Stephen Ackroyd is a sociologist by training and aptitude. Now retired from teaching, he is Emeritus Professor at Lancaster University, UK, where he taught sociology and organisational studies for more than 30 years.

Stephen Ackroyd has also researched and written about the changing forms of organisations in the UK and their connection with broader systems of economic and political relations.

Can a dollar billionaire reshape the Swedish pharmacy market and push medicine prices down by opening a charitable pharmacy? This is the central question in a new legal study by Nick Dimitrievski, Senior Lecturer in Tax Law at the School of Business, Economics and Law.

Dimitrievski has examined how medicine prices are set in Sweden. The key issue is the trade margin — the compensation pharmacies receive for selling medicines within the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. His conclusion is unexpected:

– Pharmacies’ profitability resembles that of grocery retail, even though food is sold on a completely free market while pharmacies operate under strict regulation, says Dimitrievski.

Building a bridge between the needs of the Swedish game industry and academic research. That’s the main goal of the Game Development Research Centre. It is a five-year project that brings together four Swedish universities and major stakeholders within the Swedish games industry.

To bolster Sweden’s position in the global game industry, the University of Skövde, Malmö University, Blekinge Institute of Technology and Karlstad University will establish the Game Development Research Centre (GDRC). The Swedish Knowledge Foundation is the main funder of the initiative.

We wish all our students, colleagues, alumni, and partners a peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

At Karlstad Business School, we strive to create an environment where students, teachers, researchers, and professionals can develop socially important knowledge together. Below is a selection of the Business School’s impact in 2025 – a year where we have shown who we are, what we can do, and what we accomplish together.

Kristina Palm, professor of Working Life Science at Karlstad Business School, is the new editor-in-chief of The Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies.

Kristina, tell us more about The Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies?

– It’s an international scientific journal focusing on working life research, written in English. The journal aims to strengthen the exchange of experiences, perspectives, methods and outcomes of the Nordic working life research across the Nordic countries, as well as promote Nordic working life research internationally.

Kauresearch is the university’s Instagram account dedicated to research information. For the third year in a row, the themed week Kau Science Week is held at the same time as the Nobel Week.

Kau Science Week is mainly featured on the Kauresearch account. Posts will be published every day throughout the week, drawing attention to researchers and research at Karlstad University. The posts will be accompanied by stories and hashtags for further reading or listening. In addition, the university’s main accounts on Facebook, Instagram och LinkedIn will highlight parts of the content.