Introduction to Business in Asia
Spring 2025
Application period: 1.11-17.11, 2024. Read more about application instructions!
Time:
Introduction to Business in Asia: January 7 – April 6, 2025.
Introduction to Business in Asia – country study: February 24 – April 27, 2025.
Level: Introductory / Basic
Language: English
Amount of credits: 3 cr + 2 cr
Organizer: Centre for East Asian Studies, University of Turku / University Network for Asian Studies
Contact person: University lecturer Outi Luova, University of Turku
Course instructor (country study module): Dr Wei Lu, Aalto University
Goals: This course provides you with basic information about business n this macro-region.
Contents: The course covers three major regions in Asia: East, South and Southeast Asia. The course comprises of six modules, of which 2-6 deal with specific countries, as well as important regional issues:
- Introduction to the region
- Japan, South Korea, and demographic issues
- Vietnam, ASEAN, and supply chains
- Indonesia and environmental issues
- China, climate change and green transition
- India and economic geography
Taken as:
The course consists of two parts. If you are planning to complete the Asian Programme or a Mini Minor, you should take both parts of the course (3 + 2 credits).
- MOOC course: Introduction to Business in Asia (3 credits), January 7 – April 6, 2025.
This course is free and available for everyone.
You can register independently to this course on the DigiCampus page without application process. See details below.
Students take the course independently in the DigiCampus learning environment during the course period. Different online assignments such as quizzes, summaries and discussion tasks support the students’ learning process.
Students can complete the coursework according to their own schedule during the course period. Additionally, there will be some exercises given in February that need to be completed within that month.
Grading: pass / fail
If you are accepted into this course through the application process of the Asia Network you will get study credits once you have completed the course successfully.
If you register for the course independently, you will get a certificate of completion from the DigiCampus platform. In this case, if you want to receive study credits, check with your university/polytechnic in advance whether they approve this course to your study programme.
2. Country study (2 credits), February 24 – April 27, 2025.
This course is available for the students of the member universities of the Asia Network, and self-funding students of the Asia Network. It has a maximum intake of 50 students.
This course complements the 3-credit introductory course. Only students who are enrolled for the introductory course, or have previously taken the course are eligible to apply for this course.
In this course, students can deepen their knowledge and get acquainted with the business environment of one country.
Students
1) Read background materials,
2) write short texts and participate in group discussions, and
3) write a short country study (ca. 1500 words).
Grading: 1-5
The course is arranged in the DigiCampus learning platform. When the course starts, the course teacher will send the link and the key of the course page to all participants.
Application for the courses:
You can take the 3-credit course Introduction to Business in Asia without a separate application. In that case you will not receive study credits, but only a course certificate. To register independently, sign up on this DigiCampus page using your Google password or your HAKA-credentials (students from Finnish universities or polytechnics). You can see the registration times at the DigiCampus website.
Students who are accepted to the courses through the application process of the Asia Network receive study credits once they have completed the courses with pass grade. More information about the time and application process is available in the application instructions.
Certificate and course credits
All students who complete the required course tasks successfully can print a certificate of completion on the DigiCampus platform.
Students who are accepted into this course through the Asia Network application process, and successfully complete the course work, get study credits. The credits are recorded in the Peppi Credit Registry at the University of Turku. The students are responsible for transferring the credits to their own university/department. For detailed instructions, read the Study Guide.
Asia Network does not provide study credits to other students. If you want to get study credits from this course, check in advance with your university/polytechnic if they give credits for the MOOC certificate.
Note! This course replaces the old Business in East and Southeast Asia online course. If you have already completed the old version with study credits, you cannot include the new MOOC version in your degree as a new course with new credits. However, if you still want to take this course out of interest, you can do so and receive the MOOC certificate from DigiCampus after completion. In that case, register for the course directly through the DigiCampus course site.
If you are doing the Asian Programme Minor, you can include this course in the minor as one of the basic level courses, as long as you haven’t completed the old equivalent course earlier.
Student voices:
“I’m focusing on international business in my studies and taking up Chinese in my foreign language studies. This will definitely be an asset for my future work.”
“Thank you for a valuable course – it gave me much insight into economic and geopolitical changes in Asia!”
“I liked that I learned a lot not only about different Asian business environments but also about international business as a whole. Independent study style was great because it made it possible for me to complete the tasks according to my own schedules.”