Contemporary Economic Problems
Gegenwärtige ökonomische Problemkreise
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Inhalte
Euros and Cents: From Common Market to European Union The European Union is one of the pillars of the world economy along with the United States, China and Japan. What is the EU? How did the EU become a unified trading entity? What does the EU mean for the world economy? Important questions in an era of globalization. After an historic overview from the Schuman Plan to the Maastricht Meetings the class concentrates on the completion of the internal market and on the impact of the EU on the world economy. The gradual transition from free trade area to customs union to common market and, beyond, economic union is conducted in the analytical framework of economic integration. Topics to be discussed include the gradual removal of barriers, the financial framework and the Euro, trade policy, and the future of the EU in view of the new entrants from Central and Eastern Europe. Industrial Organization and Industrial Sustainability: Structures of Industrial Markets in an Era of Globalization Big-Bigger-Merger. The world’s largest steelmaker, Mittal Steel, acquired the no. 2, Arcelor. Together, the two behemoths have a capacity to produce 120 Mill. tons of steel. Bayer buys Schering after a fight with Merck. The list goes on and on like the rabbit beating the drum. Only 32 of the world’s 193 independent nations had a GDP in excess of Exxon Mobil’s 2005 sales. What does this mean for the structure of industrial markets and for competitors and consumers? The course will look at bigness in business, dominant firms, and transnational corporations in the context of concentration, R&D and innovative activity, scale economies, and barriers to entry. Is bigness better? Is there a size mystique? Come and find out.
Lernziele
Students shall learn about economic markets in Europe and the world.
Prüfungsleistung
Per lecture two tests à 60min. (75 %) and a paper (25 %).
Literatur (1)
- One Handapparat each for the two lectures in the IKMZ.
Bemerkungen
Supplementary module for study programme Environmental and Resource Management
Quelle: Modulbeschreibung der BTU · abgerufen 18.10.2026Original