters in a productive and effective way. Companies, government agencies and NGOs are increasingly operating across borders, sometimes on a global scale. Even for people in their home country, increasing diversity in workplaces means that employees from various cultural backgrounds are working together. While this can foster learning from each other’s perspectives it also creates challenges in terms of misunderstandings, conflicts and, if things go wrong, increased resentment towards other cultures.    

During the course, we will investigate various aspects of intercultural management. The creation of cultural awareness and sensitivity, including a better understanding of one’s own culture, is fundamental to being an effective manager in settings involving different cultures. Another emphasis will be put on communication is an intercultural context. We will also look into cross-cultural negotiations, leadership styles in different cultures, the challenges of being an expatriate, and ethical considerations relating to culture.

While the course will present and address the theoretical foundations of intercultural management, a lot of emphasis will be placed on classroom interaction, case studies, and exercises where we will use the cultural diversity within the group to learn from and with each other. 

Learning  Outcomes           

Upon completing this course students will be able to

• Account for concepts and theories related to intercultural management

• Present their own culture and discuss how they are influenced by it in different everyday settings

• Analyze a culture they are not yet familiar with

• Critically discuss opportunities and challenges in intercultural communication

• Collaborate with people from a different cultural context in an effective manner

Assessment

To successfully complete the course, participants need to actively participate in class discussions and exercises. They have to prepare a course paper in groups and present it in class.

Olof Brunninge has a bi-national (German/Swedish) background and is Associate Professor in Business Administration at Jönköping International Business School (Sweden). His main research and teaching interests are in strategic management, particularly organizational identity, international management, social memory in organizations, and family business management. He has managed academic collaborations involving partners from various different countries, including Sweden, Russia, Lithuania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Mozambique and Germany. Olof is currently responsible for academic capacity building projects in Rwanda and Ethiopia, focusing on strengthening local doctoral programs in management.

Prerequisites

This is a 100-level introductory course with no prerequisites.

Course description

The course aims to develop students’ negotiation skills. In-class negotiation exercises help students understand the negotiation process and adapt negotiation strategies to achieve the best outcomes using modern methods. Emphasis is placed on preparation, strategic decision-making, and achieving sustainable agreements.

Topics

• Distributive and integrative negotiations

• Best alternative to negotiated agreement (BATNA)

• Reservation price and zone of possible agreement (ZOPA)

• Negotiation strategies

• Negotiation planning in business settings: targets, bottom line, and anchoring

• Reciprocity and strategic moves in business negotiations

• Team-based business negotiations and the FBI team negotiation model

• Roles, team dynamics, and communication patterns in multi-party negotiations

• Value creation through trades

• The role of information and trust

Learning outcomes

• know how to prepare for negotiations

• understand the role of conflict and collaboration in negotiation

• be able to identify and employ the most common negotiation tactics

• learn how to deal with difficult negotiators

• be able to deal with your and your partner’s emotions

• be able to set clear negotiation targets, define a bottom line, and use anchoring effectively in business negotiations

• understand how reciprocity can be used strategically to shape concessions and build momentum toward agreement

• be able to plan and conduct negotiations in teams by allocating roles (negotiator, commander, decision-maker, experts) and coordinating decision-making

• learn how to reflect on negotiation outcomes versus initial goals and diagnose the impact of team dynamics, role execution, and communication patterns on results

Assessment

Students planning to obtain ECTS credits for the course will write an in-class examination. Grading will be based on the written examination (50%) and class participation (50%).

Reading materials

Richard Luecke: Harvard Business Essentials: Guide to Negotiation. Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation, 2003. (recommended)

Gábor Forrai is professor at the Department of Argumentation Theory and Marketing. Trained as a philosopher, he obtained his PhD at the University of Notre Dame and was a visiting scholar in Oxford, Edinburgh, Frankfurt and Marburg. 

János Tanács is associate professor at the Department of Argumentation Theory and Marketing. He has been teaching negotiation for over 15 years on various levels, from beginning courses to advanced skills training programs offered to CEOs.

Zsolt Böszörményi is a negation expert who was trained by a former hostage negotiator and participated in Harvard’s prestigious negotiation program. He currently works for Bosch.

Prerequisites

This is a 100-level introductory course with no prerequisites.

Course description

The course aims to showcase the corporate governance mechanisms for multinational enterprises as well as their motives, approaches and determinants of their internationalization strategies in the global market. Based on interactive lectures and team projects, the students will understand the opportunities and challenges of MNEs in the current global business landscapes. Furthermore, they will develop integrated skills in analyzing business cases of internationalization progress of multinationals.

Topics

• Overview: Strategy and multinational enterprises

• Motives and modes of internationalization

• Innovation and internationalization

• Sustainable development and MNE strategies

• Case study: Multinational Enterprises and Industry 4.0

Learning outcomes

• Define the essence of strategy and multinational enterprises.

• Understand the corporate governance mechanisms of multinational enterprises.

• Understand the motives and approaches of internationalization of multinational enterprises.

• Identify the opportunities and challenges of digitalization and sustainable development for multinational enterprises.

• Developing analytical skills in solving business cases.

Assessment

Students planning to obtain ECTS credits for the course will write a 45-minute in-class examination. Grading will be based on the class participation (10%), team project (30%), final assessment (60%).

Reading materials

• Bartlett, Ch. A., Sumantra, G., Beamish P.W.: Transnational Management: Text, Cases and Readings in Cross-border Management. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

• Peng M. & Mayer K.: International Business 3rd edition. Cengage Learning EMEA.

Yihan WANG is an associate professor at the Department of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and academic director of graduate program in International Business at EM Normandie Business School, France. He obtained his PhD in Administration at HEC Montréal, Canada and is actively engaged in research and teaching of international business in Europe, North America, Middle East and Asia.