NEWSLETTER 3-18 FROM HANKEN SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
Honouring academic traditions and communicating research In November, we had the opportunity of honouring valuable traditions at Hanken. Hanken Research Day (HRD) is a yearly event where Hanken’s researchers, doctoral students included, are encouraged to share their work with each other so as to enhance collaboration. HRD also disseminates research to students and staff at Hanken as well as to the general public. Regarding the proliferation of research perspectives inside Hanken, individual researchers presented research posters, and nine of Hanken’s larger research groups presented an overview of their research. When it comes to dissemination of research perspectives outside Hanken, we tried something new and different this year: to support researchers’ skills at communicating
their research to non-academic, non-researcher audiences, research pitching training was offered to researchers prior to HRD. On HRD, a pitching competition was organised, with five researchers demonstrating their upgraded communication skills in front of a jury and the audience. Finally, HRD culminated in the inaugural lectures of Hanken’s new full professors: David Grant (Supply Chain Management & Social Responsibility), Ari Hyytinen (Economics) and Petra Sund-Norrgård (Commercial Law). Perfectly in keeping with the purpose of the inaugural lectures, all three of the new professors delivered excellent talks targeting their audience - the general public. David, Ari and Petra – welcome to Hanken! J A A K KO A S PA R A D E A N O F R ES E A RC H
UNIQUE WEEK ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS Hanken’s strategy aims at educating responsible professionals and integrating sustainability in everything we do. To this end, Hanken organised a unique week on the UN Sustainable Development Goals 13-21.11.2018. “We want to be a front-runner in finding innovative and collective solutions to the world’s complexities! This is an ambitious goal requiring concrete actions from all of us,” states Rector Karen Spens. The week was kicked off with the Responsible Organising Conference #2. Through keynote presentations, workshops and a panel debate, varied issues from sustainable finance to the rights and needs of refugees were explored. An international panel discussed topics including the consequences of cutting development aid, the responsibility of companies and the call for action and responsibility for everyone. The panel concluded that a more law-based governance is needed as voluntary mechanisms have over the years proved to be ineffective and lead to free-riding. Different events took place during a week at Hanken’s locations in Helsinki and Vaasa, ranging from clothes donation day to a breakfast theme on how to reduce our chemical and plastic waste.
I n t h e p a n e l d e b a t e : Ta r j a H a l o n e n, Fo r m e r P r e s i d e n t o f Fi n l a n d, Ro e l o f v a n L a a r ( Fo u n d e r, C h i l d r e n’s R i g h t s C h a l l e n g e ) , We n d y H e i n ( L e c t u r e r, B i r k b e c k , U n i v e r s i t y o f L o n d o n ) , T i m o Vu o r i ( E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r, I n t e r n a t i o n a l C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e, Fi n l a n d ) a n d N i n a E l o m a a ( D i r e c t o r, C o r p o r a t e Re s p o n s i b i l i t y, Fa z e r ) .