The research project Gennovation at Karlstad University aims to provide small and medium-sized enterprises in Värmland with better conditions for growth and enhanced competitiveness.
By integrating gender, equality, and inclusion as strategic tools for business development and innovation, the project seeks to contribute to more sustainable regional development.
Gennovation is a four-year project funded by the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Til
In the article “Towards High Circularity: Reconfiguring Firm-level Strategy”, researchers Andrey Abadzhiev and Alexandre Sukhov, both from Karlstad Business School and the Service Research Center, want to inspire hope among companies in conservative industries that are seeking to transition towards more circular and sustainable solutions.
What does circular economy actually mean – and how does it differ from a traditional linear economy?
– Economics is fundamentally abou
In her doctoral thesis, Jana Huck, who recently completed her PhD in Business Administration, seeks to understand what idea development is really about by observing how people in various contexts work to improve an idea and pave the way to make it a reality.
Jana Huck got the impression that everyone talked about idea development as a phenomenon, yet without truly explaining or grasping what it actually involves – or even means.
“Hävstång Hälsa – systemledning för klimat och social hållbarhet (Hävstång Hälsa – System Leadership for Climate and Social Sustainability) is a research project you’re currently involved in. What’s it all about?
– It’s about sustainable societal development and is a collaborative project between Karlstad Municipality, Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), and CTF.
Muhammad Murtaza Ali recently presented his licentiate thesis in business administration, where he identifies connections between the digitalisation of the music industry and educational initiatives for street children.
– Services shape human capabilities and well-being and it’s often the practical details that determine if a service actually is inclusive, says Muhammad.
What led you to focus on the connection between the music industry and educational initiatives for st
Robots guiding tourists, textile garment renovation, and the Ängsbacka course center in Molkom were among the highlights of Customer Innovation Day 2025.
The Swedish Innovation Index is based on responses from customers who rank companies and organizations based on their innovation capabilities and how attractive these innovations are perceived to be. Customers evaluate offerings, delivery, service, and interactions.Why is customer-based innovation interesting?
An intense and eventful half-year is coming to an end – and there is much to be proud of. Recently, I had the privilege of leading the international conference, QUIS19 – The 19th International Research Symposium on Service Excellence in Management, in Rome. Over 275 participants from around the world gathered to be inspired and to discuss how research can help address the major societal challenges of our time – such as AI development and sustainability.
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.
When the Volvo Research and Education Foundation (VREF) celebrated its 40th anniversary with a global conference on sustainable mobility, Lars E Olsson, professor of psychology at the Service Research Center (CTF), was invited as one of the speakers.
As a Nordic expert, Lars presented groundbreaking research on how hope can function as a driving force for behaviour change and increased well-being in people’s daily travel – a perspective that is attracting international i
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.
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.
John-Erik Hassel recently completed his PhD in business administration at Karlstad Business School and The Service Research Center (CTF) and has done research on venture builders.
John-Erik Hassel, tell us about your research
– My research is about understanding a relatively new actor in entrepreneurial ecosystems called venture builders and how they can be understood in a larger context.
Mia Larson, professor of business administration at Karlstad Business School, and Cecilia Cassinger, senior lecturer at Lund University, recently published the article “Platform Stories: The Role of Ideological Narratives in the Development of a Tourism Sharing Business Model”.
Mia Larson, tell us what your article is about
– It is about how an entrepreneur in adventure tourism creates a new digital sharing platform.
How can business models extend the lifespan of trucks and make them circular? What requirements do different stakeholders have, and how are business models, service design, and product design affected? These questions are the focus of the research project Re:Value – a collaboration between industry and academia.
For future circular offerings to be accepted in the transport industry, they must meet the industry's challenges and expectations.
Per Kristensson and Lars Witell, together with Mohamed Zaki from the Cambridge Service Alliance, are the editors of the new book "Handbook of Service Experience", which provides a comprehensive perspective on service experiences in business contexts.
