I-Week 2025

 

WEI-LUN CHANG – Artificial Intelligence in Business

Offered by the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics
Course in InSIS – 4IT470, classroom – NB 456, Max. number of students 25

Wei-Lun Chang is the associate professor of department of business administration in National Taipei University (Taiwan). He received his PhD from department of management information streams in National Chengchi University (2007), Taiwan. He received the excellent teaching award from Tamkang University in 2009. He also received the excellent mentor award from Tamkang University in 2015. His research areas include service experience and management, data mining (big data) applications, and social network. He also published papers in international A+ journals such as Communications of the ACM, Knowledge-Based Systems, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Journal of Information Science, Information Systems Frontiers, Internet Research, Service Business, Telemetics and Informatics and etc. He also received excellent research awards from Tamkang University from 2008 to 2019, National Taipei University of Technology in 2022, and Ministry of Education (Taiwan) in 2023.

Course syllabus: This course provides an overview of AI and its role in business transformation. The purpose is to improve understanding of AI and being used in the industries. The brief technical overview of AI will be covered such as big data, data mining, machine learning, etc. The objectives are to learn how digital technologies will be applied to various business settings and how to adapt business strategy and operation in the era of digital transformation. Finally, learning how to utilize AI as the source of competitive advantage. The objectives of this course are as follows: understand the concept of AI, understand the application of AI in business, analyze AI case, apply and evaluate AI cases by case analysis.

ANITHA CHINNASWAMY- Global Cybersecurity: Risk Management and Governance in an Interconnected World

Offered by the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics
Course in InSIS – 4SA630, classroom – NB 459, Max. number of students 25

Anitha Chinnaswamy is a Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security Management at Aston Business School and is Deputy Director of the Cyber Security Innovation Centre. Anitha has delivered multiple research and consultancy projects aimed at supporting the cyber security sector, alongside working with stakeholders in the key areas of cyber security risk management, awareness and organizational training and development in cybersecurity. In delivering the initiatives Anitha also holds relationships with LEAs, regional cybercrime units and other resilience centers and academic partnerships.

Course syllabus: In today’s globalized and digitally interconnected world, organizations across borders face persistent risks to their information systems and assets. This course aims to provide students with an internationally relevant understanding of cyber risk management and the critical ability to analyze and evaluate existing practices. Briefly the course comprises of:· Fundamentals of the Global Cyber Threat Landscape· Risk Management in the Cybersecurity Domain· Development of Security Policies tailored to international organizational needs· Incident Response and Digital Forensics for mitigating cyber incidents across borders· Framework for Business Continuity Planning and rapid recovery in global scenarios· Regulations and Compliance and adherence to global data privacy and cyber security laws· Standards and Professional Best Practices· Cyber Strategy Development taking into account the complexities of cross-border operations and global threat landscapes

JORGE GUILLEN – Economic Modelling and Policy Analysis

Offered by the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics
Course in InSIS – 4ES630 , classroom – NB 470, max. number of students 25

Jorge Guillen is an associate professor at ESAN Lima, where he has worked as Interim Vice President for Research. He has Ph. D. in Economics, West Virginia University. Master in Economics from the University of Alicante. Graduate in Economics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. Visiting Professor at Jean Moulin, Lyon- France. Former member of the committee of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers for the selection of the Head of the INEI.
He has experience with work as Deputy Manager of Economic Studies at BBVA-Research and a consultant at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Comptroller General of the Republic and the Inter-American Development Bank. He has been Vice Chancellor in charge of Research at the ESAN University and former member of the committee of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers for the selection of the Head of the INEI. He is a professor of the INDECOPI extension course and visiting professor at Jean Moulin University in Lyon-France.

Course syllabus: The student will be able to implement different techniques for policy analysis. We will use some econometric tools as well as excel macros. The latter techniques permit the student to evaluate investment opportunities in emerging countries and get a better understanding of the economic outlook in a global context after Pandemic.Upon successful completion, students will be able to:· Understand the application of econometric tools for different economic and financial situations – Understand how fiscal and monetary policy works in emerging markets

· Analyze the effect of collusion in the markets

· Analyze the effect of the Silicon Valley Bank

· Apply Game Theory framework to Emerging Markets reality

· Evaluate Management Efficiency for a firm´s regulation assessment.

