Experiences in International Business Environments in Forest Sector (8 cr)

Objectives (course unit)

The students will be able to recognize and discuss the special features of the leadership styles and corporate cultures in different cultural areas. They will be able to adapt their communication and leadership practices in accordance with the cultural context. They will be able to encourage, support and further develop of team building, innovation and work motivation inside the organization as well as develop cooperation between organizations across boarders.
The students will be able to analyze the financial statement of an international or SME’s company in forest sector, by studying the annual report of the company. The students will be able to calculate different ratios, i.e. liquidity ratios, solvency ratios and profitability ratios, and interpret the outcomes in international context on the forest sector. The students will be able to use horizontal or vertical analysis in comparing the financial statement of different forest sector companies. The students will understand the basics of IFRS-based annual reports. The students will be able to discuss the development of financial reports with the financial department.

Content (course unit)

The course provides an overview on the cultural differences especially in the business context. The students will familiar themselves with various theoretical approaches to cultural differences and classifications concerning leadership and corporate cultures. They will meet and discuss with specialists in multicultural organizations in the forestry sector. They will get practical experiences of intercultural communication in the discussions and assignment preparations in cross-cultural student groups.
The course provides an overview on the different sections of annual reports, also IFRS-based ones. The students will familiar themselves with the different types of ratio analysis, horizontal and vertical analysis. Basics of sustainability reports will be discussed and Global Reporting Initiative guidelines (GRI) as well. The students will recognize different analyze types and different annual reports types, IFRS, environmental, etc.