Overview of the life and activity of Ruth Alas
Ruth Alas was born on 5 August 1960 in Türi. She graduated from the Türi Secondary School with a gold medal in 1978. She started her studies in the Faculty of Economics at Tallinn Polytechnical Institute (TPI, currently Tallinn Technical University) in 1978. She graduated with the diploma of an engineer in economics in 1983. She continued her studies in the Faculty of Psychology at Tartu State University (TSU, currently Tartu University) in the same year. In 1987 Ruth Alas graduated with the diploma of a psychologist-teacher.
In 1981-1991 Ruth Alas worked as a programmer in the Eesti Põllumajanduse Arvutuskeskus (Computing Centre of Estonian Agriculture) and in 1991-1995 as a consultant in the companies Mainor-Konsultant (Mainor-Consultant) and Ariko Reserv (Ariko Reserve). In 1995-1997 Ruth Alas studied International Business Management at a Master’s programme at Estonian Business School (EBS) and continued her studies at an EBS Doctoral programme in 1998-2002. In 2003 Ruth Alas was awarded a Doctoral degree (PhD) in Business Management at EBS.
In 1997 Ruth Alas participated in a complementary management training in Bentley College (currently Bentley University) in the United States of America and in 1999 in an international complementary training for lecturers in IESE Business School (Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa, Universidad de Navarra) in Spain. In 2004 Ruth Alas defended a Doctoral Thesis at the Faculty of Economics at Tartu University on a topic “Organisational changes during the transition in Estonia : major influencing behavioural factors“, and she was awarded the degree of a doctor (PhD) in the field of economics.
In 1995-1996 Ruth Alas worked as a lecturer at EBS. In 1996 she was elected the Acting Chair of Management and in 2003 the Chair of Management to the position of a professor. In 2006-2014 she worked on the position of Vice-Rector for Research and Development. Since 1997 she was a member of the EBS Senate. Ruth Alas has mainly lectured on the subjects of management essentials and management of change.
Ruth Alas was an internationally recognised management scientist. She has been in the boards and councils of several research organisations and has participated in the work of different research groups. Ruth Alas has made presentations at more than 50 international conferences. She has organised international and regional scientific conferences on personnel management and management of change in Estonia. In 2011 she was the chairperson of the European Academy of Management (EURAM) conference in Tallinn. She has initiated the series of colloquiums of the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM) on Organizational Change and Development that have taken place since 2006.
Since 2005 Ruth Alas belonged to the editorial boards of journals Problems & Perspectives in Management, Journal of Business Economics and Management, Journal for East European Management Studies, The Open Ethics Journal, European Journal of International Management, Journal of Change Management, Chinese Management Studies, Vision - the Journal of Business Perspective and the editorial board of the publisher Scientific Journals International. In 2003-2011 she was a member of the editorial board of a journal EBS Review. Since 2012 Ruth Alas was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Management and Change.
Since 2007 Ruth Alas was the Estonian regional editor of the Baltic Journal of Management and since 2011 the European regional editor of Cross Cultural Management : an International Journal.
Ruth Alas has reviewed articles to the following journals : African Journal of Business Management, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, Human Relations, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Monash Management Review, Organization Studies, Review of Managerial Science, Scandinavian Journal of Management and to the journals published by Scientific Journals International.
Ruth Alas was the most published and quoted social scientist in Estonia. The database of scientific information Web of Science has entries of 73 articles and chapters from books by Ruth Alas that have been quoted on 213 occasions, h-index is 9 (as of 17 April 2015).
Ruth Alas has been nominated several awards for the best scientific article. In 2011 she received the title of a Champion awarded by the International Association for Management Development in Dynamic Societies (an organisation uniting Central and Eastern European Universities providing business education formerly named Central and East European Association for Management Development, CEEMAN) for academic research “How to prevent crisis by means of organisational change management“.
In 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 Ruth Alas was elected the best lecturer of EBS in the field of research and development.
