There are many possible perspectives for the scientific analysis of and practical approach to corporate management. Three of the most important of these perspectives are:

• Accounting und finance

• Governance, organization, and personnel management

• Strategic management and market-oriented management

Research and teaching at the Institute for Strategic Management and Management Control concentrates mainly on combining and integrating these three management perspectives to find solutions to both academic and real-life business challenges.

Teaching

To prepare our graduates for a successful career, we provide students with the basic tools required to work in corporate management and management control. In addition, we strive to educate our students by encouraging personality development, helping them to gain soft skills in team-oriented group projects, and involving them in research and applied projects. Rooted in Wilhelm von Humboldt’s philosophy of university education, we see students as part of the process of not just learning, but generating knowledge. We see our students specializing in Strategic Management and Management Control (SBWL) as members of the universitas or community of teachers and learners at the Institute. This sets us and our education apart from traditional business schools. Our close contacts to the business community make it possible for us to offer our students numerous opportunities to get to know potential employers even before graduation. We also engage in WU’s excellence programs WU TopLeague and Center of Excellence to demonstrate that highly gifted students can be encouraged and promoted without attending elite schools.

Practical Impact

We have always emphasized the importance of communicating with the business community. Learning from skilled business people how we can make our teaching and research even more applicable to real-life business is essential to maintain the relevance of what and how we teach. In return, we can provide the business world with new ideas in the field of management and encourage the transfer of knowledge between academics and practice. Our partner models, tailored to fit the fields most of our graduates find work in, facilitate close contact between students, potential employers and Institute faculty through cooperative projects and events.

Emphasis in Research

In research, we want to make a contribution to the development of knowledge in the field of management. Our research principles are oriented towards our international scientific community, and we work together with partners from numerous renowned international universities. We regularly present our results at international conferences and strive to publish our research results in top journals. Our practical projects and cooperative work with corporate partners ensure that the research we do addresses problems faced by the business community and is relevant to real-life business practice. We also try to encourage our best students to consider a research career.