Previous courses

The Anthropocene Materiality and Society (7.5 ECTS/credits)

The doctoral course was held in March-June 2023 in the Åland Islands and online.  Organized by the University of Gothenburg (Sweden)

The Anthropocene denotes the age in which human activity fundamentally affects the Earth’s geology and ecosystem: The age in which we live in now, where we on a daily basis live over the planet’s material limits. In this situation, traditional solutions are longer be viable. Both the game and the rules are new – and mostly yet unknown. This urges for extensive changes, also within the practice of research.

This course offered an open, inspiring and though-provoking arena to discuss how we, as social scientists, can re-address research questions and approaches to the production of knowledge, in the Anthropocene era. We believe that the creativity of junior scholars is central to the re-envisaging of the practices of the social sciences. In this course, PhD students got together with faculty members and inspirational keynote speakers, not only to discuss the role and scope of their PhD projects, but also their future as social science researchers, in relation to the themes in the course. They also took an active role in the joint forming of the course together with the course faculty.

Course director:

Professor Patrik Zapata, University of Gothenburg (Sweden).

Digital Marketing and Social Media (6 ETCS)

The doctoral course was held in April 2023 online (Zoom).  Organized by the University of Jyväskylä (Finland).

The course gave an overview of academic research on digital marketing, outlining the main theories and frameworks used in the field, and suggesting areas for contribution in this rapidly evolving area of marketing and information systems research. After completing the course, the students were expexted to be able to:
a) define research areas in digital marketing,
b) plan and implement robust academic research in digital marketing making a significant contribution to existing literature, and
c) develop digital marketing strategies for organizations.

Course director:

Professor Heikki Karjaluoto, University of Jyväskylä (Finland).

Instructors:

Heikki Karjaluoto, Professor, Head of Information Systems Division and Technology Management program, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

Joel Mero, Assistant Professor in Marketing, School of Business and Economics, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

Richard Glavee-Geo, Associate Professor, NTNU- Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Department of International Business, Norway.

The Artful Making of Management and Organization (6 ETCS)

The doctoral course was held in June 2022.  Organized by Åbo Akademi University

This course focuses on the encounters and connections between performing arts(theatre), aesthetics, and theoretical debates in the field of  organization and management studies. The course invites doctoral students (especially in the field of organization and management) from all Nordic countries to an intensive three-day doctoral course (including interactive workshops, seminars, and ongoing dialogues) to creatively develop their own research projects and research practice. This will be done in an open, inclusive, and reflexive manner together with professional artists and researchers with expertise within arts, aesthetics, ethics, philosophy, process theory and practice. The course help students develop a creative and critical appreciation of different arts-based theoretical approaches and methods to the study of organization, organizing and social relations at work. Through the encounter with artists and professionals from Svenska Teatern, the participants will be inspired to creatively reflect upon their own research practice in general and the writing process in particular.

Course directors:

Astrid Huopalainen, adjunct professor (title of docent) and senior lecturer, Åbo Akademi University, Finland

Instructors:

Anette Hallin, professor in organization and management, Åbo Akademi University, Finland, and Mälardalen University, Sweden
Astrid Huopalainen, adjunct professor (title of docent) and senior lecturer, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
Bengt Kristensson Uggla, Amos Anderson professor in Philosophy, Culture, and Management, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
Henrika Franck, adjunct professor (title of docent) in organization and management, Åbo Akademi University and dean of research at Arcada UAS, Finland
Jenny Helin, associate professor at Department of Business Studies, Uppsala University, Campus Gotland, Sweden
Joachim Thibblin, CEO, Svenska Teatern
Maria Lundström, dramaturge, Svenska Teatern

Actors and other professionals from Svenska Teatern

Doing Fieldwork in Organizations (6 ETCS credits)

The doctoral course was held in June 2022.  Organized by Aalto University School of Business

In the history of management and organization studies, ethnography has been – and still is – the key methodological approach to exploring and examining the complexities and dynamics of everyday organizational and institutional life. This three-day intensive course provides doctoral students with a comprehensive, up-do-date understanding of the principles and practices of organizational ethnography as a staple qualitative methodological approach to the study of organizations, communities, and institutions. Both the historical developments and contemporary debates will be discussed.

