Bylaws of the School of Business

As a unit defined in Section 3 of the Constitution of the Aalto University Foundation, the Aalto University School of Business conducts research and education in business and economics, provides higher economic education leading to a degree and provides continuing education related to the field of business and economics, leadership training and MBA training, as well as societal service activities relating to the field of business and economics, according to the strategic guidelines of Aalto University.

Organisation

The basic unit of academic activities at the school is the department, which conducts academic research and provides the related education leading to a degree. The school has the following departments:

• Department of Management Studies. Within the Department at its Mikkeli Campus there is an English-language Bachelor’s Programme in International Business.
• Department of Accounting,
• Department of Marketing,
• Department of Finance,
• Department of Economics and
• Department of Information and Service Economy.

The school may have units established for research cooperation between several disciplines or joint units with the other schools of Aalto University, or with units outside the university.

As necessary, each separate institute and unit may have their own bylaws.

Executive bodies and management

Section 2 The executive bodies of the Aalto University School of Business are the Dean and the Academic Committee of Business and Economics.

The school has vice deans according to a decision of the president.

The teaching and research activities of the department shall be directed by the head of department.

The school also has a dissertation committee.

The school has a Board of Studies for MBA training.

Section 3 To support them in the leadership task, the dean and the head of department can invite steering groups and other teams that can also include members from outside the school.

Those school professors who are members of the Tenured Professors’ Council can act as an advisory body to school management and as a cooperative organ in the scientific community.

Management shall be arranged in such a way as to ensure that the various staff groups and students have sufficient opportunity to influence decision-making and the preparation of decisions.

School dean and vice dean

Section 4 The school is directed by the dean on the basis of the executive powers conferred on him/her by the Aalto University Board and the president, in accordance with the university bylaws.

The dean is appointed and dismissed from this office by the university board at the proposal of the president.

The term of the dean is five calendar years. If the dean is a professor of Aalto University he/she shall be relieved of his/her professorial duties for the duration of his/her term of office.

Section 5 In addition to the provisions of Section 23 of the Aalto University Bylaws and decisions of the board or the president, the dean shall:

1) confirm the division of labour between the dean and the vice dean, including defining the duties of the vice dean concerning the management of the school;

2) appoint and dismiss the heads and deputy heads of department;

3) decide on the establishment of the unit referred to in Section 1 Paragraph 4;

4) when necessary, confirm the bylaws of a separate institute and the unit referred to in Section 1 Paragraph 4;

5) make a proposal to the president on the individuals to be elected members of the board of Aalto University Executive Education; and

6) be responsible for the brand building, quality management work and accreditation of the school.

Section 6 The vice dean shall assist the dean and carry out the tasks assigned to him/her by the dean. The dean can relieve the vice dean partly or entirely from his/her regular duties for the duration of his/her term of office.

The vice dean is appointed and dismissed from this office by the President at the proposal of the dean.

The vice dean shall be elected for the same term of office as the dean. If the dean resigns from his/her office before the end of his/her term, the term of the vice dean is also considered to have ended. If the vice dean resigns from his/her office before the end of his/her term, a new vice dean is appointed for the remainder of the dean’s term.

Academic committee for business and economics

Section 7 To handle academic matters, the School has the Academic committee of business and economics, which shall carry out the tasks defined in Section 23 of the University Bylaws and assigned to it by the University academic affairs committee under Section 13 of the Bylaws.

The dean acts as the chair of the Academic committee of business and economics and calls on the vice chair and secretary for the school academic affairs committee. The vice deans are entitled to attend and speak at the committee meetings.

The term of office of the academic committee is four calendar years. The term of office of the student member is one calendar year.

Head of department

Section 8 The activities of the department shall be directed by the head of department. The dean can relieve the head of department from his/her actual duties as required by the duties of the head of department.

The head of department is appointed and dismissed from this office by the dean. The term of the head of department is five calendar years. The department has deputy heads of department as decided by the dean. The deputy head shall be appointed for the same term as the head of department.

Section 9 The head of department shall direct the activities of the department according to the strategic guidelines of the school and the objectives set for it in the school performance agreement. These duties include

responsibility for the economical, efficient, and productive execution of the department’s tasks;

planning the department’s activities and finances, deciding on the use of the appropriations granted to the department, and monitoring and reporting on their use;

the preparation of the curricula for the department;

putting forward proposals regarding the individuals to be placed in the various phases of the tenure track and deciding on hiring staff for the department in contractual employment relationships insofar as such authority has been transferred to the head of department;

appointing the examiners of master’s theses and deciding on the approval and assessment of theses according to the statements of the examiners of the theses;

quality management work, reporting for the department as required for audits and accreditation, and cooperation with stakeholders significant for the activities of the department;

promoting well-being at the department and for arranging each term a unit meeting for the department in order to discuss the working conditions at the department and circumstances that influence the work of the staff;

performing other duties assigned to him/her.

Dissertation committee

Section 10 The school has a dissertation committee, consisting of the head of doctoral program acting as the chair and six professorial members who represent the central fields of research carried out in the school.

The dissertation committee shall

1) appoint the examiners of licentiate theses and decide on the approval or rejection of theses,

2) appoint the preliminary examiners of dissertations at the proposal of the professor representing the department,

3) grant permissions to defend dissertations;

4) appoint the custos and opponent for the public defense and

5) decide on the approval or rejection of dissertation and

6) give statements concerning doctoral education.

The committee shall meet when convened by the chair and shall constitute a quorum when the chair and no less than half of the members are present. The dean appoints a secretary to the dissertation committee.

The term of office of the dissertation committee is four calendar years.

MBA and leadership training

Section 11 The school has a Board of Studies steering group for the development and quality assurance of the school’s MBA training and the leadership training provided as continuing education, appointed by the dean after hearing the executive deans of the other schools.

Decision-making

Section 12 Matters shall be settled using the presentation procedure for public administration in cases where public power is exercised. The presentation procedure is not used, however, in assessing study attainments.

In other matters the dean and the head of department shall be responsible for ensuring the appropriate preparation of the matters to be presented to the meeting.

Section 13 The meetings and decision-making of the executive bodies are based on the applicable procedures laid down in Section 29 of the Universities Act and Section 14 of the Aalto University Bylaws, unless defined in more detail by the president.

Entry into force

Section 14 These Bylaws enter into force on 1 September 2016.