Summer 2012 - HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management

Over 110 Years of Experience
in Management Education 1
HHL NEWS FRÜHJAHR 2012 01
Number 1 in
Over 120 Start-Ups
Entrepreneurship
Founded by HHL Alumni
HHL NEWS
LEIPZIG GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT SUMMER 2012 WWW.HHL.DE
110 120
New HHL Logo
We Know Our Origins.
The Future Can Begin.
The corporate design by Claus Koch is to
make HHL‘s new orientation visible, both
nationally and internationally.
The merchant is alive. He is not just in the
background but an inherent part of the
logo. The contrast of light and dark emphasizes
the dynamics. The sans-serif script
‚Handelshochschule Leipzig‘ improves
readability. The year of establishment 1898
expresses tradition and forms the optical
center of the outer ring.
The name is new. In the future, we are only
going to speak and write about HHL. With
this step, our name is identical with our
web address for international students and
partners. The strong typography reads‚ Entrepreneurial
Leadership‘. In combination
with the merchant, we are strengthening
our identity.
It is all about color. In combination with the
HHL anthracite the HHL blue is brilliant,
intense and reflects the challenge. With the
HHL yellow as a secondary color we add
warmth and optimism. This is naturally
no coincidence – we are geared to the state
and city colors.
The logo is not alone. The new corporate
design also consists of fonts, photos,
design, language and ambition. Step by
step, we are going to adapt all means of
communication. Everyone, be it students,
employees or professors, will become a
brand ambassador. Use this chance.
LEIPZIG
GRADUATE SCHOOL HHL
OF MANAGEMENT
innovate125
HHL Targeting Top 10 in Europe
Since its foundation in 1898, HHL has proven
to be a driving force for innovation: 1898,
and it was the first business school in the
German speaking world to pave the way for
the academic training of merchants. Upon
its re-establishment in 1992, the international
orientation of business administration
within the globalization of the German
economy was the focus of its attention.
HHL is one of the pioneers in Germany,
teaching all programs in English since the
mid-1990s. Long before the financial crisis,
HHL was one of the first business schools
to focus on the conditions for responsible
sustainable leadership. HHL now responds
to the growing complexity of leadership
through its concept for the future, increas-
ing awareness for the whole issue and expanding
the dimensions of effectiveness
and responsibility, aided by the perspectives
of innovation and entrepreneurial
leadership.
HHL seeks to establish itself as
one of the leading entrepreneurial
universities in Europe.
With this edition of HHL news, we are
taking stock of the last 20 years since the
re-founding, and through our HHL Future
Concept taking a glimpse at the year 2023,
when HHL will celebrate its 125 th anniversary.
By then, HHL wants to have moved
up into the league of the top 10 graduate
schools in Europe with its significant M.Sc.,
MBA and Executive programs as well as
its well-structured doctoral program. To
achieve this, great effort will be made to
realign the content and structure of this
university. HHL will organize its research
and teaching activities in topic-related
groups to consolidate its strengths and be
able to profile new focal points. In relation
to the pressing issues of modern leadership,
the faculty will be composed of the
following fields: Strategic & International
Management; Finance, Accounting &
Corporate Governance; Economics & Regulation;
Sustainability & Competitiveness as
well as Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
HHL will organize its research
and teaching activities in topicrelated
groups to consolidate its
strengths and be able to profile
new focal points.
Cross-faculty centers will be established
at HHL to ensure the cross-linking and
profiling of research, teaching and knowl-
edge transfer. Firstly, HHL‘s new Center for
Advanced Studies in Management (CASiM)
will deal with basic questions of business
administration in the 21 st century. The
planned Center for Entrepreneurial and
Innovative Management (CEIM) will bundle
the individual groups‘ expertise in innovative
entrepreneurship in existing companies,
companies established by merger or
start-up businesses. With this, HHL seeks
to establish itself as one of the leading
entrepreneurial universities in Europe.
In addition to the two renowned full-time
M.Sc. and MBA programs, HHL has gained
a reputation for its part-time programs as
well. With its part-time M.Sc., HHL is the
first business school in Germany to react to
changes in the requirements arising from
the Bologna reform. This is supported by a
growing number of companies within the
framework of their human resource development,
e.g. by funding scholarships. HHL
was able to close cooperation agreements
with companies such as Deutsche Telekom AG.
New programs are to roughly
double the number of students
and faculty members in the
following five years.
The content-related advanced development
and expansion is accompanied by a further
growth of the faculty and a quality-oriented
increase in the number of students. New
programs are to roughly double the number
of students and faculty members in the
following five years. This will allow HHL to
obtain additional international accreditations
and to be included in further rankings.
This growth is to involve a further
internationalization of the faculty as well
as an increase in the number of women in
the faculty, the student community and the
HHL bodies. In 2012 alone, the proportion
of international faculty members will rise
from 10 to over 25 percent. HHL wants to
fund its growth by raising its self-financing
power from tuition fees and third-party
research funding as well as the systematic
expansion of endowment chairs and the
capital increase of the Kramer Foundation
being one of the three non-profit associations
of HHL.
Professor Andreas Pinkwart,
Dr. Axel Baisch
How Do You Think Should HHL be Managed as a Brand, Professor Kirchgeorg?
For brand management, we need to keep
an eye on the triad of brand promise, brand
presentation and brand organization. The
new brand presentation reflects the further
development of the HHL self-image.
Brand management starts on the inside, i.e.
at HHL, we need to fill the brand promise
with life and demonstrate it every single
day. This is a task for the HHL Community
as a whole. The formal brand presentation
demands a consistent use of the brand
whenever HHL steps into the public eye.
HHL as a brand is present at a number of
communication activities – starting with
our HHL brochures, our website to the
HHL accessories and presentation slides
which we use on a daily basis in our classes
and at research conferences. We must not
forget about the many presentations given
by HHL students. HHL as a brand is applied
here as well. Therefore, we need a uniform
slide master. Considering the organization,
a first and very important precondition is
that the significance of consistent branding
and brand management is understood
at all levels from Executive Management to
the individual departments. This must be
reflected in us regularly assessing
the brand awareness and image of HHL
among our relevant target groups. After
all, it is good to obtain a neutral outside
perspective on the development of the
HHL brand. I would be glad if Claus Koch
supported us over the next few years with
his expertise as the brand creator and
“brand guardian”.

02 HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012
Personal Greetings
to the 20 th Anniversary
after the Re-establishment
of HHL in 1992
“Saxony is considered a land of engineers.
Economic success, however, also requires
good economists. They have been trained
here in Leipzig, the cradle of German business
administration, since 1898. HHL successfully
reconnected with this great Saxon
tradition upon its refounding 20 years ago.
Today, it is regarded as an entrepreneurial
forge and one of the best training sites for
futures managers. I congratulate HHL on
this anniversary from the bottom of my
heart! I would like to thank everyone involved
in building this excellent private
educational institution through their
support and commitment. I wish HHL
continued success for its third decade!”
Stanislaw Tillich
Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony
“As a student over 40 years ago I had already
heard from Professor Deutsch about
the outstanding significance of HHL as the
birth place of German business studies.
Therefore I was very happy to be able to
contribute to HHL‘s start in the new time
as a Business School after reunification in
my position as the Saxon Minister of
Finance. HHL used that chance as the very
positive development shows. For the coming
20 years (100 years would be a little
presumptuous) I wish the school further
great academic success and wide international
recognition. So will HHL remain a
scientific lighthouse and important motor
for the development of Saxony.”
Professor Georg Milbradt
Chairman of the Board of the Kramer
Foundation and retired Minister President
of the Free State of Saxony
“The venerable HHL can be proud of its
outstanding scientific reputation which it
has obtained over the past 20 years since
its re-establishment and which is reflected
again and again in no less than the top
positions of international rankings. Today
it is hard to imagine Saxony‘s diverse and
attractive academic landscape without it.
My very own personal congratulations for
HHL are connected to the best wishes for
a successful future and the hope that the
school will manage to get those protagonists
who benefit the most from excellently
educated graduates more involved in the
financing then before, namely the numerous
industry and service enterprises throughout
the whole of Germany. That‘s how HHL
can reach their next medium-term goal,
namely to rise up in the Top Ten of European
Business Schools. Ad multos annos!”
Professor Sabine von Schorlemer
Minister of State for Science and Art of the
Free State of Saxony
“In the name of the Leipzig Chamber of
Industry and Commerce, I would like to
cordially congratulate HHL to their 20th
birthday after their re-establishment. Both
houses are connected by a long tradition.
As one of the partners we compliment HHL
on its achievement to gain an excellent
reputation in the national and international
scientific landscape. At the same time we
would like to thank all those who have contributed
to this successful development –
which are, amongst others, particularly the
Free State of Saxony, the Chair benefactors,
cooperation partners and other personalities.
For its future we wish the school many
ambitious students so that even more
young executive managers as well as successful
company start-ups for the economic
region Leipzig will be brought forth.”
Wolfgang Topf
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the
Kramer Foundation and President of the
Leipzig Chamber of Industry and Commerce
“20 years of HHL are a reason for joy and
gratification for the City of Leipzig. Today
Leipzig, the birthplace of scientific business
studies, has a well-respected Business
School which strengthens and supports
our international standards. Through a
long partnership I know: It could not
be taken for granted that the as of 1992
reestablished HHL would be writing such
a success story. I would, therefore, like to
express my gratitude in the name of the
City of Leipzig to all those HHL staff members,
who have played their very own part
in this development. We need a strong HHL
just like HHL needs a strong city to reach
its ambitious goals.
Happy Milestone Birthday!”
Burkhard Jung
Lord Mayor of the City of Leipzig
“I have been the Chair of the Board of the
Association of Friends of HHL for three
years. I enjoy doing this because HHL is
a fantastic training school and additionally
the “cradle” of business studies in
Germany.
For its future I wish HHL only students
who are competent and eager for knowledge,
and the righteous attention of all
those responsible to continue walking
the chosen path to success.”
Frank Stelzner
First Chair of the Board of the Association
of Friends of HHL (GdF) as well as Branch
Manager of Siemens AG, Leipzig
“We are proud to have been part of the
experiment HHL so far and would like to
help lead HHL to the European summit.
From its history it has the potential to also
become the content-related leading German
language Business School worldwide
in the next 20 years. My sincerest gratitude
to all those who got involved intensively
over the past 20 years and my cordial
congratulations to us all for this success.”
Friedhelm Wachs
Chairman of the Board of the HHL Alumni
Association and CEO of Wachsonian GmbH
“Happy 20th Birthday! When HHL was
awarded state recognition in August 1994
its actual new life began. Even though some
hurdles had to be cleared, it was a successful
path from the legendary diploma class
K1, which started in February 1995 with 15
students to today’s MBA and M.Sc. classes.
I wish our HHL loads of luck on its new
course.”
Professor Hans Göschel
Leader of the work group of the founding
Board of Trustees for the new HHL (1992),
Financial Director (1992-2003), HHL
historian
“When we started with the “new HHL”
we only had a vision of what could develop
here. We did, however, have enough
pioneer spirit, an entrepreneurial team
and the necessary enthusiasm to create
something special. That vision has become
reality to a great extent – HHL is now a
leading international Business School!
I only wish one thing for HHL: that it
nourishes and conserves the “spirit of
the formative years” – that will continue
to bring success in future.”
Professor Harald Hungenberg
HHL‘s first appointed Professor after the
re-establishment in 1992 and today the
Chairholder of Corporate Management
at the Friedrich-Alexander Universität
Erlangen-Nuremberg
“20 years new HHL – what, already? I
remember our founding years as if it was
only yesterday. I‘m looking back at this
time full of gratitude, for my scientific
career would not have been possible without
it. HHL has shown extraordinary success
since then. I wish for them to continue
producing top performances in the fields
of research, teaching and start-up support
independently in future.”
Professor Thomas Hutzschenreuther
First doctoral student (1997) and first
postdoctoral candidate (2001) at HHL after
the re-establishment in 1992 and today
Chairholder of Business Studies, especially
Corporate Development and Corporate
Governance at the WHU Otto Beisheim
School of Management

Growing Academically
and Personally –
Incoming Exchange
Students at HHL
HHL is one of the top business schools in Germany and enjoys an excellent
reputation around the world. HHL’s internationality manifests itself in its
accreditation by AACSB, its excellent positions in international rankings, its
membership in international associations of business schools, its integration
into a global network of over 100 partner universities cooperating in student
exchanges and its involvement in international research projects.
Since 1996, approx. 850 students have benefited from the bilateral exchanges
between HHL and its partner universities all over the world. The exchange
students studying at the management forge in Leipzig mostly came from Europe
(53%), followed by Asia (24%), South America (14%) and North America (8%).
Shao-Ting Chung (30), Taiwanese, Assistant
Product Manager, NIVEA Taiwan, National
Chengchi University, fall term 2007:
“At HHL, I broadened and developed my
global perspective via useful courses, group
discussions and many gatherings, which
enables me to be more open-minded and
gives me a competitively unique international
experience while developing my
career path. In addition, understanding
more German culture allows me to be more
passionate and work more smoothly in the
international, German-based company,
NIVEA.”
