European Family Business Study Tour

BUEC 444 / SEM 648

Course Overview

The Masters Programs Office offers students the unique opportunity to participate in an international study tour to Europe during the spring. This 3 credit course combines lectures and assignments at the University of Alberta during the Winter Term and a two week on-site study tour in May. On-site, students participate in company visit, workshops at local universities, and cultural and sightseeing activities. The tour component is intended to give students first-hand insight into European business with a focus on family businesses, their governance structure, corporate strategy, and performance.

Course Information

This 3 credit course is comprised of 2 components; a classroom component and the on-site tour component. The course combines lectures, company visits and sightseeing locations in Germany & Italy.

Classroom Component:

The classroom component will focus on understanding the political and economic dynamics of Europe, its culture, and role in the global economy. Moreover, will cover Europe's business environment and how governance differences within Europe impact family business entrepreneurship. This component will take place during the Winter 2020 semester. All classroom sessions will take place in a School of Business room TBA.

On-site Tour Component:

The ~13-day tour will occur during the first two weeks in May. During the tour, students will participate in numerous company visits, lectures, workshops at local universities, and sightseeing activities. The first half of the trip will be based in Italy, with the second half in Germany. In Italy, the group will be based in Vicenza with professional and cultural visits potentially including Bologna, Venice, and Verona. In Germany, visits will based around Frankfurt and Koblenz, Berlin is also a tentative destination.

Previous company visits include:

• Egon Zehnder
• Merck KGaA
• De Kuyper: Royal Distilleries

Previous sightseeing activities include:

• Marksburg Castle
• Hertha Berlin soccer match at the Olympiastadion Berlin
• Free days to explore the city