European Green Transformation

The Climate Change course deals with the causes and effects of climate change on a global and local level. Students learn how climate change affects different ecosystems, economic sectors and societies. In addition, strategies are developed to counteract climate change. Students are encouraged to think critically about the challenges of climate change and to develop solutions.

The skills and knowledge acquired in the previous courses of the first semester are applied in exercises in which students work on defined objectives as part of a project. The core topic is the development of a sustainable mindset and its customized communication and implementation using the basics of project management. A sustainable mindset and the incorporation of values and principles are combined with effective communication on sustainability issues, including the involvement of stakeholders and digital communication. Students acquire knowledge of project and self-organization, understand the different roles in a team, try out and actively apply forms of communication and presentation to present results and learn how to work cooperatively in teams.

This lecture’s content consists of EU institutions and the system of checks and balances in EU law, types of EU law (primary law, secondary law, case law of the ECJ). Further, principles of subsidiary and supremacy of EU law over national law as well as the law-making process in the European Union and interaction of national institutions and EU institutions will be part of the teaching content.

The lecture analyzes current geopolitical events and their influence on global markets, examines the interactions between politics and economics and strategies for dealing with geopolitical risks. Furthermore, the influence of resources and energy policy in geopolitical relations, the role of international organizations and networks, as well as the effects of economic sanctions and, last but not least, the measurement and assessment of geopolitical risks are dealt with.

The content of the course includes basics and instruments of green financing, strategies for sustainable economic processes, financing methods for green projects as well as differences to conventional financing methods and special features of project vs. corporate financing. Investments in sustainable assets and impact investing, developments in the banking market for green financing (e.g. green bonds), macroeconomic environments for sustainable projects including understanding the influencing factors such as subsidies, tariffs and green certificates, risk management in green projects including the evaluation of project risks and capital costs for green projects are covered. Differences between renewable projects such as wind and solar energy, life and investment cycles, different phases from approval to implementation, international framework conditions as well as subsidies will be topics of the course.

The course combines theory and practice in a semester project in which students work in teams on real-life problems in the field of green transformation. The aim is to develop sustainable solutions while improving critical thinking, teamwork and project management. This direct engagement with real-world challenges, drawn from their own professional lives or from external companies, prepares students for the opportunities and challenges of sustainability.

The Green Transformation lecture takes a holistic view of the green transformation. The focus is therefore not only on individual aspects such as the energy or mobility transition, but also includes other areas such as sustainable management, environmental protection, social justice and national and international policy requirements. Concepts such as resource efficiency and the circular economy are also covered. The course covers a wide range of topics, such as the importance of the green transition for the environment and climate change, the impact on the economy and society, and the role of politics and technology in promoting sustainable development. Students will work with case studies and real-world examples to understand how companies, governments and communities have already successfully implemented green transformations.

This lecture gives an overview about the histoy, development and key components of UN Aganda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including their targets and indicators. The importance of SDGs in both, the Global and European context, will be examined and interlinkages between SDGs (focus SDGs 7, 9, and 12) and the Green Transformation especially in industrial production will be adressed. Case studies and best practice examples will be presented, evaluated and explored as basis for the discussion of challenges and potentials within this sector. The basis for later monitoring, reporting and evaluation will be created. As this course takes place at the beginning of the degree program, an essential part of the course is team building on site. Another learning objective is for the students to get to know each other physically in an on-site workshop.

The integrated course “ESG-Environmental, Social, Governance” provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the application of ESG principles in management and technology in the context of green transformation. The course combines theoretical knowledge with practical application and prepares students to apply ESG principles in management decisions and technological solutions in various professional contexts. The course includes lectures, discussions, case studies and practical exercises to provide students with a broad understanding of the integration of ESG in management and technology. Students will learn not only the theoretical foundations of ESG, but also how to translate these principles into management strategies and technological innovations. In this course, social skills specifically for the implementation of the “Green Transition” are discussed and applied in groups.

