Objectives and content: The module provides the students with the introduction to the basic terms of managing business. The course concentrates on managing business issues and the first phases of business life-cycle. Start-up activities and determinants of healthy business practices and economic decision making are discussed. It provides overview of basic forms of economic subjects and specifies their relationships and importance of well-functioning enterprises to national economy.

Learning outcomes: This introductory course characterises major business topics for starting-up and successful running of business ventures. After completion of this course the students shall understand the major determinants of managing business, business environment and its stakeholders and coping with usual business problems.

Course outline:

Objectives and content: The module introduces an analysis of business operations from several standpoints. In particular, it concentrates on company management, purchasing and selling activities, on managing the firm’s production, financial analysis and on problems of funding and investment decision making.

Learning outcomes: After completion of this course the students will understand major determinants of running successful business. The student should understand how well is the business managed and where the weak and the strong points of business performance are. Students will also recognise where and when to apply specific analytical methods.

Course outline:

Objectives and content:  This subject familiarises the student with the basic terms in the area of innovation, clarifying and practicing with the use of case studies of best practices in innovation. The objective is to understand the importance and characteristics of innovation and the innovation system as a key factor of socioeconomic development and quality of life in a wider spectrum of contexts, i.e. in countries and regions at various levels of economic and social maturity (distance from the levels of best practice), in various fields according to the type of technology regime and entrepreneurial opportunities, in various institutional sectors (commercial, government, non-governmental, not-for-profit/civil and other combinations), in various types of application (social, economic, technical, non-technical innovation). A key role is played by innovation actors, who create value (market and non-market) due to their innovative capacity, which can be supported by innovations and creative techniques, planning of innovations or specific financing tools that take into account the risk of innovation activities.

 

• Innovation as a system and creator of value: History of innovation and innovation studies. innovation systems and their components (national, field and regional system, innovation sectors, innovation actors and their relationships), (Rothwell) generations of innovation models and (Berkout) model of cyclical innovation, innovation as a creator of value (market, non-market), profit and non-profit goals of innovation (economic, technical, social innovation).
• Innovation process and planning innovation: Phases of the innovation cycle (seeking opportunities, formulating solutions, implementing innovations, obtaining created value), (Keely) types and sources of innovation, innovation portfolio, (Kumar modes) of the innovation planning process and their methods, innovation as part of strategy, institutionalisation of innovation (forms of protection, commercialisation and market exploitation), innovation metrics.
• Innovation capacity: Internal (individual, organizational) and external sources of innovation, importance and relationships of creativity, invention, and innovation, innovation culture in an organization, creation and development of an innovation team, generation of innovation ideas and their selection, types of innovators (innovation leaders), innovation and creative techniques and tools, workplace innovation.
• Financing innovation: Specifications and tools/models for financing innovation activities (risk capital, seed funds, spin-offs, spin-outs, crowdfunding, social impact investment/bonds, financing cross-sector partnerships) and their sources (private, governmental, and combined), indirect financing of innovation activities.
• Technological modes and entrepreneurial opportunities: industry and field innovation systems, enabling and industrial technologies, types of industries/companies according to innovation intensity and type of opportunity (creative, adaptive business), innovation and knowledge based capital in the global value chain and types of upgrading.
• Regional and local innovation: Regional and local innovation and entrepreneurial systems, Triple Helix model, cross-sector relationships and their support (innovation infrastructure), innovation ecosystem, creation and implementation of regional innovation strategies, smart specialisation, innovation clusters, smart towns and communities.
• Social innovation: Key characteristics of social innovation (in comparison with economic/technical innovation), types of social innovation, social innovation and innovators in commercial, government, and not-for-profit sectors and combinations thereof, the innovation cycle and its phases, innovation intensity and social impact, activation and empowerment of disadvantaged target audiences, forms of support of social innovation.
• Innovation in alternative business models: Social (non-profit) commerce and entrepreneurialism, corporate social responsibility, non-monetary economics, crowdsourcing, innovation in public administration, innovation in social (non-market) services (education, social security, health care), alternative valuation of innovation impact.
• Innovative solutions to social challenges: Technological and social megatrends, innovation solutions in the energy industry (safe, clean, efficient energy), transportation (green, intelligent, and integrated), climate change, equality (social integration) and safety, population (health, demographic change, quality of life), food safety and sustainable agriculture, combination of social and technical innovations.
• Innovation in socioeconomic development: Characteristics of innovation according to the economic status of the country, innovation in globalized economy, evaluation of innovation programs and policies, community/participatory development, inclusive innovation, grassroots innovation, relationship between innovation and associated policies, innovation in development of aid, capacity for resilience and its risks

