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BBA - International Business

Doing Business in Europe

Programme Objectives

The programme has the following aims:

  1. To enable the study of organisations, their management and the changing external and international contexts in which they operate.

  2. Equip individuals for and/or development of a career in international business and associated specialized areas in business development, marketing, finance and tourism management at a professional or equivalent level to assume managerial positions in the arena of international business.

  3. Development of the ability to apply knowledge and understanding of international business and management to complex issues, both systematically and creatively, to improve business and management practice.

  4. Enhancement of lifelong learning and personal development so as to be able to work with self-direction and originality and to contribute to business and society at large.

Benefits

On successful completion of the programme, participants will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate understanding of management theories, current issues of management, the development of conceptual frameworks to guide their application within organizations operating in an increasingly global and competitive environment.
  2. Acquire a strong foundation in key functional areas of business management to enable them to succeed as effective managers in an increasingly complex and dynamic environment.
  3. Exhibit a coherent body of knowledge on economic, ethical, environmental, legal, political, sociological and technological factors together with their effects at local, national and international levels upon the strategy, behaviour and management of organisations.
  4. Demonstrate command of a range of competencies relevant to cross-border management, including inter-cultural awareness and understanding.
  5. Acquire and use a range of concepts, tools and techniques for problem solving and decision-making for analyzing complex and inter-related business scenarios.
  6. Demonstrate and apply critical skills enabling the investigation and evaluation of valid and relevant management issues and practices.

Programme Content

Overview

Globalisation and European economic integration both have significant effects upon the environment of business and business operations in general. The overall aim of this module is to enable students to increase their knowledge of the general business environment through evaluating the impact of EU policies on European business whilst examining the practicalities of doing business within the ‘new’ Europe.

Initially the module examines the economic and political aspects of the European Union and the impact of the ‘common policies’ on the wider business environment. These include the single market programme, the single currency, competition policy, regional policy and the common commercial policy. Furthermore, the module examines the process and practicalities of ‘doing business’ in the ‘new’ Europe, how businesses identify, enter and adapt to European markets. This includes strategy development, market screening, the study of European business cultures and the practice of marketing, HRM and finance in a European context.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students will be able to:

  • Identify and analyse the key characteristics of the European business environment; specifically the size and structure of European business and the role of the European Union;
  • Analyse and evaluate the development of the European Union’s ‘single economic system’; specifically the impact of programmes and policies on European businesses operations;
  • Identify and analyse alternative European business cultures; specifically the difference between European and US corporate cultures and the consequences for management practice;
  • Examine and evaluate contemporary issues within the European business environment; specifically current topics that will impact upon future strategy and operations.

Syllabus

  • The size and structure of European business and a business perspective upon the role and functions of the European Union’s primary institutions.
  • History and development of the ‘single economic system’ from Single Market to Single Currency, and the impact of European Union economic and social policies on industrial structures and business operations.
  • Concepts of culture and frameworks for cultural analysis. Corporate culture, management and organisation in Europe and the United States/Asia compared. The consequences for management practice and control in pan-European businesses. Issues of trust, language and ethics in cross-cultural environments.

Resources

  • Course Materials provided by IPE.
  • Debra Johnson & Colin Turner, European Business, 2nd Edition, 2007, Routledge
  • Gabriele Suder, Doing Business In Europe, 2007,Sage Publications
  • Online resources on OCTAL Portal
  • Online data bases from IPE’s E Library