Exchange Report 2014/2015

Transkript

1 Exchange Report 2014/2015 Provided by: Study program: Faculty: Program Coordinator: Exchange Coordinator: Lukas Rauh (s ) International Business Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) Henk Ritsema Ina Venhuizen

2 Table of Content General Report... 3 Specific Report Introduction course... 5 Specific Report Innovationsorientierte Unternehmensführung... 6 Specific Report: Aktuelle Fragen der Energie- und Umweltpolitik in Europa Specific Report: Aktuelle Fragen der Wirtschaftspolitik in Europa Specific Report: Businessplanerstellung Der Businessplan als Planungstool für Startups und KMU. 17

3 General Report Host institution and exact dates of semester abroad The host institution was the Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, located in Germany. The exchange took place in the first semester 2014/2015, called Wintersemester. The semester officially starts and officially ends However, I participated in an introduction course starting Contact with home faculty, preparation and journey The contact with my home faculty (FEB) was excellent. The exchange office coordinator mediated me to contacts in Bamberg. I was able to register for my study abroad period via an online approval program. Shortly afterwards I received various letters with further information about my study in Bamberg. The letters contain information about every step the institution recommends you to take. After choosing my courses, my program coordinator approved the learning agreement quickly. I traveled to Bamberg by train. The traveling time from Groningen to Bamberg is approximately 8 hours. The price for the trip may vary extensively depending on the time you book the tickets. Residence abroad Due to being an EU-resident I didn t need any visa or residence permit. However, that might change if you are a non-eu resident. I chose not to life in a student house provided by the university. I searched for an own accommodation on various websites in advance. I advise you to arrange an accommodation as quickly as possible as the housing situation is tough. My date of arrival was the The University of Bamberg organized an introduction meeting for the participants of the introduction course at the 5 th of September. During that course more information was provided about the upcoming weeks. Bamberg considers itself to be a student city. However, it is quite small and nothing compared to Groningen. It offers a rather poor nightlife. On the other side, the city and the surroundings offer a lot of cultural choices. Bamberg itself is part of the UNESCO world heritage. People with an interest in the area of history might be pleasantly surprised by the city. As you might expect, the main language is German. Additionally, a lot of people in Bamberg speak English. I left Bamberg on Grant My mobility started on and ended on I received an amount of 920 as a financial support corresponding to 200 per 30 days. The grant is adequate. Compared to the Netherlands, housing, food and leisure time activities are rather cheap. I paid 400 for rent every

4 month in a superior flat with excellent location. I had food expenses of round about 150 per month and leisure time expenses of 100. You can travel for free within the city with a student travel card for ca. 35 per half year. Visa and health check costs are not applicable for EU-residence. Thus, I can t provide further information on these topics. Study general The study organization in Germany differs significantly from the Netherlands. You are basically able to take every course you want to choose, provided you meet the entrance criteria. However, you have to take a few points into account. Nearly every course was taught in German. If you are not incredibly fluent you don t have a chance of scoring a good grade or passing the course. Moreover, the semester dates in Bamberg overlap with the Semester dates in Groningen. Due to that fact I wasn t able to participate in written exams. Thus, I had to choose courses which grades participants on other criteria like individual written assignments. Be aware, that this fact limits the potential courses and make the choice of courses a time consuming process. I urgently advice you to inform yourself very well about these circumstances. The international office in Bamberg assisted me wherever they could to solve these issues. Nevertheless, I would advise no one to go to Bamberg if you have to return to Groningen afterwards to finish your studies. Rather go at the end of your studies to avoid potential problems and overlaps! Besides these facts the chosen courses in Bamberg were highly interesting. Although, you don t spend much time at university. German teachers expect you to be independent and self-organized, thus nearly to lecture or class in compulsory. In some extreme cases, you might not even have class but are only required to hand in an assignment at a specific deadline.

