Introduction
Welcome to the International Business and Languages (IBL) Department of Economics & Management / HES. As a graduate of the English programme International Business and Languages (IBL) you will work as an intermediary between your company and overseas business relations, in trading companies as well as in business services, focusing on for example a new advertising campaign or a product presentation. In other words, you play a key role in the entire business communication. As an IBL graduate you will be thinking through matters like marketing problems and managerial issues, or export opportunities and the feasibility of an overseas branch. Establishing and maintaining business relations abroad may therefore be part of your duties.
The main aim of the IBL course is to provide a sound basis to business students, interested in and good at languages, for an international career. You will be trained to become an all-rounder who can work independently and at the same time function well within the team of a large company.
If you plan to become an export manager or an international product manager you should have an excellent command of foreign languages. Similarly, you must be able to negotiate with people whose culture and trade customs differ from yours. Your main field will be commercial activities where foreign relations play an important part, especially in: import and export, overseas financial transactions, international movement of goods, marketing, communication management, office management and customer relationship management.