UTE SCHMID and BETTINA FINZEL- Introduction to Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)

Offered by the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics
Course in InSIS – 4IZ573 , classroom – NB 471, max. number of students 25

Ute Schmid is a full professor of Cognitive Systems at the University of Bamberg (Germany), director of the Bamberg Center of AI (BaCAI) and on the board of directors of the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt). Her research interests are in cognitive AI, interpretable machine learning and inductive programming, knowledge-informed, explainable and interactive machine learning. Application domains of interest are in education, health, and manufacturing. Ute Schmid is a fellow of the German Informatics Society and EurAI fellow. For her engagement in supporting women in computer science, she won the Minerva Gender Equality Award of Informatics Europe for her university. Furthermore, for many years, she has been active in educating the general public about artificial intelligence and is offering workshops for teachers as well as high school students. For her outreach activities, she has been honoured with the Rainer-Markgraf Award.
Bettina Finzel is an AI research newcomer who brings her interest in Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) into discourse with other researchers, practitioners, and users. She regularly lectures AI-focused research groups, medical experts, standards institutes, and general audiences. She first obtained a Master’s degree with honors in Applied Computer Science at the University of Bamberg in 2019. She then worked from 2019 to 2023 as a research associate on XAI methods for medicine at the Cognitive Systems group led by Prof. Dr. Ute Schmid. During that time, she developed new XAI methods for the Transparent Medical Expert Companion project (funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research in Germany) as well as for the PainFaceReader project (funded by the German Research Foundation). Since 2023 she works as teaching assistant at the Cognitive Systems group. Bettina Finzel’s work has already received national and international attention. In 2019, for example, she was a finalist of the Scientific Excellence Award at Roche in Munich, and in the same year, she was a finalist in the category of life sciences of the AI Newcomer Competition of the German Informatics Society.
Course syllabus: Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) refers to the set of techniques and methodologies aimed at enhancing AI systems such that they provide explanations for their decisions and behaviors. Explainability fosters collaboration between humans and machines and enables safer and more effective interactions.This introductory course on XAI provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental concepts, methods, and challenges associated with developing AI systems that can transparently explain their decisions and behaviors. Participants will learn about the importance of XAI in various domains, such as healthcare, industrial production, and autonomous driving, where both trust and interpretability are critical for the safety and quality of developed systems. Through a combination of theoretical foundations and hands-on exercises, the participants will gain insights into various XAI methods and their suitability for different use cases and contexts. By the end of this course, participants will be equipped with the foundational knowledge and basic practical skills necessary to design, implement, and evaluate XAI solutions.

TOBIAS FERTIG – Blockchain and Smart Contracts

Offered by the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics
Course in InSIS – 4ST460, classroom – NB 457, max. number of students 25

Tobias Fertig is a research assistant lecturer of University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, he works also as a managing shareholder in Schütz & Fertig GmbH. Tobias is specialized in teaching and research in the areas of the Blockchain and Smart Contracts, Databases, Distributed Systems, Programming 1 + 2, Operating Systems, Software Development, Software Engineering 1 + 2 and resarch of Information Security Awareness and decentralized networks.


Course syllabus: Since the initial launch of Bitcoin, blockchain technologies are continuously growing. In recent years, the blockchain technology has been the basis of many innovations and has attracted a lot of attention. A major milestone in the evolution of the blockchain was the Ethereum project. With Ethereum, an infrastructure was created to operate entire computer programs in a decentralized manner via smart contracts. Smart contracts form the basis for such decentralized applications (DApps). This has been used to enable various Decentralized Finance (DeFi) applications or so-called Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs).In this course, we will explain the basics of a blockchain. We will cover the data structure, as well as the infrastructure itself. We will address specifics, limitations, and security related issues. We review different use cases and present a guideline on how to decide whether blockchain is suitable for a given use case. Afterwards, we will address Contract-oriented programming and how it distinguishes from traditional object-oriented programming. We will also introduce the programming language Solidity. Together, we will develop various smart contracts, like our own cryptocurrency and NFTs.

