Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law

Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law
Handelshögskolan vid Göteborgs universitet
Established 1923 (1923)
Type University of Business UB and law school
Parent institution University of Gothenburg
Academic affiliation University of Gothenburg EQUIS, AMBA, AACSB
Location Gothenburg, Sweden57°41′50″N 11°57′40″E / 57.69722°N 11.96111°E / 57.69722; 11.96111Coordinates: 57°41′50″N 11°57′40″E / 57.69722°N 11.96111°E / 57.69722; 11.96111
Dean Per Cramér
Students 7,000
Website www.handels.gu.se

The Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg (Swedish: Handelshögskolan vid Göteborgs universitet) is a business school in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was founded in 1923 as an independent business college and is situated in the centre of the city, between the districts Vasastan and Haga. In 1961 it was integrated into the state-run university system, still as a separate college, but then was integrated into the University of Gothenburg in 1971. Different from the other colleges at the university, it continues to use a Swedish name form (högskola) which usually denotes an independent college.

Accreditations

The School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has received a third international accreditation (AACSB). It thus becomes the only business school in Sweden that is what is popularly referred to as “Triple Crown” accredited. Such accreditation is held by only 0.5% of the world’s business schools. The members of this exclusive group have successfully come through the three severest quality examinations in the business-school world. London Business School, Antai at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Copenhagen Business School are amongst the holders.

(http://handels.gu.se/english/about-the-School/press-and-news/newsdetail//the-school-of-business--economics-and-law-at-the-university-of-gothenburg-strengthens-its-position-amongst-the-world-s-business-schools.cid1401847, 28.09.2016)

The School has been accredited by EQUIS since 2004 (re-accredited in 2009, next re-accreditation in 2014).

In 2013, the School was accredited by AMBA for its Executive MBA programme, and is thereby the only AMBA-accredited school in Sweden. This guarantee of quality is internationally considered to be the highest level of prestige an MBA programme can get.

In 2016, the school received AACSB accreditation.

Facilities

Entrance
Reading hall

The School moved to its present premises in central Gothenburg in 1952, the present buildings being inaugurated in 1995, with further work and extensions conducted in 1996, 2003 and 2010. The main campus offers approximately 25,500 square metres of space, hosting lecture halls and office space for faculty members, as well as excellent library facilities, a restaurant and the premises of the School’s Student Association.

Programmes

Undergraduate Level

Master Level (taught in English)

PhD Level

The School’s Mission and Vision Statement

The Mission of the School is to develop knowledge and educate creative individuals, for the advancement of successful organisations and a sustainable world

The Mission has been developed by the School in the context of the provisions of national regulation, and the mission of the University. The Mission is operationalised in the following key areas:

The School’s Vision Statement

The School aims to be well known and respected as an excellent and progressive academic institution

Where the School Comes From – the ‘Spirit of Gothenburg’

Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, has Scandinavia’s largest port, and is also Sweden’s industrial centre, its trading hub as well as its logistics hub. Strategically centred, more-or-less midway between Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm, it is also a major convention and entertainment centre. AB Volvo and Volvo Cars Corporation, Stena and SKF are some of the multinational corporations that are headquartered here.

An outward-looking atmosphere has characterised the Gothenburg business community since the city was founded in the early 17th century. Large Dutch, German, English as well as Scottish communities, developed exports of the vast Scandinavian forest and mineral resources and used Gothenburg as its natural gateway to the world. This has provided a natural setting for the School of Business, Economics and Law (the School), with its internationally oriented business education, with great emphasis on practical relevance grounded in academic economic theory, and with a thorough understanding of the local economic-geographical contexts in different parts of the world, as well as the legal and institutional framework, which regulate business practices.

The School was founded in 1923. It was a private institution, serving a growing need for internationally oriented academic and professional education among the manufacturing companies, shipping firms and trading houses of Gothenburg. Gothenburg-based globally oriented companies, such as SKF, Volvo and the leading shipyards later became major employers of graduates from the School. After several decades of rapid growth in the Swedish economy and thus in the public system of higher education, the School became a public institution under Government auspices in 1960. After its amalgamation with the University of Gothenburg (the University) in 1971, it was recognised as an independent unit within the University in 1986. Since 1997, the School has had its own Faculty Board, reflecting a high degree of sovereignty within the University system. In 1992 the School expanded its activities by adding a Master of Laws programme to its educational options. Its present English name, ‘the School of Business, Economics and Law’, was adopted in 2004, so as to reflect its three main pillars of research and education.

Over the years, the development of the School has combined consistency and dynamism in a close relationship with the society surrounding it. The School’s founders, in creating advanced higher education in Gothenburg, stressed the need for an academic base for the many local merchant firms engaged in overseas shipping and trade. Research conducted in close cooperation with the business community is essential to the School, and has been so since its foundation.

