IBMS programme: Marketing & Management

Programmes

Pre course

Exchange programme

Bachelor programme

Course structure

Below you can find an overview of the projects and core subjects of the IBMS programme. Both the projects and the core subjects are being constantly updated to the latest trends and developments in business and management environments.

An overview of the projects and core subjects IBMS:

		Project	Core subject
1^st Year	Semester 1	The Business Plan Outline	General preparation
1^st Year	Semester 2	Brand Evaluation	Introduction of Marketing & Management
2^nd Year	Semester 3	a. Think Global, Act Local b. Communication is the key	International Marketing International Marketing Communications
2^nd Year	Semester 4	a. Crossing Borders b. Retention and Acquisition	Export Management Sales Management
3^rd Year	Semester 5	Introductory Placement abroad or Study Abroad	-
3^rd Year	Semester 6	a. Planning the Future b. The Multinational at work	Strategic Management Management & Organisation
4^thYear	Semester 7	a. Balancing the performance b. Reinventing the business	Int. Management & Accounting E-Business / Business Process Redesign
	Semester 8	Business placement / Graduation project	-

Semester 1 & 2
The purpose of the first, propaedeutic, year is twofold: first to give the student a general overview of the International Business and Management Studies course and second to see if he or she is equipped to finish the study successfully.

Semester 1 prepares the student for the study, with subjects like financing, marketing & organisation and international law.

Semester 2 is an introduction in International Marketing & Management with subjects like marketing and consumer behaviour, cultural differences, sales, law, business administration and statistics.

Semester 3a Think global act local
A truly multinational company needs to have a broad global perspective. If Philips wants to sell products as DTVs or mobile phones, it has to come up with an international marketing plan. Think global act local means that a company such as Philips considers the world as its market place, yet every country or region needs its own fine-tuning.

In this project students learn to master some of the main issues in international marketing, focusing on several aspects of the marketing mix, as product, place and price. The main subjects in this period are international marketing and consumer behaviour.

Semester 3b Communication is the key
After setting the product, price and place, it is of great importance to decide how to communicate the product to the market. This project is therefore a continuation of the previous project, but in this case the focus is on designing an international promotion strategy. Based on an analysis of consumer behaviour, students are required to design a communication plan for a foreign market and design a number of tools such as a direct mail, an advertisement and a website.

The main subjects of this project is therefore marketing communications and consumer behaviour.

Semester 4a Crossing borders
A growing number of domestic firms face the problem of selling their products in foreign markets. When the decision to start exporting or to expand the export activities has been taken, the company needs an export plan. In these plan issues such as the selection of the export country, the entry strategy and the export marketing activities have to be tackled.

To draw up such a plan the students need information about the cultural differences between countries and the political and economic situation in these countries. The students also need to have an insight in practical issues as the modes of transport, terms of payment, incoterms, legal aspects and calculation of export prices.

Subjects dealt with in this project are export marketing, export management, international law, business administration, cost accounting and export operations.

Semester 4b Retention and acquisition
This project deals with issues in the field of international sales and account planning. An objective of the firm is customer retention. Relationship management is an important tool in modern marketing. This means the student needs to thoroughly know the needs and wants of the customer and to be able to create win-win situations.

For big important customers (accounts) sales management comes up with an international account plan. Negotiating is an important element of the implementation of this plan. Besides existing customers a firm will always need new customers, therefore the acquisition of new customers is dealt within this project as well.

Students are trained in the skills of negotiating and sales calls. Main subjects are international sales management, cultural management and direct marketing.

Semester 5 Business placements / studying abroad
In this semester the students are required to follow a study or a placement abroad to train themselves and to bring their skills into practice. Detailed information about the placements is given in the section Placement

Semester 6a Planning the future
Operating in an international environment means dealing with change. Multinational firms are constantly seeking for new ways to shape their business. Joint ventures, mergers and take-overs are daily headlines. In this project students learn the process of creating a new international strategy for a multinational firm. This process starts with a detailed investigation in the company;s weaknesses and strengths and in the opportunities and threats of the environment.

A strategic analysis is carried out and on the basis of this information the project group has to come up with a strategic plan for the future. Where can the company compete best and how can they do that effectively. The students have to decide which markets to enter and how to enter these markets. They also have to make a first draft of the international marketing strategy to conquer these markets.

Main subjects in this project are international marketing, strategic planning, business ethics and management and organisation.

Semester 6b The multinational at work
In this project students learn how a multinational company is structured and managed. Important aspects of doing international business are the financial structure, the way in which profits and losses are accounted for, the handling of management information systems. Another issue is the management of cultural differences within the organisation.

Students get an assignment from a multinational company to analyse several of these issues and to advise the company how to deal with problems in the area of international management, finance and information systems. These are also the main subjects to be studied during this period.

Semester 7a Balancing the performance
The objective of the firm in international markets is to create a management process capable of identifying and responding to the complexity of the international environment.

One of the main tasks of management is the measuring and control of the performance of the firm in international markets. This implies knowledge of financial accounting and control instruments as well as the non-financial measurements of marketing related factors as quality, customer satisfaction, market share and innovation. On the basis of this input, students try to define new objectives and have take corrective actions.

A great part of this project is a management game in which students in a team have to make management decisions and respond quickly to change in their firm and its markets.

Main subjects in this project are financial accounting and control, international management, international marketing and human resource management.

Semester 7b Reinventing the business
The challenge of the Internet for internationally operating firms is immense. In the near future you can order your car on the Internet. As a customer you can choose from a great deal of options for your car: the colour, kind of engine, how many airbags, stereo sound systems and a lot more special features. On the basis of this car sale the company will start all the necessary operations to build this car. This means that the complete business cycle will turn upside down.

The company is not producing any inventory anymore from which you can pick your car but the process will start when the customer enters an order. This reshaping the business is called E-business. Complete industries will look totally different.

In this project students learn to study the impact E-business can have for the international firm and have to work out some solutions for problems that occur in the implementation.

Main subjects in this project are E-commerce, E-business, business process redesign and international law.

Semester 8 Graduation project
During the final semester the student has to execute a graduation project with the final placement an international company. Based on an international assignment, they will have to prove their previously acquired skills and knowledge by writing a final thesis.