5 Specific Report Introduction course Host institution and study period: University of Bamberg, winter semester Number of lectures and seminars per week: Overview of Lecture program: 5 seminars a 6 hours per week none see Contents and Lecture-related activities Contents and Lecture-related activities: Participants are assigned to a course based on their initial German language skills. Therefore, the lecture program differs highly across every seminar. I was assigned to the highest class. Therefore, the course didn t focus on language skills anymore. Instead, the course provided a cultural and historic overview of Bamberg and its university. Different field trips to historically and culturally important areas took place. Additionally, cultural trainings were organized. Moreover, the course introduced every student to university systems. At the end, an assessment in form of a written exam took place. Relevance to Groningen study program: In my field of studies no comparable subject is available. Study load: 6 ECTS = 180 hours -120 seminar hours -50 hours of preparation and discussion with fellow students and field trips -10 hours exam preparation Assessment in Groningen: The course was part of my learning agreement signed by my program coordinator and worth 6 ECTS.

6 Specific Report Innovationsorientierte Unternehmensführung Host institution and study period: University of Bamberg, winter semester Number of lectures and seminars per week: 1 seminar a 3 hours per week Overview of Lecture program: Please note that the course was taught in German. The following contents are a translation of the German titles. 1. Introduction: How to coordinate the company environment and innovation management 2. Environmental changes as a challenge and as a trigger for innovation 3. Sustainable competitive advantage and different competitive strategies 4. Basic innovation principles and their importance for competitive advantages and strategies 5. Management principles 6. How to use these management principles and their meaning for your written work Contents and Lecture-related activities: The course is thought as a seminar, meaning you are mainly required to collect and process knowledge yourself. At the beginning of the course, an introduction session took place. During this introduction session the class was divided into different sub groups. Each sub group was able to choose a thema within the topic Innovative Management. My group chose the theme Der Trend zum Bio-Food: Der Weg von der ökologischen Innovation zum Massenmarkt (Translation: Biological Food and its development from innovation to a consumer product). It was necessary to write a scientific article about the topic and to present the findings during another final session to all peer students including the lecturer. Therefore, the required readings and contents differ highly based on the chosen topics. Additionally, a seminar takes place every week to introduce you to current issues of innovation management. However, participation is not required. It is difficult to provide an exact amount of pages. But due to the high amount of literature I would estimate I read several hundred pages in order to finish my written work. Based on my topic I used the following literature: Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH (2014a): Daten und Fakten, URL: Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH (2014b): Handelspartner von Alnatura, URL: Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH (o.j. a): Alnatura Geschichte, URL: Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH (o.j. b): Alnatura Standorte. URL: Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH (o.j. b): 100% Bio was das bedeutet, URL: American Councils On Science and Health (1998): facts versus fear, edition 3, URL:

7 %20acsh.pdf, Bioland e.v. (o.j.): Infos für Partner, URL: Bioparadies (o.j.): Qualitätssiegel, URL: qualitaets-siegel/index.php?navanchor= , Brandmeyer Markenberatung GmbH & Co. KG (2014): Die Lieblingsmarken der Deutschen, URL: Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (o.j. (a)): EG-Verordnung Nr. 889/2008, URL: Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (o.j. (b)): Förderung des Ökolandbaus durch EU, Bund und Länder, URL: Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (2010): Auf einen Blick: Informationen zum Bio-Siegel, URL: Siegel/user_upload/Dokumente/Broschueren/Auf_einen_Blick.pdf, Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (2011): Mit einfachen Schritten zur Bio-Zertifizierung, URL: rtifikat_final_web-1.pdf, Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (2014): Deutscher Biomarkt setzt Wachstumskurs fort, URL: DeutscherBiomarkt.html, Bundesvereinigung der deutschen Ernährungsindustrie/Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung (2013): Consumers-Choice Köln. Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (o.j.): Essen ohne Pestizide: besser für Mensch und Natur, URL:

