LY SMU Publication: The Business Times, p 11 Date: 17 August 2009 Headline: Lessons from Scandinavia

Lessons from Scandinavia JOSHUA LEONG discovers why companies from this region are global leaders in their respective fields

" a ,. ENMARK, Swc>d(>n and Norway - able and env~ronmentally frlcndly %& thrcr countries ~n the Scand~nav~an Norwegian beverage company Hansa Borg 9 Pc~n~nsula - are frequently on the 1s a good bus~ness model Consumc.rs a re

$1 A?* top 20 l ~ s t of any worldw~de ranklng charged sl~ghtly h~gher prlces for bottled bev-

4 8 8 * of the best countntLs for d o ~ n g busl- eraaes in Norwav, but thcv are ~ a l d a sum of ness. And because of Singaporo's incroasing money for every bottlo roturned to the place trade and economic ties with these countries, of purchase. Scandinavia's dynamism and success present 'l'he bottles are then colloc:tod in truckloads an interesting case study for business and by Hansa Horg, and brought back to tho facto- management students. rics for inspection, cleaning, and ro-bottling.

A group of 28 Singapore Management Uni- Since bottlos are not thrown away but are in- versity (SMU) undergraduates had the oppor- stead reused, this practice helps to reduce the tunity to take a first-hand look at their busi- amount of waste produced as a result of bever- ness and management practices whon thoy age consumption in Norway. were in the Scandinavian region from May 16 As part of our learning process, my class to 19 on a busintrss study mission (BSM). was also tasked to source for donors to allevi-

The RSM focused on tho ontiro supply at(: our travel and accommodation costs for chain management of Scandinavian compa- thc! BSM. Wc: worked in groups of thrcrc and nies in thtt energy, pharmaceutical, banking, were given full autonomy to contact compa- manufacturing, and food and beverage indus- nies and request support. We learnt the hard tries, as well as the region's culture, tradition way that securing sponsorship, particularly in and lifestyle. these difficult times, was not easy. But we all

An intcnse immersion in the Scandinavian picked up important life skills in thc process, business and way of life started weeks before Childhood revisited: Studentsfrom the Singapore Management University in front of the such as negotiation and pitching a the trip, with lessons held three times a Lego factory in Ilenmark. They also visited [,egoland, a theme park built entirelyfrom The class is grateful to two donors, World for the visiting students. billions of Lego bricks Scientific I'ublishing and Sirius Marine,

Guctst speakers, such as the Danish Ambas- which pledgctd $4,000 each in cash sponsor- sador to Singapore, Vibeke Rovsing 1,au. factory in Denmark. [.ego senior management reprosentativcs were more than willing to pro- ,,hip to support B ~ M scandinavia ~ ~ 0 9 , ~ h ~ i ~ ritzen, Swedish (:r(!ativity guru and founder of representatives introduced us to the history of vide the answers. contributions were invaluable in helping stu- interesting.org, Fredrik Hiirhn, and even Scan- the company and gave a snapshot of where The Warm and candid natur(? of the senior dents like us defray the vital study dinavian exchange students in SMU, talked the business is now before treating us to a management of the companies, somctthing trips,

what it meant to be scandinavian -and rare, behind-the-scenes look at how every lit- not often sttcn in other parts of the world, gen- Most of us had never set in Scandina- shared perspectives of how scandinavian tle picx:e of I.cgo found on the shelves of toy erated much dialogue and proved very insight- via. So visits to key attractions and cultural im- businesses operato. stores around tho world is produced and pack- ful for us. mersion completed the eye-opening exposure

The Danish Ambassador also generously aged. This "low power-distancc" in Scandinavi- for us. After the I.ego office, we of course had invited us to a sumptuous scandinavian meal, In I)enmark, we also visited Vestas; Grund- an business culture is uniqutt to Scandinavia,

lt was a memorable evening as she did all the fos, the world's leading supplier of pumps; and is something Singaporean businossos can to revisit our childhood and fan the flames of creativity again in I,egoland, a theme park

cooking and preparation herself and we felt and NOVO Nordisk, the global leader in diabe- learn a s it nrduces tension between managtr- ment and staK encouraging an open work en- built entirely from billions of Idego bricks.

extremely privileged and honoured to have ex- t"S care. There was also the rustic: Norwegian moun- perienced scandinavian culturn and hospitali. A major part of the I3SM also focused on vironment and culture for employee dcvolop-

Norwegian energy companies such as Renew- ment. tain village of Geilo, where somc of us had the ty in this way.

on visits to companies based in singapore, able linergy Corporation. which specialises in A common trend among the Scandinavian chance to play in the snow Orst time -

such as vestas, thcr leading produaer solar energy; and Statoill lydro, which speaial- o)mpanies across the various industries is the eV'rn though it was And we will

of wind turbines, swcdish bank skandi- ises in oil and natural p a ; Orkla, one of the constant emphasis on sustainability and put- memb'rr thcr baautiful, scenic Flam Wain rids

naviska lcnskilda ~ ~ , , k ~ ~ , wo learnt that Sin- biggest conglomerates in Norway; and Hansa serving the environment. in Bergen.

gapOr(:,s political stability, business pOtontial Borg, the larg:st brewery and beverage d i s In Scandinavia. the envinlnmcnt is of the For me, Norwcgim philosophyor"dug- - colnpanies penal- nad", or the willingness to voluntcter and con-

and excellont relations with Scandinavia were tributor '' Norway.

key reasons for many Scandinavian compa- Many of the companies wo visited arc ised heavily if they fail to adhere to interna- tribute to the struck a chord in

t:nvironmontal me and led me to think that it would be won- nies to set up their regional headquarters leaders i n

t h e i r respec t ive guide. dyrful to have a little of that Scandinavian spir- here.

This sentiment was echoed by tho Norwe- fields. Being able This is the second of a four-part lines when conduct- It In Singapore.

ing their businesses. The company visits, the relationships with gian Ambassador to Singapore, Janne Jul- learn about th(!ir his- series that will feature various SMU

As such, Scandinavi- the peoplct wo met, and the lessons learnt srud, during a reception she hosted at her tory and how they undergraduates who have gone both inside and outside the classroom, will home, which gave us the opportunity to inter- rose to success w(:r(! abroad as part of their Business an companies are al- stay with us for the rest of our lives. act with Norwegian businessmen. Sho also a highlight of the Study Mission course. Next week. we ways looking for in- noted that Singapore was a leading importcr HSM. We eagerly will hear from three students who novativc ways to The writer is a third-year undergraduate at of Norwegian goods. asked many probing travelled to Israel. adapt their business- the Singapore Management University's Lee

During the trip, our first stop was the Lego questions - and the es to remain sustain- Kong Chian School of Business

Source: The Business Times O Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.