Chapman University MBA Travel Course
Team Surströmming will bring you the best of Swedish culture--starting with its greatest national treasure, surströmming! This innocent-looking can holds secrets and delights... There are many Swedish specialties that you will encounter on … [Continue reading]
15 hours of on-campus classes this week, very exciting :) At least, the group is fast becoming quite literate in Scandinavian/Swedish business culture and traditions with an emphasis on concepts such as: Lagom. The Swedish word for not too much, … [Continue reading]
On the morning of our departure from Gothenburg to Copenhagen, Denmark, we managed to squeeze in one final stop at the Stena AB Headquarters. This was a pleasant surprise announcement, as aside from learning different ship types, I found what was … [Continue reading]
Just as our plane followed the Great Circle from Los Angeles to Stockholm, our journey in to the business and cultural paradigms of Scandinavia followed. Prior to our trip, our only exposure to these has been through a few pre-trip classes by our … [Continue reading]
Throughout our trip, there has been one approach to operating a business in Scandinavia which seems much different from the average start-up in the United States. The approach we are referencing is rooted in the business attitudes of operating … [Continue reading]
Prior to leaving Sweden, we were able to enjoy the social graces of Volvo Cars and their Volvo Brand Experience Centre. Even though Volvo has withstood the test of time and through multiple acquisitions, such as under the management of the Ford … [Continue reading]
Over the two weeks of our visit to Scandinavia, we heard people from differently sized companies in various industries speak about what the "Scandinavian" culture did for their companies' success. They spoke of how the size of the country and the … [Continue reading]
Whilst in Gothenburg we had the pleasure of spending a day at the Volvo Car Corporation Headquarters. Not only did we hear from Volvo Cars’ VP of Human Resources, Björn Sällström, but we managed to take a lovely factory tour with our guide, Jonas, … [Continue reading]
Our visit to Stena AB in Göteborg, their hub of operations in Sweden, was quite compelling. Stena's focus lies mainly on ferry routes, shipping, offshore drilling, property, finance, adactum, as well as recycling, environmental services and trading. … [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 […]