8 ide/, Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft e.v. (2014): Die Bio-Branche 2014, Zahlen, Daten, Fakten, URL: Daten Fakten/ZD F_2014_BOELW_Web.pdf, Bund ökologischer Lebensmittelwirtschaft/Statista (2014): Umsatz mit Bio-Lebensmitteln in Deutschland von 2000 bis 2012 Ohne Außer-Haus-Verzehr) in Milliarden Euro, URL: Denn s Biomarkt GmbH (o.j.): Mein denn s Biomarkt, URL: de/19431_nach_standort.html, Edeka Zentrale AG & Co. KG (o.j. a): Bio-Produkte bei Edeka, URL: de/unternehmen/de/verantwortung/produkte_1/biosortiment/biosortiment_1.jsp, Edeka Zentrale AG & Co. KG (o.j. b): Deutschlands erfolgreichste Unternehmerinitiative, URL: missionstatement/profil.jsp, Ell, Schnurr (o.j.): Baden Württemberg Demeter seit über 50 Jahren, 2. Absatz, URL: Fichter, Klaus/Clausen, Jens (2013): Erfolg und Scheitern grüner Innovationen Warum einige Nachhaltigkeitsinnovationen am Markt erfolgreich sind und andere nicht. Marburg. Focus-Money (2014): Deutschland Test, URL: Janssen, Meike/Hamm, Ulrich (2010): Standards und Kennzeichnung für Öko-Lebensmittel aus Verbrauchersicht: Empfehlungen für agrarpolitische Entscheidungsträger, in: Berichte über Landwirtschaft, Band 88 (1), S Karnowski, Veronika (2011): Diffusionstheorien. Baden-Baden. Kreuzer, Kai (2014): Zahl der Bio-Filialisten in Deutschland wächst, URL: info/web/statistik_bio-fachmaerkte/bio-filialisten/323/0/0/16738.html, Kreuzer, Kai (2014): 105 neue Bio-Fachmärkte im Rekordjahr 2013, URL:

9 info/web/statistik_bio-fachmaerkte/bio-fachmaerkte/323/0/0/15851.html, Lutze, Jessica (2012/2013): Alnatura wächst schneller als der Markt. Veröffentlicht: Jahrespressekonferenz der Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH. MarketLine (2014): MarketLine Industry Profile. Organic Food in Germany. London (UK): MarketLine. Montgomery, Cynthia A./Porter, Michael E. (1995): Strategy. Seeking and securing competitive advantage, [Nachdr.]. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press. Naturkost.de (o.j.): Bio-Zeichen, URL: Öko BeratungsGesellschaft mbh (2010): Naturland Fachberatung, Erzeuger in Land- und Gartenbau, URL: Ökologie & Landbau Heft 169, 1/2014: Bio 3.0 Die Zukunft gestalten o.v. (2011a): Ökoring beliefert Alnatura, URL: html, o.v. (2013a): Alnatura wächst deutlich, URL: waechst-deutlich.html, Porter, Michael E. (1979): How competitive forces shape strategy, in: Harvard Business Review, Vol. 57 (2), S Porter, Michael E. (1986): Wettbewerbsvorteile (Competitive Advantage). Spitzenleistungen erreichen und behaupten. Frankfurt am Main: Campus Verlag. Porter, Michael E. (1988): Wettbewerbsstrategie (Competitive Strategy). Methoden zur Analyse von Branchen und Konkurrenten, 5. Auflage. Frankfurt am Main: Campus Verlag. Porter, Michael E. (2008): The five competitive forces that shape strategy, in: Harvard Business Review, Vol. 86 (1), S Robinson, Lee (2009): A summary of diffusion of Innovations, URL: Rogers, Everett M. (1995): Diffusion of innovations, 4. ed. New York: Free Press. Sahin, Ismail (2006): Detailed Review of Rogers Diffusion And Innovations Theory and Educationl Technology-Related Studies Based On Rogers Theory, in: The Turkish

10 Online Journal of Educational Technology TOJET, 5. Jg., Heft 2, S , URL: Schröder, Tobias/Huck, Jana/de Haan, Gerhard (2011): Transfer sozialer Innovationen. 1. Auflage. Wiesbaden: Springer Verlag. Sirieix, Lucie/Kledal, Paul R./Sulitang, Tursinbek (2011): Organic food consumers trade-offs between local or imported, conventional or organic products: a qualitative study in Shanghai, in: International Journal of Consumer Studies, Vol. 35, Issue 6, p Spiller, Achim (2006): Zielgruppen im Markt für Bio-Lebensmittel, URL: FjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unigoettingen. de%2fde%2fsh%2fdownload%2faca1194d9bd45c8d6cac6af2584cff3e.pdf%2f Zielgruppen%2520Endversion.pdf&ei=xclpVJODE-TgywPL- 4CYBQ&usg=AFQjCNHTheLuQH_WcKx84Fqt5InsF2yeHg&sig2=VXZU537_gz51 AVaFSt5sdQ&bvm=bv ,d.bGQ, Statista GmbH (2014a): Umsatz der führenden Bio-Supermärkte in Deutschland im Jahr 2013 (in Millionen Euro), URL: supermaerkte-in-deutschland/, Statista GmbH (2014b): Anzahl der Filialen der führenden Bio-Supermarktketten in Deutschland im Jahr 2014, URL: in-deutschland/, Trommsdorff, Volker/Steinhoff, Fee (2006): Innovationsmarketing, 1. Auflage. Vahlen Verlag. Walter, Ulrich (2004): Werte und Qualität: Mit Visionen zum Erfolg, URL: walter.pdf, Relevance to Groningen study program: The course is a nice extension to innovation Management, taught in the field of international Business. Study load: 6 ECTS = 180 hours

