
Our primary research interest is the role of power in buyer-supplier relationships, determinants of successful cooperation with suppliers in emerging markets, and the internationalization of firms from emerging markets. Next to academic rigor, real-life relevance is a key objective in our work.
In our teaching, we cover courses and modules on Strategic Sourcing, Negotiations, and International Business across WHU programs and in Executive Education.
We engage in and value dialogue with management practice. We frequently conduct research projects in collaboration with corporate partners, and in our teaching we bring participants in close contact with real-life business through joint interactive sessions with practitioners.
The Chair of International Business and Supply Management II Team.


Doctoral Studies
Interested in pursuing doctoral studies in the specific field of strategic B2B negotiations? Apply now!
We currently offer a position as
RESEARCH ASSISTANT / DOCTORAL STUDENT (f/m/d) - B2B NEGOTIATIONS
We regret that external doctoral studies are not possible.
Working with us on your dissertation
Academic rigor and real-life relevance are the key objectives in our work with doctoral students. We engage only in empirical research such that our work is firmly rooted in reality. For your cumulative dissertation, you will collaborate closely with our team throughout your research project, and you will receive very regular and highly substantive feedback and support. We aim to equip you for a successful academic career as for a career in management: You will learn and apply new analytical skills, improve your decision-making, and be able to craft highly successful business relationships. Capabilities like these will allow you to excel in similar ways as our alumni, who work as top managers (like, i.e., Peter Koerte or Thomas Germer), founders/entrepreneurs (like Sebastian Kreft or Dirk Breitschwerdt), professors (like Jiachun Lu, Leopold Ried, or Felix Reimann), or partners of leading international consulting firms (like Gavin Meschnig or Andreas Jentzsch).
WHU’s Supply Chain Group is amongst the 10 research-strongest faculties in the field worldwide (http://www.scmlist.com/home/university-rankings/empirical-report/). With about 40 successful doctoral dissertation and about 20 international research awards for these, we have a track record at our Chair that speaks for itself. The first supervisor of your thesis will be Professor Kaufmann who in 2021 was the first researcher from a continental European institution to ever win a Distinguished Scholar Award of the Academy of Management, one of the – if not the – most prestigious and significant research awards in our field.
Doctoral Studies
Interested in pursuing doctoral studies in the specific field of strategic B2B negotiations? Apply now!
We currently offer a position as
RESEARCH ASSISTANT / DOCTORAL STUDENT (f/m/d) - B2B NEGOTIATIONS
We regret that external doctoral studies are not possible.
Working with us on your dissertation
Academic rigor and real-life relevance are the key objectives in our work with doctoral students. We engage only in empirical research such that our work is firmly rooted in reality. For your cumulative dissertation, you will collaborate closely with our team throughout your research project, and you will receive very regular and highly substantive feedback and support. We aim to equip you for a successful academic career as for a career in management: You will learn and apply new analytical skills, improve your decision-making, and be able to craft highly successful business relationships. Capabilities like these will allow you to excel in similar ways as our alumni, who work as top managers (like, i.e., Peter Koerte or Thomas Germer), founders/entrepreneurs (like Sebastian Kreft or Dirk Breitschwerdt), professors (like Jiachun Lu, Leopold Ried, or Felix Reimann), or partners of leading international consulting firms (like Gavin Meschnig or Andreas Jentzsch).
WHU’s Supply Chain Group is amongst the 10 research-strongest faculties in the field worldwide (http://www.scmlist.com/home/university-rankings/empirical-report/). With about 40 successful doctoral dissertation and about 20 international research awards for these, we have a track record at our Chair that speaks for itself. The first supervisor of your thesis will be Professor Kaufmann who in 2021 was the first researcher from a continental European institution to ever win a Distinguished Scholar Award of the Academy of Management, one of the – if not the – most prestigious and significant research awards in our field.
Our contribution to cutting-edge research –
A selection of refereed publications.
JSCM Spotlight: Narratives in Supplier Negotiations – The Interplay of Narrative Design Elements, Structural Power, and Outcomes
Our teaching –
Creating new perspectives for our participants.
The Chair of International Business & Supply Management II offers courses in the following programs:
Sourcing: Managing a Firm’s Supply Base
Felix Reimann, Lutz Kaufmann
Making a Case for Advancing SCM: Applied Supply Chain Management
Felix Reimann, Carl Marcus Wallenburg
Advanced Supply Management
Felix Reimann
Strategic Sourcing
Felix Reimann
Negotiations for Managers and Entrepreneurs
Felix Reimann
Strategic Sourcing
Felix Reimann
Strategic Sourcing
Felix Reimann, Lutz Kaufmann
Negotiations Program (Open Enrollment)
Felix Reimann, Lutz Kaufmann
Online Negotiations Workshop
Felix Reimann, Lutz Kaufmann
Customized Negotiations Programs
Felix Reimann, Lutz Kaufmann
Feedback from our students
(from anonymous course evaluations)
Our interactive guest sessions –
Bridging the gap between business and academia.

Associate Director
Title: "Managing Risks in Global Sourcing"
Course: Strategic Sourcing (Part-Time MBA) (Online guest session)
Date: July 11, 2020

Associate Director
Title: "Risk Management in Global Supply Chains"
Course: Strategic Sourcing (Part-Time MBA) (Online guest session)
Date: May 16, 2020

Managing Director
Title: "Sourcing and Negotiating in Raw Material Markets"
Course: Advanced Supply Management (MSc) (Online guest session)
Date: March 30, 2020

Associate Director
Title: "The Future of Strategic Sourcing"
Course: Advanced Supply Management (MSc) (Online guest session)
Date: March 23, 2020

Vice President Controlling and Governance
Title: "Managing CSR in Purchasing"
Course: Strategic Sourcing (Full-Time MBA)
Date: December 17, 2019

Managing Director/Partner & Principal
Title: "Digitalizing Procurement"
Course: Strategic Sourcing (Full-Time MBA)
Date: December 16, 2019

Senior Project Manager & Senior Consultant
Title: "Global Sourcing - Real-Life Cases and Key Insights"
Course: Managing the Firm’s Supply Base (BSc)
Date: October 17, 2019

Vice President
Title: "Procurement Consulting in Action"
Course: Supply Management & Sourcing: Managing the Firm’s Supply Base (BSc)
Date: October 15 & 16, 2019

CFO
Title: "Procurement in Large Industrial Projects"
Course: Strategic Sourcing (Full-Time MBA)
Date: June 1, 2019

Corporate Senior Vice President Global Supply Chain
Title: "Leadership in Purchasing & more – A Transformation Journey"
Course: Advanced Supply Management (MSc)
Date: April 8, 2019
Executive Education Negotiations Programs
Gain the strategies and tools for successful negotiations
WHU's Negotiations Programs are developed to enhance these skills as effectively as possible, meaning you can navigate negotiations with confidence!
Executive Education Negotiations Programs
Gain the strategies and tools for successful negotiations
WHU's Negotiations Programs are developed to enhance these skills as effectively as possible, meaning you can navigate negotiations with confidence!
Get in touch with us –
We look forward to hearing from you.