SANKAR KUMAR ROY – A Journey through Decision Space: Exploring Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Paradigms

Offered by the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics
Course in InSIS – 4EK611, classroom – NB 472, Max. number of students 25

Sankar Kumar Roy obtained his M Sc degree in Applied Mathematics from Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, India in 1996 and his Ph D degree in Operations Research from IIT, Kharagpur, India in 2003. Presently he is now Professor in Applied Mathematics with Oceanology and Computer Programming, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, India. His main research areas are Transportation Problem, Game Theory and Inventory Management in Operations Research and their applications for solving real-life decision making problems; and Lattice in Discrete Mathematics and Bio-Mathematics. He has to his credit several research papers published in International journals (Elsevier, Springer, World Scientific, IOS Press, Inderscience, Taylor & Francis etc). He is a senior member of IEDRC (Hong Kong), member of Calcutta Mathematical Society and Operational Research Society of India.


Course syllabus: Today’s complex decision terrain, where multiple objectives and uncertainties abound, requires mastering Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) is paramount for informed choices across various domains. This lecture series explores the more complex facets of MCDM, providing a thorough examination of both its sophisticated techniques and core ideas. Starting with an overview, the journey explores the domain of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic, and reveals how crucial they are to improving the accuracy of decisions. We then delve into the integration of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic in contexts of both multi-objective decisions making (MODM) and multi-attribute decision making (MADM), illuminating their nuanced applications. Going deeper, we expose the subtleties of fuzzy matrix games and their profound ramifications for MCDM settings. Moving on to decision complexity, we dissect Three-Way Decision Making and offer reflections on its relevance and utility in MADM scenarios. Additionally, the series addresses the evolving landscape of Industry 4.0 and its integration within MCDM framework. After that, we investigate Machine Learning integration, revealing how its adaptive algorithms enrich MCDM procedures and pave the way for robust and well-informed decision-making in intricate settings. Finally, some applications of MCDM are shown in health care systems. After completing this extensive series, participants will be equipped with the skills and information necessary to successfully negotiate the multifaceted landscape of modern decision-making.

JUAN NAGEL- Leading and managing change

Offered by the Faculty of International Relations
Course in InSIS – 2IB353, classroom – NB 474, Max. number of students 25

Juan Nagel is an economist with interests in teaching innovation, Personnel Economics, Industrial Organization, and Development. Currently at the School of Business and Economics, Universidad de los Andes in Santiago, Chile. Almost 20 years of experience in consulting for international companies in South and North America.


Course syllabus: The ability to understand, lead, and sustain change is an important aspect of managing organizations through complex times. In this course, students will understand the leading theories on change management, the psychology behind people’s reactions to change, and the leadership models that have been at the heart of successful turnarounds. Using case studies, we will dissect the process that makes change possible and desirable.

MAURICE HARRIS – Strategic Management and Business Model Innovations (Instead of a professor Chia-Chi Sun)

Offered by the Faculty of International Relations
Course in InSIS – 2OP326, classroom –  NB 469, max. number of students 25

Professor Maurice Harris teaches Management, Organizational Behavior, and Ethics courses at Monfort College of Business. His research focuses on helping leaders understand strategies that promote the growth and well-being of employees. The roots of his research are anchored in his significant practitioner experience as a Lean Management Coach and as an IT Infrastructure Engineer. He recently completed his Ph.D. in Management from the University of Denver. His dissertation examines the justice reactions of workers toward their company’s use of software that measures employee performance. He received his MBA from UMass Amherst and his bachelor’s degree in Business Information Technology from Virginia Tech.

Course syllabus: The order of the topics follows the new process structure of the fourth edition, and seems to help students to make sense of this complex and fragmented subject. For each session we identify a key theme in innovation and technology management, suggest readings from the book and elsewhere, and suggest cases, tools and video and audio resources from managing-innovation.com to support seminars, and to help make the learning experience more varied.