11 -45 seminar hours -35 hours of preparation and discussion with fellow students -100 hours of literature reviewing, researching and writing Assessment in Groningen: The course was part of my learning agreement signed by my program coordinator and worth 6 ECTS.

12 Specific Report: Aktuelle Fragen der Energie- und Umweltpolitik in Europa Host institution and study period: University of Bamberg, winter semester Number of lectures and seminars per week: Overview of Lecture program: none see Contents and Lecture-related activities none see Contents and Lecture-related activities Contents and Lecture-related activities: The course is thought as a seminar, meaning you are mainly required to collect and process knowledge yourself. At the beginning of the course, an introduction session took place. During this introduction session the class was divided into different sub groups. Each sub group was able to choose a theme within the topic Energy and Environmental politics within Europe. My group chose the theme Staatliche Instrumente zur Verbesserung des Umweltschutzes in Europa aus volkswirtschaftlicher Sicht (Translation: Governmental Tools for pollution control, based on a national economic view). It was necessary to write a scientific article about the topic and to present the findings during another final session to all peer students including the lecturer. Therefore, the required readings and contents differ highly based on the chosen topics. It is difficult to provide an exact amount of pages. But due to the high amount of literature I would estimate I read several hundred pages in order to finish my written work. Based on my topic I used the following literature: Bayer, Stefan (2003): Ökosteuern: Versöhnung von Ökonomie und Ökologie? Tübingen, Tü-binger Diskussionsbeitrag Nr. 270, Oktober 2003 Binder, Klaus Georg (1999): Grundzüge der Umweltökonomie. München: Vahlen. Bundesministeriums der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz in Zusammenarbeit mit der juris GmbH Gesetz zum Schutz vor schädlichen Umwelteinwirkungen durch Luftverunreini-gungen, Geräusche, Erschütterungen und ähnliche Vorgänge (Bundes Immissionsschutzgesetz - BImSchG) URL: [Stand ] Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz in Zusammenarbeit mit der juris GmbH Gesetz über Abgaben für das Einleiten von Abwasser in Gewässer (Abwasser-abgabengesetz - AbwAG) URL: ab-wag/gesamt.pdf [Stand ] Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit (2013): Kurzinfo Emissionshandel. Online verfügbar unter zuletzt aktualisiert am , zuletzt geprüft am Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau- und Reaktorsicherheit (2013): Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit Wasserwirtschaft in Deutschland Teil 1: Grundlagen URL: pdf Endres, Alfred; Bertram, Regina; Finus, Michael; Rundshagen, Bianca (2007): Umweltöko-nomie Arbeits- und Übungsbuch. 1 Aufl. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. Endres, Alfred (2013): Umweltökonomie. 4., aktual. und erw. Aufl. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. Fees, Eberhard; Seeliger Andreas (2013): Umweltökonomie und Umweltpolitik, 4.Aufl. Mün-chen: Vahlen.

