Teaching plan for the course unit

 

 
Close imatge de maquetació

 

Print

 

General information

 

Course unit name: Culture and Business in Europe and Other Western Countries

Course unit code: 364580

Academic year: 2025-2026

Coordinator: Guillem Riambau Armet

Department: Department of Economics

Credits: 6

Single program: S

 

 

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 150

 

Face-to-face and/or online activities

60
 

-  Lecture with practical component

Face-to-face and online

  

45
 

-  Problem-solving class

Face-to-face

  

15
 

(Problem-solving sessions)

Supervised project

40

Independent learning

50

 

 

Competences / Learning outcomes to be gained during study

 

   -

CB3 - Ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within the field of study) to inform judgements that include reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues.
   -

CG8 - Capacity to communicate in English and/or other foreign languages orally and in writing, comprehension skills, and mastery of specialized language.
   -

CE11 - Understanding of the culture and business practices of different countries, as the basis for adapting to an interacting effectively with other geopolitical contexts.
   -

CE2 - Comprehensive understanding of the international economic, legal and socio-political framework, and ability to use this knowledge to oversee international business decisions.
   -

CB4 - Capacity to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
   -

CG3 - Capacity for learning and responsibility (capacity for analysis, synthesis, to adopt global perspectives and to apply knowledge to practice).
   -

CG5 - Ability to work in a team (capacity to collaborate with others and contribute to a common project, capacity to work in cross-disciplinary and multicultural teams).

 

 

Learning objectives

 

Referring to knowledge

— Develop an understanding of the key features of both the economy and the markets of European countries and of those of the United States.

 

— Explore the institutional framework and organisation of economics and business in these countries.

— Learn about the business environment and business culture in European countries and in the United States.

 

 

Teaching blocks

 

1. Europe and the “West”: Key facts about its history and culture

2. Economic growth in Western countries and determining factors

3. Productive structure and competitiveness

4. European markets

5. The welfare state: different social models and welfare states

6. Business and culture compared: What have we learnt?

 

 

Teaching methods and general organization

 

The course combines three main types of learning activities:

— On-campus learning activities. These include lectures, in which the key concepts and content of the subject are presented, as well as the main tools of analysis. They also include practical classes, typically devoted to problem-solving exercises and case studies outlined by the lecturer.

 

— Tutored learning activities, focusing primarily on the preparation of a project proposed by the lecturer.

— Independent learning activities. Comprising additional problem-solving exercises and case studies and further study of the basic bibliography.

The course makes use of the Virtual Campus to facilitate communication between students and teachers, and for the provision and submission of material, such as practical exercises, statistical information, self-assessment tasks and essays.

The lecturer is available during established office hours to resolve any doubts and queries, as well as to provide personalised tutorial guidance to each student throughout the course.

 

 

Official assessment of learning outcomes

 

Continuous assessment

Continuous assessment is divided into four parts:

 

1. Class participation and contribution to discussions and class materials (15%): This includes a take home exercise which requires feedback on a randomly assigned presentation. 

2. Two in-class assignments/midterms (30%, 15% each). They consist of short essays or analyses of topics dealt with in class. 

3. One presentation (15%):  The presentation is to be undertaken in pairs or groups of three. Presentations should last around 20-30 minutes each. Detailed instructions and a rubric for this task are provided in class and uploaded to the Virtual Campus. Students failing to deliver the presentation on the given date receive a mark of 0. 

4. Written examination (40%): The final examination takes place on the date set by the Academic Board and covers the whole syllabus. It may include calculations, case studies and problem-solving exercises. This examination is worth 40% of the final grade.


Repeat assessment

Students who do not pass the subject are eligible to sit a repeat assessment examination on the date set by the Academic Board. This examination covers the whole syllabus and may include calculations, problem-solving exercises and case studies. Students who obtain a mark of 5 or higher in the three assessment tasks retain these marks. This means the repeat assessment examination only corresponds to 40% of the final grade for these candidates.

 

Examination-based assessment

Single assessment consists of a final examination covering the whole syllabus. It may include problem-solving exercises, case studies and calculations, and takes place on the date set by the Academic Board. The minimum grade required to pass the subject is 5.


Repeat assessment

Students who fail to pass the subject may sit the repeat assessment exam on the date established by the Academic Board. The examination covers the entire syllabus and may include calculations, problem-solving exercises and case studies. For students who have chosen single assessment, the repeat assessment test corresponds to 100% of the final grade; therefore, a minimum of 5 is required to obtain a pass grade, while up to 10 points may be awarded.

 

 

Reading and study resources

Check availability in Cercabib

Book

COSTA-CAMPI, María Teresa...[et al.] (eds.). Economía europea: crecimiento, competitividad y mercados. Madrid: Alianza, 2016

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

SUDER, Gabriele G.S. Doing business in Europe. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2011

Catāleg UB  Enllaç