Online Course Guide of WHU –
Find all modules and courses of our degree programs.
Please use the filters below to select the term (spring or fall) as well as the respective program (BSc, MSc, MBA, Exchange, Doctoral) of your choice for an overview of all modules offered at WHU. The courses are listed under the modules. Please click on a module to see which courses are part of it. If you would like to find out more about a certain course, click on the name of the course to see detail information. The location of the lecture will be revealed after your course registration on myWHUstudies.
Spring term counts from January - August, fall term counts from September - December.
Important for Exchange Students: As the Full-Time and Part-Time MBA Programs utilize a modular course structure, the dates on which students begin and end the exchange are flexible. Please find here a chronological overview of the preliminary course offering for Fall and Spring.
The CFO – Roles, career paths, and impact on firm outcomes
Understanding the development of controlling as a crucial management function Learning of a new theoretical perspective for analyzing and understanding management control
(Please note that exchange students obtain a higher number of credits in the BSc-program at WHU than listed here. For further information please contact directly the International Relations Office.)
Course Content
In the first part of the course, students will learn about the composition of the C-Suite and the emergence of the CFO position in the corporate world. In addition, we will discuss the recent developments of CFO roles given the fundamental changes in the Finance Function and beyond.
In the second part of the course and informed by upper echelons theory, student will learn about the impact of CFOs on strategic choices and firm outcomes. We will review current research to understand the idiosyncratic effects senior financial managers can have on strategic choices such as corporate cash policies, voluntary disclosure practices and implementation of accounting innovations.
In the third part of the course, students will learn about CFO career patters. We will also discuss antecedents and consequences of CFO turnover (e.g., CFO dismissals as well as promotions to the CEO position).
In the last part of the course, we will shortly discuss opportunities and challenges to study upper echelons such as CFO in the corporate world.
In general, all lectures will start with an introduction into the topics mentioned above, followed by presentations and student-led classroom discussions. Research papers and journal articles will be assigned to student groups for a focused preparation of the presentations.