13 Gawel, Erik; Köck, Wolfgang; Kern, Katharina; Möckel, Stephan;Fälsch, Marcel; Völkner, Thomas; Holländer, Robert (2011): Weiterentwicklung von Abwasserabgabe und Wasserent-nahmeentgelten zu einer umfassenden Wassernutzungsabgabe, URL: Haensgen, Tineke (2002): Das Kyoto Protokoll: Eine ökonomische Analyse unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der flexiblen Mechanismen, Bamberg, Bamberg Economic Research Group on Government and Growth, Working Paper No.40, August 2002 Hohlstein, Michael; Pflugmann, Barabara; Sperber, Herbert; Sprink, Herbert (2009): Lexikon der Volkswirtschaft, Über 2200 Begriffe für Studium und Beruf. 3.Aufl. Deutscher Taschen-buch Verlag. Knorring, Ekkehard (1997) : Nutzungsrechte und Haftungsregeln im Umweltschutz, Volkswirtschaftliche Diskussionsreihe, Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre der Universität Augsburg, No. 165 KOM(97) 9 endg. (1997), Kommission der europäischen Gemeinschaften, Mitteilung der Kommission: Umweltsteuern und -Gebühren im Binnenmarkt, Brüssel, Lueg, Barbara (2007): Emissionshandel als eines der flexiblen Instrumente des Kyoto-Protokolls. Wirkungsweise und praktische Ausgestaltung am Beispiel der Europäischen Uni-on. Hg. v. Andreas Knorr, Alfons Lemper, Axel Sell, Karl Wohlmuth. IWIM - Institut für Weltwirtschaft und Internationales Management. Bremen (103). Online verfügbar unter zuletzt geprüft am Michaelis, Peter; (1996): Ökonomische Instrumente in der Umweltpolitik. Eine anwendungsorientierte Einführung. 1 Aufl. Berlin: Physica-Verlag Schäuble, Dominik; Volkert, Dolores; Jacobs, David; Töpfer, Klaus (2014): CO2-Emissionsgrenzwerte für Kraftwerke - Ausgestaltungsansätze und Bewertung einer möglichen Einführung auf nationaler Ebene. Institute for Advanced Sustainability Potsdam (IASS) e.v. Online verfügbar unter zuletzt aktua-lisiert am Siebert, Horst (1995): Economics of the environment. Theory and policy. 4., rev. and enl. ed. Berlin: Springer Zimmermann, Horst; (1993): Umweltabgaben Grundsatzfragen und abfallwirtschaftliche An-wendung 1. Aufl. Heidelberg: Economica Verlag Relevance to Groningen study program: In my field of studies no comparable subject is available. However, governmental policies and their effects on businesses in a European context are a useful addition to my field of studies Study load: 6 ECTS = 180 hours -10 seminar hours -20 hours of preparation and discussion with fellow students -150 hours of literature reviewing, researching and writing

14 Assessment in Groningen: The course was part of my learning agreement signed by my program coordinator and worth 6 ECTS.

15 Specific Report: Aktuelle Fragen der Wirtschaftspolitik in Europa Host institution and study period: University of Bamberg, winter semester Number of lectures and seminars per week: Overview of Lecture program: none see Contents and Lecture-related activities none see Contents and Lecture-related activities Contents and Lecture-related activities: The course is thought as a seminar, meaning you are mainly required to collect and process knowledge yourself. At the beginning of the course, an introduction session took place. During this introduction session the class was divided into different sub groups. Each sub group was able to choose a thema within the topic Current questions of economic policies in Europe. My group chose the theme Konzepte zur Messung von Wohlstand (Translation: Concepts to measure wealth). It was necessary to write a scientific article about the topic and to present the findings during another final session to all peer students including the lecturer. Therefore, the required readings and contents differ highly based on the chosen topics. It is difficult to provide an exact amount of pages. But due to the high amount of literature I would estimate I read several hundred pages in order to finish my written work. Based on my topic I used the following literature: Berlemann, Michael; Vogt, Gerit (2007): Kurzfristige Wachstumseffekte von Naturkatastrophen. Helmut-Schmidt-Universität Hamburg. Online verfügbar unter zuletzt geprüft am , Diefenbacher, Hans; Zieschank, Roland (2009): Wohlfahrtsmessungen in Deutschland. Ein Vorschlag für einen nationalen Wohlfahrtsindex. Online verfügbar unter essung/bmu_uba_endbericht_deutsch.pdf, zuletzt geprüft am , Diefenbacher, Hans. et al. (2013): NWI Weiterentwicklung und Aktualisierung des Nationalen Wohlfahrtsindex, ifo Schnelldienst (2011): Wachstum, Wohlstand, Lebensqualität: Brauchen wir einen neuen Wohlstandsindikator? (64). Online verfügbar unter zuletzt geprüft am , NWI 2.0 Weiterentwicklung und Aktualisierung des Nationalen Wohlfahrtsindex S _wohlfahrtsindex_bf.pdf zuletzt geprüft am , OECD 2011: How s life? 2011:Measuring Well-being, OECD publishing, OECD 2013a: How s life? 2013: Measuring Well-being, OECD publishing, OECD 2013b: Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, OECD 2014: Education at a Glance 2014: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Omann, I./ Nordmann, A. (2000): Gutes Leben statt Wachstum des Bruttosozialprodukts; erschienen in: Boeser, C./ Schörner, T./ Wolters, D. (2000): Kinder des Wohlstands Auf der Suche nach neuer Lebensqualität; Frankfurt/Main; VAS-Verlag, Rat für nachhaltige Entwicklung zuletzt geprüft am ,