Malgorzata Maggie Zegar (28), Polish,
Consultant at Simon-Kucher & Partners in
Munich, Germany, Cracow University of Economics,
winter and spring term 2005/2006:
“My stay at HHL opened my eyes to how
personal and tailored a university education
can be; it also raised my awareness of
the career options I had. But not only that -
Leipzig literally stole my heart and some
of the people I studied with hours long into
the night are my best friends today.”
Mario Kessels (29), Salvadorian, Business
Planning Senior Analyst at Axialent in
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Universidad de
Chile, winter term 2011:
“My time at HHL was the experience I had
looked for a long time. The global perspective
in management from HHL gave me a
sharper view of business and fulfilled my
expectations; actually it made me feel that
the world is not that big.”
Linda Obenbergerová (24), Czech, Internal
Auditor in Komercní banka, a.s., a. s. (Societe
Generale Group), University of Economics,
Prague, fall term 2010:
“I definitely benefited from my stay at HHL,
but it is hard to be short in this respect.
HHL was a great experience as a whole.
What I appreciated most however was the
real team work.”
Kevin L. Beicke, CFA (33), American,
Director of Corporate Ratings (U.S. Utilities,
Power & Gas) at Fitch Ratings in New York,
N.Y., U.S.A., University of Chicago Booth
School of Business, winter term 2008:
“I enjoyed interacting with a tightly-knit,
yet diverse group of students at HHL,
which helped broaden my perspective as
it pertains to solving business-related
problems and to life in general. In addition,
as an exchange student with an economics
background from Chicago Booth, I also
found it interesting to see the differences
(both cultural and economic) which have
developed between the former East Germany
and the former West Germany since
WWII. The economic differences that I saw
between the U.S. and the former West Germany,
and between the former West Germany
and the former East Germany, re-enforced
my belief in the “Chicago School” of
economics and the empirically-supported
idea that the closer you are to a free market
system, the greater the overall quality of
life for the people in that system.”
Rajiv Gidla (26), Indian, Product Manager
at Udyog Software Private Limited, Indian
Institute of Management Ahmedabad, fall
term 2008:
“Personally, I got to learn a lot from HHL
in terms of e.g. exposure to different
methodologies, and working with crossgeographical
teams. The lectures are well
organized and helped me practically in
various situations during the time of
my career.”
I wish all those who continue to support
HHL as much joy and satisfaction as I felt.
Dr. Ludwig Trippen
Inaugural Dean from 1993 to 1994,
President from 1994 to 1997
With its re-establishment in 1992 HHL
provided stimulus for academic management
training as the first private school in
higher education in the new Federal States.
Within two decades following the motto
“origin creates future” HHL has achieved
doing justice to the aspirations of excellence
in management training, applying
innovative, generalist and internationally
oriented business-related teaching concepts.
Top scores in rankings, sustainable
partnerships with international institutions
and companies, the successful careers
of numerous graduates and the active
support of the HHL Alumni Association all
attest to this.
I would like to sincerely congratulate HHL
on this anniversary. It makes me very
happy that the visions of the fathers of the
re-establishment have become reality – to
train a capable and responsible management
elite. I wish HHL much luck and
success on its way to the top 10 of the
European League of graduate management
schools. May the grouping of teaching,
research and practice contribute to secure
the high academic level and to continue
to establish the position in international
higher education competition.
Professor Heribert Meffert
Dean from 1995 to 1997
HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012 03
It gives me great joy to see HHL‘s progress.
It is entrepreneurial, dynamic, innovative,
international, diverse and full of life force,
exactly like the city of Leipzig itself. It was
a privilege for me to be closely connected
with HHL for a few years and I wish them
success in their further development.
Professor Gert Assmus
Dean from 1997 to 2000
“Happy Birthday,
Dear HHL!”
Greetings from
Former Deans
As one of the first three full-time professors
at the new HHL and having served as
its Dean twice, I may claim to having been
involved in its development like hardly
anyone else. I quite passionately feel deep
gratitude towards all the other stakeholders
of our school – students, professors,
collaborators, and benefactors – who have
made it a success story far beyond my initial
expectations. The feeble baby of 1992 is
now a strong and healthy grown-up. Happy
birthday, dear HHL!
Professor Arnis Vilks
Dean from 2000 to 2005 and 2010 to 2011
My very personal congratulations to HHL.
HHL is an excellent business school - deeply
rooted in the region but with strong international
charisma. I therefore wish HHL
further excellent students from all over the
world who can benefit from this training –
for themselves but also for Leipzig and the
Free State of Saxony.
Moreover, I hope and wish that generous
sponsors from all areas of society continue
to identify with the goals of HHL.
Professor Hans Wiesmeth
Dean from 2005 to 2010

04 HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012
20 Years of HHL
Leipzig Graduate School
of Management
1992
On October 2, the Leipzig Chamber of
Industry and Commerce and the resurrected
Association of Friends of HHL found
Handelshochschule Leipzig gGmbH (HHL
Leipzig Graduate School of Management).
1996
On January 31, teaching starts with the first
Diploma class K1.
16 students from four countries form this
first class.
1997
In 1997, HHL students for the first time
organize a soccer tournament for business
schools which they call European Ivy
League. The tournament has since become
an annual event in Leipzig.
1998
On February 7, the graduates of the first
Diploma class K1 accept their graduation
certificates within the framework of a
ceremony held at the Old Stock Exchange
in Leipzig.
1999
As recognition for his outstanding work
in research and teaching in the field of
marketing as well as his service upon the
re-founding of HHL, the university honors
Professor Heribert Meffert by awarding
him an honorary doctorate within the
framework of a scientific colloquium on
June 10.
2000
In October, HHL launches a full-time MBA
program with 18 students from nine countries
as a second program.
2002
On January 19, the incumbent Federal
President and former Federal Commissioner
for the Records of the State Security
Service of the former German Democratic
Republic, Joachim Gauck, is a guest speaker
at the graduation ceremony of the K9
Diploma class in the Banquet Room of
the New City Hall.
2003
The first part-time MBA class is immatriculated
in November.
2004
HHL is accredited by AACSB International
as the first private university in Germany
and therefore obtains the coveted seal
from the well-renowned American organization.
This award stresses HHL‘s
quality claim and its aspiration towards
internationalization.
In December, the first German Chapter of
Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society for
alumni and professors of business schools
accredited by AACSB under the patronage
of Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Daimler
AG, is installed.
2005
On April 11, HHL awards an honorary
doctorate to Professor A. Michael
Spence, laureate of the Nobel Memorial
Prize in Economic Sciences in 2001,
professor emeritus as well as Dean of
Stanford Graduate School of Business for
many years, and Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking,
CEO of Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG.
2006
In June, the President of the Berlin University
of Applied Sciences hands over the old
HHL chain of office, which came to Berlin
after 1945, to the Dean of HHL, Professor
Hans Wiesmeth, as a permanent loan.
In September, the new Master of Science in
Management program was launched.
2007
In spring, Europe‘s first and unique The
Negotiations Challenge (TNC) takes place
at HHL. Students from all over the world
face off against each other in this negotiation
competition. In April 2008, Leipzig
hosts the event yet again.
On May 10, HHL is one of five universities
to win the “Austauschprozesse zwischen
Hochschulen und Unternehmen” competition
(“Exchange Processes between Universities
and Companies”) with a total of 84
participants. It scored with the “HHL
Open School Initiative” project. With this
initiative, HHL pursues the goal to establish
itself as a place and partner of a collaborative
genesis of knowledge between
management science and management
practice. The business school receives a
monetary prize of EUR 250,000 from the
Stifterverband für Deutsche Wissenschaft
(Founders‘ Association for German Science)
and the Federal Ministry of Education
and Research within the framework
of this competition.
On the occasion of the graduation ceremony
of the K20, M7 and P2 classes on July
28, Dr. Josef Ackermann, Chairman of the
Board and the Group Executive Committee,
Deutsche Bank AG, announces donations
for the Kramer Foundation of HHL
amounting to a total of EUR 1 million over
five years upon fundraising of twice the
amount from other sources. With this, he
sets a milestone for the fundraising activities
of HHL.
2008
On January 23, HHL awards honorary
doctorates to Professor Michael E. Porter,
Harvard Business School, and Dr. Thomas
Middelhoff, Chairman of the Supervisory
Board of Arcandor AG.
On April 11, HHL celebrates its 110 th
anniversary at Congress Center Leipzig
(CCL) and publishes its anniversary book
‘Die Handelshochschule in Leipzig’.
Professor Kurt Biedenkopf is awarded an
honorary doctorate by HHL for his services
surrounding the re-founding of HHL.

2009
In September, the P4 part-time MBA class
visits Shanghai during a Global Immersion
Trip.
2010
On March 31, the tenure of office of Dean
Professor Hans Wiesmeth, who had led
the university since 2005, ends. Professor
Arnis Vilks assumes the office of the Dean
on a temporary basis on April 1.
Recognizing their accomplishments for the
development of HHL, the university awards
honorary doctorates to the former director
of the MBA Program, Professor Richard
Mancke, PhD, and former Spokesman of
the Board of Dresdner Bank AG and longterm
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of
HHL, Dr. h.c. Bernhard Walter on July 23.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary
of their graduation on September 11, 47
alumni visit HHL. They studied Hotel and
Catering Business at HHL between 1981
and 1985.
On November 2, Dr. h.c. mult. Helmut
Maucher (Honorary President of Nestlé
S.A.), Sylvia Schenk (Chairperson of
Transparency Deutschland), Dr. Ursula
Weidenfeld (journalist), Professor Götz
Werner (founder of the dm-drogerie markt
drugstore chain) and Professor Andreas
Suchanek (Chairholder of the Dr. Werner
Jackstädt Chair of Economic and Business
Ethics at HHL) discuss the moral and
ethical responsibility of the company with
regard to many fields of conflict in the
economy during the HHL Discourse entitled
“So etwas tut man nicht!” (“You don‘t
do something like that!”).
2011
On May 18, the transfer of office to the new
Executive Management of HHL is solemnized
in the presence of many guests from
politics, the economy and science. Professor
Andreas Pinkwart assumes the office
of the Dean while Dr. Axel Baisch becomes
Chancellor. In his inaugural address, Professor
Pinkwart explains that the new
Executive has set the target of leading
HHL into the premiere league of European
business schools by 2020. The Saxon State
Minister for Science and Arts, Professor
Sabine Freifrau von Schorlemer, adds with
a charming double entendre that HHL is
very precious to the Free State of Saxony.
On July 21, the refurbished Mensa building
in Jahnallee is solemnly handed over to its
users, HHL being among them, by Studentenwerk
Leipzig (Leipzig Student Services).
HHL Dean Professor Pinkwart says in his
address that HHL will name the new premises
gained (approx. 1,000 m²) after Eugen
Schmalenbach, the originator of German
business administration, who studied at
HHL between 1898 and 1900.
The new SAM student lounge is opened in
the renovated basement of the HHL building
on July 29. Sachsen Asset Management
GmbH sponsors the design and construction
with EUR 50,000.
With a leap of 19 ranks, HHL catapults
itself to 19th place in the “Masters in
Management” ranking by Financial Times
(FT) in mid-September. HHL scores in
the field of career prospects and the focal
points of general as well as financial
management and marketing in this most
encompassing and significant international
ranking. HHL scores first place worldwide
in the field of entrepreneurship.
The 2011 HHL Forum deals with the topic
“Rethinking Management – What Have We
Learned from Recent Crises?” on November
17. Among the speakers are Stanislaw
Tillich (Prime Minister of the Free State of
Saxony), Professor Birgitta Wolff (Minister
of Science and Economy of Saxony-Anhalt),
Professor Ulrich Lehner (Chairman of the
Supervisory Board of Deutsche Telekom
AG) and Dr. Arend Oetker (President of the
Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft
[Founders‘ Association for German
Science]).
2012
On January 19, MSc5 students Niklas
Hartmann and Heiko Hinrichs accept
the certificate and approval letter for a
one-year National Scholarship. One half
of the scholarship is funded by the federal
government and the other half by the sponsors
Gollmann Kommissionierungssysteme
and Stadtwerke Leipzig. On April 12,
MSc6 students Elisa Böldicke and Janes
Grotelüschen are also awarded a National
Scholarship. In addition to the national
government, the sponsors are two companies
founded by former HHL students, Mister
Spex GmbH as well as Lecturio GmbH.
On January 20, the central German Bio-
Economy leading-edge cluster stands its
ground with the BioEconomy project as
one of five winners of the Leading-Edge
Cluster Competition by the Federal
Ministry of Education and Research
(BMBF). More than 40 companies and research
institutions in Saxony and Saxony-
Anhalt have contributed to the project,
among them Leipzig-based Helmholtz-
HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012 05
Zentrum für Umweltforschung, Deutsches
Biomasse-Forschungszentrum as well as
HHL. The BMBF will provide up to EUR 40
million for research over the following five
years.
HHL is voted among the top 20 start-up
business schools in Germany in the second
round of the “EXIST Gründungskultur –
Die Gründerhochschule” start-up competition
by the Federal Ministry of Economics
and Technology.
The HHL Energy Club organizes its second
conference on April 12-13, this time
on the topic Smart Cities. Experts from
science, politics and research discuss current
challenges and developments in the
energy industry with students from all over
Germany. Dr. Arndt Neuhaus, CEO of RWE
Deutschland AG, says upon opening the
conference: “The energy industry is currently
one of the most exciting sectors.”
