The aim of this subject is to ensure an understanding of key business management topics essential for executives in all areas of economic life at the beginning of the Leadership & Business Management studies.

Learn about complex economic relationships and dependencies of different business areas, complementing the internal view of the company with the market perspective, i.e. the influence of the market and customers on companies in the digital age. In addition, deepen your problem recognition, solution, and implementation skills alongside relevant expertise to make qualified decisions in a complex and global environment.

In this subject, you will engage intensively with the systematic examination of strategic corporate management, corporate identity, industry and competitive analysis, as well as the process of corporate development. Structural decisions, corporate culture, and leadership complete this analytical perspective.

You will recognize that through strategic corporate management, the future of a company can be influenced by considering all relevant influencing factors, both on a rational and corporate culture level, and you can generate sustainable potential for success.

The purpose of a firm is to create and keep customers (Peter Drucker). This central corporate task is at the heart of strategic marketing management. You discuss marketing tools and models and implement them in concrete empirical projects in marketing management. Both strategic and operational marketing aspects are in focus. A special emphasis is placed on current developments such as New Media Marketing, Omnichannel Marketing, Content Marketing and Storytelling, Microtargeting, or Web 2.0.

In addition, students of the Master Leadership & Business Management address topics from Sales Management, both for the B2B and B2C sectors. The focus is on strategic fundamental decisions in sales, sales strategy, sales organization and structure, as well as sales control and incentivization.

The topic of personnel management is closely related to corporate management. The range here extends from the basic corporate strategy to HR strategy to operational personnel management and leadership work, which implies a solid education in the field of Business Administration. The focus is on having employees with the 'right skills at the right time' available for entrepreneurial challenges. This includes not only personnel selection and personnel management, but also ongoing development, as well as contemporary work and remuneration systems. Integratively, the appropriate organizational structures are to be seen. Existing organizational forms are questioned and considerations regarding structural adjustments are made to enable new forms of collaboration to meet current challenges.

Developments in processes and structures are always related to change, which often leads to resistance. However, with the concepts and models of Leadership and Change Management, approaches can be found to successfully manage changes in organizations.

In this subject, you will learn about the necessity of social and economic relationships in a globalized world, which are relevant for the management of business-related areas. The current economic environment is characterized by dynamics and global networking (keyword: International Business). This requires not only profound expertise in socio-political, macro- and micro-economic relationships, but also the skills to assess the influence of these factors on your own company and derive central management decisions.

Business decisions in the context of international Business Management often extend far beyond your own location. They reflect your role as a leader in a global world from both an economic and ethical perspective in terms of Responsible Leadership. Therefore, topics such as business ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility are highly relevant for executives and are therefore also part of the General Management program at the WU Executive Academy.

Financial management plays a central role in successful business management. Deepen your existing business understanding of the core areas of accounting, cost accounting, and controlling. You will learn to understand and apply the most important key figures and control systems in the business environment, as well as to make financial decisions based on specific parameters in order to operate effective risk management.

All aspects are elaborated and discussed both conceptually and in terms of concrete implementation and control scenarios in your professional practice. In this part of your studies for business management, in addition to the substantive knowledge, the analytical-structured thinking and approach in the context of financial policy decisions for the company take center stage.

Not being satisfied with what has been achieved, but rather staying innovative, is the focus of innovation management. At its core, it is about the task of the leader to promote innovation in the company through suitable measures and processes, while also keeping an eye on economic success. In this subject, you will learn both the basics of "Management of Innovation and Knowledge" as well as their implementation in practice.

Innovative business models play a central role. In theoretical and practical discussions, they address questions such as: What customer problem is solved with the new business model? How can a company create special value and benefit? How is money made in the process?

In the field of business management, learn all about the essential elements of a successful business model as well as practical tools to analyze and discuss dependencies between the individual elements.

