Assessment and Implementation

At the conclusion of each module is an opportunity to review and assess the major learnings of the preceding courses. A crucial focus is the identification and examination of how the acquired skills and knowledge can be made directly relevant and have concrete impact in the organizations led by participants. The learnings highlighted here are then revisited in the Learn & Do sessions that open the subsequent module.

Capital Markets and Financial Instruments

Executives responsible for investment decisions face difficult challenges in the complex world of capital markets and financial instruments. The objective of this course is to shed light on fundamental financial concepts and make it easier for creative leaders to maximize shareholder value and return on investment in complicated investment and finance decisions.

Consumer Experience and Media Brands

Traditional marketing and branding focus on responding effectively to customers in order to increase sales. Today marketing and branding concepts have evolved. This session examines new and innovative approaches including Experience Branding, Relationship Branding, Power Branding across product categories and Media Engagement in select contexts that increase advertising effectiveness.

Creative Leadership Master Classes

Creating change inspired by the wisdom of experience or by academic theory is valuable but when these leadership methods are combined, change becomes priceless. Creative leadership master classes are co-taught by top creative leaders and leading business school professors. Insights gained from the triumphs and challenges of the creative business world balanced by theoretical perspectives make these unique and insightful sessions.

Past Master Class speakers have included:

• Ron Berger, Euro RSCG
• Michael Conrad, Leo Burnett /Berlin School
• David Droga, Droga5
• Jean-Marie Dru, TBWA
• Bob Greenberg, R /GA
• Sir John Hegarty, BartleBogleHegarty
• André Midani, Warner Bros. Music
• Keith Reinhard, DDB Worldwide
• Pamela Rosenberg, Berliner Philharmonic
• Marcello Serpa, Almap /BBDO
• Seymour Stein, Sire Records
• Jeff Steinhour, Crispin Porter + Bogusky

Information Communication Technology

The proliferation of mobile communication coupled with the high media literacy of Asian consumers is reshaping consumer behavior. Focusing on successful trends in Japan this session examines mobile technology innovations that will reshape accepted marketing practices in the next few decades. Beginning with a brief history of the Japanese mobile industry, the session covers mobile consumer usage patterns; use of camera equipped phones; electronic payment and »wallet« functions as well as the trend towards TV broadcasting capabilities.

Knowledge Creation

Successful leaders understand the value of sharing knowledge and collaborating across organizational boundaries. This course provides an overview of what collaborative working and mobilizing knowledge mean in practice. Case studies, discussions and workshops on the sharing of knowledge and partnering in action demonstrate the challenges and benefits of this powerful approach.

Leading the Industry

Success today does not necessarily guarantee success tomorrow. Top international business leaders are forced to continually examine their assumptions and reinvent new ways of doing business. During this course, taught by a top global creative leader, participants will explore what it means to lead in such an environment and examine some of the key success factors to establishing and maintaining a leadership position in the creative industry. Past lecturers: Jean-Marie Dru, Marcello Serpa, Washington Olivetto.

Learn & Do

A central aim of the Berlin School EMBA is the transfer of skills and knowledge that can have direct relevance and concrete impact in the organizations led by participants. At the start of each module, participants review and assess what they have done to apply and incorporate previous learnings into their professional practice. Besides providing group feedback on the application of individual learnings, the sessions emphasize the importance of recognizing concepts and tools in all module courses that can have organizational impact.

Media Strategy

As the »digital tsunami« continues to grow in size, traditional media strategies are quickly becoming obsolete. This course examines current trends in media technologies and media innovation by comparing sustaining media innovations (e.g. broadcast), disruptive media innovations (e.g. commuter dailies) and recent media innovations (e.g. user generated content). It also highlights the growing importance of »media experiences« and how this affects classical advertising models.

Organizational Energy

This course introduces the phenomenon of organizational energy in teams, division and companies. Different possible energy states in companies and strategies to achieve and maintain high levels of productive energy are examined. Special focus is given to two specific leadership behaviours (transformational and transactional leadership) that are crucial to leading individuals and high performance teams successfully.

Providing Incentives to Change

Providing incentives to change using compensation and benefit packages is no easy task. In this course participants review the structure of existing compensation systems and examine current trends in incentive provision in today’s business world. Thesis Preparation & Presentation Workshop In this intensive workshop, participants work in feedback groups and also receive individualized coaching to develop and strengthen the content and communication of their creative leadership theses. Focus is placed on effective business communication, clarity, persuasion, information design and presentation skills.

Understanding Business and Media Metrics

This course teaches participants how to work with crucial financial data and how to interpret and ask the right questions about financial statements. Participants examine the three most commonly used financial statements and their relationship to one another. They examine how these statements measure value creation and destruction, identify four key numbers and three crucial financial metrics.