Chapman University MBA Travel Course
Finland is a home market for many Swedish companies but the potential for sales, R&D co-operation, and tested activities is best unleashed with permanent presence in the Finnish and market. This was a key discussion point during our visit at the … [Continue reading]
Smart cities are becoming a global movement. Historically, the world has continued to over extract and consume natural resources without remorse. This behavior has created global problems that provide a need to create systematic change. Today, … [Continue reading]
Before I went to Scandinavia, the word “competence,” meant to me: the ability to do something well. This term has never been attributed to any political issues in America, which was why I was intrigued when I learned of its’ significance in Sweden. … [Continue reading]
Attending the smart growth idea development workshop in Lyskele provided many different types of learnings. The topic of “smart growth” and its varied applications and interpretations by industry and individual allowed for informative dialogue. … [Continue reading]
Sweden is home to many successful companies, but makes them successful? What amount of influence does the home country have on the overall success of an organization? We explore this topic while comparing some of the organizations we have visited … [Continue reading]
Today I spoke in depth with Lycksele natives on the current condition of their immigration and refugee workforce situation. In the current state of Sweden, “foreigners” endure more difficulty in order to get a job. In order to work, immigrants must … [Continue reading]
For the next leg of our trip, we travelled as far north as I think most of us have ever been: the small town of Lycksele, which is located in the Västerbotten region. We arrived to take part in an Innovation Loop conference. We all knew that we would … [Continue reading]
The first thing we noticed at the Finish Embassy in Stockholm is that the intercom on the front door only has 2 buttons: Reception and Sauna. Apparently, for those that know the Finnish people, this was not surprising in the least. However, the most … [Continue reading]
Our Scandinavian travel course started from visiting Stockholm, the capital city in Sweden. On the first day, we visited three companies; Dangens Samhalle, Northvolt, and H&M. Dagens Samhalle is a public media company that takes advantage of … [Continue reading]
28 May 2018: 5am we got up early heading to the airport from Stockholm to Umea and taking a bus for 1.45 hour to Lycksele for a 3-day idea development workshop on the theme of Smart Growth . There was so much travelling plus jet lag that I passed out … [Continue reading]
During this week of our trip, we visited two of Sweden’s powerhouses, Volvo and IKEA. We started at Volvo Cars’ headquarters, known as the “Eagle’s Nest,” for a session on innovation and supply chain transformation, followed by a tour of the factory floor. Walking into a building with that kind of nickname, you expect a […]
Saab Technologies I didn’t expect a company visit to be one of the most memorable parts of this trip, but our stop at Saab Technologies in Stockholm ended up sticking with me more than I thought it would. Saab isn’t a company most Americans think about day-to-day, but in Sweden it’s almost a household name. […]
The Volvo Example: Volvo is known worldwide for Swedish safety and engineering. However, when selling outside of Scandinavia, they have to customize heavily. In the US, they build larger SUVs with bigger cup holders and stronger hybrid engines to fit long American road trips. In other global markets with poor roads or heavy traffic, they have […]
