“Geopolitics may sound abstract, but they are not: it can end up affecting your business"

Interview with Josep Ballesté, professor of the course Global Economy and Geopolitics in the UPF-BSM Executive MBA

The UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF-BSM) has redesigned its Executive MBA with a program tailored to new demands and the latest market trends. The academic director of the Executive MBA, Katharine D’Amico, will be joined by a teaching team that brings together academic excellence, doctoral degrees, and extensive professional experience across multiple sectors.

In this interview series called UPF-BSM Faculty Feature, we speak with the main professors of the new EMBA. In this episode, we feature Josep Ballesté, professor of the Global Economy and Geopolitics course. “Global economy and geopolitics may sound abstract and theoretical, but nothing could be further from the truth,” he says about his subject. Ballesté points out that the classroom experience is a highly practical exercise in interpreting reality by connecting three major disciplines: politics, economics, and business. “This may seem almost magical, but we make it very practical,” he explains. “We move from an abstract, theoretical world to an applicable reality that eventually shows up as trends in your company: trends you must manage and mitigate.”

Ballesté highlights the surprise his students often express when they realize that the geopolitical reality we usually learn about through the media is, in fact, much closer and can directly impact them. “When we analyze the SWOT, those geopolitical threats, opportunities, or risks that seem completely external to the company are connected to the risks and opportunities that will ultimately affect the balance sheet or talent management,” Ballesté notes. “This is something students value greatly,” he emphasizes.

With regard to major trends in geopolitics and the global economy, Ballesté explains that we are living through “seismic times,” with a major shift not seen since World War II. “We are moving from a solid economy to geotransformation, a global fragmentation,” says Ballesté. “This fragmentation must be interpreted because it results in specific risks; in class, we bring it down to the real world, the world that affects you directly.”