Agile Consulting – an international Business Pressure Cooker

Block 1 and 2

• Strategic Manager (8 ECTS)

  Strategic Manager (8 ECTS)

  Topics

  • Strategic management
  • Strategic planning : strategic position, strategic choices, strategy in action
  • Managing the team
  • Risk management and mitigation

  Learning materials

  • Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, 11^th edition (2017), Johnson, Scholes & Whittington
  • Various cases and handouts

  Learning outcomes

  If you have successfully completed this course, then you are able to:

  • Distinguish the company’s key issues in a given business situation.
  • Make strategic decisions based on a structured analysis of the company’s internal and external position.
  • Formulate strategic goals that make effective use of the company’s core values and resources.
  • Formulate specific KPIs to evaluate strategic choices.
  • Integrate different departmental interests into coherent and consistent implementation plans.
  • Negotiate between different departmental interests, while taking the strategic goals into account.
  • Advise the organisation on business model optimisation, including the impact on sustainability
• Marketing Manager (3 ECTS)

  Marketing Manager (3 ECTS)

  Topics

  • Marketing strategy
  • Creating sustainable competitive advantage
  • Value chain and value creation
  • Competitor & portfolio analysis
  • Customer journey

  Learning materials

  • Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, 11^th edition (2017), Johnson, Scholes & Whittington
  • Various cases and handouts

  Learning outcomes

  If you have successfully completed this course, then you are able to:

  • Identify company’s several product market combinations and its value propositions.
  • Judge the impact of a change in strategy on the company’s marketing mix.
  • Justify the choice of (new) segmentation-targeting strategy.
  • Create a (new) value proposition, based on the customer’s needs and the competitors in the market.
  • Outline a detailed marketing mix plan: a marketing communication plan, a (new) product development plan etc. aligned with the company’s (new) strategic goals.
• Human Resource Manager (2 ECTS)

  Human Resource Manager (2 ECTS)

  Topics

  • Strategic workforce planning​
  • Organisational growth​
  • Internal analysis : Mc Kinsey 7 S Framework​
  • Mergers, Acquisitions & Restructuring​
  • Change management​

  Learning materials

  • Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, 11^th edition (2017), Johnson, Scholes & Whittington
  • Various cases and handouts

  Learning outcomes

  If you have successfully completed this course, then you are able to:

  • Explain how employees create value for the company and its customers.
  • Judge the impact of a change in strategy on Human Resource Management.
  • Assemble an effective team for a specific business task.
  • Translate the new strategy into requirements for staff.
• Operations and IT Manager (2 ECTS)

  Operations and IT Manager (2 ECTS)

  Topics

  • Business Process Engineering
  • Supply chain
  • Value chain
  • Make or buy decisions
  • Automation, robotization and digitalisation

  Learning materials

  • Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, 11^th edition (2017), Johnson, Scholes & Whittington
  • Various cases and handouts

  Learning outcomes

  If you have successfully completed this course, then you are able to:

  • Identify and map the operations process of the company to show the value creation process of the company for its customers.
  • Judge the impact of a change in strategy on the company’s operations process.
  • Decide on the best solution for operations while taking the company’s costs and social responsibilities into account.
  • Redesign the operations process to align with a new strategy, realizing the new company’s operations objectives.
  • Include the use of automation and digitalisation in the company’s strategy.
• Finance Manager (3 ECTS)

  Finance Manager (3 ECTS)

  Topics

  • Financial ratios (calculation and interpretation)
  • Balance sheet and Income Statement
  • Forecasting
  • Investment decisions
  • Scenario planning
  • Cash flow management
  • Business plan
  • Risk management

  Learning materials/book list

  • Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, 11^th edition (2017), Johnson, Scholes & Whittington
  • Various cases and handouts

  Learning outcomes

  If you have successfully completed this course, then you are able to:

  • Explain the financial position of the company in terms of capital inflow and outflow.
  • Evaluate the impact of a change in strategy on capital inflow and outflow.
  • Capital budgeting: determining which projects the company should pursue based on their merits.
  • Evaluate the various options to finance a particular newly identified investment opportunity.
  • Develop a solid financial plan for the company or project

   

• Business Manager Skills (6 ECTS)

  Business Manager Skills (6 ECTS)

  Topics

  • Critical thinking
  • Decision making
  • Bridging theories and praxis
  • Building arguments and convincing others
  • Managing time
  • Performing under pressure
  • Working in international and multidisciplinary teams

  Learning materials/book list

  • Workshops and handouts

  Learning outcomes

  If you have successfully completed this course, then you are able to develop and reflect on the following business skills:

  • Critical thinking
  • Bridging theories and praxis
  • Building arguments and convincing others
  • Decision making
  • Managing time
  • Performing under pressure
  • Working in international and multidisciplinary teams

  And you are able to describe and reflect development on the following skills:

  • Innovation driven
  • Explore driven
  • Interactive learning
  • Knowledge acquisition and knowledge sharing
  • Collaborative working
• Elementary Dutch & Dutch Culture - Elective (3 ECTS)

  Elementary Dutch & Dutch Culture - Elective (3 ECTS)

  Elective (choose 2 out of 5)

  This elective is recommended not mandatory. Only for exchange students – except from Belgium. The elective is offered in block 1.

