The lecture aims at obtaining global knowledge and understanding of intellectual property, i.e. industrial property rights and copyright, with an emphasis laid on registered industrial property rights (patents, utility models, designs, trademarks). This basic knowledge of intellectual property facilitates the understanding and use of available legal instruments in order to be able to protect and economically exploit new technical developments and other intellectual creations or works.

Among others the lecture will focus on the following topics:
• Different types of intellectual property rights
• Copyright basics; main principles of the Berne Convention
• Industrial property rights - General principles
• Design protection - International registered design, European Community design
• Patents - Basics and general principles, European Patent, Patent Cooperation Treaty
Exploitation of Patents, patent infringement, licencing
• Trademarks - Basics and general principles, International Registrations, European Community Trademarks
• Searches for registered industrial property rights

Skripts available on Moodle, course „Intellectual Property":
• Intellectual Property - Basics and Copyright
• Industrial Property - General Principles
• Design Protection
• Patent Law - Basics and General Principles
• Patent Law - European Patent Convention
• Patent Law - Patent Cooperation Treaty
• Patent Law - Exploitation

• Self-reflection: reflecting on one's own cultural values and how these influence one's own thinking, acting and feeling
• Get to know other cultures and cultural values, including German culture
• Strategies to deal with cultural differences and preparation for studying and working in Germany

Thomas, A.; Kinast, E.-U.; Schroll-Machl, S. (Eds.) (2010). Handbook of Intercultural Communication and Cooperation: Basics and Areas of Application. (2nd ed.) Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
Schroll-Machl, S. (2008). Doing Business with Germans: Their Perception, Our Perception. (3rd ed.) Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
Hall, E. & Hall, M. (1990). Understanding Cultural Differences: keys to success in West Germany, France and the United States. Yarmouth: Intercultural Press.

Hofstede, Geert (2001). Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations, 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications.

Students get to know project management tools and methods according to the IPMA project management standard. Based on theoretical input they will learn how to apply them in different group works and a case study. 

That comprises:

Planning and organizing project

• Context analysis
• Scope planning: Work breakdown structure, work package specification 
• Stakeholder analysis and measures
• Resource planning
• Scheduling: network diagram, gantt chart, milestones 
• Risk analysis

Controlling projects

• Target verification
• Cost controlling: Earned value analysis
• Quality assurance
• Time monitoring: Milestone trend analysis
• Capacity check

Project analysis (case study)

• Order analysis
• Problem analysis (weak point analysis)
• Interface analysis
• Responsibility of the project manager and project sponsor
• Methods of decision making
• Methods of organizational development
• Framework conditions of a project 44

Eric Verzuh: The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. Wiley, 2015.