Academic Year:
2021/22
432 - Joint Law - Business Administration and Management Programme
30614 - The Spanish Economy
Teaching Plan Information
Academic Year:
2021/22
Subject:
30614 - The Spanish Economy
Faculty / School:
109 - Facultad de Economía y Empresa
Degree:
432 - Joint Law - Business Administration and Management Programme
ECTS:
6.0
Year:
3
Semester:
Second semester
Subject Type:
Compulsory
Module:
---
1.1. Aims of the course
The aim of the course is to know, analyse and interpret the Spanish economy in the medium and long term, providing the student with a joint vision of the different economic and institutional aspects.
To do this, the contents are divided into three modules. The first analyses the process of economic growth and, more specifically, the growth determinants in the Spanish economy. The second focuses on the analysis of productive sectors and the evolution of competitiveness, which includes its relationship with the Spanish foreign sector. The third deals with institutional aspects: the labour market, the financial market, the public sector and the effects of European monetary integration on the Spanish economy.
These aims align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the United Nations 2030 Agenda and with some specific targets (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment) which they try to help attain:
Goal 4: Quality education,
Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
1.2. Context and importance of this course in the degree
“Spanish economy” is taught in the second semester of the second year of the degree in Business Administration and Management. It is the only subject in the degree that relates strictly to the Spanish economy, and it will certainly help the student to better deal with further courses.
1.3. Recommendations to take this course
The approach of the course “Spanish Economy” is both theoretical and practical. To be successful, the students are recommended to work on it steadily, which implies attending lectures and seminars on a regular basis, solving the proposed exercises, working in teams and supporting their work with the use of statistical sources. There are no prerequisites for this course, although the knowledge acquired in related courses in Macroeconomics, Statistics and Mathematics will be helpful.
2.1. Competences
After completing the course, the student will be competent in the following skills:
Writing advisory reports on specific situations related to markets, economic sectors and organizations or firms
Understanding and applying professional criteria and scientific rigour/precision to the solving of economic, firm or organizational problems
Ability to analyse and synthesize
Searching for and assessing information from a variety of sources
Being autonomous in his/her learning and training
Applying knowledge to practice
2.2. Learning goals
The student, in order to pass the course, will have to show her/his competence in the following skills:
Understands the concepts and theories that explain and analyse the main factors of growth for the Spanish economy
Understands the concepts and theories that explain and analyse the main productive sectors in the Spanish economy
Correctly uses economic and statistical indicators
Handles and properly interprets the reports from the main national and international economic institutions
Delimits the gross domestic product components with precision
Integrates the knowledge acquired so that it allows the elaboration of satisfactory advice to firms and institutions on the analysis of the Spanish economic situation
Applies the course contents to the resolution of cases or practical exercises from economic reality
Takes decisions following the conclusions derived from the analysis in the course
Adapts the acquired knowledge to new situations, new scenarios or, in general, to the economic situation of Spain at different moments in time
2.3. Importance of learning goals
The skills acquired through “Spanish Economy” are critical for the full development of the professional activity of a graduate in Business Administration and Management because the evolution of the national economy is key to any business activity. It is crucial for the student to learn to adapt her/his knowledge to new situations, given the changing nature of the economic environment.
3. Assessment (1st and 2nd call)
3.1. Assessment tasks (description of tasks, marking system and assessment criteria)
The student will prove that he/she has achieved the expected learning results by means of the following assessment tasks: The assessment system for the course is global and has the following features:
At the Facultad de Economía y Empresa (Zaragoza), the student may choose one of the following options in both sittings:
Option A: The student is offered the possibility of taking an examination on the content of the practical seminars completed during the course in the month of May (3 points), and a final one on the rest of the course contents at the end of the semester (7 points).
The mark for students choosing this option will be calculated as follows:
The practical examination may include open and multiple choice questions about the practical contents of the course (maximum 3 points). In the case of open-ended questions, three aspects will be assessed: the structure and clarity of the content, the completeness of the content and the absence of formal errors.
The final examination may include open and multiple choice questions (maximum 7 points) mainly about the theoretical content of the course. In the case of open-ended questions, three aspects will be assessed: the structure and clarity of the content, the completeness of the content and the absence of formal errors.
To be able to add together the marks of the two examinations, the student must pass both of them (1.5 points in the practical exam and 3.5 in the final one). When this requirement is not met, the final mark will be that of the final examination.
In order to exclude the contents of the practical examination from the final one and to be able to add together the marks of both of them, the student must obtain a minimum mark (1.5 points out of 3) that will enable him/her to sit the final test. If this minimum mark is not reached, the student can take the global examination described in Option B.
The final examination (7 points) will be held on the dates indicated for each sitting in the academic calendar of the Faculty.
Option B: The student is entitled to take a global examination (10 points), consisting of a written test on the theoretical and practical issues of the course, to be held on the dates indicated in the academic calendar approved by the faculty
Examination questions may combine open and multiple choice questions (10 points maximum). In the case of open-ended questions, three aspects will be assessed: the structure and clarity of the content, the completeness of the content and the absence of formal errors.
