Professor Q & A - Prof. Dr. Anna Göddeke

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This is the second post in our Professor Q&A series. The aim of the series is to allow present and prospective students to better get to know our amazing professors. This post features Prof. Dr. Anna Göddeke, professor of Microeconomics and Quantitative Methods.


1. In what roles have you contributed to ESB Business School?
Chief cook and bottle-washer – like most of us….

2. What makes a good professor?
I don’t think there is an appropriate answer to your question. Students are diverse and therefore there is a need for very distinct professors. Thinking about the IB Team I would hope that all of us have very diverse qualities, skills and personalities [well I am sure about the latter ;-)] and thus every one of you should find at least one “good professor” within our team.

3. Is there anything you would you like to change about your job?
Currently, I would love to have less administrative things to care about. And I would love to receive less emails!

4. What kind of student were you in university? 
I hated school but I loved my time at university. Having time to study mostly what I was really interested in, being surrounded by equally curious and equally minded friends was amazing. The four years I was allowed to be a full time student passed much too quickly. So, enjoy yours!

5. Based on all of your experience, what is the most valuable lesson you have learned?
I have for sure not enough experience to answer this question.

6. What are your hobbies?
Wow, the old friendships book question: Visiting larger cities and enjoying the cultural life. I am just about to visit an arthouse cinema the third time this week, so maybe that also counts as a hobby? Cooking, baking? And sports, I hate sitting at a desk and have to do that much too often!

7. What are your three favorite books?
I do not enjoy reading and rarely if ever read novels. I guess cookbooks and economics books do not count here as an answer? The choice is therefore limited. However, I enjoyed Victor Frankl: “Man's Search For Meaning”, Oliver Sachs: “Uncle Tungston” and Richard Feynman “Surely you are joking, Mr Feynman”. A book only available in German but also great is Wladyslaw Bartoszewski: “Es lohnt sich, anständig zu sein”. My list of favourite cookbooks or economics books would be based on a larger sample!

 

8. What do you like most about being a professor?
For me two different things:  Students joining the IB program have a very diverse background and very different expectations and opportunities in life. Getting to know (at least some of you) better is wonderful. Furthermore it is about seeing our students grow and maybe supporting you a bit with this development: After 3.5 years at ESB, abroad and doing internships most of you have grown to amazing (young) adults. Being allowed to witness this is quite a gift.

9. If you hadn’t chosen a career in teaching, what would you be doing now?
Hopefully having an equally fulfilling job. Having fun and earning a fortune with the job great but often overrated. At the end of the day, for me it matters much more that I make a positive impact and my job is useful. There are tons of other jobs with these characteristics outside of teaching, but please let me do one of those!

Professor Q & A - Prof. Dr. Martin Mocker

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This is the first post in our ESB Professor Q&A series. The aim of the series is to allow present and prospective students to better get to know our amazing professors. First up is Prof. Dr. Martin Mocker, professor of Business Administration and Information Systems.



1. In what roles have you contributed to ESB Business School?
Besides professor, also as admission officer and as examination officer.

2. What makes a good professor?
The ability to generate meaningful insights in research; in teaching, to create an enjoyable learning experience that helps students to gain relevant insights. Oh, and somewhere I read that always wearing a pocket square will eventually make you a good professor...

3. Is there anything you would you like to change about your job?
Finally, someone asks for my wishlist! Here's my top 2: 1. Can we move to valuing output and impact more than input, please? 2. Let's reduce bureaucracy - make it easier to get stuff done. 3. If I could somehow stop students from knocking on my office door only to then ask where Prof. Beldarrain is.

4. What kind of student were you in university? 
 Proud Geek.

5. Based on all of your experience, what is the most valuable lesson you have learned?
Don't assume your professor knows the answer to question #5.

6. What's the most important word you would teach someone, if they couldn’t learn more than one?
The right answer is Peace, isn't it? Or Love? Somewhere between Love and Peace. Or Krumbiere.

7. What one thing would you change in the world if you had absolute power?
Hey, this is a question that is actually a P.C.-trap. I'll skip this one...

8. What are your hobbies?
Trail- and mountain-running, hiking (hey, do you actually know how gorgeous the Swabian Alb is?)

9. What’s your favorite quote?
AAPL (NASDAQ) 102,26 +1,09 (1,08%) 19:59 GMT-5

10. What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?
It wasn't a classic advice, but a question: What do you want to be remembered for?

11. What’s the most important advice you would give to the ESB students?
Think about question #10!

12. What are your three favorite books?
Really? Isn't asking for favorite books so 1990s? Why not ask about favorite podcasts (Serial is great, Sanft und Sorgfaeltig often quite fun), or music (my streaming provider tells me that Oceans by Coasts (actually the whole album with the same name), Campfire by Satellite Stories, and Midnight City by M83, are my current favorites), or video streaming series (House of Cards, Mad Men, Better Call Saul). You still want books? Ok, The Reluctant Fundamentlist by Mohsin Hamid and Netherland, by Joseph O'Neill are nice stories, maybe The Circle by Dave Eggers. Most books by Martin Suter offer a good distraction, too.

13. What do you like most about being a professor?
It's really one of the coolest jobs: You're learning all the time! And: You get to answer questions about yourself for a blog.

14. If you hadn’t chosen a career in teaching, what would you be doing now?
Well, most of us had careers before becoming a professor, so most likely I would still be a management consultant... or a firefighter!

15. Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
You mean apart from all the stuff I already answered above, something that's really fun, but also not too embarrasing just in case students or colleagues find their way to this blog? Something I want everyone to know that nobody knew already? Hmmm, can I get back to you on this one?