Course directors:

Johanna Moisander, Professor, Aalto University School of Business, Finland

Instructors:

Eric Arnould, Professor, Aalto University School of Business, Finland
Barbara Czarniawska, Professor, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Ari Kuismin, Assistant Professor, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Ana Paula Lafarire, Doctoral Candidate, Aalto University School of Business, Finland
Johanna Moisander, Professor, Aalto University School of Business, Finland
Joonas Rokka, Professor, Emlyon Business School, France

Researching Accounting and Change – Qualitative and Processual Approaches (7.5 ETCS)

The doctoral course was held in June 2022.  Organized by Inland University, NTNU & CBS

The course introduces various strands of accounting research that applies qualitative approaches, like case studies and ethnographies, to study the role of accounting in relation to; management control, strategy and organizational change and innovation processes, using a variety of theoretical approaches, like; contingency theory, behavioral accounting, organizational culture and politics, symbolic interactionism, New Institutionalism, governmentality, and Actor-network Theory.

Course directors:

Kjell Tryggestad, professor, Department of Business Administration at the
Business School faculty, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.

Faculty

Inger Johanne Pettersen, professor,  Trondheim Business School at NTNU.

Peter Skærbæk, professor, Copenhagen Business School.

Kjell Tryggestad, professor, Department of Business Administration at the
Business School faculty, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.

Advanced Spatio-temporal analysis: Methods in understanding tourists’ behavior (7.5 ECTS)

 The course will run as a hybrid course during the spring of 2022 and fall 2022, with different themes for each meeting. Organized by Uppsala University, Sweden in collaboration with Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Denmark.

Understanding spatio-temporal behaviour is central for a number of fields related to business studies ranging from consumer behaviour, service marketing, destination organization to mobility and sustainability issues. Understanding how, why and where individuals move in a certain context provide insights into and an understanding of behaviour in relation to spatial patterns, i.e. considering place, space and time.   Using GPS data combined with open data sources and questionnaires, provides a good understanding of how space and time affect individual’s behaviour. As the area of research is broad, this course draws on a multi-disciplinary research field where the spatio-temporal analysis are used. By building on research from different areas, such as consumer behaviour, marketing, urban and rural planning, tourism management, cultural geography, the course offers a good insight into different research designs, methods for collecting data, ethical considerations in collecting data on individual mobility, and advanced analysis methods. In the course, both mobile phone data and GPS tracker data will be discussed.

This doctoral course “Advanced Spatio-Temporal analysis” links research on consumer behaviour in general, using tourist behaviour as an example, with spatio-temporal analysis to create an understanding of how place, space, and time influence individuals’ and groups of indviduals’ behavior. The aim of the course is to introduce different methods related to spatio-temporal analysis providing insights into research design, ethical aspects of data collection, methods for analysing GIS data combined with open source street maps.

Course directors:
Sabine Gebert Persson, associate professor in marketing, Uppsala University, Sweden (head
of course) and Szilvia Gyimóthy, associate professor in tourism marketing, Copenhagen Business School
(CBS), Denmark.

Teachers:
• Marina Toger, senior lecturer in culture geography, Uppsala University, Sweden
• Mikael Gidhagen, senior lecturer in marketing, Uppsala University, Sweden
• John Östh, professor in urban analytics, OsloMet, Norway
• Noam Shoval, professor in geography, Institute for urban and regional studies, Hebrew University, Israel
• Mauro Ferrante, professor, Dipartimento di Culture e Società, Università degli Studi di Palermo

Introduction to systems thinking in marketing (7.5 ECTS)

The doctoral course was held from January to June 2022,  online (zoom). Organized by Stockholm  School of Economics, Sweden in collaboration with Hanken School of Economics

Systems thinking has a long history within the marketing discipline, although it represents a“road less traveled” compared to the mainstream marketing management school of thought. In recent years, an increased emphasis on the dynamic nature of the context within which
firms and marketers work has generated a renewed interest in and perceived relevance of a systemic understanding of core marketing phenomena such as value co-creation, brands, and markets. Systems thinking, arguably, also plays a key role in equipping marketing with the conceptual tools needed in the effort of tackling the wicked problems which societies across the globe are currently facing. This course offers an overview of how ideas from general systems theory as well as more specific streams of systems literature have been used to reframe and enrich the understanding of marketing and its phenomena. In doing so, the course equips the students with a deep understanding of the similarities and differences between different streams of literature under the broad umbrella of “systems thinking,” such as chaos theory, complexity theory and system dynamics as well as thorough knowledge about the core systemic concepts such as interdependence, complex adaptive systems, emergence, and feedback loops, and their marketing implications.

