Small spontaneous gifts with no expectations of something in return can influence both purchasing behavior and customer relationships in powerful ways. Amie Gustafsson, PhD in Business Administration at Karlstad Business School and researcher at the Service Research Center (CTF), has had her work published in the prestigious Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.

Amie Gustafsson, what might such a gift consist of, and when is it given to the consumer?

– It’s about small, unexpected gifts that are given without requiring anything in return. It might be a free accessory with a purchase, an extra product in the delivery, a gift when the customer walks into the store, or something included with their first online order. The important thing is that it’s not perceived as a reward that needs to be earned. We tested this with, for example, packages of coffee and chocolate.

Interest from international students continues to grow – and this year it’s especially noticeable. New programmes are attracting applicants, and established programmes are also seeing increases in both total applicants and first-choice applications.

The Master’s Programme in Management – Sustainable Value Creation is experiencing a significant rise in interest ahead of autumn 2026. The total number of applicants has more than doubled to 467 people since the programme was launched six months ago, making it the third most applied for international master’s programme at Karlstad University.

– The number of first-choice applicants has more than tripled to 70 people, which is absolutely fantastic, says Programme leader Sara Davoudi.

As part of a growing collaboration between the Business School at Karlstad University and GEM Alpine Business School, four of our PhD candidates presented their research and explored advanced simulation environments.
– The visit provided new perspectives and strengthened the internationalisation of the Business School, says the participating doctoral students.

Within the framework of what we have chosen to call the “KBS (Karlstad Business School) PhD Academy,” the Business School has, over the past few years and under the leadership of Professor Robert Mackenzie and the doctoral student steering group, built a forum for interdisciplinary exchange among PhD candidates from different subject areas.

Working less can make people healthier – and also more creative and more productive. New research shows that a reduction in working hours can be associated with improved work ability, lower stress levels, and organizational behavioral changes.

Which results would you say are the most important in your research?

– We see strong results regarding health, says Lena Lid Falkman. But equally important are the results on increased work ability and problem‑solving capacity. Not only do employees feel better after a period of shorter working hours, but they also work better. And on top of that, they are happier.

Stephen Ackroyd is a sociologist by training and aptitude. Now retired from teaching, he is Emeritus Professor at Lancaster University, UK, where he taught sociology and organisational studies for more than 30 years.

Stephen Ackroyd has also researched and written about the changing forms of organisations in the UK and their connection with broader systems of economic and political relations.

Can a dollar billionaire reshape the Swedish pharmacy market and push medicine prices down by opening a charitable pharmacy? This is the central question in a new legal study by Nick Dimitrievski, Senior Lecturer in Tax Law at the School of Business, Economics and Law.

Dimitrievski has examined how medicine prices are set in Sweden. The key issue is the trade margin — the compensation pharmacies receive for selling medicines within the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. His conclusion is unexpected:

– Pharmacies’ profitability resembles that of grocery retail, even though food is sold on a completely free market while pharmacies operate under strict regulation, says Dimitrievski.