Course Objectives

The European Union is continually evolving. This course addresses key factors and issues facing European businesses, and other firms doing business in the European ‘single market', including the EU's security environment and its efforts to develop a regional defence economy. It presents an understanding of current (and relevant past) political, economic, security and social conditions shaping the development of the European Union. These include:

• The political, economic and security dynamics of European integration and the ‘Single European Market' (SEM);
• Key EU institutions: Commission, Council of Ministers, Court, Parliament, Central Bank and their ‘Competences' in trade, competition, industry, transportation, energy and environmental policies;
• The European economy with reference to the US, Russia, Japan, China, India and others;
• Common foreign, security and defence policies in the EU (CFSP and ESDP);
• Britain's ‘Euroscepticism' with reference to business, monetary integration, foreign relations and defence;
• Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and the role of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and bank for reconstruction (EBRD) in the contexts of enlargement and fiscal stabilisation.
• The economics of defence and security in the EU: NATO, transatlantic relations, Russia and the wider world.

Such developments have major implications for the global economy and the international security order, as well as for European and international businesses operating within the SEM. These developments will be explored via lectures, discussions and case studies. In addition, guided tours and site visits, including a field trip to Brussels, will highlight different cultural norms and economic orientations within the EU area, and between Europe and the USA. The course will deepen students' learning and skills in international business and international relations.

Please note this class carries a £95 course fee, which covers a trip to Brussels to study EU business and NATO in more depth. 

Course materials are listed below. Please log in to view these items.

Course Comments

"I learned a lot in this course - it was very valuable to me. Thank you!" Geome O., Spring 2010

"Awesome teacher! Wish I could've taken another course with him." Anon., Spring 2010

"The course material was interesting. I enjoyed the professor, he was extremely intelligence and always able to answer any questions." Anon., Fall 2009

"Dr Macdonald is really knowledgeable in this particular field, and I really like he uses events to illustrate the development of EU and the business environment. He also accepts different aspects and opinions during class discussions. He's awesome!" Josh Chang, Spring 2009

Faculty Information

Dr Hugh Macdonald PhD, BSc (Econ), London School of Economics; PGC (TLHE), Open University. He has been a NATO research fellow, a research scholar for the Ford Foundation, taught at several universities in Canada and the UK, and has been a consultant on world affairs to the governments of Britain and other countries. He taught on the Politics track for Boston University's Oxford Honours Programme 1984-2008, and on the Management track of the London Programme since 2000.

Course Syllabus and Materials

Hyperlinked articles:

Vasconcelos, A. de (ed) (2009) What ambitions for European defence in 2020. 2nd ed. The European Union Institute for Security Studies.  Available at: http://www.iss.europa.eu/uploads/media/What_ambitions_for_European_defence_in_2020.pdf

Uploaded documents:

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