Course director:
Kaisa Koskela-Huotari, Assistant professor, Dept. of Marketing & Strategy, Stockholm School
of Economics, Sweden

Teachers:
Hans Kjellberg, Professor, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden
Lars-Gunnar Mattsson, Professor Emeritus, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden
Suvi Nenonen, Professor, University of Auckland Business School, New Zealand
Kaj Storbacka, Professor, Hanken School of Economics, Finland

Consumer Culture Theory: Foundations, Frontiers and Application (7.5 ECTS)

The doctoral course was held from March to May 2022,  online (zoom). Organized by Stockholm Business School

The aim of course is to introduce early-stage doctoral students in marketing and business studies to the
field of Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) specifically by stressing its Nordic approach. Over the last
couple of decades CCT has established itself as one of the core areas within Consumer Research and
Marketing. It is not limited to this area, however, as CCT scholars are not only publishing within
marketing but also within organization studies, critical management studies, sociology, and political
philosophy.

Responsible faculty from Stockholm University, Stockholm Business School

Andrea Lucarelli, Associate Professor
Jacob Östberg, Professor

Faculty from other NNF members University:
Sofia Ulver, Associate Professor (Lund University)
Lars Pynt Andersen, Associate Professor (Aalborg University)
Jack Tillotson, Assistant Professor (University of Vaasa)
Szilvia Gyimóthy, Assistant Professor (Copenhagen Business School)
Frank Lindberg, Professor (Nord University)

Writing for Academic Publication in Management and Organization Studies (4 ECTS)

The doctoral course was held February 7-11, 2022 online (zoom). Organized by Stockholm Business School

The aim of the course is to stimulate critical reflection on the academic writing process, both practically and ethically, and to provide the skills to edit one’s own work effectively.

The course is intended for PhD students in management and organization studies. Participants are expected to have started the thesis writing process. The course takes place entirely online via the video conferencing tool Zoom, which participants will need to download prior to the course. The course is funded by the Nordic Academy of Management (NFF), so PhD students enrolled at Scandinavian universities will be prioritized.

The language of instruction and examination is English.

Course tutor:

Dr Nick Butler

Course coordinator:

Helene Olofsson

Consumer marketing (6 ects)

The doctoral course was held October 12-15, 2021 online (zoom). Organized by University of Vaasa, Finland in collaboration with Aarhus University, Denmark.

“The course is supported by Nordic Academy of Management (NFF). Students form NFF members institutions take priority to the course.”

The course provides an overview of the major theoretical and paradigmatic approaches within consumer marketing. The course gives a basic understanding on the various approaches on consumer research in marketing discipline, with a particular focus how they can be applied to consumer marketing management. Emphasis is given to the ability to probe into the fundamental assumptions and methodological approaches as well as into their limitations. The learning goal is to not only support participants’ own Ph.D. research but also offer a systematic ‘state-of-the-art’ overview on the wide-ranging field of consumer marketing.

Course employs so called flipped learning methodology as the students pre-work consists of a reading package as well as preparation of mini-presentations to be held during the intensive working days. The course days are grounded on experiential and digital learning methods (e.g. carried out via mini-group discussions) that complement lectures.

Faculty members and their topics on the course:

Klaus G Grunert (Aarhus University): Historical insights to consumer behavior research and its development
Associate Prof. Hannele Kauppinen-Räisänen (University of Vaasa): Qualitative inquiries into consumer value
Harri T. Luomala (University of Vaasa): Experimental research settings in consumer research
Docent, Associate Prof. Henna Syrjälä (University of Vaasa): Basic premises of cultural consumer marketing
Docent, Associate Prof. Elina Närvänen (University of Tampere): Marketplace cultures and consumption practices
Course is recommended for doctoral students majoring in marketing (or related disciplines), and is especially suitable for the early stages of studies. However, also others may apply.