The student can use both options. If she/he chooses option A and also takes the global examination in option B, her/his final mark will be the higher of the two grades.
At the Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas (Teruel) and the Facultad de Empresa y Gestión Pública (Huesca), the student may choose one of the following options:
Option A: The student is offered the possibility of taking a written examination on the theoretical and practical contents of lessons 1 to 4 (5 points), and a final examination on the rest of the course contents on the date indicated in the academic calendar of the faculty (5 points).
The mark for students choosing this option will be calculated as follows:
• Both examinations may combine open and multiple choice questions about both practical (40%) and theoretical (60%) contents of the course, In the case of open-ended questions, three aspects will be assessed: the structure and clarity of the content, the completeness of the content and the absence of formal errors.
• To be able to add together the marks of the two examinations, the student must obtain at least a mark of 4 points out of 10 in each of them. An average of 5 points is needed to pass the course in this option.
• When the mark for the practical contents part in this option A reaches at least 2 points out of 4, this mark will be saved for the September sitting, and the student will have the possibility to take only the theoretical part of the examination.
• Regardless of the result in the midterm examination, the student has always the possibility of taking the global examination on all the contents of the course to be held on the dates indicated in the academic calendar approved in the centre.
Option B: The global assessment (10 points) consists of a written examination on the theoretical and practical issues of the course, to be held on the dates indicated in the academic calendar approved by the centre in which the degree is offered.
Examination questions may combine open and multiple choice questions (10 points maximum). In the case of open-ended questions, three aspects will be assessed: the structure and clarity of the content, the completeness of the content and the absence of formal errors
Course assessment will be onsite. In the case of a new pandemic wave assessment will become partly online or fully online. It should be noted that in any online assessment task the student performance may be recorded, following the regulations described in
https://protecciondatos.unizar.es/sites/protecciondatos.unizar.es/files/users/lopd/gdocencia_reducida.pdf
A plagiarism detection software will be used to check the originality of the student's assessment tasks. Identification of plagiarism will invalidate the entire task performance (i.e. the task which will be graded with 0 points).
4. Methodology, learning tasks, syllabus and resources
4.1. Methodological overview
The learning process that has been designed for this course is based on the following activities:
In the process of learning, different teaching methods will be used including lectures. More participatory techniques by the student training will be also used. This second type of activities allows student involvement in the learning process and lets the teacher notice the problems and concerns that may arise in the various topics.
In addition to the scheduled classes, the student must make an effort to manage and be familiar with the basic content of the course with the continued help of the textbook "The Spanish Economy"
4.2. Learning tasks
This course is organized as follows:
Lectures (1.2 ECTS). One weekly session of two hours. The lecture is expected to be participatory and to encourage debate as well as to clarify issues and questions based on the student handbook, the supporting literature for the course and materials provided in the Digital Platform (ADD). In addition to the scheduled classes, the student must make an effort to be familiar with the basic content of the course, using the textbook 'The Spanish Economy'.
Practice sessions (1.2 ECTS). One weekly session of two hours. Problem solving and presentation of case studies, preparation and presentation of papers, discussion topics, and readings.
Tutorials (0.6 ECTS: 15 hours). and assessment that allow a more direct and personal support to students in order to monitor tasks, prepare and produce reports, answer questions and guide them in the study and resolution of exercise activities. These tutorials may be individual or in a group.
Autonomous work and study (3 ECTS).
All lectures and seminars will be imparted on site. In the case of a new health emergency caused by the current pandemic all teaching will be moved online.
4.3. Syllabus
This course will address the following topics:
Section I. The Spanish economy at the start of the 21st century Topic 1. The present-day Spanish economic situation
Seminar. Economic indicators and statistical sources
Topic 2. The process of economic growth
Seminar. Determinants of economic growth
Section II. Productive structure and competitiveness Topic 3. The productive structure
Seminar. Productive sectors in perspective
Topic 4. Foreign trade
Seminar. Internationalization
Section III. Institutional aspects Topic 5. Labour market
Seminar. Evolution of the labour market
Topic 6. Financial system
Seminar. Evolution of the financial system
Topic 7. Public sector
Seminar. Income distribution
Topic 8. Spain in the Economic and Monetary Union Seminar. The recent economic situation
4.4. Course planning and calendar
Calendar of actual sessions and presentation of works
The timing of the sessions will be announced on the website of the Faculty and the practices and other activities will be communicated by the teacher
Training and assessment activities
|
Distribution
|
Credits
|
|
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
|
|
2.4
|
|
Lectures
|
Weekly sessions of 2 hours
|
1.2
|
|
Practical classes
|
Weekly sessions of 2 hours
|
1.2
|
|
NON-CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
|
|
3.6
|
|
Group tutorials
|
8 activities of 2 hours
|
0.64
|
|
Final tests
|
1 exam, 2 hours
|
0.08
|
|
Individual work, including preparation of exams
|
72 hours
|
2.88
|
The activities and key dates will be communicated via the e-learning platform (ADD) of the Universidad de Zaragoza and at the presentation for each group at the beginning of the second semester.
The official hours and dates of the final exams can be found on the web pages of the centres at which the course is offered.