  Topics

  • Introduction to Dutch culture and doing business in the Netherlands.
  • Introduction to basic concepts of cross-cultural communications: the model of Richard D. Lewis.

  Learning materials

  • Dutch For Dummies – Margreet Kwakernaak
  • Handouts to be distributed in class

   

  Learning outcomes

  If you have successfully completed this course, then you are able to:

  • Understand short sentences and frequently used expressions that are related to (a few areas in) daily life.
  • Communicate in simple everyday situations; he/she can use simple words to describe aspects of his/her own background, his/her immediate surroundings and needs and desires.
• Turning Data into Strategtic Assets - Elective (3 ECTS)

  Turning Data into Strategtic Assets - Elective (3 ECTS)

  Elective (choose 2 out of 5)

  This elective is offered in block 1.

  Topics

  • Introduction on Big Data (What is it, how to support the company’s strategies or management decisions, what is the effect on the client’s behavior, examples).
  • What are the strengths & opportunities and what are the weaknesses & threats in the Big Data market, what are latest developments.
  • How to ensure Big Data quality and what about the analysis itself (introduction of an example); What roles do we see, Governance & Risk Management (Datamanagement). How to ensure privacy for citizens and what challenges do we see for global companies; security on the internet.

  Learning materials

  As this course is primarily an introduction course, meant to familiarise yourself with the underlying topics, anything you can find yourself on these subjects and bring into the course will be welcomed. You will be asked for input regularly.

  Learning outcomes

  If you have successfully completed this course, then you are able to:

  • Describe the role of (Big) DATA within the company’s strategy.
  • Make the business case for Big Data in terms of Return on Investment.
  • Assess Data Management in terms of chances instead of problems.
  • Discuss the impact of Big Data on matters of privacy.
• Critical Thinking - Elective (3 ECTS)

  Critical Thinking - Elective (3 ECTS)

  Elective (choose 2 out of 5)

  This elective is offered in block 2.

  Topics

  • Introduction to Critical Thinking in Business                    
  • Defining argumentative claims
  • Identifying parts of argument in paragraphs, short essays, visuals, and short videos
  • Mapping short arguments
  • Logical Fallacies and appeals in argument
  • Evaluating short arguments
  • Class debate

  Learning materials

  Powerpoints and assignments.

  Learning outcomes

  If you have successfully completed this course, then you are able to:

  • Identify arguments versus facts and opinions.
  • Identify the parts of argument (claims, reasons, evidence, objection, refutation).
  • Visualise complex arguments using argument maps.
  • Identify and understand logical fallacies.
  • Evaluate complex written arguments.
  • Participate in a debate using theories of argumentation and evaluation.

  Create effective arguments in favour of a particular position

• Presentations and Negotiations -Elective (3 ECTS)

  Presentations and Negotiations -Elective (3 ECTS)

  Elective (choose 2 out of 5)

  This elective is offered in block 2.

  Topics

  • How to structure a convincing presentation?
  • How to prepare a negotiation?
  • Presentation, negotiation and debating tactics
  • Body language
  • Reflection and feedback

  Much attention will be paid to practical assignments and reflection on own skills. Guest speakers from companies will participate in the workshops and share their experiences in international negotiations.

  Learning materials

  Articles and videos are distributed via Moodle

   

  Learning outcomes

  If you have successfully completed this course, then you are able to:

  • Describe presentation and negotiation requirements in (international) business situations.
  • Apply presentation and negotiation techniques.
  • Analyse and reflect on his/her own presentation style.
  • Behave professionally and effectively in presentation and negotiation.
  • Demonstrate his/her (business) presentation and negotiation skills within “real life” cross-cultural (business) situations.

   

• Information Security - Elective (3 ECTS)

  Information Security - Elective (3 ECTS)

  Elective (choose 2 out of 5)

  This elective is offered in block 1 or 2.

  Topics

  • Risk-management and business continuity management.
  • System/data access
  • Attack and answer
  • When things go wrong
  • Privacy
  • Sources of intel

  Learning materials

  Vacca, J.R. (2014), Managing Information Security, ISBN 978-0-12-416688-2. Second edition. Waltham USA, Elsevier Open source resources.

  Learning outcomes

  At the end of this course the student is able to:

  • Be aware of threats and chances in the information security domain.
  • Explain and understand the basic concepts, and best practice models, of information security.
  • Have knowledge of the relevant laws concerning information security.

  Type of assessment 

  Written assignment