Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
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What's Important to Us
Mannheim Business School embodies diversity in ways that few organizations can match. At the same time, we are united by a common mission, vision, objectives and values. They form the basis of our daily work and our dedication to fulfilling the highest standards in all areas.
Our mission statement acts as a guide. Together, the employees of Mannheim Business School have also defined five central corporate values that play a major role in how we select, evaluate and foster the development of staff members. We place particular importance on the value of responsibility. It is a central theme throughout our organization and informs our actions, research and teaching as well as the actions of our participants.
In the following, you will learn more about everything that drives us and is important to us.
Mission and Vision
Rigor and Relevance
The University of Mannheim Business School (UMBS), which embraces Mannheim Business School (MBS), has roots which go back to the year 1907, exemplifying our experience in research and education. Over the decades, we have built the leading German business school, with a strong international outreach. We have committed ourselves to the following vision and mission:
VISION
As a leading business school in Europe, we develop responsible business leaders and principled scholars who make a positive difference in society.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to address global challenges through rigorous business research and through the education of responsible leaders dedicated to making a substantial positive impact on business and society.
VALUES
The following values guide us in achieving our mission and our vision:
- Academic excellence as well as rigor and relevance in research
- Thought leadership and innovation
- Critical thinking, diversity, and integrity
- Accountability, responsibility, and transparency
HOW WE BRING OUR MISSION STATEMENT TO LIFE
Addressing global challenges through rigorous research
- We advance knowledge in all areas of business research through academic contributions in leading peer-reviewed journals.
- We share a strong faculty spirit and a striving, rigorous research culture.
- We play an active role in the international research community through top-tier publications, engagement in acknowledged academic conferences, and participation in international collaboration initiatives.
- We foster interdisciplinary research collaboration by engaging with neighboring disciplines at the University of Mannheim and with other research institutions.
- We enable junior researchers to reach their full potential in academia through a rigor-driven research environment.
Addressing global challenges by educating responsible leaders
- We are committed to an education with a sound foundation in research, and translate our research endeavors in all major fields of business into inspiring learning experiences.
- We enable students to solve relevant business and societal challenges by employing a strong analytical and methodological approach.
- We strengthen self-reliance, resilience and independent thinking in our students. We deepen the sense of personal responsibility for all their actions.
- We prepare students for careers in an international and dynamic environment through internationally oriented programs and close cooperation with partner universities across the globe.
- We foster our students’ personal and academic growth by providing a stimulating and inclusive learning environment, which has as a foundation rigorous student selection standards.
- Our program portfolio represents a hub for lifelong learning, offering our diverse groups of students, practitioners, and faculty a wealth of opportunities to connect and exchange ideas. The portfolio includes bachelor's, master's, specialized master's, doctoral programs, (E)MBA programs and Executive Education.
Impacting business and society
- We engage in research relevant for the corporate world, organizations, and governments.
- Our faculty members are recognized thought leaders and shape current public debates.
- We provide empirically sound facts for evidence-based decision making.
- We disseminate relevant research findings through collaboration with companies and organizations, appointments in political expert panels, and presence in the media to achieve the maximum possible outreach.
Testimonial Video
In this video, we have gathered voices of key stakeholders that show that our mission, vision and values are the basis of our daily work and of our dedication to fulfilling the highest standards in all areas.
Values
Together, the staff of Mannheim Business School has defined five central corporate values which, for instance, determine our actions and form the basis for personnel appraisal and development.
Responsibility
- We pursue our mission of educating executives with a great sense of responsibility
- Our approach is based on openness, fairness and mutual respect
Innovation
- We foster creative and constructive thinking to achieve innovative solutions
- Entrepreneurial thinking and action on the part of our staff ensures continuous growth and a strong market position
Excellence
- We provide excellent education of the highest international standard
- We strengthen the international reputation of the University of Mannheim
Knowledge transfer
- We enable an open exchange and development of knowledge
- We engage actively within our networks
Market orientation
- We develop and adapt our programs in line with market requirements
- We create added value for our customers
Learning Goals
We know exactly what our leaning goals for each program look like and how we aim to achieve them.
In order to make these transparent for our stakeholders – from participants to corporate partners – we have listed the learning goals of our study programs below.
Executive MBA Programs
- General Management Knowledge
Participants will have general management knowledge.
Smart Decision Maker
Participants will be innovative and strategic decision makers. They will solve complex business problems using cross-functional business knowledge, strategic view and innovative spirit.
Global Social Responsibility and Sustainability
Participants will be sensitized to ethical and social implications related to business decisions. The participant has cross-cultural competencies and acts confidently in international business settings.
Team player and effective leader: Participants will be self-aware leaders committed to collaboration.
Mannheim MBA
- Core management knowledge and global understanding
Students are able to demonstrate and apply discipline-specific knowledge to identify and solve practical problems in the respective areas. Students have a global understanding of general management and business.
- Application of knowledge and concepts
Students are able to apply and adapt knowledge to solve an unfamiliar problem in a specialized field in business. They are able to apply concepts, theories and methods as well as their own practical experiences.
