Corona and economic studies: teaching in crisis

Want to think of students? Nicolas Breuer is actually for sure: "we Often don't want to." In the past few weeks he has become more optimistic. Breuer is in the student Council for the degree course in Economics at the University of Heidelberg. He looks critically at the economic courses of study – and is not alone. At the beginning of may, the business consultant and lecturer Burkhard Schwenker has asked the business administration (BWL), the students Thinking, to teach. The Economics (VWL) is not he takes it. Breuer, who is studying in the sixth Semester of bachelors, you can understand that. He finds that Free Thinking is not encouraged, at least long enough. But he also says: "Many students think that the University has a debt to pay." In the Corona-the crisis has changed the Learning, however. Something is in motion, and it has the Potential to change the economic programmes in the long term.

Jannik Waidner

volunteer.

As in other times of crisis, some of which was long taught currently, due to the Corona pandemic in question. After the financial crisis over a decade ago, it was mainly the Economics of reality the theory has been accused only know of their rigid mathematical models. This Time, it has also made the business administration. The pandemic has shown that companies with important risks of too little. What is the share of the Economy, of course it is difficult to quantify. But at least all seem to agree: The Corona-crisis can have an impact on Economics and business administration in the past. In Burkhard swivel words it sounds so: "The importance of efficiency versus resilience needs to be reassessed." This means that The economy can no longer on the tightest supply chains are trimmed, you must be prepared for the Unexpected, such as the Corona-happen pandemic.

Ulrich Hemel the similar. He is the Director of the world-ethos-Institute and Chairman of the Association of Catholic entrepreneurs. "The business thinks Disruption only in Digital," he says. "But Corona has shown that the risks of delivery in the chains." The waiver of classical utility maximization, cost the company money. The advantage of larger storage capacities and a second source have been shown in the crisis. "It must also be used in Controlling a rethink, a hedge must point to its own costs ,hedging costs for businesses'," says Hemel.

Corona already on the curriculum

This is not to say that the reverse is, however, that, in fact, the entire theory needs to be adjusted – at least, the Konrad Horber, a spokesman for the student of business administration at the University of Mannheim believes. He expected that the learning content ", on the Whole," stay the same, and finds it not bad at all. Although he believes that events such as "Operations Management" soon significantly change. But rather in the concrete application: "The theoretical constructs relate to all the issues raised by the Corona-crisis," he says. "What must change are the practical examples."

Wherein Hemel, swivel and Horber are in agreement: The theory must be in business studies much more than what you learn for the exams, memorize and then forget it. "Students need to be able to reflect on what problems are relevant and which models are suitable to solve them," says Schwenker. Theory as an internalized competence, so – instead of as abstract learning material. "The crisis should lead us to Think," says Schwenker, "and I strongly suspect that a rethink is used in the teaching." For a cross-effect, however, it is still too early.

the Economics Is the same? Quite the contrary, finds Rüdiger Bachmann, Economics Professor at the University of Notre Dame in the us state of Indiana. After the financial crisis, he took the Economics against all the critics in protection, you are accused, neo-liberal, blind to ignore the reality. This Time, he is of the opinion that The so-called Mainstream approach proves that he is open to challenges responds.