In August 2015 Ruth Alas marked the 20 years work anniversary at EBS. The book exhibition "The jubilee exhibition of professor Ruth Alas - 20 years at EBS" was open in the reading room of EBS Library from 1 to 31 August to celebrate this occasion.
Ruth Alas died on 23 January 2018 in Tallinn, Estonia, and is buried on Metsakalmistu Cemetary in Tallinn.
In 1981-1991 Ruth Alas worked as a programmer in the Eesti Põllumajanduse Arvutuskeskus (Computing Centre of Estonian Agriculture) and in 1991-1995 as a consultant in the companies Mainor-Konsultant (Mainor-Consultant) and Ariko Reserv (Ariko Reserve). In 1995-1997 Ruth Alas studied International Business Management at a Master’s programme at Estonian Business School (EBS) and continued her studies at an EBS Doctoral programme in 1998-2002. In 2003 Ruth Alas was awarded a Doctoral degree (PhD) in Business Management at EBS.
In 1997 Ruth Alas participated in a complementary management training in Bentley College (currently Bentley University) in the United States of America and in 1999 in an international complementary training for lecturers in IESE Business School (Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa, Universidad de Navarra) in Spain. In 2004 Ruth Alas defended a Doctoral Thesis at the Faculty of Economics at Tartu University on a topic “Organisational changes during the transition in Estonia : major influencing behavioural factors“, and she was awarded the degree of a doctor (PhD) in the field of economics.
In 1995-1996 Ruth Alas worked as a lecturer at EBS. In 1996 she was elected the Acting Chair of Management and in 2003 the Chair of Management to the position of a professor. In 2006-2014 she worked on the position of Vice-Rector for Research and Development. Since 1997 she was a member of the EBS Senate. Ruth Alas has mainly lectured on the subjects of management essentials and management of change.
Ruth Alas was an internationally recognised management scientist. She has been in the boards and councils of several research organisations and has participated in the work of different research groups. Ruth Alas has made presentations at more than 50 international conferences. She has organised international and regional scientific conferences on personnel management and management of change in Estonia. In 2011 she was the chairperson of the European Academy of Management (EURAM) conference in Tallinn. She has initiated the series of colloquiums of the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM) on Organizational Change and Development that have taken place since 2006.
Since 2005 Ruth Alas belonged to the editorial boards of journals Problems & Perspectives in Management, Journal of Business Economics and Management, Journal for East European Management Studies, The Open Ethics Journal, European Journal of International Management, Journal of Change Management, Chinese Management Studies, Vision - the Journal of Business Perspective and the editorial board of the publisher Scientific Journals International. In 2003-2011 she was a member of the editorial board of a journal EBS Review. Since 2012 Ruth Alas was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Management and Change.
Since 2007 Ruth Alas was the Estonian regional editor of the Baltic Journal of Management and since 2011 the European regional editor of Cross Cultural Management : an International Journal.
Ruth Alas has reviewed articles to the following journals : African Journal of Business Management, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, Human Relations, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Monash Management Review, Organization Studies, Review of Managerial Science, Scandinavian Journal of Management and to the journals published by Scientific Journals International.
Ruth Alas was the most published and quoted social scientist in Estonia. The database of scientific information Web of Science has entries of 73 articles and chapters from books by Ruth Alas that have been quoted on 213 occasions, h-index is 9 (as of 17 April 2015).
Ruth Alas has been nominated several awards for the best scientific article. In 2011 she received the title of a Champion awarded by the International Association for Management Development in Dynamic Societies (an organisation uniting Central and Eastern European Universities providing business education formerly named Central and East European Association for Management Development, CEEMAN) for academic research “How to prevent crisis by means of organisational change management“.
In 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 Ruth Alas was elected the best lecturer of EBS in the field of research and development.
In August 2015 Ruth Alas marked the 20 years work anniversary at EBS. The book exhibition "The jubilee exhibition of professor Ruth Alas - 20 years at EBS" was open in the reading room of EBS Library from 1 to 31 August to celebrate this occasion.
Ruth Alas died on 23 January 2018 in Tallinn, Estonia, and is buried on Metsakalmistu Cemetary in Tallinn.