Collaboration between the academy and the business sector is a pedagogical success factor for the Stockholm School of Economics

The collaboration between faculty and companies is an educational success factor for the Stockholm School of Economics’ (SSE) bachelor program in Retail Management. The unique pedagogy is now featured in a scientific article published in the Journal of Marketing Education.

The article presents the course Applied Retail Track, which runs in parallel to traditional courses during the SSE’s three-year bachelor program in Retail Management. In the track, students, company representatives, and faculty meet in so-called retail clubs. In workshops and study visits company representatives present current challenges and students work together with the companies towards identifying solutions.

“The rapid change in today’s retail sector also poses challenges for business schools,” says Fredrik Lange, head of the Retail Management Program at the Stockholm School of Economics. “By co-creating the education together with our partner companies, we ensure that the program keeps up with the changes taking place in the industry.”

The course Applied Retail Track has been developed by the faculty of the program in close cooperation with ten partnering retail companies. The pedagogical concept strengthens the program by supplementing traditional dissemination of knowledge in the classroom with experiential and situated learning that takes place on-site at the partnering companies.

The Applied Retail Track creates learning for all parties – a win-win-win situation. The students gain unique insights from the retail sector as a complement to classroom courses, making them more attractive on the job market after graduation. The companies get to know potential employees and their skills while also being able to set the agenda for issues covered in the program. The faculty, gets continuous contact with the sector that is the subject of their research and teaching.

The authors of the article in the Journal of Marketing Education are: Fredrik Lange, Sara Rosengren, Jonas Colliander, Mikael Hernant and Karina T. Liljedal.

The companies participating in Applied Retail Track are: Accenture, Axel Johnson, Coca Cola European Partners, Coop, H&M, Ica, Ikea, Svensk Handel, Systembolaget and Swedish Match.

About the bachelor program in Retail Management

The Stockholm School of Economics’ bachelor program in Retail Management is one of the few higher education programs in the world in which companies, students, and faculty are integrated into the program’s pedagogy. Academic theories are confronted with corporate challenges, creating a unique learning environment firmly anchored in real-world practice.

About the Center for Retailing
The Center for Retailing (CFR) at the Stockholm School of Economics aims to strengthen the competitiveness of Swedish retail sector through education and research. The objective is to become a leading academic-based retail center in Europe. This includes acting as a role model for integrating business companies in education and research.

For more information, please contact:

Fredrik Lange head of the Retail Management Program and Assistant Professor at the Department of Marketing and Strategy at the Stockholm School of Economics
fredrik.lange@hhs.se
08-736 9463

Sara Rosengren, Head of SSE's Center for Retailing (CFR), Professor of Business Administration (Marketing) and holder of the Ica Retailers' Chair in Business Administration, especially Retailing
sara.rosengren@hhs.se
08-736 9567