The course content includes concepts and theories of change management and their relevance to the green transformation. Strategies for effective change management and the design of change processes in organizations, including the necessary social skills, are covered. Another focus is on leadership and engagement with various stakeholders along the value chain, as well as employee engagement and corporate culture within the framework of change management. The phases and steps of sustainability and green transformation are explored, taking into account environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Additionally, the assessment of problems, risks, and opportunities, as well as tools and models for measuring and evaluating changes, are addressed.

The Introduction to strategic foresight and its significance for sustainable management contains methods and tools for effective strategic foresight (horizon scanning, trend analysis, forecasting, scenarios, modeling and simulation, predictive modeling), Connection of strategy and foresight (assessment, management, measurement), as well as quantitative and qualitative methods for forecasting, decision making strategies and VUCA. Further, methods and tools for risk analysis and assessment, risk management tools for minimizing risks in the context of sustainability, scenario planning in the context of green transformation are content of this lecture. Additionally, strategies for integrating strategic foresight and risk management in corporate management, analysis of trends and their influence on environmental and sustainability strategies will be elaborated.

The course “AI and Data Analysis” offers students a practical introduction to the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analysis in the context of green transformation. The course teaches fundamental concepts and techniques to analyse data, develop sustainable solutions and effectively address environmental problems. Students will learn how to efficiently solve complex tasks through the targeted use of these tools and will be prepared to apply the acquired skills in real-life green transformation scenarios.

This course covers content that provides participants with in-depth knowledge in the areas of waste management, recycling management and disposal processes. The focus is on waste management as a system, types of waste, waste generation and waste streams. Other topics include the complexity of the overall system, legal bases including waste management regulations, waste logistics, pre-treatment and end-of-pipe processes. Special attention is paid to the role of the waste manager and the development of waste management concepts. The topic of the circular economy is explored in depth in selected areas, enabling students to develop an understanding of sustainable economic models. This includes the analysis of waste-to-energy cycles and water-wastewater cycles.

In this lecture, students will learn how they can contribute directly to sustainability goals through informed decisions and innovative solutions. The principles of the green transformation from the first semester are recapitulated and applied to real case studies, which in turn are in the context of the students’ experiences. This is done for an industrial system that is as real as possible and provides an understanding of energy and resource flows at the level of processes (demand) and supply. The status quo of this system is assessed using methods and tools in order to develop and evaluate optimization concepts on this basis. The results are evaluated from a holistic perspective and on the basis of global and local key figures (economic, technical, ecological).

In a hackathon, several people try to find solutions to a specific problem. The course “Hackathon: Global Environmental Solutions” is therefore an interactive course that deals with global environmental problems and possible solutions. Students work in teams and are encouraged to develop innovative ideas and technologies to improve or solve environmental problems such as climate change, air pollution, water scarcity or biodiversity loss. Given a specific task, which ideally comes directly from a company, the students try to work on it in the best possible and most innovative way. The different prior knowledge and specialisations of the students as well as the support of the lecturers should contribute to the greatest possible success of the project. The focus is on creative problem solving and the development of sustainable solutions for global environmental problems.

This course offers students a comprehensive introduction to the correct procedure for writing scientific papers, creating papers, posters and presentations. In the course of this course, the structure and basic rules of scientific papers will be discussed, with particular emphasis on the implementation phases and methodology.Topics also include scientific literature research, citation rules and the creation and management of references and indexes using reference management programs such as Mendeley.Finally, the use of plagiarism software is discussed.

This lectures’ content is about the European Green Deal and specific measures in the areas of energy, transport, biodiversity, waste management and related topics. Further, implementation of the European Green Deal in the member states, recent developments on the international level and good-practice-examples as well as impact of the European Green Deal on countries, companies and individuals will be elaborated.

The course will cover green supply chain management (SCM) practices and the principles of reverse logistics, particularly within the framework of the European Green Deal. It will also examine supply chain-relevant legislation in the EU, including strategies and standards for ensuring compliance. Additionally, the course will explore the impact of technological innovations on the operational implementation of these practices. Students will develop concrete approaches within the context of green SCM and reverse logistics to effectively reduce environmental impact.

