BRAC UNIVERSITY

BRAC BUSINESS SCHOOL

SPRING 2014
Course No -BUS203
Section -0004
Subject: Business Environment

Course Instructor: Muhammad Maruf Ibne Wali

Class Time: 08:00-09:20 AM
Class Room: UB20203
Office Room: TBA
Office hours: TBA
Email: marufwali@yahoo.com

Course Description
Business organisations exist in a dynamic environment which is continuously changing. All
organizations therefore, continuously monitor the business environment and understand what is
happening from an economic, social, political, legal, regulatory, and technological perspective. These
trends will create opportunities and threats that must be addressed in order for organizations to
prosper.
This course will focus upon the key business decisions in the global economic environment which can
present both opportunities and threats to an organisation. It will help students to explore and
understand globalization, it’s impact on business, how businesses can formulate strategy to act in
response. It will introduce concepts, models and frameworks that can be applied to increase the
probability of success for their own organisations and will equip them to develop their own plans
within the overall business context. This course has been designed for individuals with minimum
knowledge of economics and seeks to explain the workings of the domestic and international
economic systems and examine key aspects of the economic environment which affect the business
climate. The Instructor will apply current business examples to these environments in order that
student may understand their relevance to business in Bangladesh.

Course Learning Objectives

On completion of this module, participants will be able to:

 Identify opportunities and threats from environment
 Critically assess how far markets for goods and services are global and why some are not.
 Understand and critically evaluate how the commercial decisions of a business in one country
are influenced by the actions of businesses in another country.
 Critically discuss how governments and international institutions promote or impede
globalisation.
 Critical analysis of globalisation and its impact on an organisation.
 Understand the impact and influence of the business environment on strategy and the
management within the organization
 Learn how business strategy can be modified and adjusted to business environment
 Analyse newspaper and media reports and their effects on business environment in
Bangladesh context
Recommended Books

No single textbook adequately covers the topics included in this course. Students will have to utilize
lecture notes of this course. However, following text books are recommended for consultation:

Text Books
 Wetherly, Paul and Doron Otter, 2009 (sixth edition) The Business Environment, Themes
and Issues Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press

Reference Books
 Paul Justin 2010, Business Environment. New Delhi Tata McGraw Hill Education Pvt Ltd.
 Worthington, lan and Quis Brition 2008. Business Environment Harlow, England Pearson
Education

Assessment
Component Weight
Class attendance 5%
In-class Activity 15%
Quiz /Class Tests 10%
Group Report & Presentation 20%
Mid-term 20%
Final Examination 30%

Note:

 Class attendance

In order to obtain the full marks for attendance a student needs to be present in all the classes.

 In-class Activity

In-class activities will be composed of solving cases, group works, debates/discussions, analysing
newspaper and media reports. Marks in this section can be obtained by taking an active part in the
activities that takes place during the semester.

 Quizzes/ Class tests:

Three quizzes will be taken throughout the semester during the class hours, and best two will be
considered. Please note that there will be no option for makeup.

 Group projects

Students will be asked to form a group of 4-5 members and will be asked to carry out a research
evaluating the current business environment of a specific industry or business using the tools and
knowledge gained from the course. Each group will be asked to submit a research report and
present their work.
  Examination

There will be one midterm and one final examination. The exams will consist of Small Case
study, broad and short questions.

 Plagiarism

A common form of plagiarism today is copying text from works of other, without any referencing
or giving credit to the original author. Therefore, any presentation of another person’s work their
own work will not be acceptable.

Course Outline
1 Introduction: Business and its Environment
2 Economic Systems and Forms of Business Ownership
3 Globalisation: Defining its Characteristics, Pros and Cons
4 Multinational Corporations
5 Outsourcing
6 Role of WTO & IMF
7 E-Commerce
8 Role of Governments, Good Governance and Business Climate
  Midterm
9 Macro-stability and Business
10 Fiscal Policy and Business
11 Monetary Policy, Exchange Rates Policy and Business
12 Industrial Policy and Privatizations
13 Financing Business and Capital Market
14 The Competitive Policy and Business
15 Industrial Relations and Environment Protections
16 Business Ethics
17 CSR, Social Enterprise and Social Business
  Final