On May 12, accelerate@HHL hosts a toplevel
conference on the topic Social Entrepreneurship.
The event aims to provide
young people with an incentive to found
businesses with an added social value.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary
of HHL since its re-founding, the business
school organizes an international conference
on the topic “Marketing for the 21 st
Century” on May 21. In addition to a review
and the introduction of HHL’s new strategic
concept, the granting of honorary doctorates
to Professor Philip Kotler, PhD and Dr.
Michael Otto takes center stage at the ensuing
celebration. Noteworthy: HHL alumni
have founded over 120 start-ups with their
entrepreneurial commitment over the past
14 years, creating more than 2,500 jobs
already, over 1,100 of which are located in
the Leipzig region alone.
On November 22, the 2012 HHL Forum
“Rethinking Leadership – Dynamic Competition
and Sustainability” will deal
with topics especially relevant to leadership
such as financial reporting, capital
market and future planning. René Obermann,
Chairman of the Executive Board of
Deutsche Telekom AG, is among the speakers
expected to join the event.
The first class of the Global Executive
MBA Program initiated by HHL and its
Spanish partner university EADA starts on
September 30. The new part-time program
is designed especially for managers of
international companies.

06 HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012
Dear readers,
A private university like HHL has to rely
on the financial support of companies,
foundations, private supporters as well as
alumni to a large extent. Without the great
contributions from these circles, the re-
establishment in the 1990s and the way
to the top of German business schools
would not have been possible. Private
commitment is the basis for developing
Supporters of HHL (2002 – 2012)
Thank you to all our Partners!
Supporters of the HHL
Marketing Conference and
Anniversary on May 21, 2012
Main Supporter
Porsche AG Leipzig
Premium Supporter
Blue Corporate Finance AG
Deutsche Bundesbank Leipzig
Douglas Holding AG
Kramerstiftung der Handelshochschule
Leipzig
Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH
Further Supporters
Büromöbel Müller Sachsen GmbH
Datenlotsen Informationssyteme GmbH
Deutsche Kreditbank AG
Dr. jur. Dr. h.c. Ludwig Trippen
Dr. Lutz Raettig
DWS Investment GmbH
KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
Martens & Prahl Versicherungskontor KG
Mercedes-Benz Niederlassung Leipzig
Telefonanlagenbau Spanka GmbH
Supporters of Endowed Chairs
Dieter-Schwarz-Stiftung
Dow Olefinverbund GmbH
Dr. Werner Jackstädt-Stiftung
Heinz Nixdorf Stiftung
Industrie- und Handelskammer zu Leipzig
KfW Bankengruppe
Körber-Stiftung
Leipziger Stiftung für Innovation und
Technologietransfer
Sparkasse Leipzig & Ostdeutscher Sparkassen- und
Giroverband
Stiftungsfonds Deutsche Bank & Stifterverband für die
Deutsche Wissenschaft
TUI AG
WestLB AG
Supporters of Centers and
Projects as well as Further
Companions
A.T. Kearney GmbH
Accenture GmbH
ACOD Automotiv Cluster Ostdeutschland e.V.
AGIL GmbH
Akademische Marketinggesellschaft e.V.
Alfred Töpfer Stiftung
Allianz SE
Alte Leipziger Lebensversicherung a.G.
Amazon.de
Amt für Wirtschaftsförderung Leipzig
Arthur D. Little International Inc.
Auerbachs Keller Rothenberger Betriebs GmbH
Avantgarde Dentaltechnik GmbH
Axel Springer AG
B. Braun Melsungen AG
Back & Frost GmbH
Bain & Company Germany Inc.
B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG
Barmenia Krankenversicherung a.G.
BASF SE
BASS GmbH & Co. KG
BAVC Bundesarbeitgeberverband Chemie e.V.
Bayer AG
BBDO Germany GmbH
BDO AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
BearingPoint GmbH
Beatrice Deutschland GmbH
Berlin-Chemie AG
Bertelsmann AG
a scientific profile in research and teaching
which allows a university to compete
with the best both nationally and internationally.
Following the acknowledgments
in our publication commemorating HHL’s
10-year anniversary since its re-founding,
we would now like to thank everyone who
has supported us over the last 10 years. A
special thank you goes to those who have
been accompanying us for a long time and
who support us by sponsoring endowed
Bertelsmann Business Consulting GmbH
billigflieger.de
Biomatum e.V.
BioPlanta GmbH
Biotronik GmbH & Co.
Blue Corporate Finance AG
BMW Werk Leipzig
Booz & Company GmbH
Brunswick Group LLP
BSL Betriebsmittel Service Logistik GmbH & Co. KG
Büromöbel Müller Sachsen GmbH
Deutsche Automaten-Verband e. V.
Bundesverband Deutscher Kapitalbeteiligungsgesellschaften
e.V.
Bundeszahnärztekammer - Arbeitsgemeinschaft der
Deutschen Zahnärztekammern e.V.
CALIDRIS 28 Deutschland GmbH
Capgemini Deutschland Holding GmbH
checkstone survey technologies GmbH
Citigroup Global Markets Deutschland AG
Clariden Leu AG
Classes MSc3, K23 & M9 of HHL
c-LEcta GmbH
Client House GmbH
cliMECS GmbH
CMS Hasche Sigle
Coca Cola GmbH
Commerzbank AG
commlab GmbH
Conogy GmbH
Contur GmbH
CosiFan Computersysteme GmbH
Credit Suisse (Securities Europe) Ltd.
CSSA Chemie-Stiftung Sozialpartner-Akademie
CTG Corporate Transformation Group GmbH
CWC PASEMANN e.K.
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst e.V.
Daimler AG
Daniela und Jürgen Westphal-Stiftung
Datafactory AG
Datenlotsen Informationssysteme GmbH
Decimus GmbH
Deloitte Business Consulting GmbH
Detecon Schweiz AG
Deutsch-Chinesisches Zentrum Leipzig e.V.
Deutsche Bahn AG
Deutsche Bank AG
Deutsche Bank Stiftung
Deutsche Bundesbank Leipzig
Deutsche Kreditbank AG
Deutsche Post AG
Deutsche Telekom GmbH
DVAG Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG
DHL Hub Leipzig GmbH
DHL Inhouse Consulting
Dornier Consulting GmbH
Douglas Holding AG
Dr. August Oetker KG
Dr. Gerd & Nicola Robertz
Dr. med. Hans Plümer Nachf. GmbH & Co. KG
Dr. Heino Faßbender
Dr. Heuser AG
Dr. Horst Saalbach
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG
Dr. jur. Dr. h.c. Ludwig Trippen
Dr. Marc Steffen Rapp
Dresdner Bank AG
Duff & Phelps GmbH
Dunkin Brands UK Ltd.
DWS Investment GmbH
E. Breuninger GmbH & Co.
E.ON AG
eBay GmbH
ECG Erdgas-Consult GmbH
EnergieCity Leipzig GmbH
envia Mitteldeutsche Energie AG
Ernst & Young AG
Ernst & Young Stiftung
Europäische Vereinigung für Aktives Anti-Aging e.V.
European Energy Exchange AG
Evonik Industries AG
Firma Jürgen Berger
Fitness First Germany GmbH
Forcont GmbH
Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH
Freitag & Co.GmbH
Freudenberg Service KG
Fritz Thyssen Stiftung
Gabler Verlag/GWV Fachverlage GmbH
chairs as well as those who support our
centers, field projects and research projects.
I would also like to particularly thank
all small and medium-sized businesses as
well private individuals and the circle of
committed HHL graduates. They facilitate
multifaceted projects not only for the university
but also for its students. I would like
to sincerely thank those who fund scholarships
for our students so that they have the
opportunity to complete such an excellent
GE Capital Vendor Services GmbH & Co. KG
GEBAB Konzeptions- und Emissionsgesellschaft mbH
Gemeinnützige Hertie-Stiftung
Generali Versicherung AG
GenXPro GmbH
Gesellschaft der Freunde der Handelshochschule
Leipzig e. V.
Gewandhaus zu Leipzig
goetzpartners HOLDING GmbH & Co. KG
Goldmann Sachs & Co. oHG
Gollmann Kommissioniersysteme GmbH
Götz Ponater GmbH
Green Microsystems Ltd.
Greenhill & Co. International LLP
GRIP Personal Consulting GmbH
Gruner + Jahr AG & Co KG
GTZ - Gesellschaft für technische Zusammenarbeit
Gudrun Demling
H&N Kultur- u. Projektmanagement GbR
HELLA KGaA Hueck & Co.
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung UFZ
Henkel KGaA
Herzzentrum Leipzig GmbH
HF Sensor GmbH Leipzig
HHL Alumni e.V.
Hitmeister GmbH
HL komm Telekommunikations GmbH
Hoesch + Partner GmbH
Horváth AG
HR factory GmbH
HUK-COBURG-Allgemeine Versicherung AG
Hypovereinsbank
IBM Deutschland GmbH
idbeer UG & Co. KG
Immo100 GmbH
Industrie- und Handelskammer zu Halle/Dessau
JenAcon GmbH
Jenoptik AG
JetFilm GmbH
JPMorgan Chase Bank
KARL-KOLLE-Stiftung
KATHI Rainer Thiele GmbH
Keyx GmbH
KiK Computerausbildung und Vertrieb GmbH
KIROW ARDELT GmbH
KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
Kramerstiftung der Handelshochschule Leipzig
Kugel- und Rollenlagerwerk Leipzig GmbH
KWL – Kommunale Wasserwerke Leipzig GmbH
KWL Stadtbad Stiftung
Labor Dr. Reising-Ackermann und Partner
Landkreis Leipziger Land
Lans GmbH
Lazard Asset Management GmbH
Lecturio GmbH
Leipziger Messe GmbH
Leipziger Stadtbau AG
Leipziger Wohnungs- und Baugesellschaft mbH
Leonardo & Co. GmbH & Co. KG
LGH Leipziger Gewerbehof GmbH & Co. KG
LSG Sky Chefs
Lycos Europe GmbH
MARTENS & PRAHL Versicherungskontor KG
Maryme GmbH
McKinsey & Company Inc.
Medienstiftung der Sparkasse Leipzig
Mercedes-Benz Niederlassung Leipzig
Mercer Deutschland GmbH
Merkur Druck- und Kopierzentrum GmbH
Messe Düsseldorf GmbH
Mister Spex GmbH
MDR - Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
MLP Finanzdienstleistungen AG
Morgan Stanley
Nils Kambach
Noerr LLP
Novosom AG
OC&C Strategy Consultants GmbH
ONTRAS - VNG Gastransport GmbH
ORSAY GmbH
PC-Ware Information Technologies AG
Peter Pribilla-Stiftung
PETERSEN HARDRAHT Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater
Partnerschaft
Philipp Klöckner
Pluriselect GmbH
PricewaterhouseCoopers Aktiengesellschaft
Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
Primacom AG
program, something which is of particular
importance to a private university. HHL’s
success is certainly the best way to thank
our supporters. We will remain committed
to honoring our sponsors’ contributions by
rendering top performance.
Sincerely yours,
Professor Andreas Pinkwart
Dean of HHL
Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co Operations oHG
Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. Karl-Heinz Forster
Public Relations von Hoyningen-Huene und Partner GbR
Q-Cells AG
Rechtsanwälte Dr. Schädlich & Coll.
Renault Deutschland AG
RGE – Rolvering, Germann & Effing Unternehmensberatung
PartG
Richard-Wagner e.V.
Robert Bosch GmbH
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants GmbH
Rothschild GmbH
Rusty Tunnard
RWE AG
Sachsen Bank
Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig
SakostaSKB GmbH
SAM Sachsen Asset Management GmbH
Schott AG
Scintilla AG
Searchmetrics GmbH
Seecon GmbH
Siemens AG
Siemens Management Consulting
SIGNAL IDUNA Gruppe
Smava GmbH
SMP AG
Solon Management Consulting
sprd.net AG
Springer Science + Business Media S.A.
SPVA – Sächsische PatentVerwertungsAgentur
Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst des
Freistaates Sachsen
Stadt Leipzig
Stadtwerke Leipzig GmbH
Stern Stewart & Co. Management Consultants
Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft
Stiftung für Görlitz
Stratos Business Solutions AG
Studiocanal GmbH
Subway Vermietungs- und Servicegesellschaft mbH
SunCoal Industries GmbH
SV SparkassenVersicherung Holding AG
Taschenkaufhaus GmbH
TASK-Initiative des Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung
UfZ
Tchibo direct GmbH
TDB Prozessautomatisierung Ltd.
Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen Verwaltungs GmbH
Telefonanlagenbau Spanka GmbH
The Boston Consulting Group GmbH
Thomaskirche Leipzig
Thüringer Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, Forsten,
Umwelt und Naturschutz
TomTom Work
Translationszentrum für regenerative Medizin (TRM)
trivago GmbH
Umedicon GmbH
Union der deutschen Akademien der Wissenschaften e.V.
