In this lesson, we explore the question, what is Scandinavia? Arriving at a clear cut definition of Scandinavia is not so straightforward. Historically speaking, Scandinavia was usually meant to refer to the countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish born author of such notable fairy tales as The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling, purportedly wrote the poem I am a Scandinavian in 1839. After a visit to Sweden to describe the connectedness he felt between the Danes, Swedes and Norwegians. More recently, Finland is often included by many as part of Scandinavia where the expressions Scandinavian and Nordic are used almost interchangeably by a growing number of people. Not everyone would agree with this broadening. Within Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, one is more likely to encounter a definition of Scandinavia consistent with the traditional definition. Whereas elsewhere, including within Finland, one may be more likely to find the broadening embraced. The word Scandinavia refers to the Scandinavian Peninsula, and thus, the expression has geographical roots. But further exploration reveals that the peninsula earned its name from the cultural linguistic concept of Scandinavia. Hence, the words Scandinavia and Scandinavian typified both geographical and cultural connections between the people of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden who shares similar histories and languages as well as close geographical proximity to one another. Now, the word Nordic refers to North and similarly can be use as a geographical construct, or a cultural construct, or a combination of the two. In the present day, the expression Nordic has assumed the formal institutional meaning through the console of Nordic ministers in reference to the formalized cooperation between the governments of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. In sum, one maybe drawn to firm definitions of Scandinavia as a defined collection of countries, while others may be drawn to the concept of Scandinavia as having more to do with a shared identity. Being Scandinavian, that could arguably transcend geographical boundaries. In this course, we consider Scandinavia and Scandinavian in all these senses. When we respect the culture, we look at being Scandinavian as a sort of identity associated with cultural norms that are prevalent in a Scandinavian context. But where these norms could be potentially adopted elsewhere in the world? For example, within a particular company. We will focus our attention on consideration of cultural norms as they relate to leadership and management practices that we're likely to encounter in the Scandinavian context. With respect to geography, we will consider some of the institutional structures that are unique to the Scandinavian countries. Here we will focus our attention on corporate governance practices, which are embedded within the regulatory frameworks of the Scandinavian countries. Efforts to adopt these practices elsewhere in the world could require the changing of laws, for example. Now, any sharp distinction between culture and institutions is artificial. Its difficult, if not impossible, to decouple institutional structures from the cultural context that created them, and in turn, are shaped by them. Questions such as, does culture shape law, or does law shape culture, are each correctly answered as yes. Cultural norms and institutional structures are tightly commingled and serve to influence and give rise to new cultural norms and institutional structures. For example, Norway's 2005 law mandating that boards of directors of public corporations have at least 40% female representation was at least in part a result of the Norwegian cultural context in which gender equality is valued that enabled such a law to be discussed and passed. And looking ahead, this regulation will likely influence cultural norms as it becomes more common place for women to hold formalized positions of power. So we take a look at cultural and institutional structures as part of this course while recognizing that they're all part of a commingled context.
