Master

 

The following list is only to be understood as a current planning status! A binding course overview can be found in RWTHonline.

Module	Summer Term	Winter Term
Financial Analysis	-	x
Strategic Decisionmaking in Politics	x	-
Strategic Decisions in Consulting for Business Administration and Engineering	x	x

 

Financial Analysis

The course is held as a block module. 5 of the 10 focal points of the first level of CFA charterholder training will be taught on three consecutive Fridays and Saturdays. The course will deal with the following topics:

• Financial reports and analyses, including accounting, profit and loss and cash flow analysis
• Corporate financing, including capital structure, distribution of profits
• Equity instruments, including securities markets and pricing
• Fixed-interest securities, including valuation, riskvaluation, credit analyses
• Derivatives, such as futures, options, swaps.

Students should acquire knowledge of the methodological basics in the application of quantitative methods and financial analysis and receive an introductory overview of the competencies conveyed by the additional qualification as Chartered Financial Analyst, short CFA charterholder. The CFA charter is an internationally recognized title for financial analysts awarded by the American CFA Institute. In addition to arousing interest for this additional qualification, the students should gain an impression of the usual examination methods. Further information on the program can be found on the website of the CFA Institute. The final examination takes place during the regular examination phase. Furthermore, you can find additional organizational information as a download at the bottom of this page.

 

Strategic Decisions in Politics

The course Strategic Decisions in Politics enables students to work in an advisory capacity in the political sector. By applying decision science principles, students are able to work on new and complex problems with a political background at a scientific level. The aim is to systematically uncover biases of decision-makers. The focus on target systems and impact models leads to an efficient and logical work of the topics. During the course, students develop drafts for political decisions, which are then published on the website of PROAKTIV-Entscheiden.de.

The participants of the course work in teams of two on their own questions. In the weekly classroom sessions, progress in the subtasks is discussed and new tips are given. This means that participants are expected to work continuously and independently throughout the course. At the end of the course, the students give a final presentation on their part of the developed decision draft.

Since the summer term in 2019, the course has been conducted in cooperation with the City of Aachen. Some of the topics to be worked on will be specified by the City of Aachen and the results will be presented at an additional event. The topics of this year's course are:

Regional policy issues (in cooperation with the city of Aachen)

• Culture in Aachen

Political issues in Germany

• Wahl-O-Mat Germany
• Fighting Corruption Germany
• Healthcare system in Germany
• Regulation concepts for old-age provision
• Coal exit and structural change

Political issues in Europe

• Greendeal Europe
• Night Train Concept Europe
• EU Refugee Distribution

Political issues worldwide

• Wahl-O-Mat USA
• Better Life Index Pro

The following topics have already been successfully dealt with:

• Taxation concepts for private income, especially unconditional basic income
• Modal split - the choice of transport mode
• Inner city attractiveness in Aachen
• Introduction of tighter speed restrictions on motorways
• Design of innovative financial transfer concepts
• Organisation of public service broadcasting
• State intervention in passenger air transport policy
• Sports in Germany - Is eSport part of it?
• Design of an optimal nutrition concept
• Living space design in Aachen

 

Strategic Decisions in Consulting

The aim of the course is both the training of strategic thinking and the understanding of different approaches of decision theory as well as the practical application of this discipline to questions of entrepreneurial decisions and the clear communication of the results according to methods of consulting. This course offers an introduction to the topic, personal development in workshops by renowned consulting firms, a guest lecture by Prof. Keeney, co-founder of Value-Focused Thinking, broad knowledge in various industries and effective improvement of communicative skills.

Students will independently deal with economic thrillers from the field of mergers & acquisitions, analyse aggressive strategies of hedge funds and illustrate drivers of various technology flops and the tech bets behind them. They will both present and discuss this in lectures. The topics will be dealt with on the basis of case studies in groups of two students.

The constant exchange among students as well as between students and lecturers in small groups promotes discussions on strategic issues and offers challenges for students and teachers alike.