Uniplan International GmbH & Co. KG
URSA Deutschland GmbH
Veolia Wasser GmbH
Verein „KunstRäume Leipzig“
VHV Holding AG
Vita 34 AG
VNG – Verbundnetz Gas AG
Volksbank Leipzig eG
Volkswagen Consulting
VR Bank Kitzingen eG
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Weidinger | Richtscheid Rechtsanwälte
WEP Projekt GmbH & Co. KG
Whiskosity GmbH
WIPCOnsulting, Prof. Winfried Pinninghoff
Wirtschaftsinitiative für Mitteldeutschland GmbH
Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Marketing und
Unternehmensführung
WOGETRA Wohnungsgenossenschaft Transport eG
WSB Werbeagentur GmbH
Contact:
Ulrike Maria Dienemann
Head of Business Development
Phone: +49 341 9851-886
E-mail: ulrike.dienemann@hhl.de
Web: hhl.de/support-hhl

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESSES BY HHL ALUMNI
OFFICIAL ENROLLMENT CEREMONY ON MARCH 19, 2012
Not just Take.
But also Give.
By Dr. Gerd Robertz
Dear Students!
“What is and to what end does one study
universal history?” – Friedrich Schiller
asked in his academic inaugural lecture in
Jena in May 1789. It has been passed down
that Schiller’s lecture agitated the audience
and caused turmoil in the lecture hall.
If I follow Schiller‘s question freely today
by asking, “What does it mean and to what
end does one study at HHL?” I hope that the
emotions may not run too high.
In his lecture, Schiller distinguishes between
the type of the bread scholar and –
as a contrast – the philosophical mind. For
him, bread scholars are “the slave souls in
the realm of freedom” as they are unable to
look outside the box of their academic discipline.
They remain strangers to the big picture
of science for they only surround themselves
with questions from the perspective
of their own scientific field. The philosophical
mind aspires to recognize deeper connections.
They are looking for knowledge
beyond their specific field and therefore
stand for interdisciplinarity in Schiller‘s
understanding.
You will argue that you neither study universal
history nor strive for higher philosophical
understanding within your studies
at HHL. In light of the constant pressure
for more efficiency and focus, the contrast
between bread scholar and philosophical
mind described in Schiller‘s explanations
seems to have lost much of its relevance in
our modern times anyways.
So, when we ask ourselves the question
“What does it mean and to what end does
one study at HHL?” we cannot avoid thinking
about whether an existence as a “bread
scholar” is a perspective which can satisfy
you as students or whether the orientation
of your studies on Schiller‘s ideal of the
“philosophical mind” offers a chance for
more success and satisfaction in life. But
what exactly are the aims of your studies at
HHL? I would like to name four goals that
appear particularly important to me.
First Goal: Transfer of Specialized
Knowledge
Your studies at HHL pursue the objective
of teaching you specialized knowledge that
you will later need in your job. The question
arises, however, whether this is possible at
all. When I look at the textbooks from my
studies 20 years ago, many things in those
books literally come from another century.
As the director of an Internet company I
look back and realize that the Internet did
not appear in my studies at all. How could
it when the hypertext service we call the Internet
today was only activated in 1991, the
year I began my studies? Back then there
was no Amazon, no Yahoo, nor Google. Bill
Gates is credited with the quote: The Internet?
We‘re not interested in that!” Nevertheless,
I would clearly say today that my
studies gave me the foundation for my professional
success.
You have enrolled at a school which is proud
to call Eugen Schmalenbach one of its first
students. He studied here, later became
professor in Cologne and is considered
one of the originators of modern business
administration. It is no coincidence that
Schmalenbach‘s work has kept its central
significance in business administration although
the world has changed profoundly.
The foundation that was laid out back then
relates to elementary corporate functions
and processes, and those apply to all companies
– even modern Internet companies.
Let‘s return to Schiller once again. He said
of “bread scholars” that they stop learning
after their hard-won university degree:
“Once he has run his course and attained the
goal of his desires, he dismisses the sciences
which guided him [...]. His greatest concern
now is to display these accumulated treasures
of his memory, and to take care that
their value not depreciate. Every extension
of his bread-science upsets him, because it
portends only more work, or it makes the
past useless; every important innovation
frightens him, because it shatters the old
school form which he so laboriously adopted.”
From those words it could be deduced
that the necessity to avoid merely cramming
up on facts which one then defends a
lifetime long as unchangeable. Rather more
important is practicing methods which enable
you to understand economic interrelations
and provide a foundation for lifelong
learning.
Second Goal: Preparing for Permanent
Technological Change
We are living in a world of rapid technological
change. In my sector, e-commerce, this is
particularly manifest. Five years ago when I
joined buecher.de, e-books were theoretically
existent but had not been brought practically
to marketability yet. Today, we know
that reading books will never be the same as
it used to be. The distribution of digital media
content has become an increasingly important
sales channel and not only over our
desktop-shop, but most notably over mobile
devices. For a company that has so far dealt
with the purchase and distribution of physical
media products, the change to the development
and management of digital download
platforms is existential.
I am convinced that in times of rapid technological
change, competent knowledge
and cross-linked, interdisciplinary thinking
offer the chance to recognize fundamental
technological trends early, to adapt
to them and form the future. Those “bread
scholars” who only equip themselves with
the most essential knowledge will be left
empty-handed more often if inevitable mega-trends
initiate fundamental changes to
their personal economic environment.
Third Goal: Introduction to the
Globalized Economy
Over the past decades, globalization has led
to dramatically changed requirements for
executive managers. Today it is not at all unusual
to communicate in video conferences
simultaneously with people from different
time zones and from different cultures.
A large part of our value-added chains has
shifted to this global space. This becomes
particularly evident when people in the ITsector
work simultaneously from different
continents on the same project or when Call
Centers are cross-linked worldwide and you
have no idea on which continent the person
you are talking to is located. Those who want
to operate successfully in business nowadays
must think globally while still maintaining
a sense for local markets and their
special characteristics. One can assume
that somebody who has already placed their
training on a wide foundation is prepared
much better for situations in which an understanding
of global connections and empathy
for cultural conditions is required.
It is also self-evident that communication
over borders should be an inherent part of
the study program. HHL offers the very best
conditions for that. The intensive work with
I believe that it is appropriate
to ask you, already on your
enrollment day, to not just
take, but also to give.
fellow students of different backgrounds is
to be mentioned here as well as the school’s
international contacts. Use those offers to
lay a foundation for your future role in the
global business world.
Fourth Goal: Building Networks
By deciding to study at HHL, you chose a
type of learning in which there is a constant
lively exchange with fellow students and
professors. Working closely in groups and
the resulting necessity of dealing with other
people, their ideas and arguments is not
always easy. You will, however, also find out
that especially in intensive co-operation,
bonds with other people are created which
will often last a lifetime.
As we saw before, your professional life will
be characterized by large challenges. Only a
few of you will spend your professional life
in one place after your studies and all of you
will be under permanent innovation pressure
no matter what your business sector.
In such an environment, it is important to
know people you can turn to – be it directly,
by telephone or via Facebook. My advice
therefore is the following: begin to build
networks early. I do not mean by that to increase
the number of your Facebook contacts
at all costs. It is rather about creating
a human basis on which you can build your
network. So, even when the pressure to perform
is high, try to help each other and treat
each other with respect. Use the school‘s offers
and get involved in activities that encourage
a sense of community.
Make a Contribution
At the end of my speech I would like to bring
up the question of how you can define your
role in the school. I believe that it is appropriate
to ask you, already on your enrollment
day, to not just take, but also to give.
This contains the request to strive for active
participation in discussions and dis-
HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012 07
courses as well as the scientific work at the
school wherever you can. Let‘s return to the
year 1789 and Schiller once again: “A noble
desire must glow in us to also make a contribution
out of our means to this rich bequest
of truth, morality, and freedom which
we received from the world past, and which
we must surrender once more, richly enlarged,
to the world to come [...]”. Schiller
invites students in his inaugural speech
not just to cram on the taught information,
but to make their own contributions. In its
100 years of history the Leipzig Graduate
School of Management has made important
contributions to German economics as we
have already seen by the example of Eugen
Schmalenbach. You are now standing in this
tradition just as your fellow students, the
professors and the numerous Alumni of the
school. Be aware of that tradition and try
to make a contribution every day, however
small it might be.
Secondly, I would like to ask you not to forget
that “Planet HHL” is surrounded by a
real world. You will gain knowledge here
and be trained in management techniques.
Think about where those can be applied in a
meaningful way. Get involved in society and
try to make a contribution there, too.
Thirdly, I would like to introduce you to the
Kramer Foundation today whose purpose
it is to support HHL. Please think about
whether you or somebody you know would
like to make a financial contribution to the
long-term development of HHL.
With those three requests I would like to
close my speech, but not without wishing
you success in your studies at HHL. Beyond
all the work you should not forget that Leipzig
is one of the most beautiful and exciting
cities in Germany and you should enjoy your
time here. So let me close with three words:
Welcome to Leipzig!
Dr. Gerd Robertz
Dr. Gerd Robertz is the CEO of buecher.de.
After completing a commercial traineeship
at Lufthansa AG, he studied Business Administration
and Art History in Saarbrücken
and Paris. He then moved on to Münster and
Leipzig, where he worked as executive assistant
to Professor Meffert and completed his
doctoral thesis on ‚Strategic Management
of Trade Shows‘. In 1999, Dr. Robertz started
his career at Bertelsmann AG, where he was
staffed on several media projects throughout
Europe. In 2000, he moved to New York
City, where he spent four years working in
different online and marketing positions at
Bookspan, a Bertelsmann TimeWarner joint
venture. In 2004, Dr. Robertz was appointed
President and Managing Director of
Doubleday Canada Inc., based in Toronto.
He moved back to Germany in April 2007,
where he became CEO of buecher.de, one of
Germany‘s top online media retailers. Dr.
Robertz is married and has four children.
For the original full version,
please see:
hhl.de/commencement-addresses

08 HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012
CAMPUS
New Term with 93 Students
Started at HHL
Considerable increase in the part-time MBA and M.Sc. Management programs /
First additional immatriculation in the full-time M.Sc. program
During a ceremony on March 19, 2012, 93
students registered their names in the HHL
roll of students. HHL alumnus and CEO
of buecher.de, Dr. Gerd Robertz, gave the
opening speech (see also page 7). Professor
Andreas Pinkwart, Dean of the school,
said: “We would like to give the HHL students
a warm welcome. You have made the
right choice, studying at a university with
a mission based on excellent teaching and
top-level research. The international HHL
community allows you to extend both your
personal and professional network through
a global perspective. You will experience a
truly entrepreneurial spirit at HHL which
has led to more than 120 start-ups by HHL
alumni.” Regarding the development of the
programs, the HHL Dean explained: “With
the part-time M.Sc. program, HHL proves
to be a successful innovator in the German
science system. After the prototype which
was unique throughout Germany, we now
see the second class of almost twice the
size of the first one starting their studies.
As shown by the record number of participants
in the part-time MBA program, our
2 nd Day of the Welcome Event:
Discussing CSR in a Place Steeped
in History
According to HHL’s tradition of organizing
a welcome event dedicated to ethical issues,
the freshly enrolled full time Master of Science
students (MSc7) as well as our new exchange
students were invited to a workshop
at the Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics
in Wittenberg. In terms of its impact on
world history Wittenberg is one of the most
important cities in Germany. For 500 years,
Wittenberg has been at the cradle of Humanism
and Reformation. We were happy
to have representatives from the European
Commission, the German Federal Ministry
of Labor and Social Affairs, Evonik, Henkel,
and UniCredit HypoVereinsbank as
guest speakers. The event’s focus, “CSR between
voluntariness and regulation,” was
discussed in the Leucorea Foundation, a
place where Martin Luther worked centuries
ago. In the morning session, all of the
guest speakers presented their respective
organization’s view on the topic at stake. Afterwards
the speakers answered questions
raised by the students. In the afternoon it
part-time offer meets the high demand for
high-quality management programs. The
on-the-job training for employees gains
more and more importance in the light of
rapid technological progress and the structural
changes in the economy.”
With the start of the summer term, one
thing becomes clear: the number of participants
in HHL‘s two-year part-time MBA
program taught in English has increased
again by 40 students compared to the previous
year, which represents a new record
in the history of the program first launched
in 2003. The students, all of them executives
or management trainees, have an average
of nine years professional experience and
come from various companies all over Germany
such as Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma,
BMW, Daimler, Deutsche Telekom, Esprit,
Krone, Lidl Stiftung, Lloyds Banking
Group – Bank of Scotland, Roland Berger
Strategy Consultants, SAP, Siemens and
Volkswagen but also regional companies
such as Dell Halle, Carl Zeiss Jena and Stadtwerke
Leipzig.
In order to fulfill students‘ individual requirements
and career aspirations, HHL
will enroll students in the full-time Master
in Management (M.Sc.) program which
starts in September, as of this summer term.
In addition to a term abroad at one of over
100 universities partnered with HHL, the
curriculum for this two-year program now
also includes an internship.
was the students’ turn to engage in group
work. Each group was asked to discuss one
question relevant to CSR and to then present
their findings to the audience. Those
findings as well as the guests’ responses to
them clearly showed how challenging it is
to even talk about CSR, let alone to live it.
