Knowledge of the legal regulation of competition is a key tool for anyone involved in businesses operating in a global context. The aim of this module is to examine the purposes and theory of competition law and its relationship to economics, including some comparison between EU and US anti-trust law. A substantial component of the module considers the extent to which the law operates to regulate the market behaviour of businesses. This is put in the context of the growing internationalisation of competition law. Increasingly, businesses are operating internationally, making cooperation between competition authorities essential. A number of case studies with an international dimension will be included.

A detailed examination of EC competition law is central to this module. This will provide a practical understanding of the framework of the EC competition and its enforcement. An understanding of EC competition law is essential to any international business: not only is Europe a major global market, but EC competition law reaches beyond Europe and may act to prohibit activities (such as mergers between undertakings) which take place outside the EC. Consideration is given to the impact of the law on business practices such as cartels, abuse of a dominant position, distribution agreements, joint ventures and mergers.