TEACHING PORTFOLIO Bo H. Eriksen Associate Professor, Department of Marketing & Management Tel.

+45 6550 3269 Fax +45 6615 5129 Email bo@sam.sdu.dk Web http://www.sdu.dk/ansat/bo.aspx SSRN http://ssrn.com/author=936110 Mailing address: Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark 1. TEACHING PHILOSOPHY Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. - Groucho Marx The value of education is often contested among academics and practitioners but in academia most of us share the belief that academic studies and theories equip us better to deal with the complex realities we face in our professional lives. I believe that this is the real practical value of education: That we achieve the ability to reach new insights that would not be possible without formal training. Academic work in social sciences regardless of whether it concerns research, studies, or teaching is about making choices, developing insights, and justifying what we do. When we make statements about a real world phenomenon, we at the very least have some implicit theory that guides our understanding. Good social science practice makes that theory explicit and provides a good reason for why we chose a particular perspective on our chosen real world phenomenon. We use our knowledge about theory, methods, and data to gain critical new insights about the hard choices that people, groups, organizations, and societies face. And we use our knowledge to justify the conclusions we draw as well as the ways in which we draw those conclusions. In my teaching, I try to emphasize the importance of asking the right questions and realizing that the explicit and implicit choices you make when you ask a good, precise, and

well justified question also have limitations. I think that good teaching is theory driven because theory helps us make sense of the world in a way that practical experience, intuition, and examples cannot. When I advise students on their term papers or theses, I put most energy in the early stage of the advisory process: Students must come up with a compelling framing for their project. It is my experience that a good framing of a project results in a better final outcome. It is also my experience that the students that take this exercise seriously go through a learning process that enable them to write better papers and theses, and, I think, makes them more competent in their chosen field. I have written about these matters in the so called A Guide to Writing Your Strategy & Organization Master Thesis. Students and other interested can download the guide from www.sdu.dk/SOD. I try to fit my teaching approach to the audience. When I teach bachelor students, classes tend to be large and students tend to be more timid. When I teach master students, classes are usually smaller and students are certainly less timid. The former invites more lecturing, the latter invites more discussion. Over the years, I have tried different teaching formats including lectures, case discussions, in class exercises, and group projects. During the last couple of years, I have converged on a simple preferred format. I tend to mix lectures with case discussions and the use of examples. When I teach in a class room, I want the students to connect the theoretical concepts to real world phenomena: Students should appreciate how good theory can illuminate our understanding of complex social phenomena. For bachelor level teaching, I try to use simple examples to illustrate theoretical points. My approach for the master level students engages students more in discussions and other class room activities. Regardless of which level of study I teach, I try to challenge students to use evidence that supports or challenges their reasoning. I try to use examples that are compelling illustrations of the problems at hand. For

example, when discussing management of International Joint-Ventures, I have developed a mini-case about Carlsbergs failed Joint-Venture in Thailand to illustrate the key issues. When I discuss a practical business problem with students in class, I try to focus the discussion on sound reasoning. I want students to justify their views instead of relying on cook-book recipes. During class discussions, you will often hear me ask questions such as yeah, yeah but why why would anyone ever do that? This is part of the learning process: Students must come up with a clear and good justification for their conclusions. I believe that business people call this type of exercise justifying the business case. In terms of ethics, I demand very little. I treat students with respect and try to behave as a professional. I expect the same professional attitude from students. When I grade exams, I try to be objective. I demand that students justify their conclusions and so should I. I base my grades on observables, not on feelings such as personal likes or dislikes.

2. TEACHING EXPERIENCE I have about sixteen years of teaching experience at the Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D. levels. I have taught courses on Organization Theory (Bachelor, Master), Strategy (Bachelor, Master, Ph.D.), Innovation Management (Executive Master), International Management (Master), and Organizational Behavior (Bachelor). I have been involved in designing all of the Master level courses I have taught over the years. Currently, I teach International Management in the Master program (Spring semester) and have ended a four year stint teaching Organization Theory in the Bachelor program the spring of 2010. Over the years I have advised several term papers, bachelor theses, master theses, and Ph.D. theses in the areas mentioned above. My class room teaching blends lecturing, case discussions, and student presentations. The exact proportion in the mixture depends on the size of the class and the level of the students.

This is a fairly complete list of courses I have taught since 1994: Strategisk Planlgning & Ledelse (Master Strategic Planning and Management) Strategisk Ledelse (Master Strategic Management) Organisationsdesign (Master Organization Design) Applied Strategy (Master) Advanced Strategy & Organization Theory (Master) International Management (Master) Innovationsledelse (Executive Master Management of Innovation) Erhvervskonomi 1C (Bachelor Organizational Behavior) Organisation (Bachelor Organization Theory) Strategi (Bachelor Strategic Management) Ph.D. course in Strategy (Ph.D.) Ph.D. seminar in Strategy & Organization

3. FORMAL PEDAGOGICAL TRAINING I have completed the mandatory Danish university teachers pedagogical training program. Beyond that, I have no other formal pedagogical training. I do, however, have sixteen years teaching experience.

4. PEDAGOGICAL FUNCTIONS I am responsible for several courses in the Master of Science in Strategy & Organization and also for that program. Further I am responsible for the Strategy Course in the B.Comm. program at the University of Southern Denmark. I have advised assistant professors in the mandatory Danish university teachers pedagogical training program.

5. OTHER PEDAGOGICAL TRAINING I have received additional training in teaching and presentation skills.

6. CONFERENCES N/A

7. PEDAGOGICAL PROJECTS I have written a brief introduction on how to write a master thesis for the Master of Science in Strategy & Organization. This guide is appropriately called A Guide to Writing Your Strategy & Organization Master Thesis. Students and other interested can download the guide from www.sdu.dk/SOD. The thesis guide introduces students to the process of going from a vague idea to a completed thesis. Most students find the guide very helpful. I am involved in the Master Thesis Seminar that my colleague Dr. Stephan Billinger is responsible for. The Master Thesis Seminar focuses on process of writing a Master Thesis.

8. PEDAGOGICAL CONTRIBUTIONS In all modesty, my pedagogical contributions are limited to the above mentioned Master Thesis Guide.

9. INFORMAL PEDAGOGICAL ACTIVITIES N/A

10. OTHER ACTIVITIES N/A