Yet there was a valuable exchange of ideas
between all participants that will hopefully
continue in one way or the other. The Welcome
Day was concluded by an inspiring
guided city tour through Wittenberg.
Anne Roscher
Having your Own Business and
Being Social – Social Entrepreneurship
Conference at HHL
On May 12, 2012, HHL hosted the Accelerate
Conference on Social Entrepreneurship.
Speakers such as Katja Urbatsch (arbeiterkind.de)
and Maurice Stanszus (WeGreen)
participated. The conference was organized
by Accelerate@HHL. This student initiative
fosters the entrepreneurial spirit at Germany’s
most traditional business school. Social
entrepreneurs develop business models
which help to cope with social challenges.
Organizer and MBA student Elisabeth
Starke says: “Our conference on social entrepreneurship
was a big success. Not only
because we could attract a unique pool of
social start-ups and expertise, but we could
also invite a great number of students from
all over Germany. There were many committed
speakers. The ideas and business models
they presented were really outside the box,
whether it was in the field of renewable energies
like Jakob Assmann from Polarstern
GmbH or in the field of supply chain management
like Uwe Lübbermann from Premium
Cola. I am sure that a lot of students were
HHL Prepares Final Round of the EXIST
Competition
Under the leadership of Dr. Vivek Velamuri,
HHL’s new Schumpeter Junior Professor for
Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer,
HHL is working on the development of
the concept for the final round of the EXIST
competition. The starting signal for the vote
on the proposal concept with the stakeholders
in the region was given on May 7. Dr. Velamuri
and HHL Dean Andreas Pinkwart
spoke with Professor Beate Schücking, Rector
of Leipzig University, Professor Renate
Lieckfeldt, Rector of Leipzig University of
Applied Sciences (HTWK), as well as with
Professor Thorsten Posselt, Director of the
Fraunhofer MOEZ, Heide Gutsfeld, Director
of the Leipziger Stiftung für Innovation
und Technologietransfer (Leipzig Foundation
for Innovation and Technology Trans-
Former Students Get Involved in National Scholarship
Elisa Böldicke (22) and Janes Grotelüschen
(24), both students of the Masters Program
in Management (M.Sc.) at HHL have been
awarded the National Scholarship today.
Starting summer term 2012 two companies
founded by former HHL students, Mister
Spex GmbH and Lecturio GmbH will
each support one scholarship beneficiary.
The National Scholarship of EUR 300 per
month will be paid for one year to students
with the best performance. One half of the
money comes from the federal government,
the other half of the funds is raised by the
schools. On April 12, 2012, the class of this
term’s scholarship met their sponsors at
HHL.
HHL Dean Professor Andreas Pinkwart
says: “With the National Scholarship at
HHL, promoters in the past such as Grollmann
Kommisionierungssysteme or Stadtwerke
Leipzig and now Mister Spex and
On March 9, 2012, Professor Pinkwart
thanked Dr. Ludwig Trippen (right), inaugural
Dean, President of the Supervisory
Board, Honorary Senator and Honorary
Chairman of the Supervisory Board, for
his outstanding involvement in the re-establishment
of HHL in the name of the entire
HHL community. He personally handed
over to Dr. Trippen an image of the new
Senate Room “Dr. Ludwig Trippen” located
in the new Schmalenbach building of HHL,
which is now equipped with a fireplace. On
the occasion of Dr. Trippen’s 80 th birthday in
2007, the HHL Senate Room was named “Dr.
Ludwig Trippen”. On the fringe of the event
his wife Lieselotte smiles and says:
“HHL has grown very dear to my husband.
Beside our four children HHL has become
the fifth child for him.”
inspired and will start or continue working
on their own ideas. We also received very
good feedback regarding the workshops. In
the workshops the participants got handson
instructions about being an entrepreneur.
I am sure that will support them in setting
up their own businesses. For example
Natija Dolic from LGT Venture Philanthropy
spoke about financing, Julia Klinger and
Jens Bosse Para from the Social Entrepreneurship
Academy spoke about developing
business ideas and Gero Gode from biodeals
spoke about marketing. Last but not least,
the conference was a great opportunity to
network. For the companies it was a good
chance to find interns and vice versa. I was
impressed by the friendly and open atmosphere
at the conference and at the evening
event.” With the motto “Get inspired, gather
skills and create change”, Accelerate@HHL
has achieved its goal of encouraging young
people to found enterprises which create
social benefit.
accelerate-entrepreneurship.com
fer), and other people who are responsible
for this topic at their institutions. This idea
exchange will be developed further in workshops
in the coming weeks. The stakeholders
will meet again to vote on the further
proposal process before the summer break.
As the only business school, HHL has been
selected as one of the 20 best start-up universities
in Germany and can prepare a detailed
concept on holistic start-up profiling
by October. The federal government will
support a maximum of ten universities with
the most convincing strategies in the practical
implementation for up to five years and
with up to EUR 1 million per year each.
hhl.de/gruenderschmiede
exist.de
Lecturio make it possible to train highly productive
and responsible leadership personalities
who connect enthusiasm with the joy
of entrepreneurial thinking and acting. The
National Scholarship also characterizes the
students as a positive example for others.”
hhl.de/deutschlandstipendium
lecturio.de
misterspex.de

ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Food as Unique
as My Pet
Leipzig-based Start-up Enters Market
with Dog Food Concept Developed by
Veterinarians
After more than one year of research and
development, futalis, a company founded
by HHL alumni Janes Potthoff and Christian
Hetke in collaboration with veterinarian
Stefanie Schmidt of Leipzig University, presented
an innovative food concept for dogs
recently. Based on the findings of veterinary
medicine, futalis determines the exact nutritional
requirements of dogs using nine
criteria and produces individualized food in
a process approved by the TÜV certification
company. The combination of a tailored dietary
composition and high-quality ingredients
promote the health, well-being and vitality
of the dog.
The idea to create futalis arose at the Institute
for Animal Nutrition, Nutrition Diseases
and Dietetics of Leipzig University. Veterinarian
and nutritionist Stefanie Schmidt
investigated nutrition-related problems in
dogs there for many years. “In the course
of my work, I treated obese dogs with allergies,
cardiovascular diseases and joint
problems. Many of these problems could be
traced back to the diet,” the company founder
remembers.
During treatment, she could rarely rely on
standard food since the dietary requirements
strongly differ from the composition
of conventional dog food mixes. In
most cases, self-made rations had to be
recommended.
“The tailored food offered by futalis comes
in packs with daily rations and is sent to the
owner directly. In this manner, we ensure an
optimum intake of nutrients for the dogs as
well as a level of convenience for the owner
who often feels confused about the feeding
recommendations,” says Janes Potthoff, one
of the CEOs of futalis. “In addition to that,
5 cents of every daily portion go to charity
projects to help animals and people with
special needs.”
The ambitious team of entrepreneurs receives
financial support from the renowned
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) fund
based in Bonn. The reason for this, according
to Mr. Winzer, their HTGF portfolio
manager, is not only the innovative idea
but mainly the veterinary foundation of the
business concept.
futalis.de
Martin Kempgen
Nikolas Starke
Felix Wünsche
Vice-
Champion
EVENT
HHL is the World
Vice-Champion in
the Conduct of
Negotiations
HHL‘s three MBA students Martin Kempgen
(30), Nikolas Starke (31) and Felix Wünsche
(27) are the World Vice-Champions in the
Conduct of Negotiations. They were a close
runner-up to the team of the French ESSEC
Business School during The Negotiations
Challenge (TNC), the negotiation world cup,
in Paris.
Between April 12 and April 14, 2012 16 teams
of international business and law schools
from 13 countries competed in negotiations
in the French capital. Amongst others, wellrespected
schools such as the Harvard Business
School, the Warsaw School of Economics
and the Chinese University of Hong Kong
took part. Teamwork, the ability to work under
pressure and cultural exchange were in
the center of the international competition.
Nikolas Starke is excited about the diversity
of the program of the negotiation world
cup and the positive atmosphere throughout
the competition: “It was an incredibly
inspiring atmosphere for negotiations and
to get to know each other.” In a commemorative
speech, Professor Barbara Ischinger,
the OECD Director of Education, emphasized
the importance of knowledge of negotiations
– both in society and in the business
world.
The students negotiated realistic cases
about company shares, margins for financial
products, racing horses and wine bottles
in four preliminary rounds. Not only
the final result counted in the negotiation
world cup, which was established by HHL
in Leipzig in 2007 and took place in Paris
for the first time this year in cooperation
with the French Business School IESEG.
Martin Kempgen says: “The sustainability
of the business relationship and therefore
the manner of how the negotiation is carried
out is just as important for its success.”
In the final round the Leipzig business students
had to negotiate aid payments of the
United Union for the financially troubled
Greekonia: “Our team worked extraordinarily
well together. Additionally we could gain
valuable experience during the negotiation
world cup. Congratulations to the team of
ESSEC!” says Felix Wünsche.
thenegotiationchallenge.org
HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012 09
PROGRAMS
Flexibility is King - M.Sc. Program with New Intake in March
In March 2012, a new structure for HHL‘s
full-time M.Sc. program was initiated,
which allows for a program start in both
March and September every year.
HHL is one of very few business schools in
Germany that offer an intake different from
the traditional fall start. The reasons for students
to opt for March are manifold. Philipp
Veit (25) says: “I originally applied for September
2011, but was offered work in India
for a multinational company. This was a
unique opportunity that I did not want to
miss out on. HHL‘s flexibility allowed me to
postpone my application until March of this
year, enabling me to gain valuable work ex-
16 teams
13 countries
perience without giving up my plan to study
at HHL.” His classmate, Paul Mühlbach (24),
has a different story: “I finished my Bachelor
studies this February. Continuing my
education right away allowed me to further
my education without losing any time.
Since HHL‘s program includes a mandatory
internship I will still be able to gain practical
experience.” Offering an additional intake
in March has provided many applicants
with an unknown flexibility. Many Bachelor
studies do not allow time for studying
abroad or to gain work experience. Philipp
Veit says: “Being able to gain practical experience
after my studies has been an impor-
CAMPUS
Students Discuss
Smart Cities
The two-day long II. HHL Energy Conference
from April 12 to April 13 was a great
success. Dr. Philipp Rösler (FDP), the Federal
Minister of Economics was the patron of
the conference on “Smart Cities – Business
Models in an Energy Efficient City”, in which
high-ranking representatives of business
such as Dr. Arndt Neuhaus, the CEO of RWE
Deutschland AG gave lectures. Besides the
challenges for energy distribution the focus
was on energy efficient living and smart
forms of mobility. As in the previous year,
different aspects of the conference topic
were highlighted and discussed controversially
in the context of a panel discussion.
More than 200 students of Economics and
Engineering Sciences from Germany, Great
Britain, Austria and Switzerland had applied
for one of the 80 conference spots. In
the framework of the event, they had the opportunity
to participate in a case study competition
of Siemens Management Consulting
which was endowed with prize money
amounting to a total of EUR 3,500.
In addition to the lectures the students had
the opportunity to engage with over 35 company
representatives and their associates
and take a closer look at their offers.
Besides RWE Deutschland AG, partners and
participants of the event were Siemens AG,
Siemens Management Consulting, Capgemini
Consulting, CTG, Roland Berger Strategy
Consultants, Deutsche Bahn AG and BASF SE.
hhl-energiekonferenz.de
200
Applications
80
Conference Spots
tant input. It motivated me to pursue my
Master degree and thanks to the program
start in March, I can apply that motivation
right away.”
CAREER SERVICE
7 th Start-up
Career Fair
In April, the successful Start-up Career Fair
took place yet again at HHL’s campus. First
initiated in September 2009, this spring’s
event was already the 7 th Start-up Career
Fair which has been organized.
Six start-up companies, all founded by HHL
alumni, presented their businesses to interested
students from all programs.
The participating start-ups – Hitfox, Mister
Spex, Betreut.de, Upbeat Energy, Coffee
Circle and Mysportgroup – gave a close insight
into their day-to-day work, the exciting
experiences they have had as well as the
challenges they had to face while founding
their companies. Considered as very attractive
employers by students, they also talked
about their very interesting career opportunities
for students and graduates. After the
presentations, the start-ups and students
had the chance to network and get to know
each other during a delicious barbecue.
Career Coaching
Workshop with
Workmaze
In order to support MBA students and graduates
with their job search the department
Employer Relations/ Career Service organized
the first MBA specific career coaching
workshop in March with Workmaze,
an MBA Recruitment Consultancy from the
UK. Under the headline “How to take charge
of your career” the workshop focused on
how to create a job search strategy and how
to assess your own skills in order to find
your dream job.
Elizabeth Bird, an experienced MBA recruiter
who ran the workshop, gave plenty of insider
tips on how to write effective CVs and
cover letters and how to be successful in interviews.
Following the positive feedback
from students, Career Service is planning to
repeat the workshop next year.