Applications (free form) should be sent to course assistant Denise Villikka, denise.villikka@uwasa.fi by 31.8.2021.
Students will be informed by 14th of September about their admittance.

Course management and coordination:

Henna Syrjälä: henna.syrjala@uwasa.fi, +358 29 449 8483

Denise Villikka: denise.villikka@uwasa.fi

University of Vaasa, School of Marketing and Communication, Vaasa, Finland.

Digital Marketing and Social Media (6 ects)

Digital research methods are opening up possibilities to conduct research in new ways. Scholars have recently started to observe these opportunities across the social sciences in general and in industrial economics and business research in particular. As it is clear that digital methods will enable new research opportunities for our fields, a number of digital methods are currently being explored.

This course aims to provide students with an introduction and overview of the method of Digital Media Analytics and how it has, and can be, applied in industrial economics and business research. More specifically, the course covers the following aspects:

  • The emergence of Digital Media Analytics in industrial economics and business research
  • Data collection using Digital Media Analytics
  • Data preparation using Digital Media Analytics
  • Data analysis using Digital Media Analytics
  • Different forms of research contributions that Digital Media Analytics enable

On completion of the course, the student will be able to

  1. demonstrate a broad knowledge of the emergence of Digital Media Analytics in industrial economics and business research, including its contemporary development
  2. identify strategies for capturing and analyzing complex empirical phenomena using Digital Media Analytics
  3. reflect critically on the nature of digital data and ethical approaches to these forms of data
  4. reflect on how Digital Media Analytics can be used to contribute to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals

The course is organised virtually in the format of four interactive half-day seminars on Zoom.
The first seminar will take place at the beginning of April and the last seminar at the beginning of June.

For more information about the course and instructions on how to register, please contact christofer.laurell@indek.kth.se or visit this link.

Digital Media Analytics (4 ects)

Digital research methods are opening up possibilities to conduct research in new ways. Scholars have recently started to observe these opportunities across the social sciences in general and in industrial economics and business research in particular. As it is clear that digital methods will enable new research opportunities for our fields, a number of digital methods are currently being explored.

This course aims to provide students with an introduction and overview of the method of Digital Media Analytics and how it has, and can be, applied in industrial economics and business research.

More specifically, the course covers the following aspects:

  • The emergence of Digital Media Analytics in industrial economics and business research
  • Data collection using Digital Media Analytics
  • Data preparation using Digital Media Analytics
  • Data analysis using Digital Media Analytics
  • Different forms of research contributions that Digital Media Analytics enable

This course consists of

  1. pre-reading package that will be sent to the admitted students well advance of the course
  2. online live-lectures including several discussion sessions, and
  3. written assignment

Instructors

Heikki Karjaluoto, Professor in Marketing, School of Business and Economics, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Joel Mero, Assistant Professor in Marketing, School of Business and Economics, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Richard Glavee-Geo, Associate Professor, NTNU- Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Department of International Business, Norway

Strategies, Digitisation and Networks (7.5 ects)

Background and aim of the course

Within industrial marketing, collaboration is central where inter-organizational interactions take place in relationships between companies. These business relationships, linked to a number of other relationships that make up the network, have been described as enabling companies and their strategic intentions. In addition, research shows how existing relationships prevent companies from acting on strategies independently of others. This is explained by the fact that companies act and react to other companies’ strategies in a network context. Society today can be described as highly interconnected via networks, digitalisation changes the nature of these networks and also the content of the relationships is affected – or even questions the existence of the networks and the relationships.

This doctoral course “Strategies, digitalisation and networks” links research on business relations with research on digitalisation to create an understanding of how industrial markets are affected and change or need to be changed by the effects of digitalisation.

Learning objectives

The course will make the student

  • Reflect on the roles that digitisation plays in an interconnected business context and the effects on strategy
  • Compare and discuss theoretical foundations, assumptions and changes to these foundations in the intersection between networks, digitalisation and strategy
  • Practically apply ideas on digitalization, networks and strategies as well as being able to relate it to own research interests

For more information contact Sabine Gebert Persson