Economics & Political Science - EMBA Programme

Core Courses
 

Prices and Markets

Ultimately, it is the prices paid and charged by a company that determine how economic value is divided between the business, its consumers and its suppliers. This course teaches you how to use structured thinking based on microeconomic theory to understand how economic fundamentals such as demand, cost, market structure and government policy shape the prices that prevail in a market. By the end of the course you will know how to: construct a fact-based, logically grounded analysis of a competitive market; identify the categories of costs that are relevant for critical business decisions; construct models of how government interactions affect prices; make profit-maximising price decisions based on the interplay between cost and demand; and use several useful game-theory based models of competition.
 

Macroeconomics in a Global Economy

Individuals, companies, governments and international organisations all operate within an economic environment that influences their performance. In order to minimise the risks and to capitalise on opportunities arising from macroeconomic conditions, companies must constantly monitor changes in interest rates, exchange rates, monetary/fiscal policy, inflation, unemployment and phases of the business cycle. The goal of this course is to build your understanding of these mechanisms and the way they determine the evolution of the global economic environment. The focus is highly applied. It relies on collecting and manipulating economic data (each group is assigned a different country) and reading prescribed press articles (usually from the week preceding the session).
 

International Political Analysis

As every issue of the Financial Times illustrates, politics is a major force in shaping business worldwide. As you progress in your business career towards higher-level management, your ability to assess and handle the political environment will become an increasingly significant skill. This is particularly true if, like most INSEAD graduates, you will be doing business internationally or outside your home country. The purpose of this course is to help you develop this vital ability. Sessions cover issues such as: understanding politics; state structures; varieties of capitalism; industrial policy; international and regional regimes; the future of international politics; international political economy and the WTO; and the power of NGOs.