2013/2014 BA-EUB_EMB3 Europe as a Multicultural Business Environment
English Title | |
Europe as a Multicultural Business Environment |
Course information |
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Language | English |
Exam ECTS | 15 ECTS |
Type | Mandatory |
Level | Bachelor |
Duration | One Semester |
Course period | 3. semester |
Time Table | Please see course schedule at e-Campus |
Study board |
Study Board for Bachelor of Arts in European
Business
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Course coordinator | |
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Main academic disciplines | |
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Last updated on 13-08-2013 |
Learning objectives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Learning objectives. At the end of the course, students should be able to: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Examination | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Course content and structure | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The EU is a major actor in
international trade. It has the biggest share in world trade,
before the USA and China. It is also the biggest importer and
exporter. Due to its economic importance in world trade the EU’s
decisions (e.g.: in competition policy, on health standards or
environmental standards) impact business conditions and strategies
not only European companies but also of non-European companies. The
EU is also a major actor in international fora such as the World
Trade Organization. In other words, knowing more about the EU and
its policies affecting business conditions is a major asset both
for European companies willing to develop international trade and
for non-European companies that have important activities in the EU
or wish to develop such activities.
Today’s business conditions within the member states of the European Union are to a large extent defined by the European Union, its Single Market and related policies. Many pieces of legislation affecting business conditions within the member states are either passed or framed at the EU level. The EU’s strategy aiming at stimulating trading activities and innovation also operate at the company level with the creation of a European legal status for big companies – the so-called “societas europaea” (SE) – and the adoption of the Small Business Act for Europe targeting small and medium sized companies. Therefore, a good knowledge of the EU is a necessary part of a successful business strategy. It allows companies to master the rules under which they have to operate. It allows them to optimize the legal aspect of their activity. It also allows European as well as non-European companies to develop successful lobbyism strategies which contribute to enhance their business conditions. But the EU is also multilingual. Working successfully in such an environment requires a capacity to deal with the simultaneous presence of several languages, which is why the course also builds languages in its teaching objectives. The course therefore aims at giving students basic knowledge on the EU as a business environment. The course will explain the institutional framework of the European Union, the decision making process, selected business related policies. Complementary aspects such as marketing, lobbying and managing in the multinational European context will also be presented. Conceived of as an interdisciplinary approach to Europe and the EU, the course will present complementary theories on the European integration process, marketing, management and lobbying strategies and practices. |
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Teaching methods | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This course combines several types
teaching formats which allow a double focus. The course aims at
teaching knowledge on the EU as a business environment and at the
same time at developing the students’ capacities to work in a
multilingual environment.
1) The module revolves around a set of lectures introducing to the EU. The lectures are taught in English and last 2h each. The goal of the lectures is to give common landmarks on the EU. It is based on a common textbook (see below). 2) Language classes complete the lectures and take place in the second foreign languages taught in the programme: English, French, German and Spanish. Students are split according to the second foreign language they are studying. The language classes focus on one particular aspect of the lecture but are taught in one of the four languages mentioned. They are based on press and scientific articles in the respective languages. The goal of these classes is to deepen the knowledge learned during the lectures while learning at the same time how to work on it in a second foreign language. 3) The third dimension is multilingual group work. Groups consist of 3 to 5 students, with students of at least two language groups (EN, GE, FR and/or SP). Groups are built at the beginning of the course. The two goals of the multilingual group work are: a) to ‘decluster’ the languages and thus avoid students not communicating with one another because of language choices; b) to train actively their capacity to work in a multilingual environment, where different languages are spoken and needed. Groups can turn in 2 written assignments on the topics studied in class. Like for the final exam, assignments are written in English and must make use of the literature of each second foreign language of the members of the group. These assignments are graded on a pass/fail basis. They are not mandatory but students are given the strong advice to turn them in so as to train for the final exam. |
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Student workload | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Expected literature | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Main textbook: Gabriel Suder, Doing
Business in Europe, Sage, 2nd edition.
Additional litterature will be indicated in time. |
Last updated on
13-08-2013