Business Administration: Intermediate

About the education 

EKF201 Industrial and Financial Management, 15 credits

The course consists of two parts: Financial management and Industrial management The focus is on decision-making based on quantitative methods. This is especially relevant regarding efficient use of resources and value creating in firms and other organizations. Basic quantitative methods and models for decision-making in the field of industrial and financial management will be used.

The financial management part covers the quantitative methods and models for capital budgeting and corporate finance. Value creation is contingent on profitable investments being distinguished and pursued, but the financing of investments is also an important part. Investment and financing are two sides of the same coin, where risk is an essential analysis parameter. Here, the emphasis is on the net present value method and related methods used for evaluating “real” and financial decisions in both the short and the long term.

The industrial management part covers quantitative methods and models in operations and supply chain management. Operating activities of firms and organizations create value by efficiently transforming inputs into goods and services. The emphasis is on forecasting methods, linear programming, capacity planning, quality management, project management, timetabling, inventory management, and general production planning.

Throughout the course, students are being trained in formulating and solving problems analytically, as well as using computerized software in the resolution of mathematical problems. In addition, the course includes case assignments training students to collect and manage data both systematically and ethically, use different types of information technology and apply widely used statistical tools and techniques. The case studies include elements that will strengthen students’ technology agility, and their ability to make ethical assessments in a critical manner.

Canvas, course syllabus and reading list

EKF202 Strategy and Marketing in a Global context, 15 credits

All companies and organisations, regardless of size and industry, operate in a global context. Management and development of companies is therefore today about being able to analyse and understand how global change sets the framework for the company’s development, and about being able to benefit from changes in the company’s
environment. This means that in addition to understanding the underlying economic structure of an industry, management must also understand how new and unused market areas can be created for growth.

The course is based on theories and models for corporate and market strategies and how these strategies and activities relate to the company’s environment. Initially, the main theories and models of the course are introduced and illustrated and how they interact with each other. Subsequently, basic concepts and theories are introduced in the field of international business, and a framework for building the company’s systematic knowledge about the global business environment is presented. The starting point is that companies in today’s economy must build a systematic understanding of the business environment in which they operate, and how they are affected by global economic changes.

In the next step, the focus shifts from the companies' global environment to innovative business and marketing strategies, i.e. how companies and organizations can create sustainable and ethical conditions to compete in the context of new market conditions in a global and digital world. Here, basic perspectives, theories, concepts, and models are provided and dealt with, which are required for business and market strategies to be shaped, valued and put into action.

Thereafter, the perspective shifts from marketing strategies to corporate strategies and in particular how corporate strategies are formed in practice. Here it is shown that corporate strategies are formed by both deliberate management-driven strategy activities and emerging activities that over time prove to have strategic significance and that successful companies manage these activities in parallel.

The course thus combines insights from literature in international business, marketing, and corporate strategy. Theories and concepts from these areas are discussed specifically in relation to how they are affected and shaped by global economic change and social, economic, and environmentally sustainable development. During the course, the students work with a case where they apply the various theories and concepts from the literature. The work on the case is discussed in seminars and the results are presented in a report.

All in all, the course provides a broad understanding and knowledge of the conditions of international enterprise, how business leaders face new ethical challenges through globalisation, and how companies and organisations can create innovative conditions for development.

Canvas, course syllabus and reading list

Prerequisites and selection

To be eligible for the course 60 passed credits from the first three semesters of the Bachelor's Programme in Business and Economics or equivalent are required.