Objectives and Content:  The course gives a basic introduction to the Economic Policy, both the theoretical and the practical point of view. The goals, types and instruments of the basic areas of microeconomic and macroeconomic policy, and problems of economic and social development are introduced. The course covers following topics:

Objectives and content: The main aim of the course is to give a brief introduction of the European economic integration processes after the World War II. The structure of the course is devided into the several topics:

Objectives and content: The financial side of business represents the flows and conversion of money from initial investment, through financing operations, to sale of results of the transformation process, increased through added value representing the investor reward for the risk undertaken by investing. The monetary side of a business is realised through finance strategy and management. The basic goal of this subject is to familiarise the student with the purpose of financial management, namely the fundamental task of the financial management of a business, which is the identification of sources of capital and their acquisition, decision-making on the goals and conditions of its allocation, securing efficient handling of available sources of capital, reallocation, and distribution of capital acquired through the execution of business activity.

• Principles of financial strategies and financial management: Business development assumes definition and establishment of a finance policy – the company finance strategy. The finance strategy represents the backbone of financial management, which includes all activities associated with the effective financing of company entrepreneurial activities oriented toward achieving the company strategy and basic goals of the company.
• Funding – seeking out and using internal and external capital sources: Basic sources of financial business activities are internal sources, external equity sources and other sources. Use of capital is associated with capital costs. Costs are differentiated into debt costs (debt capital) and costs of equity capital. From the perspective of financial management average capital costs and the associated optimal capital structure are important.
• Short-term and long-term financial management: Investing is one of the basic company activities. It is a process which is based on the strategic plan and is carried out through the long-term financial plan. The basic objective of an investment strategy transcribed into the long-term plan is economic efficiency of the investment process, i.e. effective handling of financial resources under conditions of risk and uncertainty. Another task of financial management is management of debt. A task of short-term financial management is to manage liquidity using the short-term financial plan.
• Measuring financial performance and creation of company value: The basic objective of a contemporary company is the creation of stakeholder value. Approaches to the management of company performance from the perspective of value drivers are carried out primarily through value based management. Knowledge of the principles of value based management is a critical prerequisite to successful financial management.
• Company valuation: Combining, purchasing, and selling companies is a common phenomenon in a strongly competitive environment enabling the establishment of competitive advantage over a rival. Carrying out mergers and acquisitions are not possible without the accurate valuation of a company. Knowledge of methods of market valuation of companies is a critical prerequisite to executing the sale and purchase of a company.

Objectives and content: The subject introduces basic terms and procedures of management within the broader network and decision. It presents terminological and methodological ground for following specialized subjects and for an illustration of applications and specifications in the Czech conditions. It includes basic aspects of subject areas of management regarding their procedural point of view.

