– My research improves our understanding of how to strengthen the rights of children and better protect them in a digital setting, says Germaine Hillerström, who recently defended her doctoral thesis in civil law at Karlstad Business School.

The subject first piqued Germaine Hillerström’s interest when she read about children who - unbeknownst to their parents - had made digital purchases, which raises the issue of responsibility and the legal capacity of children.

On 3–6 June, over 275 conference participants gathered in Rome to attend QUIS19 – The 19th International Research Symposium on Service Excellence in Management. This international conference, now considered the foremost in service research, has its roots in Karlstad – and began as an idea at the Service Research Center (CTF).

“QUIS was born at a time when services were gaining importance but still remained a relatively unexplored research field,” says Per Kristensson. CTF’s founder, Bo Edvardsson, together with American research colleagues, saw the need for an international platform for dialogue and knowledge exchange on issues related to service development, innovation, and value creation."

– We offer a high-quality programme, which has earned a strong reputation among applicants, says David Johansson, programme director and senior lecturer in civil law at Karlstad Business School.

What can prospective students expect from the law programme?

The concept of quiet quitting has become a hot topic of conversation in the workplace. According to a new study, it is not just about lazy employees or a demanding younger generation. Alexandre Sukhov, new docent in business administration at Karlstad Business School, is one of the authors behind the study.

Quiet quitting means that employees stop engaging more than necessary – they do their job, but nothing beyond that. The study “Exploring the role of information systems-induced depletion, boreout syndrome, social media use on quiet quitting among digital cohorts” shows that this is often a reaction to socio-technical stress in today’s digitalised work environments.

The study shows that two factors stand out:

Charlotte Bäccman and Alexandre Sukhov have been appointed associate professors at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Karlstad University. Here, they share insights into their research, what drives them, and thoughts about the future.

Charlotte Bäccman, associate professor of Psychology at CTF – what is your research about?

Jasper, you are a senior lecturer in Information Systems at Karlstad Business School and the Service Research Center, CTF. What did you do before you came to Karlstad University?
- I was a senior lecturer in user-centred design at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. My focus has always been on how organisations can develop services, systems and products that suit people - that work for them.

- In addition to my academic career, I have also been a stand-up comedian and a columnist. I won the biggest comedy festival in the Netherlands shortly before my PhD defence and split my time between the stage and academia for many years. When we decided to move to Sweden, I focused completely on the academic track but managed to end up winning a big TV quiz show, similar to “På spåret”, right before the move. That sort of thing tends to give a person’s comedy career a big boost, but I was already in Värmland by then.