Doing Business in Europe – (Certificate)

Experience what it takes to do business in Europe successfully. Focus on European politics and economics, zooming in on business life in Europe, and take your business competencies to the ultimate test: a real-life management game on marketing, finance or logistics.
Part 1 (the Netherlands) The first part of the course lasts two weeks, and offers an introduction to Europe, a continent of great diversity. Each of its countries and peoples carry their own cultures, religions, traditions and languages, yet the majority of them are now engaged in a joint project aimed at political and economic integration in the European Union.
This course aims to introduce you to the main challenges and opportunities facing this project. You will analyze topics such as the emergence and construction of national identity and culture; processes of globalization and internationalization, and their effects on local cultures; citizenship in a European context and different national approaches to social issues. You will also examine the structure and institutions of the European Union and learn how national cultures are affected by and react to supranational developments. You will be introduced to diverse cultural identities of a number of European nations. This will help to understand the complicated structure of Europe and may shed some light on the motives for integration as well as the obstacles on the way to European unity.
Outstanding scholars will focus on the history, social and economic structures, culture, and current political debates within the wider European community. A visit to the European Commission and NATO Headquarters in Belgium is also part of the programme.
Part 2 (Italy/the Netherlands) The second part of the programme offers a practical approach to dealing with intercultural differences in a business setting. How do you act in negotiations with business partners from France? What can you expect in a first meeting with Spanish prospects? How do you prepare your marketing strategy for entering the German market? And, of course, how do you deal with the Dutch? Two case study programmes are offered to you: one focusing on the textile industry in Northern Italy, the other on the agricultural industry in the Netherlands. Every week in this part of the programme will be devoted to a specific theme (see more information)
Part 3 (the Netherlands) The third part of the full course lasts one week, and offers the real-life experience of a management game. You can choose to focus on marketing or finance in one of our management simulation games, or focus on logistics in the course business logistics from A-Z.