10 HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012
CHAIR OF MARKETING MANAGEMENT
HHL at the IPJK Research Symposium
“What do we do with the media? What does
the media do with us?” was the topic of this
year’s research symposium at the Institute
of Practical Research on Journalism and
Communication which took place on April
2 in Leipzig. Amongst others, Martin Wiedmann
(HHL) and Katarina Werneburg (University
of Leipzig) presented a cooperation
project which examines the perception of
journalistic and promotional content in a
Future of the Trade Fair – Trade Fair of
the Future: The Journey Continues
In the course of the last 12 months the Chair
of Marketing Management in cooperation
with the Association of the German Trade
Fair Industry (AUMA) has looked into the
subject of the development of future paths
for the German trade fair industry until the
year 2020. In the light of an increasing number
of digital means of communication, the
consequences of the worldwide financial
crisis, diversified political developments
and ecological discontinuities, the AUMA
was very interested in analyzing existing
Sustainability Think Tank in Action
Who is the “sustainably-minded consumer”?
This is one of the questions that the
Chair of Marketing Management is faced
with.
Therefore it has started a research cooperation
with the University of Potsdam (Professor
Ingo Balderjahn) and the University
of Hanover (Professor Klaus-Peter Wiedmann).
The research project is to be carried
out in close cooperation with the “think
HHL Students Develop Portal Strategy
for SV SparkassenVersicherung
For the third time already SV Sparkassen-
Versicherung and HHL have successfully
The HHL Field Project Team visiting
SV SparkassenVersicherung in Stuttgart
Cluster and Network Funding Offers
Optimization Potential
The worldwide fashionable funding of socalled
clusters as a geographical concentration
of related companies and corresponding
facilities to strengthen economic
competitive capacities still offers significant
optimization potential in Germany. A recent
study by HHL project coordinator Klaus
Wurpts shows this.
All 52 management organizations in eastern
Germany which receive funding for three
years in the framework of the “Joint Agreement
for the Improvement of Regional Eco-
cross-medial way. In projects about the perception
of media content, modern eye-tracking
technology is being used to measure subconscious
reactions. With the support of
the Medienstiftung (media foundation) of
Sparkasse Leipzig, the cooperation between
research institutes could be successfully
established.
journalismusforschung.de/markenkommunikation/
development paths and updating them taking
new developments into account. Three
scenarios are resulting from this analysis.
They are characterized by eight influential
factor constellations in differing occurrence
and show how B2B trade fairs will develop
in the future. The “travel route” was exclusively
presented by the researchers on May
23, 2012 in Berlin within the scope of an
AUMA event.
Further Information: Beatrice Ermer
beatrice.ermer@hhl.de
tank of market research”, the GfK Verein
(Professor Raimund Wildner) as a partner
from practice. The aim of the project is to
bundle experience and resources and to set
a common standard for the multiple existing
approaches of measurement: The CSC
scale to measure the Consciousness for sustainable
consumption.
Further information: Anja Buerke
anja.buerke@hhl.de
cooperated. During the winter term the
business students went through the portal
strategy of the Stuttgart enterprise with a
fine-toothed comb. They analyzed the online
presence for example by using the eyetracking
equipment of the Chair of Marketing
Management, carried out trend studies
about technological developments as well
as customer needs of the user groups and
identified potentials for the entire online
presence of SV (website, social media and
mobile apps). The HHL students had the opportunity
to present their project results to
executive managers and the chairman of the
board of SV SparkassenVersicherung.
nomic Structures” of the Federal Ministry of
Economics were analyzed and interviewed.
The great diversity and multitude of mostly
uncoordinated activities show that the
differentiation between clusters and networks,
which describe the coordinated cooperation
of a few selected partners with
a certain goal, are not taken into account
accordingly in the funding process. Moreover,
it is shown that the activities in eastern
Germany lack thematic and geographical
coordination.
Contact: klaus.wurpts@hhl.de
CAMPUS
Heribert Meffert on His 75 th Birthday –
Marketing at its Best!
In the past decades the name Meffert has
become an eponym for market oriented corporate
leadership far beyond German Business
Studies. The principles which have
decided his work over almost half a century
and which have made him the nestor
of marketing as a science, can simply be
called the “three R’s: rigor, relevance and
responsibility.”
His never-ceasing enthusiasm for his special
field of both research and teaching as
well as his great humanity are outstanding
and explain why he has been able to
win so many students and corporate leaders
for himself and his ideas and could develop
sustainable and productive relationships
with them. For all the innovative
Academic Society for Marketing and
Business Leadership
In Mendelssohn’s Spirit – Germany’s Entrepreneurs in Dialogue
with Politics and Science
Just as Mendelssohn Bartholdy cultivated
“salon discussions” in the 19 th century for a
witty exchange of ideas, high-ranking company
representatives from all over Germany
met for the leadership talk of the Academic
Society for Marketing and Leadership on
March 29 and 30, 2012 in the Mendelssohn
building in Leipzig to discuss the challenges
of volatile markets for science and
CENTER FOR LEADING INNOVATION & COOPERATION
New Doctoral Caps and EU-Wide
Research
The Center for Leading Innovation & Cooperation
(CLIC) focuses on Service Innovation
& Hybrid Value Creation as well as Open
Innovation & Interactive Value Creation. Recently
Bastian Bansemir who holds a degree
in Business Studies and Agnes Schipanski
who holds a degree in Media Studies successfully
completed their dissertations. Mr.
Bansemir dealt with the question of “Organizational
Innovation Communities: How to
turn ordinary employees into cutting edge
innovators?” Ms. Schipanski studied integrated
Corporate Communications in internationally
active companies and wrote her
thesis in a part-time program at the CLAAS
KGaA mbH.
In the field of research, CLIC has become a
partner on EU projects. The DICAMP project
focuses the common conceptual development
and the implementation of a crossuniversities
master program on Innovation
Management in Tunisia (www.dicamp.eu).
The aim of the EU “Pro Care Career” project
(www.pro-care-career.de) is to optimize
the penetrability between professional and
spirit that the development of his work displays
so impressively, Heribert Meffert has
always remained true to himself and to his
relationship network. As its scientific inaugural
Dean, Heribert Meffert quickly led the
venerable HHL in the middle of the 90’s into
the top league of Germany’s most successful
business schools following his principles of
the “three R’s”, and he still remains true to
the school. HHL considers itself more than
lucky that Heribert Meffert is again becoming
actively involved with HHL as a new
honorary professor and co-founder of the
Center for Advanced Studies in Management
(CASiM) to help lead HHL to the top
of the best Graduate Schools in Europe as
well. The HHL community is proud of their
inaugural Dean and grateful for his excellent
work. We most cordially congratulate
Heribert Meffert on his 75 th birthday and are
looking forward to many more years of such
productive and enjoyable exchange.
Professor Andreas Pinkwart
politics. Friedrich Merz pleaded for the improvement
of trust between politicians and
the economy after the financial crisis and
for the reanimation of discussions to solve
existing problems.
On the following day the discussion was
continued with contributions from economic
researcher Professor Michael
Hüther and GfK’s former Head of the Board,
Professor Klaus Wübbenhorst, amongst
others, about the causes as well as chances
and risks of volatile markets. The principal
finding of the day: companies will have
to face stronger market volatility in future.
How companies can react to this was talked
about in versatile discussions. Altogether
the Mendelssohn building in Leipzig provided
an adequate ambience of “salon music”
and inspiring talks.
wissenschaftliche-gesellschaft.de
academic qualifications in the care sector to
improve the provision of specialists.
In the course of the next few months the upto-date
research results will be presented
at the annual conferences of the European
Academy of Management (EURAM) as well
as the Academy of Management (AOM) In
addition, the book volume “Zukunftsfeld
Dienstleistungsarbeit: Professionalisierung
– Wertschätzung – Interaktion”, presents
concepts for the professionalization of
services.
clicresearch.org
Dr. h.c. mult. Helmut Class, Chairman of the
Shareholder’s Commitee of CLAAS KGaA
mbH, personally supported the dissertation
of CLIC staff member Agnes Schipanski.

CHAIR OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Guests: Deutsche
Bahn AG and The
Boston Consulting
Group
On March 13, 2012 we welcomed Stefan
Klenke, Head of M&A Transport and Logistics
and Harald Brost, Project Manager from
Deutsche Bahn AG as guest speakers in the
context of the “Corporate Valuation” MBA
lecture. The speakers presented the most
important acquisitions and disinvestments
of Deutsche Bahn AG between 2001 and 2011
and the strategic goals connected to them.
On the same day Dr. Marc Rodt, Principal
at BCG Munich, was a guest speaker in the
context of the “Case Studies in Finance” lecture
of the M.Sc. program. By means of empiric
analysis the students were presented
with new global tendencies of mergers and
acquisitions, which can be characterized
especially by a growing drift of buyers’ interest
in the Asian region. Especially the results
of recent studies which were undertaken
in the successful cooperation of HHL
and BCG about positive learning effects of
serial acquisitions as well as the “Conglomerate
Discount” were explained to the interested
audience.
CHAIR OF MICROECONOMICS
Ethical Leadership
Seminar in
Monrovia
In many ways, ethical leadership is a hot
topic in West Africa. After a very successful
seminar in Freetown, Sierra Leone, last
October, it was replicated in Monrovia,
the capital of Liberia, from February 29 to
March 3, 2012. Led by HHL’s Microecono-
mics professor and former Dean, Arnis
Vilks, experts from Liberia, Sierra Leone,
the UK and Canada discussed a broad range
of pertinent issues with 29 Liberian participants.
They debated topics such as globalization
and development, the rule of law and
human rights, democracy and separation
of powers, corruption, accountable leadership,
business ethics and the challenges of
investing in Liberia, women’s rights and the
role of the media, and how all of them are
of utmost relevance for the economic and
societal development of Liberia – a country
that emerged from a long and cruel civil
war almost ten years ago. “European investors
might contribute to Liberia’s development
not only by providing the much-needed
capital, but also by being role-models of
corporate responsibility,” says Professor
Vilks. The seminar was hosted by the University
of Liberia’s College of Business and
Economics and financed by HHL’s long-time
partner, the Wittenberg Center for Global
Ethics (www.wcge.org).
Field Project Analyses Private Equity
and Family Businesses
For the second time already, the Chair of Financial
Management (Professor Schwetzler)
organized a field project with Dr.
Hanns Ostmeier from the Bundesverband
Deutscher Kapitalbeteiligungsgesellschaften
e.V.. On the topic of “Family Businesses
and Private Equity Involvement – A status-quo
Analysis of Academic Research
and Empirical Evidences” from January to
March 2012 four students of MSc6 examined
under which conditions family businesses
and private equity enterprises can team up
and what the critical factors for the success
of such a cooperation are. Alexander Knauer,
who had taken on the organizational support
of the students: “Private equity is being
discussed controversially in the public, especially
in medium-sized companies and
family businesses there seem to be strong
reservations concerning this form of financing.”
The students methodically worked
their way through case studies and found
Professor Schwetzler at the
WHU Vallendar
For the seventh time the Campus for Finance
– Private Equity Conference took
place at the WHU Otto Beisheim School of
Management in Vallendar on March 29 and
30, 2012, Professor Schwetzler was able to
successfully use this international platform
for students for a lecture and a workshop:
“The lecture gave an up-to-date overview of
that “at the beginning of a cooperation the
press’ judgment is very critical (corporate
raider debate) but that later on and after the
cooperation showed some success negative
press and the intensity of coverage in general
decreases.” In addition, Friedemann
Seith summarizes the results of his student
group as: “Especially our time management
and our capacity to deal with stress were
put to the test – therefore we learned very
much in regard to efficient apportionment
of work, the will to compromise, quick identification
of critical points and interpersonal
dealings.”
research projects in the field of private equity;
in addition, a current research project
of HHL, the analysis of so-called secondary
buyouts was presented. Moreover, the new
research results of the Center for Corporate
Transactions at HHL (CCT) were presented
concerning corporate transactions, especially
Material Adverse Change Articles.”
CHAIR OF ECONOMICS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
“EmPower” Project Focuses on
“E-mobility” and “Energy Efficient
Building Materials”
EmPower is an EU-funded project which
aims to promote the dissemination of innovative
Intelligent Energy (IE) solutions
whose potential remains largely unexploited
due to a lack of awareness, experience
or technical knowledge. The Chair of Economics
and Information Systems of HHL
contributes to this project by organizing
a series of application courses in Germany
which are aimed to increase awareness of
novel technologies and the visibility of innovative
products and services.
On February 16, the fifth EmPower application
course took place in HHL’s Schmalenbach
building. This time the course at-
Exploring the Market of Energy Efficiency
- Field Project for the WEP-Group
Between January and March 2012 the Chair
of Economics and Information Systems together
with a group of four MSc6 students
conducted a field project for the WEP-
Group, which is a project management company
in the real estate sector. Currently, the
company is considering entering the market
of renewable energies with their existing
project management services. The aim
of the field project was to evaluate the potential
the WEP-Group has in this sector
and in the market of energy efficiency. The
HHL team analyzed the attractiveness of
several business models and provided distinct
strategic recommendations to the
company. The students presented the find-
tracted over 90 participants interested in
the latest developments in the sector of
e-mobility.
The following application course on April 12
covered the important topic of energy efficient
building materials.
empower-eu.net
ings in their final presentation not only in
front of WEP’s management team, but in
front of all its employees.
HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012 11
CHAIR OF ACCOUNTING
AND AUDITING
Revenue Recognition
under IFRS:
A Continuous
Challenge
On April 11, 2012, the Gesellschaft für kapitalmarktorientierte
Rechnungslegung e.V.