• Nature of management: basic terms, relation of management and administration, definition of management, position of a manager in organization, levels of management in hierarchically structured organization, basic managerial functions and activities.
• Profile of manager: basic competence of manager, power and responsibility, state of managerial work, head and leader, personality of manager, qualification of manager.
• Decision-making: decision making as a basic activity of manager, basic terms in the field of decision-making, elements of decision-making, decision-making subject, object of decision-making, criteria of decision-making, origin of the situation to be decided, and role of manager in its solution, information support and decision-making.
• Planning as basic function of manager: Basic procedures of a plan creation, structure of planning activity according to the hierarchical and functional arrangement of organization.
• Organizing as basic function of manager: Basic terms in organizing, classification of organizational structures, line organization, line and staff organization, organization according to function. Division organization. Flexible organizational structures. Matrix organization as a transfer point between stable and flexible organizational forms. Organizational forms of project administration, project coordination, integrated project organization and pure project organization.
• Leadership, management of human resources, and communication as a basis of manager function: motivation, influencing, leadership of people, coordination. Importance of management of human resources of firm, personnel work in company, career management, evaluation of workers. General rules of successful communication, forms of communication.
• Supervision as basic managerial function: basic terms in the field of supervision. Supervision and feedback, structure of supervision activities, evaluation criteria of supervision. Modern approaches to supervision. Internal supervision system of organization. Relation between supervision and controlling.
• Management in development: Characteristics of history and continuity in time in management development as a practical activity and as a subject as well. Characteristics of individual development stages, their importance and personalities with the emphasis on the evolution of current trends (from searching for perfection, through organizational solution of “chaos”, to information management and reengineering).

Objectives and content: The subject introduces the basic issues of economic thinking in the context of interdisciplinary perception of social values and their relevance for the development of the society and, at the same time, presents the fundamental concepts and principles of macroeconomic theory in order to master the conceptual architecture and the theoretical-methodological fundaments for the identification, analysis, evaluation and anticipation of key characteristics and determinants of the development of the macroeconomic framework for the decision-making of economic entities.

 

• Values and their relevance for the society: The universality of human rights, communication freedom and responsibility and human community, democracy and capitalism, free market and public benefit, crises and social changes.
• Macroeconomic aggregates: Definitions and measurement. GDP, inflation, unemployment, public expenditure. Impact of price level changes on the gross domestic product.
• Aggregate demand and supply: The substance of the model and its assumptions. Factors affecting the aggregate demand. Factors affecting the aggregate supply. The balancing mechanism and balance in the short term and in the long term. Economic cycle and economic growth.
• Inflation and unemployment: Major determinants, basic forms, symptoms and consequences of inflation and unemployment in the economy. Relation between the inflation rate and the unemployment rate – Phillips curve. The impact of various types of expectations on the relation between the inflation rate and the unemployment rate.
• Open economy: Foreign exchange rate. Demand, supply and exchange market balance. Theory of foreign exchange rate determination, theory of interest rate parity and theory of purchasing power parity. Fixed and flexible foreign exchange rate. Balance of payments structure. Balancing mechanisms of the balance of payments. Foreign indebtedness. International trade theory.
• Monetary and fiscal policies: Fiscal policy instruments. Keynesian transmission mechanism. Quantitative equation of money. Short-term and long-term impact of monetary policy. Ineffectiveness of monetary policy. Public budgets and public debt. Short-term and long-term impact of fiscal policy. Crowding-out effect. Monetary and fiscal policies in an open economy.

Objective and content: This subject derives the resources for establishing businesses in sustainable markets from the markets themselves. It operates from the concept of marketing strategy, particularly the process in which the delivery of new resources may increase sustainability and competitiveness of a personal project for acquisition of a market segment.

Objectives and content: The course introduces basic concepts of strategic marketing, provides overview of approaches, methods and procedures which are prerequisites for creation of strategic documents as one of the basic requirements for business prosperity.

•    Marketing and its development to strategic marketing
•    Input analyses and development predictions
•    Marketing objectives and strategies
•    Strategies of individual components of marketing mixture
•    Strategy implementation and control

 

 

Objectives and content: Students will learn practical marketing work in the marketing department of an international marketing company. Lectures are maximally focused on collective solutions of marketing tasks via market research.

