NEWSLETTER 1– 13 fROM hanken SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
There is gold in old Hanken’s main building at the Helsinki campus was built in the early 1950’s and the grand opening took place in October 1953. The building at our Vaasa campus is even older. It was built as early as 1927 and planned by architect Matti Björklund, in whose offices the world-famous Alvar Aalto once worked as a trainee. Today, located in the heart of the city and with the Wärtsilä factory only a stone’s throw away, the building is perfect for a modern business school. After a complete renovation in 2002 it was ready to host Hanken’s students and researchers. However, not only buildings are growing older. The United Nations Population Fund reports that by 2050 the number of countries with people over 60 constituting over 30 percent of the population will have reached 64, as opposed to only one such country existing today! Older people are also healthier and wealthier than before, making people over 60 an important target group for business.
Business schools should consider this market segment in their research and their curriculum, especially in subjects like marketing, leadership and IT. Hanken has published research in this area and offered courses in “Marketing to senior consumers” since the 1990’s. But business schools could and should do more. The impact of an ageing population should be integrated in all subjects. As life expectancy is predicted to rise to 100 for more and more people, offering programmes to senior students could be a golden market for business schools.
L a rs - J o h a n L i n d qv i s t V i c e - R e c to r o f t h e Va s a Ca mpus
Hanken is already over 100 years old but remains young at heart and mind, ready to meet the challenges of a global world.
New Research and Knowledge Centre: The Erling-Persson Centre for Entrepreneurship Hanken is investing heavily in entrepreneurship. By founding the Erling-Persson Centre of Entrepreneurship, the School will be a forerunner in education and research in this field. - There is a clear increase in demand among both students and the industry, says Professor Martin Lindell, who accepted the assignment to create the centre. According to Lindell, the need for universitylevel education in Entrepreneurship cannot be stressed heavily enough. Now Hanken has the means to deliver outstanding education and research in this field. - Research and teaching alone do not suffice, contacts with the industry are extremely important, so we plan to arrange workshops for companies and business leaders in order to present our research results, says Lindell.
The activities at the centre started in January 2013. A festive opening ceremony was organised 7 February with a welcoming speech from Stefan Persson, chairman of the boards of H & M and the Erling-Persson Family Foundation. The centre is named after an important donation to Hanken the Erling-Persson Family Foundation. The donation was made in connection with the HANKEN 100 fundraising campaign, with the intention of strengthening Hanken’s basic capital.
S t e fa n P e rs s o n