The teaching content contains elements of a business model and their definition, sustainable business models – their advantages, potential disadvantages, and the types. The exploration extends to the dimensions and elements inherent in business models, with a specific emphasis on the role of the value chain and critical success factors, drivers and challenges of business model innovation and transformation in various contexts and industries, as well as tools and methods for generating, evaluating, and testing new business models, practices and examples of successful business model innovation and transformation from different sectors and regions, embedding sustainable business models in sustainable corporate practices.

The course deals with the different aspects of public administration as well as the identification, analysis and interaction with the different stakeholders affected by an organisation, project or initiative. Students will learn how to define stakeholders, how to identify their needs and expectations and how to develop engagement and communication strategies. In addition, students are introduced to the basics of public administration and learn how government institutions function, how policy decisions are made and how the public administration interacts with different stakeholders. Furthermore, students are encouraged to think critically about the role of public administration and the importance of stakeholder management in political processes.

This course deals with the regulatory requirements for sustainability reporting and environmental management systems, taking into account recognized norms and standards. Particular attention is paid to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the reporting requirements of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). After completing this course, students will have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the requirements for sustainability reporting and the introduction and maintenance of environmental management systems (EMS).

This course begins with an introduction to the European energy landscape. This is followed by a discussion of energy sources, technologies and systems and their interrelationships. Further topics include the fundamentals of the European energy industry and stock exchange systems, the energy transition and decarbonization, energy efficiency and coupling of sectors as well as future developments in the energy sector in Europe.

This integrated course helps students to gain a comprehensive understanding of international and national modern transport and logistics systems. It provides in-depth knowledge of the fundamentals of transport (different modes of transport), local (urban logistics, regional distribution networks and delivery services, public passenger and freight transport) and international (intermodal and multimodal transport, containerisation, global trade routes). Students will also learn about logistics optimisation (route and tour planning, inventory management, supply chain management), modern technologies in logistics (automation, digitalisation, smart logistics) and sustainability in transport and logistics (green logistics, reverse logistics).

Based on gained skills from the 3rd semester and fundamental insights from Modules 6, 7, and 8 related to environmental law and global perspectives, this lecture applies this knowledge in project work in the industrial context. These are linked to the background from students’ work experience. They adress objectives of green transformation of real case studies and their environmental impact. Sustainability goals in the context of circular economy, energy and resource efficiency of demand and supply systems. Logistics and their economic feasibility are the basis for to be developed concepts and their evaluation from different perspectives. These will be implemented in the framework of environmental law as well as stakeholder engagement, summarised in standardised reporting requirements.

The board examination is carried out in compliance with the requirements specified for degree examinations in FH Master’s degree programmes according to FHStG as amended.

The Master’s thesis offers students the opportunity to deepen their academic skills at an advanced level and to conduct independent research in their chosen field. The key areas for a successful Master’s thesis include the research question and topic selection, the literature review and theoretical framework, the methodology and the presentation and defense of the Master’s thesis.

The course Best Practice and Pitfall Studies deals with proven solutions and case studies as well as with failures in different areas. Students will learn to identify and understand successful strategies and practices in different contexts. In addition, they are confronted with case studies of potential problems and failures in order to understand why certain approaches do not work and how they can be avoided. The course is supported with relevant case studies that highlight successes and potential stumbling blocks in an international business setting to optimally prepare students for middle and senior management positions.

This course covers the introduction to European political institutions and policy-making processes as well as ethics and legal framework of lobbying in Europe, including transparency and regulation. Further, techniques and strategies for effective advocacy and lobbying with a focus on communication, networking, and digital advocacy will be covered. Case studies of successful lobbying campaigns and the role of interest groups, NGOs, and corporate lobbying in shaping European policies will be elaborated.

The course content includes the basics, strategies and orientation of marketing and communication in the context of green transformation, including the development and implementation of sustainable marketing campaigns, brand management and the development of a sustainable brand image. The use of digital media, platforms and social networks, marketing and communication trends as well as consumer and consumer behavior are also analyzed and interpreted.Other topics include the impact of marketing and communication on consumer decisions, ethics in communication, greenwashing, measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of marketing strategies, performance marketing management, the use of data analytics and market research methods to define target groups and the legal and regulatory framework for advertising in the context of sustainability and green transformation.