Programme Content
The week-long course is taught by a team of GGS faculty and guest lecturers from companies and civic institutions. Company visits in the Heilbronn-Franken region of Germany and presentations by business and community leaders will deepen students‘ appreciation of the economic environment and the cultural context surrounding Germany‘s Mittelstand companies. There are five days of teaching, comprising 30 hours divided into ten half-day sessions. Each session typically consists of a combination of lecture by a GGS faculty member, company visit, and presentations by guest speakers. Students are able to earn 3 ECTS-Credits. The language of instruction is English.
Programme Structure
Mittelstand Companies and Their Economic and Societal Context
- Introduction to Germany’s Mittelstand
- The Role of Mittelstand Companies in German Society
- Doing Business in Europe
- Legal Framework of Doing Business in Germany
The Internal Workings of Mittelstand Companies
- German Vocational Education: Developing Talent for the Mittelstand
- Marketing in Mittelstand Companies
- Strategic Management in Mittelstand Companies
- Human Resource Management in Mittelstand Companies
- Succession Management in Mittelstand Companies
- Innovation Management in Mittelstand Companies
Interacting With Mittelstand Companies as a Foreign Partner
- How to Deal With German Account Managers
- Collaborating for Sustained Innovation
- Being an Expat in Germany
Social Programme
A fun-loaded social and cultural programme complements the academic curriculum. We will explore the food of southern Germany, participate in a wine tasting at a local vintner, and visit Stuttgart, the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg, where we will tour the Mercedes-Benz or the Porsche Museum.
Feedback from our International Summer Academy 2011
29 students from nine countries (China, Germany, UK, India, Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan, Nigeria and the US) joined our International Summer Academy 2012. Participating students came from Leeds University Business School (GB), the Kelley School of Business (US), and GGS.
«The combination of excellent hospitality, a focused and thought-provoking programme and the opportunity to mix with MBAs from Germany and the USA exceeded all expectations.»
Dr. Steve King, Director of the Leeds MBA Programme, Leeds University Business School
«That trip was really a life-time experience … and we cherish every moment of that!»
Biplab Saha, Leeds University Business School
«… we enjoyed the wonderful trip in Germany: Lecture, company visit, and, of course, the wine. This kind of experience gave me a precious chance to understand the great tradition of Made in Germany.»
Yuyu Huang, Leeds University Business School
«I’m taking an international business strategy class this quarter and we’ve had some fabulous discussions about understanding cultural
differences. Many of the concepts we covered during the Summer Academy have come up in our discussions. It’s been exciting for
me to be able to pull from my experience in Heilbronn and apply the lessons we learned.»
Carolyn J. Kirwin, MBA Student, Indiana University Kelley School of Business
Please find here a report by Max Rubenstein, participant in the 2011 International Summer Academy and student at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business (USA).