In the Leadership Lab, you will delve into the latest topics in leadership and corporate management. Concepts such as agile leadership are among the focal points. What soft skills do you need as a self-reflective, courageous, and emotionally intelligent leader to maintain balance in the flexible and dynamic VUCA environment? What does it take to lead organizations with a steady hand? Leadership often involves moderation and communication work. The traditional leadership model of 'Command & Control' seems to be outdated, and top-down control is reaching its limits, emphasizing the need for better communication and administration in modern corporate management.

While the hierarchies of the 20th century are crumbling, the call for new 'agile' models is growing louder. One thing is clear: Rigid systems lack the flexibility to meet the challenges in the business world – but agility alone is not the answer. The solution can only be found in the careful preparation of leaders and in the adaptability and changeability of organizations and their employees.

The digital revolution is changing not only the business world, but all areas of our lives. It is transforming entire industries and forcing companies to question their business models. Digitization has brought about a paradigm shift in entrepreneurial thinking and actions that affects many areas of companies (e.g. digital business models, Big Data and their impact on business decisions, digitization in personnel search, Industry 4.0) and its dimensions are not yet foreseeable. Therefore, it is important to understand the drivers behind digitization in the field of new technologies and to filter out which technological developments can and will have concrete impacts on one's own company or industry.

The implementation of digital processes and innovations is crucial for individual departments. To remain competitive, you must face the challenges of digital transformation and at the same time seize the opportunities that arise.

Data is the essential basis for entrepreneurial decisions. In times when data collection and analysis play an important role, the necessary foundation (keyword: scientific work) is formulated to generate, prepare, and use the "right" data in meaningful structures for decision-making.

During your studies in the field of Leadership & Business Management, you will come into contact with various research methods and learn the process of scientific research in all its components - from information gathering, through processing and interpreting information. You will concretize fundamentals from practice and theory using selected examples.

During the extraordinary Master's program Leadership & Business Management, professional experience with content related to the course of study must be demonstrated. The practical case work is supplemented by an accompanying case study seminar.

As part of the Master's Thesis, you will work on your own topics of practical relevance. The Master's Thesis can be done individually or as a group project, where group members bring their experiences from various fields, companies, and industries together from different perspectives to create a comprehensive, actionable solution. The topic is freely selectable and can come from all content aspects of the 'Leadership & Business Management' studies.

The Master's Leadership & Management is designed for professionals who want to enhance their leadership skills and management capabilities to move into senior positions or strengthen their existing leadership roles:

• Graduates of specialized programs such as Business Administration, Finance, or Marketing who want to expand their practical management skills and prepare for challenging leadership tasks.

• Entrepreneurs who, after founding their businesses, want to further develop their leadership competencies and strategically take their companies to the next level.

• Aspiring leaders without a traditional business background who want to quickly acquire the necessary business knowledge in a practical, career-focused way.

• Leaders who have recently moved into a management role and want to prepare themselves for the additional challenges and responsibilities that come with the position.

Upon successful completion of the Master's program Leadership & General Management, graduates are awarded the academic degree Master of Science (Continuing Education)^WU, abbreviated MSc (CE)^WU. This degree is conferred by the renowned Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) and confirms your in-depth knowledge and competencies in General Management at the highest academic level.

Our selection process involves careful consideration of the following factors:

• High motivation for joining the program

• Enthusiasm for a challenging learning experience

• Clear understanding of personal contribution to team learning and the overall cohort experience

• Relevant skills and work experience

• Strong record of career progression

• Excellent interpersonal, intercultural, and communication skills

• Passion and commitment to achieve personal growth and success

• Diversity of the student group in terms of academic, professional, and cultural background

Applicants must meet the following formal requirements:

• Undergraduate degree (Bachelor 180 ECTS or equivalent) from a recognized post-secondary institution

• Minimum of 3 years of postgraduate work experience (2 years for the Master Accounting & Auditing and Master Sustainability, Entrepreneurship & Technology)

• Proficiency in written and spoken English or German (language of instruction)