As a research area within the social sciences, business administration is quite young, though very complex. The existing field of research is extensive, both in terms of theories being used, and the areas to which research results are relevant. Researchers in business administration study human behaviour in a wide array of contexts: in markets, in businesses and in other organizations. Business administration research is not only based on prior research and theory within the subject and its subdisciplines finance, management, marketing and accounting; it also draws from knowledge within sociology, anthropology, philosophy, psychology, economics, mathematics, statistics, political science and law.
Research at Stockholm University School of Business
Research at Stockholm University School of Business is on the cutting edge, both nationally and internationally. The quality and impact of the research is furthered by the fact that it is pursued freely, independently of government or commercial interests. It is also under the continuous scrutiny of research colleagues in Sweden and internationally, and published in internationally acknowledged scientific publications.
The quality and importance of the research is also promoted by the fact that our teachers are active researchers and their research is integrated into courses and study programmes and discussed by students. Also, researchers at Stockholm University School of Business are in constant interaction with society as experts in their field in media and in education and outreach.
Current research projects/programmes
The research programmes at Stockholm University School of Business involve both local problems and those of a global nature. Below are some examples of research programmes in which the School of Business is currently involved.
- Metropolitan branding, led by Per Olof Berg.
This project is carried out within the framework of the Metropolitan Marketing Programme. By studying the dynamics by which a branded city is filled with meaning, researchers aim to make a contribution to the growing research area of “City Branding”.
- Managing healthy organizations, led by Mikael Holmqvist and Christian Maravelias.
This project analyzes efforts made in the workplace and society in general to improve health in regards to the potential of these efforts to affect people’s identity, attitude and behaviour as related to organisational standards and values.
- Studies in the Consumption of Accounting (SICA), led by Bino Catasús.
This project is carried out in collaboration with Uppsala University and focuses on how the growing amount of accounting numbers produced and distributed is made use of in businesses and organisations.
- The capital market’s use of intellectual capital (MUSIC), led by Bino Catasús.
The research within this project is centered around how the capital market makes use of non-financial numbers, i.e. intellectual capital. This project is also a collaboration with Uppsala University.
- Financial Risk Management and Derivatives, led by Lars Nordén.
This project is made up of a number of research projects with the common aim of studying financial risk and how to handle it by using derivatives. It is a collaboration between Stockholm University and Lund University.
- New control in healthcare and the development of clinical knowledge, led by Hans Hasselbladh.
The focus of the project is how changes in the regulations that the medical profession operates under affect conditions for conducting clinical research and in-service training in general.
- Entrepreneurial work facing management routines, led by Jan Löwstedt.
The overall issue addressed in this study is how knowledge intensive firms organize themselves to further innovative potential in the business. More specifically, the study focuses on how IT (i.e. intranet) to a large degree has become the medium for the management-employee relationship in this kind of business, and how this affects the conditions for development of the business.
- Workplaces that further health: changes in work, identity and organisational culture, led by Torkild Thanem.
This project examines health promoting efforts in companies and organizations, where the aim is to help employees to follow expert advice when it comes to health, adopt a healthy lifestyle and control diet and physical exercise. For example, the project analyzes if these efforts are met with devotion, obedience, cynicism or resistance, and also if they are conducive to fellowship, agreement and harmony or conflict, separation and distance.
- Creators of the meal, led by Solveig Wikström.
This is a project that investigates how consumer values are created in the consumption of food in all of its aspects: planning for meals and purchases, purchasing food, cooking, eating and taking care of the chores after the meal.
- Performance Management in Central Government, led by Anders Grönlund.
A meeting place for research, studies and dialogue about management and control in governmental public administration. Read more at the webpage for The Academy for Performance Management in Central Government (Akademin för ekonomistyrning i staten) http://www.fek.su.se/sv/AES/