Markets and economic ordering are central phenomena in modern society. The research performed by the Market Studies Research Group focuses on the shaping of markets and market agencies. The research issues addressed all concern some aspect of the interrelation of business, economy, technology and society. Specifically, current research projects address the roles of science, technology and regulations in shaping markets and market participants, and how business and social sciences participate in these processes. The research is conducted with the use of constructivist approaches.
The group was formed in 2003 to further focus already ongoing research within this area. The overall aim of the group is to contribute to the societal understanding of markets. A complementary aim is to contribute to theoretical development within the field of constructivist market studies which is currently emerging in the intersection between business studies, economic sociology and science and technology studies (STS).
Through it's studies, the group have acquired expertise on a large number of specific markets, including telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, and food distribution. Current projects include studies of the pharmaceutical, airline and forest industries as well as the development of computerised procurement systems.
Sample of ongoing research
- Making the Sale: Studies of business exchanges in the making
- -Marketing on Trial: Studies of the market court
- -Market and Evidence: Studies on the shaping of markets within clinical research
- Merging mills, minds and markets: A case study on agency consequences of market orientation
Current buzz related to Market Studies Research Group
16 November 2005: Hans Kjellberg has become associated researcher at Score, which fits nicely with their new research theme "organizing markets" established there.
28 October 2005: Hans, Anders and Claes-Fredrik was awarded a research grant by The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation for the project “Market-making - shaping markets and market actors in practice”. The project will be conducted over three years part-time. The purpose is to explore how market(-ing) practice shapes markets and market actors. Two specific issues are addressed: 1. Performativity: How do economic and business sciences participate in the practical realisation of markets? 2. Market agency: How are market actors shaped in practice?
20 October 2005: The book "Den där marknaden" was 20 October 2005 awarded 'Årets Marknadsföringsbok 2005' (this year's marketing book) by Sveriges Marknadsförbund (The Swedish Marketing Federation). On the image above from the left: Kristina Genell (Studentlitteratur), Anders Liljenberg, Hans Kjellberg, C-F Helgesson, and Peter Nyström (head of the price committee).
The book was reviewed in 'Ekonomisk Debatt' nr 4, 2005. (Through the grapewine we've heard that a review is forthcoming in 'Nordiska Organisationsstudier' as well as in Scandinavian Journal of Management.)
1 October 2005: C-F Helgesson is from 1 October 2005 appointed as a research leader at Score. There he will develop a research theme entitled 'Organising markets' together with Christina Garsten.
Recent activities
- 'Shaping exchange/building markets'. Participating in organizing a track for the 18th Scandinavian Academy of Management (NFF) to be held at Aarhus School of Business in Denmark on 18th-20th August 2005.
- Participating in organizing a track for the 2005 IMP Conference, Rotterdam.
- New dissertation: Mattsson, Susanna. 2004. På gränsen mellan ordning och oordning - artefakternas betydelse vid marknadsombildningar: En studie av den svenska postmarknadens ombildning. Ph.D. diss., Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm.
- New book (in Swedish): Helgesson, Claes-Fredrik, Hans Kjellberg, &Anders Liljenberg, eds. Den där marknaden: Utbyten, normer och bilder. Lund: Studentlitteratur, 2004.
- ‘Does STS Mean Business?’. Participation at a one-day workshop at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, 30 June 2004.
- - ‘On social and consumer sciences shaping market(-ing) practice’. One-day panel organized for the upcoming joint 4S & EASST conference, Paris, August 2004
- Workshop on the shaping of markets and market(ing) practice, Skebo, June 2003.
- Workshop on market practice and market forms, Euromed Business School, Marseille, April 2004.
- PhD course on Actor-Network Theory (optional course in SSE PhD program given spring 2004)
Teaching activities
- Market Systems (Part of marketing major in SSE MSc program).
National and International research collaborations
The Market Studies Group have on-going research collaborations with researchers at the following groups:
Score, Stockholm, Sweden
Said Business School, Oxford, UK
CSI, Ecole des Mines de Paris, France