The Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg (Swedish: Handelshögskolan vid Göteborgs universitet) is one of Sweden's leading business schools, located in Gothenburg. It was founded in 1923 as an independent business college and is situated in the centre of the city. In 1961, it was integrated into the state-run university system, still as a separate college, but was then integrated into the University of Gothenburg in 1971.
The school holds the Triple Accreditation, i.e. AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS, certifying that all main activities are of the highest international standards.
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Facilities
The school relocated to its current 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 library facilities, a restaurant and the premises of the school's Student Association.
Programmes
Undergraduate level
Programme in Business and Economics
Bachelor Programme in Logistics Management
Bachelor Programme in Environmental Social Science
The Social Analysis Programme
Master level (taught in English)
Executive MBA
Master in Accounting and Financial Management
Master in Finance
Master in Innovation and Industrial Management
Master in International Business and Trade
Master in Knowledge-based Entrepreneurship
Master in Logistics and Transport Management
Master in Management
Master in Marketing and Consumption
Master in Economics
Master of Laws Programme (in Swedish)
PhD level
PhD in Business Administration
PhD in Economic Geography
PhD in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Asset Management
PhD in Law
The organisation of the school
According to the departmental structure that was to be fully implemented by January 1, 2013, the school is organised into four distinct departments:
Business Administration
Economics
Law
Economy and Society
The graduate school is an administrative entity outside the departments, with the 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:
Long-term strategy of the school
Funding and allocation of resources
Staffing
Programme options and content
Research strategies
Principles for quality assessment
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 for 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's and bachelor's education. Both the dean and the assistant dean are elected by the school's members of faculty and administrators for 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 are backed by several 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 are 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 levels. 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 to promote thinking outside the box, and at the same time facilitate active contacts with the business community to cooperate in dealing with applied research which is typical for a specific sector or a specific area.
Centre for Business in Society
Centre for Business Solutions
Centre for Consumer Science
Centre for Finance
Centre for Global Human Resource Management
Centre for Health Economics
Centre for International Business Studies
Centre for Regional Analysis
Centre for Tourism
Gothenburg Centre for Globalisation and Development
Researchers at the school are also active in cross-faculty centres hosted by other faculties, including:
Business and Design Lab
Centre for European Research (CERGU)
Centre for Intellectual Property (CIP)
Centre for Environment and Sustainability
Lighthouse
Notable alumni
Percy Barnevik (b. 1941), industry leader, former CEO of Asea Brown Boveri and board member of GM
Carl Bennet, (b. 1951), industry leader, major shareholder and chairman in Elanders, Getinge and Lifco.
Nils Brunsson, academic and researcher in organizational behavior
Jan Eliasson (b. 1940), diplomat, Swedish foreign minister
Camilla Läckberg (b. 1974), crime writer
Dan Sten Olsson, (b. 1947), industry leader, CEO of Stena AB and chairman in Concordia Maritime AB, Stena Line Holding B.V., Stena Metall AB, Stena Bulk AB, Stena Sessan AB, Stena Drilling Ltd. Also a member of the international advisory board of Alliance for Global Sustainability and an honorary doctorate at the Chalmers University of Technology.
Leif Pagrotsky (b. 1951), former Minister of Industry and Trade, Minister of Education, and Minister of Culture.
Melker Schörling, (b. 1947), investor, major shareholder in Securitas AB and Assa Abloy. Also, board members in AarhusKarlshamn AB, Hexagon AB, Hexpol AB and Securitas AB. Chairman and owner of MSAB.
Leif Östling (b. 1945), industry leader, CEO of Scania AB. Holds also a Master of Engineering (Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg).
Mats Wahlstrom, founder of the Puro hospitality group