The New Service Economy - KK-stiftelsen

The New Service Economy
1 Executive summary
The New Service Economy (NSE) is a research profile at Karlstad University.
The profile has received 36 MSEK in funding from the Knowledge
Foundation for the period 2002 to 2008. The purpose of the profile has been
to build a qualitative, long-term research environment of a high international
standard.
FBA has been commissioned to carry out the final evaluation of the NSE
profile. The evaluation is based on document studies and interviews with the
management, researchers and graduate students at the profile as well as with
representatives from the cooperating companies. The evaluation has also
included a workshop-based mapping of the profile’s development process, a
self-evaluation performed by the profile’s management and a peer review
with experts from Bowling Green State University, USA, Roskilde University,
Denmark, Volkswagen Corp., Germany and Växjö University.
The purpose of the evaluation is threefold. To verify that the activities
have been carried out as stated in the agreement between the profile management
and the Knowledge Foundation. To analyse the profile’s result and
the working process that led to it. To give feedback on experiences, both to
the profile and the Knowledge Foundation in order to contribute to the understanding
of opportunities and limitations in developing a strong and coproducing
research environment.
The Service Research Center (CTF) at Karlstad University has been the
host for the NSE profile. CTF is a virtual and multidisciplinary research
environment. Thus researchers from a wide range of departments, such as
business administration, informatics, working life science, sociology and
psychology, have participated in the research profile. A management board
has conducted management and strategy work with the help of a reference
group comprising representatives from industry and national and international
research communities.
The objective of NSE was to develop academic excellence and a commercially
relevant research environment within ‘The new service economy’
research field. Another important objective was to create prerequisites for
the research environment to be strengthened and to continue beyond completion
of the financed six-year period.
The NSE profile has:
• achieved an internationally competitive scientific level, and is one of the
most prominent research environments at Karlstad University
• gained high scientific esteem, both nationally and internationally, and an
academic network both of breadth and quality
• produced 12 PhD dissertations and five licentiate degrees (between
bachelor or master’s and doctorate)
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