Business With Central Asia: Key Issues and Topics

Aims of the course

• Connect with a business partner from Central Asia (initial contact).
• Effectively communicate and negotiate with a partner from Central Asia.
• Search for information and conduct a PESTLE analysis for a selected market in Central Asia.
• Assess various types of risk in doing business in Central Asia.
• Identify business opportunities in a given Central Asian market.
• Conduct a market analysis for a selected product in a given Central Asian market.

Course syllabus

1. Course introduction – putting the »TANs« on the geo-economic and -political map in the 21st century
2. Short history of Central Asia
3. Overview of Central Asian economies: key economic indicators, competitiveness and key challenges
4. Business environments of Central Asian markets: similarities and differences
5. Central Asia and the world economy: foreign trade and FDIs
6. Cultural differences, similarities and specifics of Central-Asian countries and cross-cultural comparisons with western culture
7. Central Asia’s business culture, etiquette and negotiations
8. Marketing and consumers in Central Asia
9. Sustainable development and key challenges
10. Project presentations

Course director(s)