Marketing has always been one of the most important functional areas of any company. In terms of the "Law of Balanced Planning" ["Ausgleichsgesetz der Planung" - Erich Gutenberg 1897-1984], the marketing function is responsible for the efficient management of interfaces between the relevant company markets. Hereby, acquisition marketing is increasingly becoming the focus of consideration besides the classic sales marketing. Products and services not only have to be sold successfully but now, as a result of an increased diminishing of a company's value-added, also require a demand-driven supply of a company's own production processes with applied materials that allow for the realisation of competitive advantages in the sales markets.
The core subject Marketing Management comprehensively prepares the students for this strategic and innovative task. There is hardly a functional area that has benefited so extensively from technological changes over the last few years. Classic marketing - represented by TV and print advertising - is being more and more replaced by the customer's direct communication response. It is these continuously changing tasks that our students need to be prepared for.
The focus of each and every marketing management concept is well-founded relationship management . Numerous practical examples during the course of two events will provide you with comprehensive expert knowledge on the subject of Customer and Supplier Relation Management.
Established on this fundamental approach of Marketing Management is a further focus of this specialisation in the area of Social Media. An introductory event will familiarise you with the possible application fields of this innovative approach both in the area of B2C (Business to Customer) as well as B2B (Business to Business). In another application-oriented part, you will carry out independent work for concrete projects guided by our field-tested professors.
The qualitative approach does not mean that quantitative marketing is ignored! You will learn how to use existing data material efficiently to develop an optimal sales strategy. This strategy development process is supported by a cost management targeted at the value added chain. So that you are well prepared for your career start, you will receive an insight of those tools used in practice. At the end of your study course at the CBS you can expand your knowledge by gaining in-depth content on the subject of service marketing, or for the more creative among you, learn how to design a marketing campaign from A-Z.
The lectures and seminars are supplemented by a practical work placement which you can complete in the marketing or buying department of a company but also in an advertising or market research agency. You can use your semester abroad to deepen your knowledge in the individual areas of B2C and B2B Marketing.

Now that the international economic and financial markets have stabilised, trading at the large stock exchange locations in New York, Tokyo and London's "City" are definitely on the up and up. Banks, investment companies, financial services providers as well as the large insurance companies are looking for well-trained academically skilled personnel with a solid knowledge of international financial markets and global economic interrelations. Anybody working in the financial world must be completely aware of the effects, for example, a capital increase of a large car manufacturer has on its share price, how the declining value of a currency can influence the export trade quota of the relevant country or an adjustment in the base rate by a central bank can influence the economy and consumer behaviour. Internationally active concerns need qualified personnel who recognise the tax consequences of a company merger and are able to forecast the effects of a hostile takeover.

The field of specialisation of Financial Management within the CBS Bachelor of Arts study course International Business provides the best possible preparation for the aforementioned fields of activity. The knowledge conveyed is also equally of great interested in other sectors, for example the insurance industry which requires the best trained analysts for the calculation of their long-term products. The specialisation Financial Management takes up the course basics Financial Accounting and Introduction to Finance in its study course curriculum and initially provides an introductory overview of financial situations and financial instruments and also an in-depth insight in the field of Corporate Finance, the theory and practice of the capital markets as well as durable and strategic management in the banking and financial sector. Additional possibilities for in-depth studies in the Financial Management field are provided in International Business by the integrated compulsory practical work placement which can be completed in the relevant industry, by additional optional courses and last but not least by a Bachelor of Arts dissertation which can be written on a finance-related topic.

Media management has become an important part of modern media and communication societies and their economies. Because precisely the latest innovative pushes in modern information and communication technologies demonstrate high requirements of media understanding and management competence. Today, managers who sort and evaluate media contents and are able to design new contents in media organisations with the objective of making a successful entrepreneurial contribution are in demand.

We are aware of the fact that the media sector is one of the highest growth sectors in the 21st century. This sector already accounts for about half of the value-added, therefore offering a wide range of attractive job opportunities at the hub of activity. If you are a media fan and a team player and seek to combine creativity and problem solving competence with profound management skills and wish to survive the conflict area between enactment and reality, the study discipline Media Management is exactly the right choice.

During your studies, you become familiar with all the important aspects of Media Management and leading academic and practical representatives provide insight into the state-of-the-art in the media and communication sector. Questions concerning the partial areas of media & communication, media law and media economy as well as media innovation are treated. You learn how media performance on the television and the radio, in print, at publishing houses and in new media are calculated and financed. Moreover, your feeling for new trends in the communicative world of media is trained and you can develop in full to become an eloquent professional for the leading positions in the Media Management sector.