- Cross-cultural and international competence
Students are aware of cultural differences and diversity and understand the implications for corporate reality.
- Ethical, social and sustainable behavior
Students understand the role of ethical and social implications and follow them when making sustainable business decisions.
- Teamwork and leadership
Students act up to the importance of teamwork and leadership in order to develop promising solutions to a complex problem.
Mannheim Master in Sustainability & Impact Management
- General Knowledge
Participants will have comprehensive general knowledge in sustainability and management.
- Impact Management Skills
Participants will develop methodological skills to understand and measure business impacts on people, planet, and profit.
- Smart Change Agents
Participants will develop personal skills to become pro-active change agents in their organizations and beyond.
Mannheim Master in Management Analytics & AI
- General Knowledge
Participants will have knowledge in management and analytical methods.
- Smart Decision Maker
Participants will be innovative and make data-driven strategic decisions.
- Ethics in Data Science
Participants will consider ethical and social implications related to business decisions in management, will be responsible in using data and protect individuals’ privacy.
Mannheim Master of Accounting and Taxation
- Application of interdisciplinary in-depth knowledge in the fields of business and economics
Students are able to demonstrate and apply basic and specific knowledge within concepts and principles of particular fields of business and economics.
- Teamwork and leadership
Students act up to the importance of teamwork and leadership in order to develop promising solutions to a complex problem.
- Application of knowledge and concepts
Students are able to apply and adapt knowledge to solve an unfamiliar problem in a specialized field in business. They are able to apply concepts, theories and methods as well as their own practical experiences to write a scientific group report over a period of one year.
- Specific knowledge in German law
Students are able to demonstrate and apply basic and in-depth knowledge within concepts and principles of particular fields in German law.
- Specific knowledge in accounting & taxation
Students are able to demonstrate and apply discipline-specific knowledge to identify and solve practical problems in the respective areas.
Social Responsibility
We traditionally assign particular importance to responsibility as a value. Responsibility is the leitmotif that runs through our organization. It defines our actions, teaching and research as well as the work of our participants. We are proud that our achievements in this field have already won numerous accolades.
Organization
- Firmly anchored in our strategy and Mission Statement
- One of the five core values of the organization developed by our staff
- Student selection based on personal interviews; responsibility a key factor in the admissions process
- “Honor Code” and “Code of Conduct” form the foundation of the program; violations can lead to expulsion
- “Green MBS”: Initiative conducted by staff to enhance the sustainability of processes in the workplace (e.g. significant reduction in the use of paper/scope of printed materials)
Research and Instruction
- Professorships/Chairs in the Business School and the School of Humanities of the University of Mannheim
- Integration of the topics of ethics and CSR in many research programs
- Courses in business ethics and CSR are mandatory in all MBA programs
- Integration of issues from these areas in nearly all teaching areas (e.g. marketing, logistics, economics)
- Service learning integrated into the curriculum as a learning method
Student involvement
- In MBA programs, a social project is a core element of the curriculum
- Every year, roughly 15 social projects are implemented by groups of participants from Mannheim Business School – generally in collaboration with organizations in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region
- Projects focused primarily on collecting donations have raised over €100,000 for charitable purposes in individual cases
- The aim of social projects is to encourage participants to become involved, take responsibility and increase their awareness of societal and environmental issues
- For international participants, social projects give them the opportunity to gain further insights into the culture and society of Germany
Awards
- #24 globally, #9 in Europe and #1 in Germany in the Better World MBA Ranking 2017 of the Canadian sustainability magazine Corporate Knights
- One of five companies nominated for the social responsibility prize for medium-sized companies of the State of Baden-Württemberg in 2015 (LEA; sponsored by the Ministry of Finance and Economics and social welfare organization of Baden-Württemberg's churches)
Carbon Footprint
Humanity is facing major challenges in matters related to environmental and social sustainability. And mitigating global warming is key to both. We are still in a position to slow down climate change and limit its effects. However, this requires consistent and concerted action. It is only natural that Mannheim Business School stepped up to the plate in this matter too.
First, we thought it important to learn about our own greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, together with Fokus Zukunft, we determined our company’s carbon footprint for the fiscal years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, which we will continue to do in the future. The emissions report was prepared in line with the requirements of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) Corporate Standard developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
The initial results were encouraging and provided a number of suggestions for further reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, in fiscal year 2020/2021, we managed to reduce our total emissions by 18.2% in comparison with the previous period (Scope 2: 10.60%; Scope 3: 32.93%). Consonant with the University of Mannheim, Mannheim Business School has set itself the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
Mannheim Business School’s full carbon footprint for the fiscal years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 are available below (in German only).
MANNHEIM BUSINESS SCHOOL (MBS)
Located in the heart of the German and European economy, Mannheim Business School (MBS), the umbrella organization for management education at the University of Mannheim, is considered to be one of the leading institutions of its kind in Germany and is continuously ranked as Germany’s #1.
MBS MERCHANDISE SHOP
