CTF, Service Research Center at tkarlstad duniversity, it Sweden
Vision and business idea CTF is one of the world s leading research centers focusing on service management and value creation throughh service. CTF is a multidisciplinary research center at Karlstad University. We aim to ensure that CTF is at the leading edge of international research. CTF cooperate closely with service businesses, manufacturing companies, and public-service providers.
Facts Established in 1986, CTF now has 60 researchers and doctoral students from business administration, working life science, sociology, psychology and sociology of religion. i Professors and senior research fellows are associated with the center as research supervisors. CTF is involved in research, undergraduate and graduate education, and in cooperation with companies and other organizations in various areas of managing service.
Organization CTF s operations are led by two directors, supported by a management team. CTF also has an executive board chaired by a business appointee. The executive board includes representatives of partners, the faculty, and the doctoral students.
Research themes CTF's efforts to develop groundbreaking theoretical knowledge has resulted in three multi-disciplinary i li research them mes: Service organizations and employment relations, which deals with new organizational models; Service innovation, based on a user involvement approach; and Customer experiences, strongly anchored in our VINN Excellence Center SAMOT.
Service organizations and employment relations Focuses on studying public and private service operations from a organizational and / or employee perspective. Examples of research: Management logics Inter-organizational collaboration Skills in service occupations Innovation management CSR for sustainable service business
Service innovation How to develop new service and service innovations from a customer perspective. Examples of research: Methods that capture customer in situations when value is created Processes for service innovations Customers/users role in service innovations Active in both a B2C and a B2B context
Customer experiences Understanding the service operation on the basis of the person the service exists for is the very essence of our service perspective. Examples of research: Perceived satisfaction and service supply Subjective wellbeing User involvement Customer behavior
Examples of our partner companies Compare Ericsson IKEA Länsförsäkringar Region Värmland Skatteverket Statskontoret The Packaging Arena Veolia Volvo Ekonomistyrningsverket ICA KK-stiftelsen Nobina Regeringskansliet g SL Stål & Verkstad The Paper Province VINNOVA Västtrafik
Examples of our University collaborations Hanken School of Economics, Finland International Business School of Service Management in Hamburg, Germany Karlstad Business School, Sweden MIT forskarskolan Management och IT, Sweden University of Maryland, Robert H. Sm mith School of Business, USA W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, USA Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, UK
Interaction and activities Organizes the annual CTF Service Academy. Coordinates The International Academy of Service Research and Education (IASRE). Organizes the biennial Quality in Services (QUIS) symposium. Provides comissioned o courses for cli ients and offers external seminars s and conferences. Coordinates The Academy for citizen centered government services. Publishes a magazine, in swedish, Aktuell tjänsteforskning, and have a bimontly electronic newsletter, CTF News.
ctf.kau.se