 

• Introduction to the marketing research in a company (Where is MR placed in company structure, which tasks it has, which answers could enter and which not, friends and enemies of marketing research? Who are our internal customers? Rules of treating the marketing research results - distribution, confidentiality and access to the information)
• Work with marketing research agencies/consultants (The differences between marketing research agencies, Pitch – pitch criteria, Design of research, What should agency know and what not, Responsibility of agency- responsibility of client, Suggestions and findings of marketing research, Consulting agencies and their specific art of work)
• Budget (Introduction to work with budget, Budget structure, Marketing research Budget planning, Marketing research prices, Golden rule – spend everything!, What if money is not enough?)
• First internal customer: Product Marketing (Studies for Product marketing, Frontloading – before the start of project, PEP, Product Clinic, marketing concept, project starting, influence of customers’ voice on product.  Marketing and Design, Marketing a Controlling)
• Second internal customer: Marketing Communication (Studies for Marketing Communication, Pretest and Posttest, the right timing. Global or local advertising campaign? Is measurement of effectivity advertising campaign effective? Media and target group , problems in definitive of target group)
• Third internal customer: Distribution and Service Marketing (Studies for Distribution and Service net, customers satisfaction, dealers satisfaction, how to sell a car – dealers training, Targets of customers satisfaction, CRM)
• Fourth internal customer: Marketing Director (Golden rule - who pays, governs.  Brand image and strategy studies, Art of generalisation, Rules of communication of awkward information.)
• Fifth internal customer: Board (How to make a good impression, Art of the absolute generalisation – spaceship effect. What is management summary, Beware of detail, rule of assistants of board in communication process, How to behave on the board meeting)
• Cooperation of other brands in the group (Tasks of Group Marketing Research, relations with other brands, Shared information and ways of its distribution, co-financing projects-syndicated studies)

Objectives and content: The objective of this subject is the study and acquisition of methodical knowledge and information pertaining to the processes of project management with an emphasis on understanding the philosophy and practical management of tools and techniques as part of the execution of the project. In conjunction with the requirements of the PMI and IPMA standards, prerequisites will be formed for a systematic approach to using project management to manage projects and create conditions for improving customer orientation and application of new knowledge in change management processes in organizations, whereas knowledge of project management is a basic prerequisite for active participation in projects. A secondary goal is to support motivation for self-study and deeper interest in the application of methods implemented in contemporary projects, the use of which is considered a sign of professionalism.

 

• Introduction to project management (PMG). PMG in the system of theories and management practices. Basic terms and definitions. Characteristics of a project. Difference between projects and routine processes. Types of projects. Examples of projects. Successful project management. Triple imperative of projects (Barnes triangle). Life cycle and phases – pre-project, project, and post-project. Standards and standardization of project management. PMI and IPMA certifications.
• Organization of project, project structure. Relationship between ongoing and project management organisational structure. Incorporation of projects into organizational structure. Matrix project structure. Project organization and management, executive, and user roles. Management committee, sponsor, user, interested party. "Project Team Leader" /PTL/ vs. "Project Manager" - position, role, and responsibilities. Competency requirements. Composition of the project team, team cooperation, communication. Responsibility matrix.
• Project objectives and project scope. Definition of project goals. Context of strategy organization. Project goals (SMART) and project approach. Model process of project kickoff. Scope as a term in the PMBoK. Process according to the PMBoK. Scope as a term in ISO 1006. Processes according to ISO 10006. Specification of project scope. Project Business Case.
• Project risk management. Importance of risks in project management. Opportunities and risks. Characteristics of risks. Techniques of project risk analysis. Techniques of identification and evaluating risks (verbal, numerical, definition of risk probability and scenarios, risk tree, etc.). Creation of measures for eliminating risks (use of TWS signals, QAS etc.). Phases of risk management. Problems and drawbacks of risk management processes.
• Project planning. Project time and capacity planning. Division of projects into phases. Defining activity. Structured breakdown of activities. Project breakdown – W/OBS (Work/ Object Breakdown Structure). Definition of logical linkages. Scheduling activities in time.  Cost planning. Resource planning. Project budget - financial and economic aspects of project management.
• Project execution, project monitoring and controlling. Initiating project execution. Work plan. Project log. Tracking of project processes. Assessing changes and addressing problems. Reporting. Control methods - QAS, TWS, CSF, etc. Subcontractor management system. Quality assurance in projects.
• Closing projects. Process of closing projects. Executing contracts. Final acceptance, closing the project, summary of outcomes, administrative closure of the project. Final analyses and lessons learned from project execution. Collection of project metrics. "Post-project phases". Evaluation of project resource performance. Approval of project outcomes. PIR. Software support of project planning and management. MS Project as a support tool of project management.

