CBS Business Projects: gain valuable practical business experience while studying

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CBS-Business Projects:
Learning by doing

What are the CBS Business Projects?

The CBS Business Projects are study projects in which CBS students can put theory to practice and gain hands-on practical experience in team and project management in cooperation with a corporate partner. The students work on real business scenarios that are offered by the university in cooperation with companies and non-profit organisations from the regions around our respective campuses. Practical learning content such as digital transformation processes, market research on product innovations or employer branding are examples of the kind of assignments given. The aim of the projects is to encourage learning-by-doing by working through a consulting process for an external client and to derive recommendations for action for the practice partner in the form of a final presentation.

What is the CBS Business Projects sequence?

The CBS Business Projects are regular courses that are an integral part of the various study programmes at CBS International Business School and run for one semester. In the Bachelor's degree, the project takes place in the fourth or fifth semester and in the Master's degree in the second semester. At the beginning of the semester, students receive various project proposals to choose from.

After an internal introduction to the project by the supervising professor, a kick-off meeting takes place with the cooperation partner. In addition to getting to know each other personally, the topic and the concrete expectations for the project results are defined. Afterwards, the students structure the project independently, regulate responsibilities within the project team and determine the communication strategy for the project. In the following first project phase, research is carried out, existing data is evaluated and analysed, or data is collected independently. In an interim presentation, the project team then presents the first results of their work to the company's contact persons and discusses how to proceed.

In the second work phase, the students conduct further analyses and finalise a concept for the final presentation. This is held on-site or online in front of members of the executive or the management of the cooperation partner. Here, the students present their research results and formulate concrete recommendations for action based upon them. Afterwards, the Business Project teams receive detailed feedback from the company.

What are the advantages of the CBS Business Projects?

All CBS students have the opportunity to gain valuable practical experience and network with corporate partners in the Business Project. Exciting, current study contents thus appear in a new light. The students learn to link theory and practice and further develop their soft skills in the areas of analytical competence, teamwork, time management, and communication skills. The student teams benefit from this insight into project management and thus already gain practical experience in consulting during their studies. In addition to valuable contacts for their business network, many CBS students have got to know their future employer through the Business Project.

8 Teams, 1 Champion: Successful Business Project with UPS

Competition in the logistics industry is intense, and only innovation and optimisation are the key to long-term success. UPS, the largest parcel service in the world, is constantly developing its business. UPS Germany has now been advised on current challenges by CBS students as part of a business project in the German-language General Management Master’s programme led by Dr. Sameer Joshi, who holds a professorship in Strategic Management at CBS. Prior to the project, UPS, in collaboration with Dr. Sameer Joshi, defined eight highly relevant topics.

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Business Project with Royal Canin: Greater customer satisfaction through optmised processes

Our students from the “International Business” programme presented their concept to representatives of ROYAL CANIN’s regional Head Office to crown the joint business project. The students had worked for four months under the direction of Dr. Nils Finger, Chair of Supply Chain Management, on new sub-strategies for further supply chain optimization.

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Find other exciting business projects in our blog

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Open Touristic Data: A Business-Project with Tourismus NRW

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Streaming service TVNOW: A Business Project in cooperation with Mediengruppe RTL

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Effective internal communication in the mobile office: A Business Project with Mediengruppe RTL

Internal communication and knowledge management in the mobile office have been practiced by multinational organizations for decades. However, during the Corona pandemic, more companies adopted the...

This is What Our Students Say

Philip Kollmann

Project Manager
Wayne´s Coffee

"Especially the soft skill courses have been of great help for my performance in job interviews. Through my work in the Finance and Business Club I have built up a broad network and acquired project management skills that have enabled me to score points with companies."

Katrin Rieger

Bereichsdirektorin Reisevertrieb Deutschland / Vice President Sales
HanseMerkur Krankenversicherung

"The practical learning in small groups prepared me optimally for today's project and team work. The CBS provided me with the decisive soft skills and current knowledge from the world of business."

Christopher Rosenbaum

Manager
Ernst & Young GmbH
Wirschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft

"The Management Studies programme prepares you thoroughly for the tasks of a consultant. In particular, the development of presentation techniques as well as analytical thinking is of enormous importance in the everyday life of a consultant."

Oliver Kiderle

EMEA Regional Product Expert
Google Inc.

"The focus on internationality and practical skills have had a very positive influence on my development at Google. Especially the structured and very versatile project work, which is often found at a private school, was extremely helpful."

Kalle Kenkel

Commercial Excellence Manager
GE Healthcare

"My studies at CBS prepared me for a career in today's dynamic, global work environment. As one's origin and physical location become less and less decisive, it has become increasingly important to have a multinational network and adapt quickly to various cultures and environments."

Neil Jordaan

Global Digital Content Manager
Elanco

"Many professors shared their professional business experience with us in class and were able to illustrate dry theory with practical examples. I also enjoyed the international atmosphere on campus."

Patrick Stein

Head of Human Resources
Boston Consulting Group

"The strongly practice-oriented studies and the international orientation of the CBS, as well as the lectures held in English, were an absolutely necessary basis for starting a career with a renowned, international company."

What opportunities are there for corporate partners?

As a business school, we have been successfully working with companies and non-profit organisations from various industries for years. Our Career Service & Corporate Relations department brings you together with the managers of tomorrow. In addition to the Business Projects, you can also take advantage of our numerous career events and our job portal. We can also offer you other interesting cooperation formats for working together with our faculty, which consists of more than 40 professors from different disciplines. This results in a wide range of opportunities for cooperation partners:

Career Center: Become part of our career platform, post your job offers and introduce yourself as an employer.
Career events: Organise company-specific lectures, workshops, networking, and recruiting events with us at our campusses.
Business Projects: Work with our students on concrete, current issues in your company and receive well-founded and innovative proposals for solutions.
Bachelor's/Master's theses: Receive detailed and scientifically sound papers from our students on specific company-related issues (under the professional supervision of our professors).
Workshops: Discuss current issues with our professors and develop concepts and measures together with them.
Practice-oriented research projects: Address current and complex challenges of your company together with our professors within the framework of long-term cooperation and receive individual solutions.

What are the benefits for you as a corporate partner?

As a practice partner in a Business Project, you benefit from the knowledge of the next generation. Through a cooperation with the CBS, you receive valuable input and recommendations for action from our students. You open your doors and thus give the students the chance to deal with current issues in your industry. You determine which data basis and information you provide and how you want to use the results of the project. Often, the cooperation with the students results in opportunities to recruit particularly active and competent team members as interns and working students or for them to write their final thesis in your company. The students take an unbiased look behind the scenes and open up new perspectives for your company. To the cooperation opportunities at the CBS.

How can you get in touch with us if you are interested?

If you are interested, we look forward to hearing from you at the CBS Career Service & Corporate Relations department. We would be happy to discuss the details with you personally. You can contact us even if you do not yet have a concrete project in mind. In consultation with the professors, we will define our contribution to your questions and together find the right framework for the project. Here you can find an overview of our Bachelor's and Master's programmes. The Business Projects are offered at all 3 of our locations: Cologne, Aachen, Berlin/Potsdam, Düsseldorf/Neuss, Hamburg, Hanover, Mainz, and Potsdam.