CTF Newsletter no 4, 2016, from CTF, Service Research Center at Karlstad University, Sweden

CTF, Service Research Center at Karlstad University, Sweden, is one of the world´s leading research centers focusing on service management and value creation through service. We develop and conduct research projects in close collaboration with service businesses, manufacturing companies, and public-service providers. Our newsletter will keep you updated on our research activities.

Don´t miss CTF 30th Anniversary on October 6th!
Thirty years ago CTF, Service Research Center at Karlstad University, was founded. On October 6th we will celebrate this and invite you to a future-oriented all-day event with brief flashbacks from our 30 years of service research. Researchers and experts from academia, industry and public administration will share their knowledge and experiences. Parts of the program will be held in Swedish. Don’t miss this opportunity to take part of our research, make new contacts and get an insight in what is happening within service research right now.

Program and registration at ctf.kau.se/CTF30thanniversary

Per Kristensson new director at CTF
Starting January 1st 2017 Per Kristensson will be the director of CTF. He succeeds Henrietta Huzell who will start her new assignment as vice dean at Karlstad University.

- It is very exciting. It is really motivating to work with so many talented researchers here at CTF and in our extensive international network. Our research benefits the community, businesses and people, says Per Kristensson.

Per Kristensson is a professor of consumer psychology and innovation at CTF. He conducts research on psychology issues that are important to business, society and innovation based on experiences of clients, patients, users and citizens. Per’s research focuses on creativity, innovation, decision-making, behavior change, services and consumer psychology. Per received his Ph D of psychology at University of Gothenburg in 2003. He has a blog at the Swedish Research Council/Curie and is a recurring columnist at the Swedish newspaper Nya Wermlands Tidningen. Per is also one of the first TEDx speakers in Sweden and has been awarded for best speaker for his ability to present research.

Henrietta Huzell new vice dean at Karlstad University
Henrietta Huzell, director at CTF and lecturer of working life science at Karlstad University, will be the new vice dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Karlstad University.

- It is a fun assignment with big responsibility which I am looking forward to. Four fantastic years at CTF has given me the courage and desire to take on more responsibility. I am also glad that CTF’s former director, Patrik Larsson, is the dean. We have worked very well together before and it feels good to be working together again.

In her new assignment, Henrietta Huzell will be the dean’s deputy. The dean is the faculty executive director and chairman at the Faculty Board. The board is responsible for both research and education at the faculty. More concrete, the assignment it to be the vice chairman of the board, to lead the education committee and participate in a range of advisory boards and groups whose task is to develop the faculty and the university as a whole. Henrietta Huzell has been a member of the university board and has good insights into university-wide issues, which can be very useful in her new role.

- Since I left the University board last spring I have discovered that I miss working with issues regarding both education and research. And those comprehensive questions about training and working environment. These are topics that I long to work with again.

Henrietta will assume her new assignment on January 1st 2017.

Henrietta Huzell is lecturer in working life science and director of CTF, Service Research Center. She received her Ph D in 2005 at Karlstad University and her research focuses on labor issues linked to the service society. Her research on the significance of appearance in the private sector has received great attention in media such as SVT, and the in sofa at TV4 morning show. She has devoted much time to administrative tasks of different types, including board member at Karlstad University Board and as the vice chairman at Saco.

One moment Ph D Student Katrin Lättman... on September 8^th you presented your licentiate thesis at a seminar at Karlstad University. What is the thesis about?
- It´s about perceived accessibility and every day travel in public transport. I have developed a measurement tool that captures how people perceive the accessibility of public transport and what factors that affect this.

What does perceived accessibility actually mean?
- The ability for people to travel to places and activities of their choice, such as school, work, grocery store and recreation, using a chosen or designated transport mode. Accessibility is, according to previous research, important for both our subjective well-being as well as our inclusion in society (social inclusion). Conventional accessibility measures rely on travel time, distance to stops, destinations and so on. I have focused my research on people’s subjective experiences which are usually left out using conventional measures. The subjective perspective includes factors that are necessary to plan and develop an attractive and sustainable public transport and to increase the number of people using public transport.

Can you tell us about your results?
- My research shows that accessibility is perceived differently in different groups of people, even when accessibility objectively is equal (e.g. it is sensitive to individual or group differences within a certain area where the objective accessibility is equal for all). An interesting and somewhat unexpected result is that not only the elderly people experience a lower accessibility compared to other groups, but also travelers in their thirties experience a lower accessibilitythan other groups. People who travel more on public transport experience higher accessibility than people who travel less often. Service factors, for example comfort and response, safety, age, and how often a person travels by public transport also affect the perceived accessibility. Safety seem to be a particularly important influence factor for perceived accessibility.

Read the thesis “Perceived Accessibility: Capturing the Traveler Perspective”

Research and politics meet in conversation about failure demand
Researchers Johan Quist and Martin Fransson have for several years studied failure demand in the public sector. The research is conducted within CTF, Service Research Centers’ network for public sector organisations, and has received much attention.

On August 17^th, Johan Quist participated, along with Minister for Public Administration Ardalan Shekarabi, at a seminar at this year’s Kommek, a meeting place for people in finance and governance in municipalities, counties and regions. Their discussion was under the heading “When life doesn’t fit in a silo” and raised the need for coordination from the citizen’s perspective, such as the meetings with various authorities and the potential of using service logic.

- It was a reflective conversation between research and politics where we in a constructive way tried to find understanding and possible ways forward. I presented examples of imperfect situations, meeting between citizens and public sector, which emerged from our research and we discussed them. It was very interesting to have the opportunity to discuss these issues with someone with good insights into the Government Offices’ way of working, says Johan Quist.

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