Contact Person: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Barbara E. Weißenberger
For companies to be sustainably successful in the competitive environment, their managers must make a wide range of operational and strategic decisions. Controllers are therefore indispensable as commercial business partners in the management team. They shape and support all business decision-making and management processes and align them with the fundamental purpose of the company's business model.
The core tasks of controlling include corporate planning, which sets the framework for action by executives, integrates all business activities in a goal-oriented manner, and supports the implementation of new entrepreneurial opportunities as well as skilful hedging against business risks. Other core tasks in controlling include the provision of transparent management information and meaningful performance measurement in conjunction with the necessary business analyses. To this end, controlling also makes use of new digital technologies, including the use of artificial intelligence methods, e.g., by means of machine learning.
When implementing controlling processes, controllers take into account not only financial corporate objectives, but also the non-financial external framework conditions and demands made on the company by other economic, civil society or political stakeholders. For this reason, controllers are also important contacts and sparring partners for other functions in the financial area, such as investor relations or auditing, as well as for supervisory bodies within corporate monitoring (corporate governance).
The major "Controlling" is part of the study specialisation fact × hhu - finance × accounting × controlling × taxation.
In the "Controlling" major, students have the opportunity to acquire broad business management expertise and methodological skills for accompanying decision-making and control processes in companies.
In addition to a well-founded examination of the theoretical foundations of controlling, for example in the context of systems theory, institutional economics or behavioral theory models, this also includes dealing with the quantitative and qualitative instruments of corporate management derived from them as well as their reflected use and further development in application-oriented controlling practice. Students learn to identify and critically reflect on new business management issues in a dynamic corporate environment, even against the backdrop of multidimensional decision-making criteria that encompass both financial and sustainability goals, and to independently implement solutions.
In order to achieve these study objectives, the extensive academic teaching in the "Controlling" major is supplemented by a large number of lectures and workshops by renowned representatives from corporate practice as well as events on the target-oriented use of new digital technologies in controlling.
The major in "Controlling" is aimed at students who want to take on management tasks in the area of finance or who would like to qualify for commercial management tasks in companies. The major in Controlling is also an excellent preparation for careers in auditing or tax or management consulting, as well as for management positions in public administration and NGOs - in other words, wherever sound commercial management knowledge is required. The major in "Controlling" can also be combined with other majors, such as Financial Accounting, Audit, Taxation, Finance or Digital Transformation, Governance & Society, to obtain the "FACT profile" designation upon completion of the master's program.
- MW54 Empirical Controlling Reseach
- MW58 Sustainability Management Instruments & Theories
- MW90 Digital Reporting & Data Science
- MW107 Corporate Governance
- MW110 Advanced Controlling 1: Strategisches Controlling
- MW111 Advanced Controlling 2: Management Control Systems
- MW112 Corporate Valuation and Audit
- MW113 FACT Foundations
Requirements: Successful completion of modules MW110 Advanced Controlling 1: Strategic Controlling and MW111 Advanced Controlling 2: Management Control Systems is required for designation of the Controlling specialisation.