More thoughts about Scandinavia

Back in operation again.

In both of the international business classes (day and night), we've touched on Finland and their relationship with Russia. Here's a map showing the disputed territories. I've been looking around a bit, and it seems that I was incorrect in saying that the biggest obstacles to the Russians were General Snow and General Ice. The spring thaw is no fun either, since what that gives you is mud and swamps. Not so cold, but actually more difficult to get around in (after all, if there's snow cover, skis make it easy to get around). If military matters are of interest to you, the person to look at is the Finnish military commander, Marshal Mannerheim.

On a more pleasant note, we also discussed the impact of low birth rates -- an older population and the resulting strains. One part of Europe where, oddly enough, this is not quite as severe a problem, is Scandinavia, a result that has been attributed to these countries' generous social welfare system. Your thoughts on the merits of the Scandinavian approach to supporting families?

Employment Discrimination in Sweden

This was on Yahoo's front page, so I thought it might be a good idea for me to note a few things. First, this case is in Sweden. As the International Business folks have gotten very tired of hearing, culture and laws differ. True, there have been employment discrimination cases in the US where height requirements and other physical requirements have been struck down (as I recall, some were on gender and others I think on ethnicity). However, in the US cases, the finding was that the requirement wasn't something actually needed for the job [Note 1]. From what was reported here, it sound as though the minimum height requirement was a job requirement -- if a US employer could establish that efficiency or safety really did require the minimum heights, the employer would, I think, probably win the suit.

[Note 1]. The interesting case was with firefighters. Traditional selection requirements for that job included the ability to lift, I think, 250 or 300 pounds. When this requirement was challenged, and a job analysis actually performed, what came out was that the ability to lift that amount of weight wasn't essential; what was essential was the ability to carry a lesser amount over a distance. In other words, endurance rather than strength. Women actually do better on endurence than men. That doesn't mean that many women will qualify as firefighters -- it's not office work. But, if you think through it, doesn't it make sense to take the time to find out what the job really requires, and find people who meet those qualifications?

International Business Exam

Which Scandinavian country doesn't fit with the others?

Who still has Communist governments?

Fortune Global 500

Nowegian Election Results

As we discussed last night in International, Scandinavian values are a bit different from ours. Specifically, there's a very strong sense that nobody should be in need. The result -- a social safety net that includes free education, health care, etc [this is the article Ashley was referring to]

This is, in part, financed from Norway's oil revenues (they're the world's 3d largest exporter of oil), but you'll find the same philosophy and similar programs in the rest of Scandinavia. As we discussed last night, this is different. Not better, not worse, just different. Remember that this social welfare system is funded by tax revenues, and Norwegian tax rates are very high.

The election.

Centre-Left Bloc Wins Norway Poll

The right-center party, under Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, lost to the left-center Labor Party, led by Jens Stoltenberg. It wasn't an issue of safety-net vs. no safety-net, just how far the social welfare system should go

In the news coverage, pay attention to the references to "blocs" -- specifically, neither Labor nor the Christian People's Pary can form a government unless they form a coalition with one or more minority parties.

One factor that didn't come into the elections was EU membership; Norwegian voters have rejected membership, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of sentiment for joining. In fact, Norway gets a lot of the benefits of EU membership (more on that in a couple of weeks), withough having to give up control over fishing rights. A 2004 article from The Economist, though, sees the matter somewhat differently:

The Norwegian Option

Your thoughts?