Do­ing Busi­ness in Europe: A Case-Based Ap­proach

Course content

As the largest common market in the world, the European Union's Single Market has created many opportunities. However, doing business in Europe can be challenging due to the complexities and varieties of business environments in the EU. The Brexit negotiations have highlighted how important this can be for companies' strategic decisions. The emerging body of climate legislation is also deeply affecting the companies' business models. National and multi-national companies have therefore progressively understood the importance of monitoring the changes in EU policies, evaluating the impact on their business and dynamically adapting their strategies.

The aim of the course is to present an overview of how the EU institutions and rules affect the European business environment. Students will learn how companies develop their strategic potential when operating - for example - in the European energy, air transport, banking and other services sectors. They will also learn how new EU regulation and business strategies affect workers and the competitiveness of different countries. The course primarily uses Harvard Business cases. By means of using real-world cases, students will actively explore and discuss strategic options of firms in Europe.

The students will develop a general and practical knowledge of EU policies and the relevant implications for business. The skills acquired in the course are highly valued by Danish companies and the public sector.

Indicative overview of lectures and cases:

1. The EU institutional environment

2. The EU policy-making process, legislative acts, and lobbying

     Case 1: International Lobbying and the Dow Chemical Company

3. The Single European Market & the role of the European Court of Justice

4. The EU competition policy 

     Case 2: Google in Europe: Competition Policy in the Digital Era

5. Introduction to the analysis of the business environment

6. Applied analysis of the business environment (I): Internal market for energy

     Case 3: Leadership and Sustainability at ESB electric utility

7. Applied analysis of the business environment (II): Air transport sector

     Case 4: Air France-KLM: A strategy for the European Skies

8. EU labor markets

     Case 5: Working conditions in the EU air transport sector

9. Labor and service market liberalisation 

     Case 6: Vaxholm Labor Dispute in Sweden

10. Regulating working conditions on labor platforms

      Case7: Social sustainability and decent work on digital platforms

11. Economic and Monetary Union & governance of the Eurozone 

      Case 8: Crédit Agricole

12. External Trade

      Case 9: Owen Barry: Coping with the Brexit Stalemate

13. Conclusion, Q&A session and course evaluation