No course can teach an individual to become a leader, but it can teach one to think about the subject in a meaningful way. It can also help students understand the path that others have taken and how they might advance their own. That is the objective of this course. Key theoretical approaches to leadership are introduced, and students examine why and how several individuals have succeeded or failed in a variety of settings. This course places particular emphasis on the difficult cross-cultural leadership challenges that exist today in our corporations, governments, international institutions and communities. Students draw upon a variety of course materials including case studies (with cases involving Europe and Spain to make the Barcelona experience even more compelling) and readings from business, international relations, history, and literature. Throughout the semester, students are asked to examine three principal questions: 1) What does leadership mean? 2) Do cultural differences matter when it comes to leadership? 3) How is the subject of leadership relevant to my life?

International marketing is important as the world becomes increasingly globalized. In an international context, marketing managers plan and conduct transactions across borders to create exchanges that satisfy the objectives of individuals and organizations. The fact that a transaction takes place “across national borders” highlights the difference between domestic and international marketing.

The course considers the basic concepts of international marketing, the various activities necessary for international marketing planning, the beginning of international marketing activities to be conducted by a domestic firm, and relevant issues on strategy and marketing management relevant to expanded global operations (3 credits).

The course uses:

- Four relevant European case studies of firms involved in implementing international marketing strategies.

- Short articles from business newspapers and magazines to be discussed on a daily basis to motivate class participation. The selected articles illustrate the different theories studied along the course and provide interesting and practical examples of Spanish and European firms implementing international marketing strategies.

This course investigates the cultural issues that inevitably surround working within a foreign environment. The course will not be based so much on technical knowledge of your particular business, but rather on the intercultural knowledge that the intern stands to gain through this experience. In addition to Cultural Studies, we will also consider other diverse but related areas such as Organizational Theory, Human Resources and International Business.

Companies increasingly value any international experiences on a candidate’s résumé. A worker with intercultural competence is more flexible, analytical, tolerant to change and open-minded. Everything that a global company needs!

The internationalization of companies and the consequent globalization of the economy is an unquestionable fact. Business and economic activities are dominated by two fundamental elements: the opening of the markets, with a progressive elimination of physical and administrative barriers, and the intensive use of information and communication technologies. Managers and employees in general must be prepared to think globally, act locally and work digitally .

While there are many definitions of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs, most will agree that entrepreneurship is more than just “starting your own business”. It is a practice and discipline rather than a science or an art and it is believed to be the driving force of most economies and societies. New entrepreneurial ventures are seen as the sources of job creation and economic growth as well as personal satisfaction. In this course, we will analyze the meaning of entrepreneurship, its linkage to innovation, what it means to be an entrepreneur and explore ways to become one. We will learn that entrepreneurship means change, that changes lead to opportunities and that group work and networking is essential. We will approach entrepreneurship as a process that can be applied in virtually any organizational setting. The emphasis of the course will be in the creation of new ventures, studying the different factors that can determine their success. The course prepares students to search for ideas and opportunities and transform them into viable businesses .

Business cultures vary significantly by region, nation and supra-nationality and over time. This course will use case studies to consider legal, ethical and cultural sensitive decision making and behavior for international business. A framework based on different ethical traditions, including philosophical, institutional and cultural, is used to analyze business ethical dilemmas. The specific trade-offs pertaining to the relation between business value on one hand and social and environmental values on the other hand are structured. Issues of reputation, credibility and communication are specifically addressed. Topics include: societal, environmental and individual business issues. Guest speakers from business and non-governmental organizations will be featured and a field trip will be organized.