Award for best thesis within the area of retailing
Handelns forskningsstiftelse presents an award for the best Bachelor and Master’s thesis within the area of retailing. The award consists of a certificate and a cash prize of 20.000 SEK. Students from all areas within the School of Business, Economics and Law can nominate their thesis. The goal is to stimulate students to immerse in issues concerning retail in their bachelor and master’s thesis.
Ground for judgement
The thesis must address significant challenges for the retail industry, be well-written, demonstrate a connection between theory and methodology, and include a solid analysis. Topics can involve wholesale, e-commerce, and retail. Contributions from all disciplines at the School of Business are welcome.
Examples of thesis topics: discount retail, challenges of digitalization, recruitment issues, profitability, shopping tourism, sustainability, new store formats, digital payment solutions, sales campaigns, or store security.
Innovation, creativity, or addressing an old problem from a new perspective will be prioritized, in addition to the thesis topic being relevant to the retail industry.
Which theses can be nominated?
Bachelor’s or master’s theses written during the autumn semester of 2024 and the spring semester of 2025. The thesis must be approved no later than June 2025.
Prize
The author(s) of each prizewinning thesis will receive a stipend of 20.000 SEK in total that is an encouragement for continued studies.
Nomination – Deadline July 6, 2025
Students themselves nominate their thesis by sending the following documents:
- The thesis
- An official transcript for the thesis
- A two-page letter that summarizes the most important results and describes how the thesis contributes to more knowledge about the retail industry and/or the development of the retail industry, and contact information for the author(s). The nomination will be read by professionals from the retail industry.
Send the above mentioned documents to infocfr@handels.gu.se
Jury
The theses will be reviewed by a jury that consists of representatives from academia, the retail industry and Handelns forskningsstiftelse. The applicants will be notified in September at the latest.
The Board, Handelns forskningsstiftelse
Award winning thesis
Past winners
2024
Bachelor
Transformative Threads. An Exploratory Case Study of Digital Fashion
Frida Ageman & Filippa Helmersson
Master
Unpacking purchase intentions: How does repairability labeling drive consumer choices?
2023
Bachelor
Linn Karlsson, Elin Skarin
Master
What if…? – How AI Chatbots Could Reconfigure Grocery Shopping In-store
Hans Krugenberg och Kevin Ruf
2022
Bachelor
Återförsäljarbranschens värdeskapande. En kvalitativ studie om hur svenska återförsäljare inom personbilsbranschen skapar värde i en tid av digitalisering
Viktor Gustafsson and Samuel Götesson
Master
“Calling it vegetable ‘prinskorv’ actually bothers me quite a lot” - How mythologies are shaping the marketization of plant-based protein products
Elisabeth Almgren and Niclas Forssten
2021
Bachelor
Why are ecological problems increasing when corporate sustainability practices are significantly growing? A planetary boundaries perspective of the Swedish food retail market’s sustainability reporting
Ellen Olofsson and Klara Ribom
Master
The Meaning of Transparency: A qualitative study of how transparency information contributes to consumer value perceptions in the purchase of fashion products
Alice Samuelsson and Emma Ericsson
2020
Bachelor
Words are just words until they appear in action, right? Sustainability reporting and its significance for customers in the Swedish fast fashion industry.
Irma Weberg Ekelund och Clara Grönberg
Master
Virtual Avatars, virtual influencers & Authenticity. A qualitative study from a consumer perspective
Victor Andersson & Tim Sobek
How to Apply
Remember to submit all the information described under the heading "Nomination".
The application deadline is July 6, 2025.