Brief description

The aim of the course is for students to acquire a general knowledge of the essential concepts and instruments of trade regulation at multilateral, EU and national level, their basic functioning, and the institutions and bodies involved, as well as the practical application of all these concepts. Special attention will be paid to the main trade barriers faced by any company during its internationalisation.

Name

The spanish external sector and the policies of the European Union

Code

102788

Academic year

2024-25

Degree

MASTER'S DEGREE MBA IN INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT

ECTS Credits

2

Type

MANDATORY

Duration

Cuatrimestral

Language

Spanish/English

Contents

There will be 10 sessions or classes of 1.5 hours each, i.e. the course will have a total of 15 teaching hours.

1. Introduction to the World Trade Organisation: multilateral framework for international trade – Teresa Verdú Riaza
      • Basic principles and functioning.
      • World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreements. The dispute settlement system

2. EU Trade Policy (I) – Teresa Verdú Riaza
      • Tariffs and tariff classification
      • EU trade agreements with third countries.
      • Generalised System of Preferences
      • Use of foreign trade statistics.

3. EU trade policy (II). – Natalia Hernández González
      • Preferential and non-preferential rules of origin.
      • Tariff suspensions and quotas. Inward processing
      • Trade defence instruments. Their use by third countries and the role of economic and trade offices.

4. Digital Commerce – María Aparici González
      • Scope and evolution
      • The Digital STRI: Barriers to digital commerce.
      • Digital trade at the multilateral level of the WTO.
      • Plurilateral and bilateral initiatives in the field of digital trade.
      • Importance of the data. Regulation of cross-border data flow.

5. Regulation of trade in services at multilateral and EU level. Barriers. – Ana Alzas de la Fuente.

      • International trade in services in the multilateral context of the WTO. Plurilateral initiatives
      • Bilateral investment liberalisation and cross-border trade in services.
      • Identification of barriers affecting international services trade

6. Regulation of trade in goods in the EU. Barriers in the domestic market – Ana Álvarez García.

      • Legislative harmonisation. The New Approach Directives.
      • Mutual recognition.
      • Transparency measures: Directive (EU) 2015/1535

7. Regulation of trade in goods – technical and sanitary and phytosanitary barriers in international trade – Ana Álvarez García.

      • Agreements on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) that affect trade.

8. Negotiation of a trade agreement between the EU and a third country – Javier Duque Alcalá
      • Negotiation process, nature, structure and implementation of trade agreements.

9. Horizontal analysis of trade barriers. Instruments and steps for their resolution. – Javier Duque Alcalá

10. Foreign investment – Marta Font Monfort

      • Regulation of foreign investment:
            o FDI control: in Spain and in the EU.
            o Investment attraction: mobility policy.
            o Responsible business conduct of Spanish FDI abroad.
      • Investment protection: Spanish, EU and multilateral agreements and investment policy.

Conocimientos

CO1 - To learn about business management analytics in dynamic and complex environments, such as the international environment.

CO2 - To acquire a body of theoretical and practical knowledge and learning skills, which will enable those who remain interested to pursue further, more specialised studies in the field of advanced research or doctoral studies.

CO3 - To master the basic tools of information and communication technologies for exercising of their profession and for learning.

CO4 - To understand the concepts, theories and instruments for analysing and developing business internationalisation plans.

CO6 - To acquire the skills for professional document drafting and reporting in the field of international business.

CO7 - To know the structure and functioning of the organisations and institutions that support companies’ internationalisation.

CO8 - To know the main legal and fiscal aspects that directly or indirectly affect business internationalisation processes.

Habilidades

S1 - To apply the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired, with a high degree of independence, in both national and international companies, be they small or medium-sized or companies of a more multinational dimension, and even in non-business organisations whose management requires an international vision.

S2 - To apply the analytical skills acquired in defining and approaching new problems and in searching for solutions both in a national and international business context.

S3 - To be able to collect, record and interpret macroeconomic data, country information, industry and business information, financial and accounting data, statistical data, and relevant research results to systematise business decision-making processes in international environments.