LORENA GARCIA-RAMON – Digital Marketing in International Context

Offered by the Faculty of International Relations
Course in InSIS – 2IB354, classroom – NB 458, max. number of students 25

Lorena García Ramón 
is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Northern Colorado’s Monfort College of Business. She holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration focusing on marketing from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her research interests include digital marketing, consumer well-being, gender, and globalization. Her published work has explored consumers’ acquisition of financial literacy and how globalized industries affect consumers’ access to resources. In 2021, she received an SMA Doctoral Consortium Fellowship. Presently, Lorena teaches courses in Digital Marketing and Mobile Marketing. Aside from research and teaching responsibilities, Lorena currently serves as a Faculty Innovation Fellow for the NSF EPIIC grant awarded to the Monfort College of Business in 2023.
Course syllabus: The aim of the course is to clarify the influence of modern information and communication technologies as an accelerating tool for the development of relationship marketing. Students who successfully complete the course will know the principles of electronic commerce and electronic marketing, including the typology of e-business, e-procurement and especially B2B and B2C marketing in the global environment. Students will understand the penetration of the Internet into communication activities (online advertising, mobile marketing, Internet sales support, social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn).

ALICJA BRODZKA – Tax Systems

Offered by the Faculty of Finance and Accounting
Course in InSIS – 1VF555, classroom – RB 209, max. number of students 50

Dr. Alicja Brodzka is an assistant professor at the Wrocław University of Economics and Business, Poland (Faculty of Economic Sciences and Finance, Department of Finance). She teaches graduate and postgraduate courses such as International Taxation, European Tax Law, Tax Systems and Corporate Finance Management. She was a scholarship holder of the Ernst Mach Grant at the Institute for Austrian and International Tax Law in Vienna (Austria, 2011) and the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance in Munich (Germany, 2016). She specialises in international and European tax policy, with particular emphasis on good tax governance, fighting tax avoidance and evasion and international tax information exchange.

Course syllabus: Understanding taxation is helpful in modern life – both in individuals’ decisions and corporations’ strategies. Tax Systems Course combines theory and practical applications. Lectures begin with basic concepts: the reasons standing behind the taxation, the distinction between different types of taxes, their role in the state’s tax revenues and the consequences for taxpayers. After presenting the fundamental matters, the course focuses on the comparative analysis of tax burdens in EU Member States. Participants have the opportunity to study the similarities and differences and find out the consequences of particular tax solutions. Next, two more advanced issues are discussed: (1) the role of tax policy in personal taxation (with particular emphasis on fairness & effectiveness); (2) the future perspectives for corporate taxation (with the aspects of securing tax revenue and/or promoting innovation). The lecture also examines the international aspects of taxation, including tax competitiveness, harmful tax measures and tax compliance.

PART 1. Basic concepts: the reasons standing behind the taxation, the distinction between different types of taxes, their role in the state’s tax revenues and the consequences for taxpayers.
PART 2. Comparative analysis of tax burdens in EU Member States. Similarities and differences and the consequences of particular tax solutions.
PART 3. The role of tax policy in personal taxation (with particular emphasis on fairness & effectiveness).
PART 4. The future perspectives for corporate taxation (with the aspects of securing tax revenue and/or promoting innovation).

GONUL COLAK – Fintech and Blockchain

Offered by the Faculty of Finance and Accounting
Course in InSIS – 1BP555, classroom – RB 213, max. number of students 50

Gonul Colak is a Professor of Accounting and Finance at University of Sussex Business School. He also holds a fractional professorship at Department of Finance at Hanken School of Economics. He currently serves as an associate editor in Journal of Financial Stability. Gonul is interested in the area such as Political Uncertainty, Equity Offerings, Corporate Restructuring, Investor Relations, Financial Intermediation and Banking, Executive Compensation, Financial Econometrics, S&P 500 Index Firms.

Course syllabus: This course covers recent developments in the area of financial innovation (FINTECH), such as Blockchain, digital currencies, peer-to-peer method of identifying ownership, and smart contracts. Its goal is to analyze the emergence of Blockchain and related innovations as highly disruptive technologies for the financial industry, business laws, accounting and monetary economics (central banking). To fully understand the implications of such technologies, we will cover various related topics such as the nature of money, legacy payment and banking, basics of crypto technology, digital currency systems, peer-to-peer transactions, governance and regulation of emerging technologies, double entry bookkeeping, and financial exchanges. We will also focus on several digital currencies, their “intrinsic value,” the reasons for their recent popularity, and the microstructure of their trading. Finally, we will survey various ventures that begun to capitalize on these innovations.