“Straubing is a Competence Centre for Renewable Resources”

TUM School of Management was able to connect with Prof. Dr. Hübner, Chair of Supply and Value Chain Management at the TUM Campus Straubing, to discuss the importance of sustainability within companies and the wide range of opportunities a Bachelor’s degree in Management & Technology with a Specialization in Renewable Resources will provide students. With increased social, economic and political pressures, it is now more important than ever for companies to become environmentally sustainable and to hire employees who understand the key steps to get them there.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Hübner

What would you say characterizes the Bachelor’s in Management and Technology with a Specialization in Renewable Resources?

In addition to your typical business studies, the Bachelor’s in Straubing focuses on sustainability and biotechnology. Some example topics from this focus include: how to create a life-cycle assessment and measure the CO2 footprint of a company, determining what measures are available to decrease CO2 emissions, and how to set up zero-waste supply chains. Ethical issues and sourcing concepts, e.g. purchasing products from Africa or Asia, are also discussed. This is supplemented by technological training, where, for example, our students learn about wood as a raw material and how it can be processed and used as a substitute for plastic components. An additional aspect is the planning of supply chains and the avoidance of overstocking; which is complemented by insights into material cycles, environmental management or behavioral economics.

Why are these contents currently of great relevance?

Increasing societal interest in sustainability-oriented management, changes in consumer behavior towards renewable resources, as well as political agreements and regulations with stricter environmental goals have put pressure on companies to shift towards a more climate-neutral and sustainable resource management practice. Companies in all sectors are increasingly called upon to contribute to this structural change. This change will require a technological redesign of production processes towards resource-saving and sustainable supply chains, a conversion of the raw material base from limited fossil to biogenic and regenerative resources. It will also require a redesign of managerial pedagogy regarding environmental management methods, systems for the sustainability assessment of products and technologies, as well as marketing concepts to increase consumer acceptance of biogenic and regenerative products.

Growing rapidly in tandem with the increasing scientific and technical challenges of using biogenic and regenerative resources are the entrepreneurial demands being placed on employees by their respective companies. In order to manage these challenges, employees must be able to shape innovative entrepreneurial developments while understanding their influence on society and the economy with the necessary depth and complexity. Graduates of the Bachelor program in Straubing are more than adequately prepared to complement these new corporate sustainability requirements.

What distinguishes teaching and learning at the campus in Straubing?

The campus in Straubing is characterized by its familiar atmosphere and a student to faculty ratio of approximately 10 to 1. Small class sizes allow for a more comprehensive and individualized learning atmosphere, where students and lecturers can interact more closely. The interdisciplinary orientation at TUM Campus Straubing unites contents from economics, energy and process engineering, material sciences, biology and biochemistry at one location for research and teaching.

TUM Campus Straubing, together with the Technology and Support Centre of the Bavarian Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry and the Central Agricultural Raw Materials Marketing and Energy Network (Carmen e.V.), form the Competence Centre for Renewable Resources. Furthermore, a Fraunhofer project group (BioCat) for the development of new chemical catalysts and biocatalysts is located directly on campus.

About Prof. Dr. Hübner

Alexander Hübner is a Professor of Business Administration at the Technical University of Munich and is currently the Chair of Supply and Value Chain Management at the TUM Campus Straubing. His research focuses on the design of effective, efficient and sustainable supply chains and his work involves developing optimization approaches and decision support tools for transportation systems, inventory management, capacity management and assortment planning with particular applications in reailing, consumer goods industries and health care systems.

At TUM Campus Straubing, you too can focus on renewable resources and take climate action into your own hands! Apply now for the Bachelor’s in Management & Technology with a Specialization in Renewable Resources!

The post “Straubing is a Competence Centre for Renewable Resources” appeared first on Technical University of Munich – School of Management.