Marketing and Management

At the completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Identify social media communication strategies, how they are used and by whom

• Analyze and recreate the various techniques of persuasion used on social media 

• Recognize what the media makers want us to believe or do

• Evaluate social media messages based on their own experiences, skills, beliefs, and values

• Create and distribute their own social media communications on subjects involving business, the arts, and social or environmental causes

The course will focus on the role of the modern manager as a leader and a coach, and the psychological aspects of working with people. Focus will be on how people function as an individual (me), interdividual (you and me), and as a group (we). First part of the course consists of a brief introduction to psychology. Special attention will be given to Positive Psychology, which focuses on improving the mental functioning of human beings above that of normal mental health. Students will learn what makes the positive psychological traits of human beings. They will learn how the mind works, and the role of automatic thoughts. How the way people think influences the way they feel. Which specific thoughts lead to which specific feelings. How by changing the way you think, you can change the way you feel. The ten most common thinking errors.

Second part of the course will focus on the differences between different personality types. Students will receive an introduction to the most common personality type indicators, with the possibility to take one (MBTI), so students can get an insight in how their own personality works. How their personality typically develops during lifetime. What is their dominant mental function. What is their inferior function. What typical situations bring them stress, and how can they reduce it. What are the typical careers for the different types. Based on the different personality types, different subjects will be discussed. Speed reading personality types. Misunderstandings between types. What each type can learn from the others. How do the different types view leadership, teamwork, time management, meetings, problem solving,… Students will learn about the different roles people play in a team. 

The starting point of this course will be several key elements that have been instrumental in the development of a European identity as we know it today. From industrialisation, the formation of nation states and the tendency to internationalise and globalise certain aspects of politics and trade over the concept of supranationalism, the transfer of sovereignty, the creation of the internal market and the customs union to the creation of the EU where concepts such as freedom, democracy and respect for human rights are considered as commonplace in European democracies.

We will study each of those topics more thoroughly, from a historical and contemporary perspective, find similarities over different countries and look for equivalents worldwide, consult media channels, look at what challenges them nowadays, consider future projections ...

Delivering a memorable presentation requires you to be a psychologist, creative wonder, strategic salesperson and Hollywood star combined. No small task.
On top of this, public speaking ranks – next to flying, death and spiders - very high on the list of things we’re most afraid of.
Therefore, our approach in this course will be a bit different from other presentation trainings out there.  It’s not one size fits all, we’ll build on your personal talents and work around the pitfalls.
We’ll explore ways to master all aspects of presenting so you can confidently take that floor and become the pitch Ninja you never thought you’d be!

Prompt & Play teaches you the fundamentals of marketing and lets you explore AI by doing. One week you get clear guidance, the next you roll up your sleeves and get to work:

• Build your own chatbot
• Create videos with the help of AI
• Plan a content calendar for your favorite brand
• Launch your own WordPress website, with AI as your co-pilot

From sharp prompts to standout content, you’ll learn how to use AI with both creativity and critical thinking.

Branding has become one of the most important concepts in marketing. Branding includes corporate identity expressions like brand and product names, logos, design, packaging, look & feel,... Its application ranges from consumer goods and services to places, people and concepts. The branding phenomena reached its peak when companies got a green light to incorporate the brand’s intangible value in their balance sheet. In this module students will obtain a clear understanding of the relevance of brands in contemporary society and will learn how to set up a brand management strategy.

This course addresses the topic of Human Resource Management in an international setting. As the business world globalizes even more, we must be aware of the reasons, the benefits, and the challenges of having a global workforce. Even though HR processes are based on the same core concepts and frameworks regardless of their national or international reach, the specificity of managing individuals, teams, and organizations in an international environment is quite significant. After this course, students will understand what it means to recruit & select employees internationally, train & develop them, and create compensation packages across borders.

City Marketing, also known as City Branding (or Place Making) is a practice whose objective is to build a city’s image, which in turn is the starting point for developing a city’s brand. It is the basis for raising a policy to pursue economic expansion and, at the same time, it serves as a conduit for city residents to identify with their own city, impacting in their daily life, economically, socially and culturally. In an scenario of a globalized world, where competition among cities is a commonplace, City Branding  comes to the foreground as a complex cutting edge, all-pervasive discipline and well-organized governmental activity, which contributes to the economic and physical restructuring of localities, in order to succeed in such a competitive environment.

The analysis and design of cities’ image and/or identity, including its subjective dimension as a place of emotion and meaning; and the methodological considerations techniques, practices and postulates of City Marketing are some of the aspects tackled in this course. Some of the questions that are addressed include, what is: A place? A city? A brand? Identity versus image? The citizens’ role versus tourists’? Measurement and city brand equity? A city brand index and items to be considered? Or if brands can be city makers?, among other inquiries. 

In this course, you dive deep into marketing psychology to discover what truly drives people in a complex consumer society. The curriculum covers four essential pillars: you begin with human perception and attitude, followed by an in-depth analysis of the buying process, where motivation and personal values set the course. You will also explore how social and cultural influences steer choices and learn to reach diverse target groups through segmentation. 

The highlight of this course is behavioral economics; you will unravel how the brain often decides irrationally and how cognitive biases reshape our reality. By understanding these mechanisms, you learn to create persuasive products and campaigns that truly resonate with tomorrow's consumer.

Storytelling, it’s all about communication, interaction and getting your idea across. 

• The difference between information and ideas
• Key requirements
• Story versus factual representation
• Requirements to tell stories
• CAST model  
• Finetuning
• Bringing it all together 

If you want to communicate so that your ideas and messages stick, tell stories. Storytelling is not fluffy, it’s about adding narrative structures, narrative elements to your content, to your texts.  

It’s about shaping the story of your organisation, through stories of the past, the future, the successes and the failures. Adding a human touch, and shaping the tone of voice of your brand, your organisation. It’s about communication without clutter, making yourself heard and remembered. 

Digital Strategy & AI puts you in the role of a mini agency. Together with your team, you pick a brand and get to work straight away. At the same time, you take on a real client assigned by your lecturer. Plenty on your plate: you develop a full digital marketing strategy from start to finish.

Along the way, you discover how AI can speed you up and sharpen your thinking. From audience insights to content planning, you use AI as a tool, while staying firmly in control. When do you rely on AI? And when do you trust your own judgment?

In this course, you learn how to combine strategy and technology into work that actually drives impact.

This course introduces you to Dutch, spoken in the Netherlands and Flanders. The aim is to reach A1 level of the CEFR:

• Understand and use everyday phrases.
• Introduce yourself and others.
• Interact in simple conversations when spoken to clearly and slowly.

German-speaking students often progress faster and may reach A2 level within one semester.

You will:

• Explore the culture of Antwerp and Belgium.
• Build grammar, vocabulary, listening and speaking skills.
• Choose between a practical, interactive approach or a more grammar-focused approach.