(GKR) held a seminar on the recognition of
revenue under IFRS. Dr. Stephan Burghardt,
revenue recognition specialist at SAP AG,
presented the software industry’s approach
to the accounting for revenues. In this industry,
multi-component contracts, e.g. the
delivery of a software package combined
with a maintenance contract are of particular
importance yet also present a considerable
challenge from an accounting perspective.
Since IFRS do not contain sufficiently
detailed rules, financial statement preparers
need to turn to the accounting requirements
of US GAAP. The international standard
setter aims to change this approach and
plans to issue a comprehensive accounting
standard on “Revenue from Contracts
with Customers”. While admitting that the
overall effect of the changes cannot be determined
yet, Dr. Burghardt stated that the
software industry needs to re-assess their
current revenue recognition techniques.
Professor Henning Zülch Appointed to
Editorial Board of Issues in Accounting
Education
Following a publication in Issues in Accounting
Education (IAE) last year, Professor
Henning Zülch was invited to join the
Editorial Board of IAE, which is one of three
association-wide journals published by
the American Accounting Association. The
journal covers educational research and instructional
resources and is one of the leading
journals in this field.
HEINZ NIXDORF CHAIR OF
IT-BASED LOGISTICS
Transparency in
the Supply World
On January 18, 2012, as part of the “Intelligent
Logistics & Supply Chain Mangement”
seminar of the Heinz Nixdorf Chair
of IT-based Logistics, HHL full-time MSc.
students had the opportunity to gain some
knowledge about current strategic and operative
challenges in the global supply chain
management of a leading car manufacturer.
Mrs. Catherine Soo (Head of Supply Chain
Management) from Volkswagen AG – Group
Genuine Parts and Service Division – especially
outlined the importance of transparency
along the supply chain for competitive
value creation. Furthermore, Mrs. Soo
exposed the necessity of globally standardized
information and an integrated IT-system
to meet specific customer expectations
in Volkswagen’s regions worldwide.

12 HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012
Upcoming Events
June 11-12
Conference “Key Corporate Governance
Issues in Emerging Markets - Theory and
Practical Execution“
June 15
9 th EmPower Application Course “Innovative
highlights for the solar era in Saxony“
June 23
HHL GMAT Seminar for Beginners
June 28
CASiM Scientific Conference “The Role of
Trust in Business Economics“
June 29
HHL at the 3 rd Researchers’ Night in
Leipzig
September 1
Graduation with keynote speaker Rainer
Neske, Member of the Management Board
Deutsche Bank AG
September 12
Enrolment Ceremony with keynote speaker
Dr. Mark-Ken Erdmann, CIO Corporate
Center, Bertelsmann AG
September 13
Welcome Event for the new students with
the topical focus on ethical issues
September 14
4 th International HHL Manager Golf Cup
October 12
HHL Master Information Day
November 22
HHL Forum 2012
Application Deadlines
for HHL’s
Study Programs
Full-time M.Sc. Program:
June 20 (intake September)
January 15 (intake March)
Full-time MBA Program:
June 30, Non-EU applications: May 30
Part-time M.Sc. Program/
Part-time MBA Program:
January 15
Global Executive MBA:
August 31, 2012
Along with about 400 national and
international educational institutions
from more than thirty countries,
HHL took part in the 3 rd International
Exhibition and Conference on Higher
Education held from April 17 to April 20
in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
In cooperation with the
German Academic Exchange Service,
HHL presented its MBA programs as
well as its new Global Executive MBA
Program. The audience came from
Saudi Arabia, Syria, India and Pakistan
and added up to 250,000 visitors in
four days. Representing HHL were
Ms. Margarita Setska (right), Student
Recruitment Manager for HHL’s MBA
programs, and Dr. Tim Metje (left), the
Executive Assistant to the Dean and
Chancellor at HHL.
PROGRAMS
Scholoarships for
New Global Executive
MBA Program
The new Global Executive MBA program of
HHL and EADA will start in October 2012.
Courses will take place during 10 residential
weeks at EADA in Barcelona and HHL
in Leipzig as well as at top-ranked partner
institutions in Brazil (Business School
São Paulo), China (Lingnan University, Sun
Yat-sen University / Guangzhou) and India
(Management Development Institute /
Gurgaon).
We offer two scholarships for outstanding
candidates: a Scholarship for Female
Managers and a Scholarship for Social Entrepreneurs.
Furthermore HHL alumni will
get a discount of 10% on the tuition fee of
41,000 Euro. Candidates who apply before
May 31, 2012 will benefit from the Early
Bird Special.
hhl.de/Global-Executive-MBA
Euro*MBA: Top
Grades for HHL
The students participating in the residential
week of the Euro*MBA Program which
took place in Leipzig in early January 2012
thought it was excellent. According to
evaluations, the students particularly enjoyed
their accommodation and lessons
in the city center of Leipzig, the content of
the various courses as well as the visit to
the Leipzig Opera. The 70 students from 25
countries, who on average were 37 years
old and have had 11 years of professional
experience, came back to school in Leipzig
as part of the Euro*MBA. The individual
courses and events were organized by the
team of HHL Executive. The Euro*MBA is
an innovative, two-year e-learning-based
executive program that combines the latest
distance learning technology with concentrated
residential weeks at six European
sites.
The application deadline for the Euro*MBA
Program starting in September 2012 is July
15, 2012.
hhl.de/euromba
Take Note for 2013:
General Management
Program by
HHL Executive
HHL Executive offers management courses
for managers and future managers between
January and June 2013 as well as April
and November 2013. They are designed
for participants wishing to expand their
knowledge of business administration and
management competencies. The program
consists of six two-and-a-half-day modules
on the topics of strategy, problem solving,
brand management, leadership, communication,
finance and controlling, rounded
off by a business game to apply the newlyobtained
knowledge. All classes take place
between Thursday and Saturday afternoon
and will be taught by HHL professors as
well as top-level lecturers from the field.
The program is tax-deductible. Information
and applications for the General Management
Program:
hhl.de/gmp or via email: executive@
hhl.de
SAVE THE DATE
June 11-12, 2012
Conference “Key Corporate
Governance Issues in Emerging
Markets - Theory and Practical
Execution“
On June 11-12, 2012, the Center for Corporate
Governance in cooperation with the
Global Corporate Governance Forum (IFC/
World Bank Group) will host a conference
on the topic “Key Corporate Governance
Issues in Emerging Markets - Theory and
Practical Execution” in Leipzig.
The conference sessions will focus on key
governance issues in Africa
(Nigeria), Southern Europe (Croatia), and
Asia (Indonesia). Philip Armstrong (Head
of the Global Corporate Governance
Forum), Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz (State Secretary
of the German Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and Development),
and John Lim Kok Min (Chairman of the
Singapore Institute of Directors) will be
among the speakers.
hhl.de/ccg
June 28, 2012
CASiM Scientific Conference “The
Role of Trust in Business Economics”
On June 28, 2012, the Center for Advanced
Studies in Management (CASiM) and HHL
will host a scientific conference on the topic
“The Role of Trust in Business Economics”.
The current economic and financial crisis
clearly demonstrates what happens if trust
is violated or even lost. Thus the role of
trust within firms, on the market and in the
national economy is definitely one of the
current key topics of business economics.
The conference will run scientific talks in
three subsequent panels focusing on “Trust
and the Theory of the Firm”, “Trust in Markets”
and “Trust in Innovation“.
Call for Papers: A special issue of the
Schmalenbach Business Review will be
devoted to the topics of the CASiM Conference.
Deadlines: June 10, 2012, for the presubmission
of an abstract; and August 31,
2012, for the submission of the full paper.
hhl.de/casim-conference-2012
June 29, 2012
HHL Presents Itself During the
Long Night of Sciences in Leipzig
HHL will make itself present in an innovative
manner on June 29, 2012, from 7 to 9
pm on the occasion of the Third Annual
Long Night of Sciences in Leipzig. Almost
all Leipzig-based scientific institutions
contribute to the science event which takes
place between 6 pm and midnight that
night and is free for visitors. In addition to
a possible walk through the city center, a
shuttle bus operated by the Leipzig transportation
company LVB takes visitors on
several routes to the various institutions.
HHL will present itself in an interactive
manner on its Jahnallee campus under the
motto “Inspiring – How a student initiative
sparks entrepreneurial spirit”, “Gone to
the dogs! How do you establish a company
in science?”, “Seeing and being seen – how
eye tracking is used in marketing research”,
“How does Open Innovation work?” and
“Bachelor – what next? Career prospects
with a Master’s from HHL”. The presentations
are worth a visit since we raffle
vouchers for a founder’s coaching by HHL
or some dog food by futalis.
wissenschaftsnacht-leipzig.de
June until August 2012
SMILE Events for Entrepreneurs
From June 21 until August 14, 2012, six
SMILE events will take place at HHL. They
will deal with useful information for entrepreneurs
on topics such as financing, risk
management, and networking. The participation
in any SMILE seminar or workshop
is free. Some are held in German and some
in English.
SMILE stands for Self-Management Initiative
Leipzig and is a cooperative effort
between HHL , the University of Leipzig,
and others, and is funded by the European
Social Fund(ESF), the State Ministry for
Economic Affairs, Labor and Transport
(SMWA) and the State Ministry for Science
and Art (SMWK). SMILE supports students
or graduates who are interested in founding
their own businesses.
For more information on SMILE and details
of the events, as well as the registration
form, please go to
smile.uni-leipzig.de
September 14, 2012
4 th International HHL Manager
Golf Cup
We cordially invite you to our next HHL’s
Manager Golf Cup on September 14, 2012.
The event aims to expand and strengthen
our business network. Regional and international
business leaders will have the opportunity
to demonstrate their skills on the
Dübener Heide golf course (www.golfclubleipzig.de)
and their commitment to HHL
at the same time. The Manager Golf Cup
will start at midday with a brunch. Following
the official tournament, there will be
an evening event with an awards ceremony.
For further information – also on the
various possibilities to support the event –
please contact Sophie Schnick via mail
golfturnier@hhl.de or
telephone +49 341-9851 885
November 22, 2012
2012 HHL Forum: Rethinking
Leadership – Dynamic Competition
and Sustainability
Following the 2011 HHL Forum entitled
“Rethinking Management – What Have We
Learned from Recent Crises?”, we would
like to consider the conflict between competition
and sustainability in 2012. What
are the consequences for company leadership?
What could a future leadership
model look like? The 2012 HHL Forum will
address these questions with a particular
focus on the following three leadershiprelevant
topics: financial reporting, capital
market and future planning. René Obermann
(CEO of Deutsche Telekom AG) will
be among the speakers.
Contact: HHLForum@hhl.de
Impressum
Publisher:
HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management
Jahnallee 59 · 04109 Leipzig · Germany
Tel.: +49 341 9851-60 · Fax: +49 341 9851-679
e-mail: info@hhl.de · Internet: www.hhl.de
Publication Date: May 21, 2012
V.I.S.D.P.: Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart,
Dean of HHL
Editors: Executive Management of HHL:
Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Dr. Axel Baisch
Editorial Board: Volker Stößel (MBA)
Concept: CLAUS KOCH TM
www.clauskoch.com
Photos: HHL, SV SparkassenVersicherung
Frequency: quarterly
ISSN 1433 934X | ISSN 1867-8017
Thank you to all contributors and proofreaders
of this edition.

HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012
Granting of Honorary Doctorates by HHL
Leipzig Graduate School of Management
to Professor Philip Kotler, PhD and
Dr. Michael Otto on May 21, 2012
Professor Philip Kotler, PhD
S.C. Johnson & Son Professor of International
Marketing at the Kellogg School of
Management, Northwestern University,
Evanston, Illinois
Philip Kotler, born in 1931, is the S.C.
Johnson & Son Professor of International
Marketing at the Kellogg School of
Management, Northwestern University,
Evanston, Illinois. The Kellogg School was
voted the “Best Business School” for six
years in Business Week’s survey of U.S.
business schools. It is also rated as the
“Best Business School for the Teaching of
Marketing.” Professor Kotler has significantly
contributed to Kellogg’s success
through his many years of research and
teaching there.
He received his Master’s Degree from the
University of Chicago and his Doctorate
from MIT, both in economics. He did postdoctoral
work in mathematics at Harvard
University and in behavioral science at the
University of Chicago.
Professor Kotler is the author of: Marketing
Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation
and Control, the most widely
used marketing book in graduate business
schools worldwide; Principles of Marketing;
Marketing Models; Strategic Marketing
for Nonprofit Organizations; The New Competition;
High Visibility; Social Marketing;
Marketing Places; Marketing for Congregations;
Marketing for Hospitality and
Tourism; The Marketing of Nations; Kotler
on Marketing, Building Global Biobrands,
Attracting Investors, Ten Deadly Marketing
Sins, Marketing Moves, and Marketing
Insights from A to Z. He has published over
one hundred articles in leading journals,
several of which have received best-article
awards.
