Nordic Organisations in Contemporary Business World

Course Objectives
The aim of the course is to provide a general overview of factors influencing business operations in Nordic countries (history, political, geography, legal and economic systems, culture), in particular, the operations of companies. The focus of the course is on welfare state institutions and Nordic culture(s).
The course is particularly intended for incoming exchange students.

Course Description
You are familiar with Nordic business culture and society, including the leadership and negotiation styles, political and socio-economic contexts.
After completing the course, you will be able to:

• critically examine the Nordic business environment and the society it is embedded in;
• apply the above theoretical knowledge and understanding to practical case/report;
• learn about societal and business issues by Nordic practitioners.

Examination Information

• Reflective essay 50%
• Oral group presentation with peer assessments 40%
• Attendance 10%

Textes

• Fellman, S., Iversen, M., Sjögren, H. & Thue, L. (2008). Creating Nordic Capitalism: The Business History of a Competitive Periphery. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 1-21; 137-264; 392-393; 558-578.
• Lewis, R. (2011). When Cultures Collide: Leading Across Cultures, 3 ed. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing, Preface; Chapters 1-3; 101-125; 330-350. (The same edition as from 2006).
• Partanen, A. (2016). The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life. New York, NY: HarperCollinsPublishers. Chapters 1-4, and 9.

There may also be peer-reviewed articles prescribed by the examiner at the start of the course that are available through Hanken library databases.