Objectives and content: This course seeks to develop attitudes and capabilities related to lifelong, lifewide and lifedeep learning in the context of the Great Transition of the 21st century. The main goals of the course are to strengthen the capacity for differentiating between various approaches to education and to support deep innovation in the educational sphere. The course also aims to inspire participants to reflect on the meaning and direction of their education, their lives, and careers.

A key question addressed in this course is: What kind of education enables individuals to develop their higher potential for addressing the challenges of the 21st century? To answer this question, students are introduced to three parallel worlds of education:

The first world of education is the conventional educational system. The second world is alternative education. The third world is transformative education. The course participants encounter transformative education as an emerging paradigm, involving a profound shift of perspective and a systemic (re)design of all dimensions of education. Transformative education opens avenues for seeing oneself and the world in new ways. It does not focus on the quantity of information, but on the ways of thinking and experience, the quality of character and the ability to see the needs of the whole as personal needs. Transformative education goes beyond stimulation of the intellect. The goal is to educate the mind, heart and will in equal measure.

Key topics treated in this course include:

• Induction to three worlds of education. Induction to a new education; definitions; target groups; educational needs of new generations; education for all ages; involving target groups in co-designing their education; the promise and limits of self-learning; evolving roles of teachers; inner work of teachers; re-sparking curiosity and motivation for learning; learning for testing vs. learning for life; the ideals of truth, beauty and goodness; the search for truth and its obstacles; worldviews, dogma, ideology, and illusions; false vs. authentic humility; idealism vs. pragmatism; learning to unlearn; the ability to change perspectives; reimagining, reinventing, rethinking, and redoing; enlivened thinking; primary knowing; transdisciplinarity; seeing the big picture; the Renaissance ideal; old and new educational professions; personal learning goals and pathways;
• Evolution of consciousness. Anthropological models of the human being; higher human potential; education as a driver or barrier to the evolution of consciousness; the role of education in the development of culture and transformation processes; cycles of creativity in history; structures of consciousness from archaic to integral; states and stages of consciousness; hierarchies of value systems (e.g. Spiral Dynamics); paradigmatic shifts (modern – postmodern – transmodern); the polycrisis and the postmodern mind; the dynamics of rising and declining civilisations; …
• Visionaries of education. Komenský (*1592), Pestalozzi (*1746), Steiner (*1861), Montessori (*1870), Gebser (*1905), Freire (*1921), Stern (*1924), Illich (*1926), Robinson (*1950), …
• Education for the future. Past – present – future; preparing for the future vs. co-creating the future; the Grand Challenges and the Great Transition; educational futures and world futures; the need for systemic innovations/transformations in education; the UNESCO declaration; skills, competences, and capabilities that every human being needs in the 21st century; active imagination; U theory; creative tools to design educational futures; …
• Three worlds of education – overview. Conventional – alternative – transformative; range of quality; how these “worlds” relate to other conceptualisations (education of the mind, heart, and will / skills paradigm, competence paradigm, and capabilities paradigm; …); …
• Conventional education. Distinction between “conventional” and “traditional” education; characteristics of conventional education; academic disciplines; (hyper)specialisation; conventional professions and professional preparation; academic hierarchies; academic culture; focus on knowledge – skills – transferrable skills (or knowledge – skills – attitudes); exclusion of higher cognitive stages; conventional teaching and learning methods; grades and credits; learning outcomes; benchmarks and rankings; quality assurance; quantification; measurability; predominance of the natural sciences; graduate profiles; education for competitiveness; the Bologna system and corresponding accreditation systems; the homogenisation of education; the reduction of national culture and genius; confusions in perspectives and values; contemporary challenges of education such as its lack of sensitivity to human heart and ecology; modernist research; qualitative vs. quantitative research; scientism vs. open science; anti-science; …
