Hauptseminar in Allg

Übung in Medienmanagement (SS '03)

'Media Strategy – Concepts and Cases' (Ln-Schein)

(taught in English)

C. Loebbecke / A. Kaplan

Block Seminar

Overview
Media companies, comprising broadcasting, print, new media and various content providers, are an increasingly relevant field for business practitioners and scientists. The functional analysis of innovative media applications to create value continuously gains attention. This course offers an in-depth analysis of strategic aspects of the media. It combines strategy concepts and the economics of digital goods to analyse media companies and media applications.
This will be the very condensed version of a typically American course on media strategy. If you seek a challenge and would like to do something different, it should be great fun. But it will not be the course with the lowest work load. You will be required to deliver a proper assignment (case study write-up / analysis) to pass. This is not just 'sit and wait' with a little bit of 'cut and paste'!
During the course sessions, you will learn some strategic concepts and solve one or two case studies.
As the major assignment, you will then write a case and provide the analysis with it. Any case that somehow touches upon anything in the media industry (broad definition) qualifies. You are welcome to build on contacts you have and already think about which company with which topic / issues would be fun to cover in a case.

Dates and Location
June 5, 10:00-16:00 in Rm 305, Pohligstr. 1
June 6, 11:00-19:00 in Rm 305, Pohligstr. 1
June 26, 9:00-13:00 in Rm 305, Pohligstr. 1

Specialties

The course will be offered completely in English language, all assignments, etc. have to be delivered in (decent) English.
The course will be delivered in conjunction with a course offered to American MBA students who will be visiting the 'WiSo Fakultät' this summer. (This is good because you can meet them and mingle. It is bad because their schedule precludes flexibility in terms of course hours and times!)
How exactly the course will look will only be decided once the MM people know the number of American students – i.e. be patient please!
Written requirements, presentation requirements, and due dates will partially differ for MBA students and MM students.
The absolute maximum number of students will be 25, and for a while we need to wait until we know how many MBA students will come this summer (max. 10).
Presence during all three long sessions is mandatory – otherwise do not register for the course, NOTHING will count as an excuse!
We will select the participants from among those who register. This will not only be 'first come, first serve'. We will allow up to three Cologne students to work as a team (so you may encourage your friends to register as well!), but you cannot team up with the American MBA students.
If you wish, you get some ideas and collect some material which will make a later master theses easier.
This will be less scientific, but not less work !

Limitation / Warning !
In case we (have to) cancel the MBA teaching due to insufficient enrolment, this course will also be cancelled.

Admission and Confirmation of Registration
To register for the course, you need to do TWO things:

a) Online registration, see below.

AND

b) Send a 1-page CV including your fields of study, grades, level of English, periods abroad, etc. to claudia.loebbecke<at>uni-koeln.de. If you already know with whom you want to team up, please mention this, but send separate CVs.

Registration ends as soon as all places are given. A first round of confirmation will be given latest on April 15, and if additional places are still available, the next confirmations will be given on May 15. Please do not apply if you cannot make it on all three dates. We do not appreciate anybody who registers, takes a spot and then cancels. We even do not forget these things!

Certificate
Students receiving a final grade of 4,0 or better will be awarded a 'Ln-Schein in 'Media Management''

Grading
Grading will be based on

course participation incl. a case analysis to be done during the course (and prepared before the course),
the case study and analysis to be developed by the student(s) (minimum 5000 words, for teams of more than one student we require a minimum of 3,500 words per student).

Written Assignment (to be written in English)
You will have to develop a case study (like a Harvard or INSEAD case study and provide the analysis to the questions you raise.
As stated above: Any case that somehow touches upon anything in the media industry (broad definition) will be fine. You are welcome to build on contacts you have, and already think about which company with which topic / issues would be fun to be covered in a case. So, please start collecting material earlier than the course starts! The course needs to wait for the American friends, your ideas and drive do not need to wait.

Deadline for the Case including the Analysis
July 31, '03, 12:00 o'clock (three printed copies and a diskette) are to be handed in to the 'Seminar für Medienmanagement', Universität zu Köln, Pohligstr, 1, 50969 Köln.