Marketing Management in Real Life: Bachelor Students Successfully Conduct Market Analysis for Hamburg Software Manufacturer HS

As part of a cooperation project, students of the Bachelor's programme Business Administration were able to prepare a detailed market analysis for a medium-sized software company and gained direct insights into entrepreneurial practice.

A comprehensive analysis of the competitor market conducted from a neutral, fresh perspective and a scientific approach is what Ulrich Brehmer, Managing Director of the ERP software manufacturer HS Hamburger Software, had wanted for some time. Of course, his company regularly observes the relevant market and their own competitors, but they still wanted to get a second, neutral opinion. As a member of the Assembly of Honourable Merchants in Hamburg (VEEK), which is closely linked to HSBA as a partial shareholder, he was introduced to HSBA and a cooperation with Professor Goetz Greve and students of the Bachelor's programme in Business Administration was agreed upon. An extraordinary project that was valuable and instructive for both the students and the company.

"We all really enjoyed working with the very committed employees at HS," says Professor Goetz Greve. "But even more important for our students were the direct insights into the entrepreneurial practice of a medium-sized software company. For dual students, it is worth its weight in gold to be able to look beyond the horizon of their own training company," says Professor Greve, summarising the advantages of the project.

Marketing Management
(c) HS Hamburger Software

Under his guidance 20 students from the Year 20 Marketing Management module examined the five different product lines of the company over a period of six weeks: document management, order processing for business management processes, order processing for manufacturing processes, personnel management and payroll accounting as well as financial accounting. In addition to a competitive analysis and recommendations for action derived from it, the students also analysed the marketing management process in the company.

"We received detailed competitive observations with numerous pointers on how we can further improve, especially in the marketing and sales process," Ulrich Brehmer summarises the added value of the project for the software company. "With its broad portfolio, HS represents a special feature in the German-speaking ERP market for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), because most market competitors have either an industry or functional specialisation. For us, a competitive analysis by product segment therefore made the most sense," Brehmer continues.

The students were able to present and discuss the results of their analyses live at a final event at HS in Hamburg's City-Nord. A format that particularly appealed to the students: "The face-to-face presentation in front of the HS management and product managers was the absolute highlight from my point of view," explains Vera Schäfer, one of the twenty Business Administration students. "We were able to discuss our research results and recommendations for action directly with the team and get feedback. This gave our project a special seriousness, our suggestions were taken seriously, and our work was appreciated. All in all, it was a really great experience."

A continuation of the cooperation between HS Hamburger Software and HSBA is already being planned: The next project on the topic of "Hybrid Working" has already begun.

Companies that are also interested in receiving support from HSBA students on topics such as digitalisation, business development, sustainability or international business as part of a project are welcome to contact HSBA Programme Manager Katrin Schramm (Katrin.Schramm@hsba.de) .

As Germany's largest value-oriented association, the VEEK, Assembly of Honourable Merchants in Hamburg, is one of HSBA's shareholders. In the development of its degree programmes, HSBA is guided by the model of the honourable businessman who is economically successful and at the same time assumes social responsibility. In this way, HSBA students should be educated to become responsible and sustainable personalities. 

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