Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Business

Business
6
16321
1
Second semester
FB
Main language of instruction: Catalan

Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish,

Teaching staff

Introduction

It is important to take into account what the company really is in the scope of Institutional Communication and Public Relations, which elements form it, and the role the person plays in the economical context of the company and this in turn in the global context of the economy.

It is a basic education subject with a general and descriptive profile, which is intended to give a global vision of the company, its problems or issues and its relationship with the environment and also determine which are its functions and interactions with both internal or external agents.

The subject has a basic and introductory focus, where the first themes are spent on clarifying the general concepts of the company, its environment and its dimension, and reviewing theoretical approaches about the company that have been made in the context of economic and administrative thinking. In this way, the student is confronted for the first time with the concept of business and the environment in which it is situated.

Once the student positions the company as an economic trader, an introduction is given to the different functional areas of the organisation. The problems of the administration and management of resources that apply to each of the areas, such as authentic and technical resources, financial resources or human resources as well as other areas such as sales, marketing or operations. It is intended that students learn about the most important decisions to be made in each of the areas discussed and to identify the variables that are most relevant in each case as well as apply simple techniques to solve the different problems.

Finally, it is intended that the student learns the essential functions of company management, understanding the service company and the consumer goods company.

The importance of human relations and the proper management of staff are highlighted in this area to achieve maximum organisational efficiency.

All subject contents are developed with a practical approach, encouraging student participation and discussion in the classroom.

The subject aims to give an overview of the company, its problems, and its relationship with the environment without going into details as these details are dealt with in more specialised subjects. The knowledge and skills acquired by students in this subject are key to all professional activity linked to the development of Communication, Corporate Communication or a Public Relations Agency.

Pre-course requirements

No. 

Objectives

  1. Analyse the company as a whole and identify its relations with the environment to then introduce some basic techniques of management in relation to each of the functional areas in order to structure business activity.
  2. Understand the operation of the company, understood as a unitary whole and emphasising the connections between all parts, and with the environment.
  3. Understand the role of the company in society and the role of an information company.
  4. The importance of the human factor in the company.
  5. Understand the financial aspect of the company.
  6. Learn and understand the different functional areas of the company and their interactions.
  7. Understand how to manage and administrate companies and organisations.
  8. Become acquainted with the company and the agents that intervene: macro environment, markets, etc.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

  • CN03 - Identify the key stakeholders, departments and professional roles within advertising and public relations agencies, understanding their functions in the design and implementation of communication campaigns.
  • CN05 - Recognise the principal artificial intelligence tools with applications in advertising, marketing and public relations.
  • CN07 - Identify emerging trends in digital communication, social media and interactive environments for planning advertising and public relations activities in digital and multi-platform contexts.
  • CP05 - Manage relationships between advertisers and agencies effectively, applying media planning and buying strategies in multi-channel advertising and public relations environments.
  • CP08 - Manage corporate communication budgets and advertising and public relations campaigns, optimising resources and drawing on a broad understanding of the economic context and the advertising and public relations industry.
  • HB03 - Resolve problems in interactions with clients and members of the public.
  • HB04 - Design strategic communication and public relations plans that respond to the needs of organisations across different sectors.
  • HB07 - Analyse macroeconomic data and market statistics using digital tools, including artificial intelligence.

Learning outcomes of the subject

Students will be able to:

  1. To analyse audiences to predict consumer behaviour using artificial intelligence.

  2. To acquire a basic understanding of organisations in the advertising and public relations sectors, their structures, and the legal, economic and ethical frameworks within which they are established and develop.

  3. To describe the current landscape of the production and distribution of goods and services at local and global levels, identifying the main microeconomic factors and macroeconomic indicators.

  4. To manage brand positioning by defining and communicating a brand’s purpose and values, using artificial intelligence-based tools to monitor brand perception on social media and adjust strategic messaging.

  5. To identify successful business ventures at local and international levels, as well as the main steps involved in developing and launching a business.

  6. To identify the main products, professional roles and specialised terminology associated with companies operating in the creative industries.

Syllabus

A. Concept Company

1. The Company and the entrepreneur: Concepts and fundamentals.

  • Business Function and concept
  • The company and its environment
  • Business Principles and Objectives
  • The entrepreneur and the creation of new businesses

2. The Environment and Strategy:

  • The Company as a system
  • Systems approaches
  • Regulatory Mechanisms in a Company
  • The Company and its environment: development, competition , strategy

3. The Company as an organization:

  • Organisational structure
  • Parts of the structure

B. Financial function:

1. Administration and Accounting:

  • Concept and role of accounting
  • Basics
  • The annual accounts
  • Financial balance of the Company
  • The performance of the Company

2. Investment and Risk:

  • Concepts and types
  • Time Value of Money
  • Fundamentals
  • Investment selection methods

3. Finance:

  • Business financial environment
  • Sources of Business Financing
  • Self-financing, debt leverage
  • The bank financing

C. The Role of Operations:

1. Production Activity of the Company
2. Objectives, costs and productivity
3. Definition and types of production processes

D. The role of Personnel Management

E. Commercial function:

1. Marketing:

  • Concept
  • Approaches
  • Relationship Marketing
  • Market research
  • Product, Price, Distribution, Communication
  • Marketing plan

2. Sales:

  • Concept
  • Types of Information
  • Dealer
  • The phases of the sale