New at HNU: Prof. Dr. Bar­bara Dannen­mann

It may sound a bit like something out of a reality show, but in my early 20s I was first found collecting bamboo in the Laotian jungle for research purposes and also in Japanese rice fields, where I was studying the calorific value of rice straw. This happened in the context of my studies at the University of Hohenheim. By chance, after my successful graduation, I learned about a new concept of a non-consecutive master's degree, the "Master of Advanced Management" at HNU. The concept convinced me so much that I decided to deepen my classical business knowledge. Already during my studies, I realized that this decision was absolutely right for me. After graduating, I immediately started working in business in the inernational sustainability environment for a large company. I was then drawn to the international sales environment of a medium-sized Swiss company. By combining my knowledge from my studies with practical experience, I quickly took on management responsibilities. After more than seven years in practice, I returned to university five years ago to work on a sales-oriented research project. For the first time, we developed an automated negotiation training in which we combined virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI). I also successfully completed my doctorate on this topic at the University of Potsdam. So if you want to "haggle" with a robot in the future, you know which lecture you should come to ;-)

My teaching focus is on sales. I am doing research on negotiation in combination with VR and AI. I dream of developing a configurator in which we can individually design negotiation situations using natural language. This will allow us to move to a new level in negotiation research on the one hand and train students even better for the professional world on the other.

Even as a child, I enjoyed getting to the bottom of things and sharing and developing my knowledge with others. My love of sales can certainly be traced back to the same stage in life. From an early age, I was involved with incoming orders. My father was already active in the sales environment. So the order situation at the dinner table was a regular topic of conversation. Now I sit here and share my knowledge with young minds that are just as curious as I was back then.

Students receive a "starter kit" from me for their entry into sales: Based on sales processes, they learn everything you need to know about sales in a basic lecture. In addition, at the Competence Center for Growth and Sales Strategies, we do a lot of work in the form of informal learning: through training and seminar structures, students gain practical experience in sales and marketing. In addition, students solve a practical problem from a company in the region as standard. New technologies also play a role in the learning process: In a negotiation training course, students even negotiate with an AI in a VR environment. As a result, the students are ideally equipped for their career entry in sales.

Varied and intense :-)

As a native Swabian from the region, I am naturally rooted here. Nevertheless, during my studies and my years in practice, I was drawn out into the world. But my heart is attached to the Ländle and the people. That's why I'm here!

Discovering the world with my children.