The significance of the consultancy sector has grown hugely during the past decades. On behalf of their customers consultants repeatedly face the challenge of gaining new insight and achieving significant customer benefit by applying innovative maxims and strategies when dealing with people, processes and technologies.

In the past, large and medium-sized consulting companies complained that student graduates often did not have the specific qualifications and competences needed in their sector. Against this backdrop the CBS and consultants have developed the core subject of Management Consulting which provides you with the specific know-how and core competence for starting your career in a consultancy. As a student of this core subject, you are introduced to various areas within the consultancy sector and familiarised with typical consultancy processes. Moreover, you acquire important competences in the fields of Process Optimisation and Management. This core subject makes you fit for the exciting and challenging world of Management Consulting.

The Consulting module initially provides the students an overview of the Consulting industry and consultancy work. Here, you should be provided with an understanding for the various consultancy topics and projects, customers' requirements and the consultancy environment. You get to know the various segments of the consultancy market and types of consultancy company. In order to be able to advise demanding customers and companies adequately, wide-ranging methodical knowledge is indispensable, from precise analysis and market research to highly demanding communication and optimum project presentations. The understanding of the consulting process is equally indispensable as structural organisational questions from the company being advised and are treated in the Organisational Behaviour course.

Before the students set off for their compulsory semester abroad, the Business Process Management course teaches them a wide range of knowledge in Project Management and familiarises them with current methods and techniques for optimising corporate processes. Moreover, the International Consulting Issues course provides an insight into international consultancy projects, in particular with a view to intercultural competences. The courses Entrepreneurship and Operations Management impart knowledge and abilities in the final semester which are necessary in order to establish your own business. Moreover, you get to know the basic methods and principles of production management which are required by consultants.

World trade has become more liberal during the past years and decades and the Single European Market has grown due to the expansion of the EU - some 490 million consumers live within the borders of the EU. This results in an increasing demand for import and export experts who find a wide range of interesting tasks in your company and, for example, work in international finance, steer international payments or clarify multifaceted questions pertaining to the legal and insurance system.

Specific knowledge pertaining to international customs regulations, domestic and foreign trade restrictions, licensing, quantity, import and export restrictions, Incoterms and further intricate aspects of foreign trade are taught in the core subject International Trade. The study curriculum includes subjects such as International Logistics, International Economics, International Finance and International Commercial Law. The communication and support of personal skills is a further important component of the degree course. In the context of their outstanding foreign language competences, CBS graduates enjoy excellent prospects in internationally active trading firms or corporate headquarters.

The management of production and information flows through companies' value added chains results in the establishment of various supply chain networks which have to be adapted to meet consumer and supplier needs. The specialisation International Trade here provides the students with the capability to develop corresponding supply chains and implement them. At the same time, the various actors in world trade are not free of regulations when making transactions. The subject teaches the national and international legal framework as well as the collaboration between the relevant institutions (WTO, EU; GATT, GATS). The transnational management module deals with important questions which are decisive for companies who extend their activities beyond the national borders. At the end of the degree course, the students occupy themselves with current and innovative questions related to international trade. The e-Commerce course offers the students a solid basis in all network economy areas.

You also have the opportunity to concentrate on special economic zones at the Cologne Business School and in this way to pave the path for specific, regional career options. The field of European Management, which already enjoys a success story at the CBS spanning 18 years, is one of our "classics". The creation of a European Internal Market and the establishment of the euro merges the national economies in Europe to a new entity. Germany's most important trade partners are the neighbouring states.

Therefore, selection of the core subject European Management offers numerous promising career perspectives. You address the socio-economic EU structures and familiarise yourself with all the important European legal regulations during the course of your studies. You are capable of comparing the location of Europe with international competitors' regions such as NAFTA and ASEAN. Economics which deals with European integration and economic policy is just as much a part of the lecture plan as international management of European companies. After completing your degree, you can expect multifaceted and diversified fields of work within which you can make excellent use of your knowledge.

In addition to a basic understanding of European growth regions and an overview of the integration development of the European states, the Introduction to European Business module provides you with knowledge of the economic structure and of companies within Europe. The module The European Political Framework module imparts a deep understanding of the economic and political union, its institutions and of the legal area within which entrepreneurial activities take place in Europe. The Transnational Management course focuses at the same time on the challenges to management and development strategies connected to this when companies extend their activities beyond national borders.

The students' knowledge is rounded off with a special perspective on small and large companies. In the final semester, the entrepreneurship courses provide knowledge and abilities required for establishing your own business.  The subject of operations management teaches you the fundamental methods and principles of production management.