No previous courses are required

The subject Introduction to Business responds to the following objectives: to explore the practice of Business Management, to examine the logic and the way in which organizations and companies respond to the current challenges within a changing environment and to identify the main decisions that are taken in the different areas integrating the firm. The formative objectives of this course are the following: - To explain the concepts, models and techniques associated to Business Administration and Management. - To interpret and analyze the context in which companies and organizations carry out their activities. - To apply measurement systems relevant to the different functional areas of the company and that contribute to the identification and resolution of problems. - To understand the planning process in the company. Students will be able to develop the following skills: - To learn the decisions involved in the management of a firm. - To differentiate the concepts ¿enterprise¿ and ¿entrepreneur¿. - To analyze companies from their functional areas. - To critically analyze the problems faced by companies. - Develop the ability to communicate in writing and orally. The professional competences acquired by the students will be: - To apply the knowledge acquired to the resolution of practical problems. - To apply the different basic functions of Business Management in planning, organization, management and control.

It is an introductory course which is intended to provide the student with the basic concepts of the firm; to identify its functional areas and the main decisions taken in each of them. 1. General concepts 1.1. Concept and nature of the company 1.2. Types of companies 1.3. The management of the firm. 2. The Production Function 2.1. Concept and objectives 2.2. Types of productive systems 2.3. Control of the productive system 3.The Financial Function 3.1. Economic and financial structure of the company 3.2. The financial structure of the company 3.3. Analysis of business performance and financial leverage 3.4. The decision of investment 4. The Marketing Function 4.1. Fundamentals of Marketing 4.2. Market segmentation and positioning 4.3. The variables of the marketing mix

The competences will be acquired through lessons, case resolution and discussion of readings by students, which will be delivered to the teacher and corrected together. The lessons are aimed at the acquisition by the students of the necessary technical knowledge that will be reinforced through exercises and cases of real situations.