The international orientation of businesses headquartered or operating in the area contributes to the School’s own international focus. Language courses were introduced at the School as far back as the early 1920s, and the emphasis on international business studies led to the creation of Sweden’s oldest and largest Bachelor Programme in International Business and Economics, with French as one of the main subjects. Over the years, Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese and English have been added as optional main languages to what is now known as the Programme in Business and Economics. The successive establishment of an extensive network of cooperation with foreign universities that today includes more than 150 agreements has furthermore strengthened the School’s international orientation.

In 2006, the Swedish Government declared that the Bologna system was to be implemented for all higher education. The School was well prepared for this, having conducted Master programmes in English, open to foreign students, since 1997. The organisation of the Master programmes has since continued to develop into what today is formally known as the Graduate School, the unit for all education within the second cycle of the Bologna system today delivering nine two-year Master Programmes in Business and Economics.

The School grants degrees at all academic levels and has comprehensive PhD programmes in all its disciplines. The Department of Business Administration – with a strong history of Management and Accounting research dating back to the 1920s – is one of the largest of its kind in the Nordic countries. Today, the School’s student body exceeds 4,000 full-time students. The faculty includes 272 researchers and teachers of whom 109 are full professors or associate professors.

The Organisation of the School

According to the new organisational structure that will be fully implemented by January 1, 2013 the School is organised into four departments:

The Graduate School is an administrative entity outside the departments, with responsibility for the Executive MBA, Specialised Master Programmes, the Visiting Professor Programme and the School’s GMAT Centre. The PhD programmes are the responsibility of the individual departments and not of the Graduate School.

The Faculty Board and the School Management Team

The School’s Faculty Board consists of three categories of members; Senior Management of the School, Senior Faculty (who form a majority), and Representatives for the Students and Employees appointed by the Student Association and the trade unions respectively. The Dean chairs the Board. The Faculty Board has overall responsibility for:

The School Management Team comprises the Dean, the Assistant Dean and the Vice Dean. The Dean is individually responsible for the executive management of the School, answering to the Vice-Chancellor of the University. Internally, the Dean is in charge of the School’s strategy and its relationship with external stakeholders, and holds a formal operating responsibility with regards to staff, financial administration and infrastructure. The Dean is also a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Management Council at the University level. The Assistant Dean holds the main responsibility for research and postgraduate education, while the Vice Dean is responsible for Master and Bachelor education. Both the Dean and the Assistant Dean are elected by the School’s members of faculty and administrators for a period of six years. The remaining elected members of the Faculty Board have a three-year mandate. Student and union representatives are appointed by the respective associations.

Advisory Boards and Committees

To ascertain that all decision-making processes are based on a qualified analysis of correct facts, the School Management Team and Faculty Board is backed by a number of advisory committees and boards. The Swedish Government stipulates that all preparatory and decision-making bodies dealing with educational matters within Swedish universities must have student representation. Accordingly, the Student Association is represented on all these advisory bodies. All vacant academic positions are publicly advertised internationally and candidates evaluated by external referees for proficiency and merit. An Appointments Board oversees the recruitment and evaluation process, with the final appointment decision being taken by the Faculty Board. Professors, who hold the highest academic position within the University, are formally appointed by the Vice-Chancellor following an application’s adoption by the Faculty Board. Research and education activities are discussed and coordinated through two separate preparatory committees. The Preparatory Committee for Research includes representatives from all departments, as well as one PhD student representative, and is responsible for developing common strategies for research, principles for the allocation of research resources between the departments, common principles for quality assessment, etc. The committee is chaired by the Assistant Dean. The Preparatory Committee for Education comprises representatives from all departments, major education units and programmes of the School, as well as one student representative, and handles all major questions regarding education at Bachelor and Master level. The committee is chaired by the Vice Dean. The Advisory Board – made up of leading management executives from a wide variety of companies such as AB Volvo, Volvo Car Corporation, SKF and Stena, as well as the Swedish financial and public sectors – provides strategic advice to the School Management Team and practical support. It also functions as a key communication tool with some of the School’s most important stakeholders. Some of the Advisory Board members are alumni of the School.

Research Centres

In addition to the main intra-disciplinary research groups within the departments, a long-term strategy by the School has also been to build up research capacity within more focused units that are organised multi-disciplinarily. Research centres have been initiated with the objective of promoting thinking outside the box, and at the same time facilitating active contacts with the business community in order to cooperate in dealing with applied research which is typical for a specific sector or a specific area.

Researchers at the School are also active in cross-faculty centres hosted by other faculties, including:

Notable alumni

AarhusKarlshamn AB, Hexagon AB, Hexpol AB and Securitas AB. Chairman and owner of MSAB.

See also

References

    Annual Report - The School of Business, Economics and Law 2011

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