Economics and Business Environment

Wim Hulleman and Ad Marijs are both teachers of Economics at the Windesheim University of Applied Sciences.

• 1 Economics and the business environment 1.1 Economic activity and economics 1.2 Business environment 1.3 Absolute and relative data PART 1The company in the business sector 2 Markets 2.1 Market, product and the business sector 2.2 Demand 2.3 Supply 2.4 Market price 3 Competition 3.1 Intensity of competition and competitiveness 3.2 The structure of the market 3.3 Business conduct and business results (performance) 3.4 The product’s life cycle and industry structure 3.5 Porter’s diamond PART 2The macroeconomic environment of companies 4 Producing 4.1 Prosperity 4.2 Added value 4.3 Production factors 4.4 The structure of the European economy 5 Expenditure 5.1 Consumption 5.2 Investments 5.3 Government expenditure 5.4 Foreign expenditure 5.5 The circular flow of income 6 The business cycle and policy 6.1 The business cycle 6.2 Inflation 6.3 The government 6.4 Macroeconomic basis statistics 6.5 Industry and the business cycle PART 3The monetary environment of companies 7 Money 7.1 The functions of money 7.2 Money supply 7.3 Demand for money 7.4 Monetary policy 8 Money and capital markets 8.1 Functions and classification of the money and capital markets 8.2 The money market 8.3 The capital market 8.4 The interest rate structure 8.5 Interest rate risk PART 4The international environment of companies 9 International economic relations 9.1 International economic trends 9.2 The theory of comparative costs 9.3 Free trade and protectionism 9.4 The balance of payments 9.5 International cooperation 10 The foreign exchange market 10.1 Characteristics of the foreign exchange market 10.2 Spot exchange rate 10.3 Exchange rate systems 10.4 Exchange rate policy in the European Union 10.5 Forward exchange rate 10.6 Exchange rate risk 11 Country selection and country risk 11.1 Country selection 11.2 Country risk AppendixQuestionnaire for the analysis of a foreign market Answers to Test questionsCredits Index