According to the motto "Don't talk, but act", the students of the Master's programme in Digital Transformation and Sustainability (DTS, class of 2019) presented the results of their final theses yesterday at the Concluding Conference 2022 entitled "Sustainable Development Goals - Todays solutions for tomorrow". The innovative Master's programme relies on agile learning in project form instead of exams as a core element of the curriculum and enables this very special form of examination performance: The HSBA Concluding Conference is the highlight of the part-time degree programme and offers our students, as ambassadors for sustainable development, the chance to present their answers to the challenges of the 21st century in front of a large audience.
HSBA Concluding Conference: Todays Solutions for Tomorrow
"Our students are the best proof of how university and companies can work on the same practice-relevant topics," say the two programme directors of the MSc Digital Transformation and Sustainability Prof. Dr Susanne Hensel-Börner and Prof. Dr Michael Höbig. "At the Concluding Conference, they will present excerpts of their engagement and possible solutions for the challenges of digital and sustainable transformation. That is exactly what we want to achieve: Doing instead of memorising."
After a brief welcome by the President of the HSBA, Prof. Dr. Insa Sjurts, and the course directors Prof. Dr. Susanne Hensel-Börner and Prof. Dr. Michael Höbig, the students, moderated by Jérôme Cron and Sophia Bartsch, presented the results of their final theses online on topics as diverse as education, project management, CSR reporting, new work or urban development in short keynote speeches. As a special highlight of the conference, the students were able to win Arnd Boekhoff, project manager of the Viva con Agua Foundation and board member of the SEND (Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland) regional group Hamburg, as a guest speaker on the topic of "How social entrepreneurship solves social challenges and achieves sustainable development goals".
The Master's programme Digital Transformation and Sustainability is novel in its overall conception. The innovative teaching and examination formats are designed to prepare students for a working world in which interdisciplinary collaboration, ever-changing issues and the 17 UN Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) are part of daily business. During their studies, students deal intensively with complex contexts and changes in our society, they try to find effective and practicable solutions, and they learn to become active change agents. The programme is interdisciplinary and focuses on joint, solution-oriented project learning. Consequently, the final thesis is not discussed as a colloquium among experts, but presented to an interested public at the Concluding Conference, which offers the opportunity to have a direct impact. A format that is especially appreciated by the students themselves:
"We are very happy about this great opportunity to present the topics that concern us to a large audience," says Saskia Harger, one of the eighteen Master's students of the Digital Transformation and Sustainability programme. "Our aim is to make a concrete difference with our projects and to advance the implementation of the 17 SDGs. In this way, we can contribute piece by piece to directly implementing the interests and values of our generation."
The topics at a glance:
- Employee commitment and corporate crisis management: Identification and analysis of fields of action to influence affective commitment
Carina Koschek - What skills do project managers need in the digitalised world of work?
Jérôme Cron - Education for Sustainable Development: Learning through Social Engagement in Higher Education Studies
Kaisu Hölter - Closing the Gap. Gender as a topic in the social media communication of female and male founders
Jana Beckmann - Development of an integrated strategy and financial planning process in a scale-up; analysis of potentially positive effects of an integration of controlling and strategic planning in a dynamic business environment
Frederic Cousin - Ready for the Filling Station of the Future - Change Management and Positive Leadership
Katharina Körber - The consequences of mandatory corporate sustainability reporting
Adrian Imeri - Sustainability in Digital Companies - Explorative Analysis of Corporate Culture to Enhance the Corporate Mission Statement
Kristina Verhasselt - Using digital tools to grow innovation ecosystems
Annabelle Dirks - Perception of New Work elements as a promotion of innovation culture in companies
Susanne Engelhardt - Conflict Field Professionalisation? Dimensions of Professionalism in Educational Organisations
Sophia Bartsch - The Donut for Hamburg: A New Concept for Urban Development between Planetary Ceiling and Social Foundation
Marie-Lou Beth - What does organic actually mean? On the consumption of sustainable food in Germany.
Julia Kirchhoff - The Sustainability Paradox in the Textile Industry - What really counts for green customers.
Lena Becker - Success factors for the development of sustainability strategies
Antonia von der Beeck - Sustainable and digital future for the Automotive industry - analysis of emerging innovative technologies and development of a scenario approach
Talin Tara Aktas - Opportunities and risks of platform-based sharing business models for sustainable development in medium-sized commercial vehicle rental companies
Saskia Harger - Investing in the future - institutionalising impact investing and impact measurement
Anna Zeller
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Are you also interested in our Master's programme? Then apply now for the MSc Digital Transformation & Sustainability, start of course: October 2022. Find more information here or at our next Master Online Info Session.