[Speech] Understanding the reasons for Brexit and the post-Brexit business environment in the UK

Written by Rossie Lim

On Tuesday, May 17th, 2022, Professor David Andersson, the instructor of the IBMBA course entitled European and North American Markets, hosted Leon van Jaarsveldt, a South African professor from the GMBA Program at National Taiwan University.  Professor van Jaarsveldt gave a guest lecture entitled “Understanding the reasons for Brexit and the post-Brexit business environment in the UK.” This lecture went into great detail about the effects of Brexit on the British economy.

Due to the pandemic, this lecture was conducted online. Nonetheless, the interaction between students and lecturers was lively and similar to a real face-to-face lecture. The lecture was divided into several sections, which included a careful examination of the twelve demands of the Brexit Party. It also included an explanation of the Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union, and an empirical examination of post-Brexit economic impacts, with a particular focus on trade and inflation. Professor van Jaarsveldt initiated an interactive discussion with students to explore their knowledge and beliefs regarding Brexit, such as economic advantages and disadvantages, Brexit-related risks, and post-Brexit business strategies. It was clear that Professor van Jaarsveldt has a strong preference for interactive seminar-style sessions rather than traditional lectures. This time it worked especially well, due to the presence of students from European countries such as France, Germany, and the UK. 

The Brexit discussion was unusually detailed and included effects on many different aspects of British society such as immigration, taxes, trade, the internet, infrastructure, housebuilding, and education. It was rather surprising to some students that Brexit is likely to affect education. The policy change will require all British students, except Scottish students studying in Scotland, to pay higher tuition fees. This will thus increase the financial pressure on students and is likely to reduce overall enrolment. Our guest lecturer also discussed (with substantial student input) how British policies compare with the policies of other countries around the world. By using “brainstorming” techniques, we all learned a great deal about Brexit and how it may affect Britain as well as other countries in Europe and elsewhere. 

The guest lecture revealed that quality is more important than quantity. A small class can provide more discussion time for each student. It also makes it possible to integrate the Q & A section into the lecture rather instead of something that happens after the lecture. The students seemed unusually willing to share their thoughts with Professor van Jaarveldt. Afterward, we all took a group picture so as to remember this unique occasion. We hope that there will be many similar occasions in the future.