This document provides information about the Applied Business Development MSc elective course at Aarhus University. The course focuses on solving real business problems for small and medium companies by matching student groups with case companies. Students conduct analyses and develop a business plan and presentation for their assigned company. The course aims to provide students with business development tools and experience working directly with companies. It involves lectures, visits to companies, and feedback from coaches and lecturers. Former students provided testimonials praising the hands-on experience, exposure to real problems, and skills gained from the course.

1. APPLIED BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
MSc. elective course 2017

2. 2
Applied Business Development is an elective course
focusing on solving real-life business problems
REAL-LIFE CASES
Learning the tools from the best
companies…
…and using them to create real
business value for small and
medium sized companies
Selected partners from previous years Selected cases from previous years
BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS
PURPOSE
Make sure the student builds an
extensive business development
toolbox and gains confidence in using it
Enhance the student’s skills in regards
of identifying a problem, structuring the
work, doing analyses and presenting the
findings in a convincing form
Make sure the companies involved
create and capture more value than
before the engagement
Taking the best students at
AU, giving them the right
business development tools
and matching them with
exciting companies
The course seeks to…
OUTPUTS

3. 3
• Each group (~4 members) conducts a number
of analyses enabling them a foundation for
writing a business plan for the case company
• Format: ~50-100 PPT slides
The course has four main deliverables
• Assess the “classical” steps of a business plan
• Format: ~20 PPT slides
• Oral group presentation (exam) of key findings
from the Fact Pack and Business Path
• Format: No requirements
Fact Pack Business Path
Pitch
• Reflection paper on individual and group
learnings along the course
• Format: 1 page in Word
Reflection paper
1 2
3 4

4. 4
The course aims at ensuring a theoretical foundation,
which is applied when working with the case companies
Overview of structure from previous year
Each group will
enter into a close
collaboration with
their case company
Assigned coaches
will assist all
groups throughout
the process
Lectures will be
supplemented with
visits at a number
of external partners

5. 5
Testimonials from former students
”The experience with Applied Business
Development has been very unique
and without comparison the most
interesting class I have had during my
time at Aarhus University. For the first
time I have been asked to work with
real people with real problems in a
very real setting”
Anders Thomsen
CEO of NoMore and former consultant
at McKinsey
”ABD will give you a full Business
Development experience and lots of
fun. It will teach you to solve complex
problems. It will give you exposure to
real-life business problems. You will
learn to manage stakeholders. You will
learn how to work effectively in teams.
You will build a strong network to
highly skilled people”
Mads Torngaard
Business Development Manager at
LEGO
”The ABD course gives you exposure
to a wide array of essential tools,
which will give you a head start in
your career. Furthermore, by getting
mentoring from both the lecturers,
external partners and the assigned
coaches you are in very good hands.
You will work hard and get frustrated
along the way, but my experience was
unprecedented, and you will not find a
better way at Aarhus University to
prepare yourself for the “real world”
Morten Andreassen
Manager at Qvartz
”At ABD you get to define, analyze and
solve complex problems for SME
companies. However, in order to
succeed, your team needs to manage
the stakeholders in the case company
rigorously. Thus, as I got to interact
with e.g. CXOs and board members on
solving their most complex problems,
the course is a good way to prepare
yourself for a career as a management
consultant”
Annika Kvist
Management Consultant at
Hildebrandt & Brandi
”The greatest thing about the course
has been the visits to the three
consultancies, working in a team with
different personality profiles and that
the tools have been very practical. It
has also been interesting to
experience how serious the
assignment have been treated by the
case company, which have very
involved in helping us developing the
future growth strategy for the board”
Jimmi L. Hungeberg, Novo Nordisk
Theis Philip Jensen, William Demant
Malene Dalgard, Arla
”I have had a very steep learning
curve. A central part of this have been
the constant feedback you get from
the lecturers, your coach and the case
company. The team setup and the
MBA-like approach enforces this
aspect, as you on a continual basis get
the opportunity to relate the theory
and tools to your specific case for an
entire semester”
Sofie Skydt Ganderup
Conslutant at Deloitte Consulting

6. 6
Practicalities
Lecturers Application
The course amounts to 10 ECTS
The elective starts in September and ends with an
oral exam in December
25 students are selected based on grades,
experience and motivation
If you have any questions do not hesitate to
contact Kasper Wittrup
(at kw@hildebrandtbrandi.com)
Application deadline: May 7th
Read more and apply here:
http://kursuskatalog.au.dk/da/course/75793