Professor Kotler was the first recipient
of the American Marketing Association’s
(AMA) “Distinguished Marketing Educator
Award” (1985). The European Association
of Marketing Consultants and Sales
Trainers awarded Kotler their prize for
“Marketing Excellence”. He was chosen as
the “Leader in Marketing Thought” by the
Academic Members of the AMA in a 1975
survey. He also received the 1978 “Paul
Converse Award” of the AMA, honoring
his original contribution to marketing. In
1989, he received the Annual Charles Coolidge
Parlin Marketing Research Award. In
1995, the Sales and Marketing Executives
International (SMEI) named him “Marketer
of the Year”.
Professor Kotler has consulted for such
companies as IBM, General Electric, AT&T,
Honeywell, Bank of America, Merck and
others in the areas of marketing strategy
and planning, marketing organization and
international marketing.
He has been Chairman of the College of
Marketing of the Institute of Management
Sciences, a Director of the American
Marketing Association, a Trustee of the
Marketing Science Institute, a Director of
the MAC Group, a former member of the
Yankelovich Advisory Board, and a member
of the Copernicus Advisory Board. He
is a Member of the Board of Governors of
the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
and a Member of the Advisory Board of the
Drucker Foundation. He has received
honorary doctoral degrees from the Stockholm
University, University of Zurich,
Athens University of Economics and
Business, DePaul University, the Cracow
School of Business and Economics, Groupe
H.E.C. in Paris, the University of Economics
and Business Administration in Vienna,
Budapest University of Economic Science
and Public Administration, and the Catholic
University of Santo Domingo.
He has traveled extensively throughout
Europe, Asia and South America, advising
and lecturing at many companies
about how to apply sound economic and
marketing science principles to increase
their competitiveness. He has also advised
governments on how to develop and position
the skill sets and resources of their
companies for global competition.
Dr. Michael Otto
Chairman of the Supervisory Board,
Otto Group
Dr. Michael Otto, born in 1943, is Chairman
of the Supervisory Board of the Otto Group
in Hamburg, Germany.
Between 1981 and 2007, he was Chairman
of the Executive Board and Chief Executive
Officer of the Otto Group. Under his leadership,
the company has developed into
the largest mail order group in the world
and the only global player in this market.
Today the Otto Group consists of 123 main
companies and operates in 20 countries
throughout Europe, America and Asia.
By focusing on linking the synergies of the
catalogue range, stationary retail business
and Internet to create a modern multichannel
distribution system, Otto is offering
customers a choice of complementary
distribution channels. In e-commerce the
Otto Group is number 2 worldwide behind
Amazon in the business-to-consumer
(B2C) segment.
After leaving school with the “Abitur”
qualification, Michael Otto completed a
period of training in a bank. He then went
on to study economics and received a
doctorate in this field. While still studying,
he set himself up in the real estate and
finance broking business.
In 1971, Dr. Michael Otto joined the Otto
Group and became Member of the Executive
Board Merchandise (Textile) and
restructured the division.
As head of the group, Otto considers that
his principal responsibility is for overall
strategy. He cultivates a cooperative style
of management and his aim is to delegate
as much responsibility as possible to every
member of staff. In addition, he considers
it important that everyone should be
prepared to take on other tasks in society
besides his or her regular job.
This attitude is reflected in the many
honorary posts that Dr. Otto holds. He is,
for example, Chairman of the Board of
Trustees of the Society for Politics and
Industry (Rissen House), Hamburg; initiator
and Chairman of the Group of Friends
of the College of Fine Arts in Hamburg;
Vice Chairman of the Board of the Cultural
Group of German Business in Berlin;
Chairman of the Council of the environmental
foundation WWF Deutschland;
Founder and Chairman of the Board of
Trustees of the Michael Otto Foundation
for Environmental Protection, Hamburg;
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of
the Werner Otto Foundation for Medical
Research, Hamburg. Dr. Otto also sits on
supervisory board of Axel Springer Verlag
AG, Berlin, and serves as a partner in Robert
Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, Stuttgart.
Because of its specific ownership structure,
Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG
carries the entrepreneurial ownership
functions of Robert Bosch GmbH.

HHL NEWS SUMMER 2012
Laudatory speech
(extracts) by Prof.
Dr. Dr. h.c. mult.
Horst Albach on
the occasion of awarding the honorary
doctorate of HHL Leipzig Graduate
School of Management to Professor
Philip Kotler, PhD
Dear Professor Kotler,
dear Philip,
ladies and gentlemen,
We all are delighted that you have accepted
the title and degree of a doctor honoris
causa of the Leipzig Graduate School of
Management. The School is celebrating
the 20 th anniversary of its reestablishment
after German reunification. We have gathered
now to honor you as a leading light
in a field of management science that was
non-existent when the Leipzig Business
School was founded in 1898: the field of
marketing.
Maybe you remember, Philip, the first time
we met personally at the Kellogg School
of Management in Evanston. You gave a
class on marketing in our joint WHU and
Kellogg Executive MBA-Program. We all
enjoyed tremendously the way you introduced
the group of managers from many
parts of the world to marketing. Starting
with the theoretical revolution from treating
markets as perfect to the analysis of
imperfect markets, you analyzed the new
freedom of firms to create new markets by
targeting policy and new products policy,
and to develop existing markets by pricing
policy, distribution policy i , and advertising
policy.
When today you read the first edition
of Kotler's “Marketing Management”,
published in 1967, you get the feeling of
a strong theoretical base on which the
author builds his introduction to analysis,
planning, and control of the marketing
function. The following editions of
“Marketing Management” developed the
road you had outlined in your 1970 article
in the Journal of Business ii . This road was
characterized by four steps:
• Theory and analytical formulations,
• Simulation,
• Case Studies,
• Consulting with the individual firm.
Over the years as one edition followed
the other, you have integrated into your
“Marketing Management” theoretical und
practical approaches to marketing science
like scenario writing, marketing games,
operations research methods of marketing,
behavioral modeling, sensitivity
Für manches im Leben wird
es wohl niemals eine App geben.
Der neue Boxster.
analysis, and heuristic techniques for
finding and using approximately optimal
solutions.
But then, beginning with the 12 th edition, if
I am not mistaken, you started a revolution.
You changed your targeting strategy.
You must have asked yourself: What is my
target market? Up until then you targeted
the marketing economist and the marketing
manager, now you target the student!
And since you are obviously convinced
that studying can be fun and is highly
successful if it is fun, you have written a
“fun book”. Reading the 14 th edition has
reminded me of what many years ago a
colleague from Harvard told me: “We are
in the entertainment business!” The student
is taken on a fun trip into the culture
of the United States, with its brands, with
its cultural products, its computer games,
its social networks, with its visual reality
and ubiquity. The student enjoys the multitude
of teaching methods: short marketing
debates, marketing discussions, marketing
questions, and stories of marketing excellence.
The students are introduced to the
world of holistic marketing in the 21 st century.
The book is a wonderful example of
relationship marketing. You create a close
relationship with your students. You create
the concept of “Firms of Endearment”.
Firms of Endearment, according to Kotler,
“create a love affair with stakeholders.
They have customers who love the company
and therefore do most of the marketing
for the firm. Firms of Endearment set the
Marketing Paradigm for the 21 st century.
Their aim is to become a “beloved firm”.
Among the 29 Firms of Endearment listed
are two German firms: BMW and Commerzbank.
Kotler’s marketing genius shows
up not only in his targeting the book, but
also in his channeling it: Has any author
ever asked 102 persons in academia to read
the manuscript and submit proposals for
improvement? This, in my understanding,
means that in over a hundred marketing
departments Kotler’s book is and will be
the leading text book. What a marvelous
academic marketing network!
There is no denying the fact that today you
are, Phil, the most influential marketing
teacher in the world.
i George Stigler and his book „The Theory
of Price, New York”, p.37 is mentioned by
Kotler on page 362 of his book “Marketing
Management”(first edition), The revised
edition 1952 of Stigler´s book is mentioned
on p 519 of the German translation of
Kotler´s 2 nd edition, Stuttgart 1974
ii Kotler, Philip; Schultz, Randall: Marketing
Simulations: Review and Prospects, in:
Journal of Business 1970, pp. 237 – 295
Mehr unter www.porsche.de
Kraftstoffverbrauch (in l/100 km) innerorts 12,2–10,6 · außerorts 6,9–5,9 · kombiniert 8,8–7,7; CO 2 -Emissionen 206–180 g/km
HHLNews_130x81_App.indd 1 11.05.12 12:18
Laudatory speech
(extracts) by Prof.
Dr. Dr. h.c. mult.
Heribert Meffert
on the occasion of awarding the
honorary doctorate of HHL Leipzig
Graduate School of Management
to Dr. Michael Otto
Dean,
Distinguished plenary assembly,
Dear Dr. Otto,
Personal bond
It is with great joy that I honor the accomplishments
of an outstanding entrepreneurial
personality at today’s awards
ceremony. This is not only because as a
successful entrepreneur Dr. Michael Otto
with his exemplary lifetime achievement
represents HHL’s code and claim of excellence
in training managers in a special
manner. Mr. Otto and I have also shared
a personal bond since the mid-1960s. We
first met during our doctoral program
at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in
Munich. Since then, we were brought
together on various occasions during his
career as a successful entrepreneur and
founder.
Exceptional leadership skills
The son of company founder Werner Otto,
Dr. Michael Otto became a board member
in 1971 and advanced to Chairman of the
Executive Board of Otto GmbH 10 years
later. He held the office until October 2007
and is currently Chairman of the Supervisory
Board of Otto Group. Under his leadership,
the company became the world’s
largest mail-order business. The family enterprise
has a transaction volume of over
EUR 11 billion with 50,000 employees and
123 affiliated companies in 20 countries. In
e-commerce, the Otto Group is the world
market leader in the fashion and lifestyle
retail trade. Dr. Otto’s unique leadership
skills lie within
• a well-balanced portfolio of acquisitions
and in-house development,
• an early and consistent utilization of
interactive media in online commerce,
• a business and country-based portfolio
well-balanced in relation to opportuni-
ties and risks.
In addition to the company’s economic
success story as the second largest online
retailer in the B2C business, trailing
Amazon, it is an accomplishment in itself
to maintain the Otto Group as a family
business. The family’s values are closely
connected with the corporate governance.
Social entrepreneurship implemented
For Dr. Michael Otto, corporate social
responsibility, business ethics and sustainability
management are more than just
keywords. For Dr. Otto, the company is
“not a charitable organization”. Only a
company that is economically successful
can act socially and ecologically in the
long run. He regards the profit being used
for charity purposes as independent of the
need for socially responsible conduct during
the realization of profits.
The implementation of the commitment to
corporate responsibility at the Otto Group
is based on integrative strategic concept
taking into account social, ecological and
economic matters in a balanced manner.
Application and promotion of scientific
findings
Dr. Michael Otto’s career in science was
molded significantly during his doctoral
program by the ideas and scientific works
of Robert Nieschlag. He completed his dissertation
on the topic “Die Absatzprognose
im Versandhandel” (“The Sales Forecast in
the Mail Order Business”; 1971). He built on
quantitative and qualitative forecast methods
and their effectiveness for management
in trade in a well-founded manner.
During this time, findings from the field
of marketing from the Anglo-Saxon world
made their way into research and teaching
at German universities. Dr. Michael Otto
has always been open to these developments.
Later, when working at his parents’
mail order company as a person of power
and expertise, he was able to promote and
implement recent scientific findings in
this field.
In a time of dynamically advancing media
technologies, the Otto Group used and
developed the latest multivariate methods
of market segmentation in cooperation
with scientific institutions. The Internet
especially opened up new opportunities
for the mail order business with regard to
obtaining customer information as well
as the formulation and assessment of customer
relations. Under the leadership of
Dr. Michael Otto, the company pioneered
innovative services in this field using scientific
methods. This applies additionally
and particularly to the expansion of the
mail order business into a multi-channel
provider. On top of the application and
further development of modern marketing
methods and economic management concepts,
Dr. Michael Otto also works closely
with scientific institutions in research and
teaching on solutions to social problems
in the fields of environmental protection,
education and the promotion of culture.
Numerous research projects on economic,
technological and social developments initiated
and sponsored by him as well as selected
foundations supporting commerce,
environmental protection and sustainable
development in research and teaching are
evidence of this.
Appreciation
Considering these outstanding achievements
implementing and supporting scientific
findings, Dr. Michael Otto teaches
us not just a visionary code of conduct for
fruitful cooperation between science and
practice. He also serves as an example of
leadership according to the main principle
of management theory. Moreover, this
applies particularly to future managers
in this field. In your speech at the LMU
Entrepreneurship Center in Munich in May
last year, you, dear Dr. Otto, explained to
students what a person needs to successfully
lead a company or to successfully
contribute to a company, underlining the
following three qualities:
1) passion and excitement about the cause,
2) openness to innovation,
3) high responsibility for your own actions.
You have lived these principles in an
authentic manner and have remained
humble despite all the success and appreciation.
In the press, we can often read
how you never push your way into the
foreground but only seek the spotlight for
a good cause. In this context, I hope that
today’s spotlight on you will help for the
link between effective and responsible
leadership to become even more accepted
in the future. HHL today bestows upon you
an honorary doctorate for your exemplary
work spanning the gap between economic
science and business practice and between
successful leadership and commitment to
sustainability. I congratulate you on this
award sincerely and welcome you to the
circle of honorary doctors of HHL Leipzig
Graduate School of Management.