• Develop deep knowledge about megatrends and their impact on the European business context.
• Describe key megatrends affecting Europe as opportunities and constraints for business and society.
• Analyze how EU business and EU institutions could address the challenges posed by the megatrends.
• Define and analyze a specific and business-related problem pertaining to the megatrends taught in the the course drawing upon a range of qualitative and quantitative sources.
• Communicate and discuss the research results clearly, using appropriate terms and concepts.

Content overview

This course is a form of applied scholarship that deals with global megatrends. Megatrends are systemic changes in the conventional ways of approaching key challenges situated at the intersection of business and society in the European context.

Specifically, the course explores the fundamentals of select environmental, economic and societal megatrends as they manifest themselves in Europe and assist students with writing in practical ways about the challenges posed by these megatrends.

In terms of structure, the first part of the course will introduce the concept of megatrends as a useful way to frame, understand and practically deal with drastic, systemic and global transformations of the extent political, societal and economic order.

Next, the course will use peer reviewed articles, podcasts, policy studies and case studies to zoom into specific megatrends affecting Europe: the crisis of hyper globalized trade and finance, demographic upheaval, the climate crisis, the rise of green finance, techonomic cold wars , financial instability, digitalisation, growing inequality and globalized tax avoidance. This part of the course also looks at how each of these is currently addressed by EU governance institutions and processes. Since the emphasis falls on the contemporary relevance of megatrends, the specific choice of the megatrends will vary from year to year and will be presented in the course plan on CBS Canvas. 

Thus, the course builds on the comparative political economy approach used in Denmark in Comparative Perspective and the Political Economy of European States by teaching students how to translate the insights of that literature into concrete interventions and business opportunities for firms in the European context.

Pedagogy 

Pedagogically, the course aims to bolster students' capacity to integrate previous EB courses and translate their insights and knowledge into the practical platform of short corporate memo conceived in an online environment that multiplies opportunities for collaboration across research teams.

This memo is a loan concept whereby you pitch a business idea to be funded by an EU-level lender such as the European Investment Bank or InvestEU. Learning to write these memos is essential for acquiring the entrepreneurial knowledge required to address the challenges to humanity and Europe that these megatrends represent.

All content is online. There will be live lectures (to be recorded and posted after the lecture) as well as podcasts. There will be weekly "walk in" online consultation hours as well as collective feedback on a one-page loan concept pitch to be submitted midway through the course.

All content is online. There will be live lectures (to be recorded and posted after the lecture) as well as podcasts. There will be weekly "walk in" online consultation hours as well as collective feedback on a one-page loan concept pitch to be submitted midway through the course.

See syllabus.