16 Sen, Amatyra 1979: Aufsatz mit dem Titel Utilitarianism and Welfarism in The journal of philosophy Ausgabe 76, S , Sen, Amatyra 1985: Commodities and Capabilities, Thomas Lingens: Bruttoinlandsprodukt als Wohlstandsmaß - Kritik in qualitativer Hinsicht. Online verfügbar unter zuletzt geprüft am , Umweltbundesamt Wohlfahrtsmessung in Deutschland`` S.36f) zuletzt geprüft am , United Nations Development Programme Human Development Report (1): Why did the Report change the indicators for measuring education and income in 2010?; Online verfügbar unter zuletzt geprüft am , United Nations Development Programme Human Development Report: About Human Development; Online verfügbar unter zuletzt geprüft am , United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (1990): Human Development Report (HDR), 1. Auflage, Wirtschaftsdienst 93 Jahrgang 2013 Heft 2 S.66f zuletzt geprüft am , Nationale Wohlfahrtsindex als Beitrag zu einer neuen Wachstumsdiskussion`` ) zuletzt geprüft am , Xu, G./ Hümmer, V. (2010): Die Folgen der Ungleichheit: Ein neues Maß der menschlichen Entwicklung, DIW Berlin, Wochenbericht Nr. 47, S. 21ff, Zambrano, E. (2013): An axiomatization of the human development index; erschienen in: Social Choice and Welfare (2014); Volume 42; Springer Berlin Heidelberg, S Relevance to Groningen study program: In my field of studies no comparable subject is available. However, governmental policies and their effects on businesses are a useful addition to my field of studies Study load: 6 ECTS = 180 hours -10 seminar hours -20 hours of preparation and discussion with fellow students -150 hours of literature reviewing, researching and writing Assessment in Groningen: The course was part of my learning agreement signed by my program coordinator and worth 6 ECTS.

17 Specific Report: Businessplanerstellung Der Businessplan als Planungstool für Startups und KMU Host institution and study period: University of Bamberg, winter semester Number of lectures and seminars per week: 1 seminar a 3 hours per week Overview of Lecture program: Please note that the course was taught in German. The following contents are a translation of the German titles. 1. Introduction 2. Service or Product 3. Market an competition 4. Marketing 5. Business model 6. Management teams 7. How to realize the idea 8. Opportunities and Risks 9. Financial Planning Contents and Lecture-related activities: Basically, the course dealt with entrepreneurship and the different ways and methods to starts an own business. During the first meeting the class was divided into different groups. Each group had to come up with different ideas of an innovative product. Based on the product idea each group was required to write a business plan for the realization of their fictional product/company. During each session we were required to present our progress and newest finding. Additionally, each session provided valuable information of how to continue. It was not necessary to read any compulsory literature. However, students were invited to discover the topic and additional literature on their own. Furthermore, different tools necessary for developing and planning a business where introduced and used. At the end of the course the business plan in form of a written report and a presentation was delivered and assessed. Relevance to Groningen study program: In my field of studies no comparable subject is available. However, the course might be a good expansion of innovation management. Moreover, to gain the understanding of how to plan and expand a business is valuable for everyone who is interested in entrepreneurship. Study load: 6 ECTS = 180 hours -30 seminar hours -60 hours of preparation different presentations and reports as well as learning tools -90 hours of literature review, writing the report and team meeting with fellow group members Assessment in Groningen: The course was part of my learning agreement signed by my program coordinator and worth 6 ECTS.