S4 - To apply the appropriate procedure to achieving an international business objective.

S5 - To assess the relationship between enterprises and the institutional framework in which activities are carried out.

S6 - To manage digital platforms, technological, audiovisual and computer media to search for information and for effective communication of business projects.

S7 - To manage software and statistical programmes for data recording and analysis.

S9 - To manage a business internationalisation project and assume managerial responsibilities.

Competencias

C4 - To lead the process of designing the international strategy.

C6 - To lead and develop international business negotiation processes.

Training activities

Teaching methods

The course will be of a practical nature. All sessions except the first will include the resolution of practical cases. In each session, the lecturer will give a brief initial explanation of the fundamental aspects of the documentation distributed, and will resolve any doubts the students may have about it.

This will be followed by the presentation or resolution of the corresponding case studies or questions with the active participation of the previously defined subgroup(s). For this, it is compulsory that the students have read the distributed documentation, as well as the cases to be solved in class.

Feedback forms may be used in some of the sessions and may be taken into account in the course evaluation.

The lecturers will send the theoretical documentation and the practical cases and questions to be solved well in advance.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will:

• Have basic knowledge of the rules and regulations governing international trade, tariff and non-tariff barriers, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures and any other potential barriers to trade in services and digital trade.

• Be aware of the existing procedures, whether at bilateral, EU or multilateral level, and how to achieve the removal of trade barriers.

• Be familiar with the tariff policy instruments and trade defence instruments available to European companies. Also be aware of the functions performed by the Economic and Commercial Offices in trade defence proceedings when these are initiated in third countries and affect Spanish companies.

• Be able to advise Spanish companies exporting goods and/or services so that they can access foreign markets while being aware of the regulations they will face.

• Learn about new trends in international trade through digital commerce, which goes beyond the sale and purchase of goods and services by electronic means, encompassing data transfers, digital platforms and applications, as well as the new rules on digital trade at bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral levels that are beginning to take shape to regulate this new way of doing business.

• Be able to assess internationalisation strategies of Spanish companies.

Evaluation system

The student's final grade in the ordinary exam session will be determined on the basis of two concepts: the final exam and the resolution of a practical case study that must be solved and handed in by the subgroups before the final exam.

The final exam will account for 80% of the grade for the course and will consist of 40 multiple-choice questions with four possible answers and only one valid answer. Correct answers will be awarded 0.25 points, blank answers will be awarded zero points, and incorrect answers will lead to a deduction of 0.125 points. The duration of the final examination will be 90 minutes.

Most of the answers to the multiple-choice questions will be derived directly from the documentation provided during the course, from the case studies and/or from the explanations given in class by the lecturer. However, some may require a personal effort of reflection on the part of students and the application of their own judgement.


The case study will account for 20% of the course grade and will be carried out in subgroups. The grade for the case study will be the same for all students belonging to the subgroup. The case study will contain a series of questions to be answered and will be distributed to students together with supporting documentation before the start of the course.

Likewise, the lecturer may increase or decrease the final grade achieved by up to +/- 10% points according to the participation of each student both quantitatively (number of interventions) and qualitatively (timeliness and quality of the interventions) during the teaching sessions, as well as the attitude and attention given during the teaching sessions.

The increase or decrease of 10% of the final grade may also be applied in the second and subsequent exam sessions if, from the result of reviewing the assessment test, as requested by the student, the teaching team for the subject considers that the student has sufficient or insufficient knowledge to justify modifying the grade obtained in this test.

In the 2nd and subsequent exams, 100% of the grade will depend exclusively on the exam, which may be a multiple-choice and/or essay type exam, the format of which will be announced sufficiently in advance.

Coordinator/s

Lecturers

Printable syllabus

This document can be used as reference documentation of this subject for the application for recognition of credits in other study programmes. For its full effect, it should be stamped by UIMP Student's Office.

Document for the application for recognition of credits in other study programmes