• Alternative education. Principles and characteristics of alternative education; Waldorf, Montessori, forest kindergartens, Summerhill, home schooling, unschooling, deschooling, critical pedagogy, project-based learning, …; new types of kindergartens, schools, universities; the role of arts, crafts, gardening and agriculture in alternative education; green renaissance in schools; alternative higher education; …
• Transformative education. Basic orientations of transformative education; the holistic nature of the world (human beings, society, nature, …); whole system approaches; the interconnectedness of challenges in the 21st century; the grounding of transformative education in integral philosophy, transpersonal, existential and deep psychology, as well as wisdom traditions and world cultural heritage; how transformative education relates to paradigmatic shifts and macrohistory; searching for character and calling; the emergence and formation of cultural creatives; multiple intelligences; smartness versus intelligence; wisdom; games, serious games; holistic perspectives on politics, economics and culture; from symptom analysis to root causes and systemic solutions; implications of transformative education for freedom, democracy, responsibility, consciousness development, spirituality, moral life, etc.; preparation for jobs vs. creation of new jobs; new professions; education and therapy; collaborative learning; learning communities; co-creation; systemic obstacles and opponents of transformative education; transformative education and transformative upbringing; …
• Technofutures. Digitalisation in the educational sphere; virtual reality; augmented reality; artificial intelligence; next generation MOOCs; experiences with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic; technophilia; technofutures; transhumanism; technocracy; technodictatorship; technological consciousness development; technological addictions; digital detox; digital minimalism; technological unemployment; appropriate technologies; …
• University for the Future. Comparison of today’s higher education institutions and the University for the Future; alternative higher education vs. transformative higher education; transformation of existing educational institutions vs. greenfield development; redesigning higher education from the ground up; rethinking the accreditation system and the ministry of education; creative research oriented toward impact; holistic corporate academies and universities; …
• Learning villages, towns and regions. Manifestation of positive societal changes through the design of regenerative locations – from future houses, green city neighbourhoods, ecovillages to the regeneration of entire cities and regions; direct democracy and alternative economics in the spirit of sustainable livelihoods; intentional communities; …
• Reflection and future steps. The role of education in systemic change; designing visionary educational projects, curricula, and institutions; future design; edupreneurship; changing the way we think, feel and act; personal attitudes and choices for the future; transformative student projects; …

Learning outcomes: Students increase their professional competences in the educational sphere as follows:

• Students can explain concepts such as alternative and transformative education.
• Students are able to understand the relation of education to key issues such as the Grand Challenges of the 21st century, the evolution of consciousness and cultural development.
• Students can describe and differentiate basic types of education and find real life examples.
• Students can explain how education changes through new technologies.
• Students are able to work creatively with the vision of a university for the future.
• Students are able to work creatively with the vision of learning villages, towns and regions.
• Students can apply the above concepts in a chosen transformation project.
• Students broaden their horizons regarding the future of education – differentiating between what is likely to happen and what should happen.
• Students are able to specify personal preferences and possibilities for co-creating future-friendly forms of education.
• Students are improving transferrable skills such as critical thinking, imaginative capacities, and the ability to speak clearly and persuasively.