Johan Jansson

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Johan Jansson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a specialization in Service Management from Umeå School of Business and Economics (2000) and a Master's degree in Business Administration from the same university (2002). From 2001 to 2009 he was a doctoral student and lecturer and in 2009 he defended his PhD thesis in business administration (marketing) entitled "Car(ing) for our environment? Consumer eco-innovation adoption and curtailment behaviors: The case of the alternative fuel vehicle". He was hired as a senior lecturer in 2010 and promoted to associate professor of business administration in 2015.

Between 2009 and 2016, Johan was a board member of the Transportation Research Unit at Umeå University and a member of the Sustainability Council at the business school (2011–2016). In 2011, he initiated the Research Institute for Sustainability and Ethics in Business (RiseB) and was the research profile leader until 2016. In 2016, he was appointed Distinguished university teacher at Umeå University. During 2015–2016, he worked as a senior lecturer at the University of Cape Town (UCT), in South Africa and then as a senior lecturer and associate professor at the Department of Business Administration, Lund University School of Economics and Management (2016–2020). From 2017 to 2022 he held a visiting associate professorship at UCT. Between 2018 and 2022, he was a member of the academic steering committee of the South Africa Sweden University Forum (SASUF) on the theme of sustainable urbanization and mobility.

In 2020, Johan was hired as Professor of Business Administration specializing in Marketing at Umeå School of Business, Economic and Statistics, Umeå University. Between 2020 and 2025, he was the acting head of department Business Administration with responsibility for the work environment, personnel and finances. During the same period, he was deputy president of the business school, member of the schools management team and board, and of the union collaboration group. In 2024, he was appointed as an economic expert in the Patent and Market Court and the Patent and Market Court of Appeal, is member of several editorial boards for scientific journals, and since 2026, is member of the Swedish Energy Agency's application assessment panel for Sustainable transport systems.

Research
Johan Jansson's research revolves around sustainable consumption, environmentally oriented innovations and behavioral change in the areas of consumption and mobility. A central part of his work focuses on how consumers and travelers are motivated to adopt green innovations, especially in mobility. Through several studies on electric vehicles, sharing services and new transport solutions, he has shown how norms, emotions, digital competence and perceived product attributes shape individuals' choices. Several works emphasize the interplay between hedonic, normative and environmental driving forces, for example in the adoption of electric cars, electric scooters and electric bicycles.

Johan also studies how policy measures in transport are affected by public emotions, perceptions of justice and norm activation. Johan’s research shows that acceptance and support for environmental policies – such as policy instruments for electric vehicles or tax credits for commuting – differ and are influenced by individuals' values, social environment and past behaviors. This research focus also includes studies on senior citizens’ experiences of public transport and how digitalization affects service quality and passenger satisfaction.

In addition to the mobility area, Johan contributes to broader sustainability and marketing research. He has investigated how consumers motivations, values and experiences shape loyalty to sustainable brands and e-commerce, and how information in digital environments spreads and influences engagement. Several works also explore companies' sustainability orientation, value propositions in product-service systems, and consumers' response to sustainability communication.

Johan's research has been funded by the European Union's various framework programs, the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation, Formas, Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, STINT and K2 - the National Knowledge Centre for Mobility at Lund University and the School of Business, Economics and Statistics Research Institute at Umeå University. Johan frequently presents at scientific conferences in marketing, consumer behavior, sustainability and mobility. Johan is an associate editor for the journals Business Strategy and the Environment and Sustainable Development and regularly acts as a reviewer for other journals and conferences. Several of Johan's publications have been nominated and won awards for excellent research and most cited research in various journals.

Overall, Johan's research is characterized by interdisciplinary approaches, a strong theoretical foundation in norm, motivation, and value theories, and a continuous focus on how sustainable choices can be understood, promoted, and integrated into people's everyday lives. The research contributes both to explaining consumer behavior and to designing more effective sustainability policies and marketing strategies.

Teaching and supervision
Johan Jansson has extensive experience in teaching in marketing with a particular focus on sustainability and ethics. He has regularly taught courses (mostly in English but also in Swedish) in marketing ethics, marketing and sustainability, and contemporary marketing issues. In addition, he has taught key marketing areas such as consumer behavior, service marketing and strategic marketing. Johan also has extensive experience in supervision and examination of bachelor's and master's theses (including degree projects) and also teaching on doctoral courses. Johan has been both main supervisor and assistant supervisor for a number of doctoral students and regularly acts as an opponent, expert and examining committee member at various types of doctoral seminars and dissertations. Since Johan was appointed Distinguished university teacher in 2016, he also acts as a pedagogical expert in pedagogical qualifications and promotions. Johan has been nominated and received several pedagogical awards.

Collaboration, international experience and leadership
Johan Jansson has collaborated with companies and public organizations through both research and development, with lectures, workshops, seminars and reports. Among other things, he has worked with Capgemini, Arriva, Nobina, Skånetrafiken, Västtrafik, Stockholms Lokaltrafik, Umeå, Halmstad and Lund municipalities, Energy and Climate Advisory Service, Upab, IFCO, Procivitas, SLU, Danske Bank, Executive Foundation Lund, Folkuniversitetet, Almi, Mercuri International, Region Västerbotten, etc. Johan has participated in national media and as a sought-after lecturer and moderator. He has participated in Swedish Television, TV4 Nyheterna, Swedish Radio, Dagens Nyheter, Aftonbladet, Sydsvenskan, etc. in features about sustainable consumption, electric vehicles and behavior change.

Johan has been a guest lecturer at the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, employed as a lecturer and associate teacher at the University of Cape Town (UCT), School of Management Studies, South Africa and been involved in the South Africa Swedish University Forum (SASUF). In addition, he has arranged international visits and participated in some 50 national and international scientific and pedagogical conferences.

Johan has developed and led several research projects, sat on the boards/equivalent of the Transport Research Unit at Umeå University, the Faculty of Social Sciences, the School of Business, Economics and Statistics at Umeå University and been the research profile leader for the Research Institute for Sustainability and Ethics in Business (RiseB). Johan has also been an advisory member of the Sustainable Future Hub, at the Lund University School of Economics and Management and acted as an advisor to several startup companies. In addition, he has for almost 25 years been a board member and chairman of three different tenant-owner associations.