The Circular Economy (CE) represents a transformative approach to sustainable development, aiming to replace the traditional linear "take-make-waste" model with a regenerative system that minimizes waste through the continual use of resources. This thesis provides an up-to-date examination of the adoption of CE principles within a selection of Swedish companies, exploring how these principles are integrated into their business models and the challenges and opportunities that arise from their implementation. Through a comprehensive analysis, including literature reviews, document analysis, comparative analysis, and thematic analysis, this study provides a detailed insight into the operationalization of CE in Sweden and a hypothetical case study scenario with recommendation on implementing CE practices. Companies such as IKEA and H&M are highlighted for their robust CE practices. The findings suggest a positive trend toward sustainability, driven by a combination of regulatory support and strong corporate commitment to environmental stewardship, although challenges related to operational and regulatory constraints persist. This thesis contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable economic practices by outlining actionable strategies for enhancing CE adoption across industries.

The demand for sustainability initiatives is increasing by both consumers and organizations (Gittell, et al. 2013). It changes the way businesses are operating and communicating, hence the interest for sustainable marketing has increased. Sustainable marketing should not only be about initiatives to appear more environmental friendly or socially conscious, but rather about a more substantive and meaningful levels of commitments (ibid). Alongside these practical ideas of sustainable marketing, consumers’ requirements for sustainability have sometimes been used as a strategy to create sustainable communication, although companies are lacking initiatives of sustainability. The idea of marketing as a strategy to create desire and needless spending along with sustainability goals has been criticized as being in direct contradictories (Meller & Magaš 2014, Pettie 2001, Pettie & Belz 2010). Thus, the problematics compose of the discussed oxymoron between sustainability and marketing together with the difference between sustainable communication and communicating sustainability.   This qualitative study has been done with a starting position from the idea of addressing how sustainable marketing is practiced, why it is practiced and how the future outlook of the concept is perceived from a company perspective. The chosen theories for this study compose mainly of basic marketing theories and models with a sustainability adaption. A qualitative study addressing this issue from a company perspective has not been discovered in previous researches, which resulted in the idea of highlighting different companies’ opinions and practices of sustainable marketing. The findings have discovered the usage of sustainable marketing today and potentially in the future, together with reasons for why it is practiced. Sustainability has become a well-known concept with a lot of business scandals associated to it, which has been mentioned in this study as one of the reasons for the predictions of a future demand of real sustainable marketing practices.

Denna uppsats behandlar service, ett fenomen som har växt sig starkare de senaste årtiondena och som har kommit att bli ett avgörande verktyg för många företag för att kunna skapa marknadsfördelar. Att ett företag förvaltar mötet dem och kunden emellan på bästa sätt är ofta en kritisk faktor för att få kunden att återvända till butiken även nästa gång. Vissa företag är mer och andra är mindre beroende av ett bra servicesystem och därför är syftet med denna uppsats att undersöka huruvida serviceförväntningarna hos två olika kundgrupper liknar eller skiljer sig från varandra. Kundgrupperna som valts ut tillhör konfektionsföretagen, H&M som är en kedja i lågprissegmentet och Acne som är ett företag i högprissegmentet. Frågeformuleringen som besvaras i uppsatsen gäller som följer: Hur skiljer sig H&M-kunden från Acne-kunden i sina förväntningar på service i butik? För att besvara frågeställningen används en kvantitativ metod en så kallad muntlig strukturerad intervju som är riktad mot de två kundgrupperna. Undersökningen är gjord på totalt sett 100 personer med en jämn föredelning mellan kundgrupperna.I teorikapitlet får läsaren ta del av en litteraturöversikt och olika studier som bedrivits inom service. En fördjupning av service som fenomen presenteras sedan för att ytterligare fördjupas inom en rad viktiga delar som utgör stommen i servicebegreppet. Dessa är bland annat word of mouth, butiksatmosfär, sanningens ögonblick och självfallet gapmodellen som beskriver gapet mellan kundens förväntningar på service och upplevd service.Datainsamlingen visar att nästan alla som tillfrågats är återkommande kunder hos företagen och att Acne:s kunder i större utsträckning är tillfredsställda med kötid, hjälp från butiksbiträde och antal provrum än vad H&M:s kunder visar sig vara. Datainsamlingen visar också att kunderna som handlar hos Acne spenderar mer pengar än kunderna som handlar hos H&M. Majoriteten av H&M:s kunder ligger i intervallen 0-499 kronor samt 500-999 kronor per månad medan majoriteten av Acnes-kunder handlar för 1500- 1999 kronor och uppåt.Slutsatsen som presenteras är således att Acne-kunderna har högre krav på företaget, då vi ser att H&M-kunder återvänder trots att de inte är nöjda med mycket hos företaget. Ett företag som Acne som ligger i högprissegmentet kan också vara mer tvungna att erbjuda god service då de säljer mycket dyrare plagg. H&M-kunderna verkar dock förvänta sig en högre servicenivå än den rådande standarden men förmodligen är den inte lika hög somAcne-kundens förväntningar.This thesis deals with the concept service. It is a phenomenon that has grown stronger the last decades and is today a vital tool for many companies to create market advantages. That a company manages the meeting between them and their customer in the best way possible is often a critical factor to get the customer to return to the store. Some companies are more than others dependent on a good service system and therefore are the purpose of this paper to examine whether the service expectations of two different customer groups are similar or different from each other. The customer groups that are chosen belong to a store chain in the lower price segment, H&M and one in the higher price segment, Acne. Both companies are active in the Swedish clothing industry. The query formulation that this paper aims to answer is: How do an H&M customer and an Acne customer vary in their expectations on service in a store? To answer this question a quantitative method is used, were an oral structured interview directed to the two customer groups are performed to collect data. Altogether 100 customers got interviewed, with an even division between the customer groups.In the theory chapter the reader gets to take part of a literature review and different studies that has been done on service. A recess of service as a phenomenon are presented and further recessed through a row of important parts that is the body of service, such as word of mouth, store atmospheric, moment of truth and the Gap-model that describes the gap between what the customer expects in service and what the customer are experiencing.The collected data shows that almost every respondent are a returning customer at the companies and that the customers at Acne in general are more satisfied with the store’s queuing time, help from the shop assistant, and number of fitting rooms than the customers at H&M proves to be. The collected data also shows that the customers that shop at Acne are spending more money on clothes every month than the H&M-customers do. The majority of H&M’s customers are in the intervals 0-499 SEK and 500-999 SEK each month, while the majority of the Acne-customers are shopping for 1500-1999 SEK and up.The conclusion that is presented is that the Acne-customers have higher expectations on the service provided by the company, as we can see that the H&M-customers are returning customers although if they not are satisfied with a lot at their store. A company as Acne that is in the higher price segment may also be more forced to provide a good service when the customers are paying a notable larger amount of money for their clothes. The H&M-customers seems to expect a higher service level at H&M than received but probably are these expectations not as high as the Acne-customer’s expectations. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

Most multinational enterprises face difficulties regarding what and how to best communicate activities related to corporate social responsibility. Therefore, this master thesis addresses the online communication of corporate social responsibility by Swedish multinational enterprises. The purpose is to contribute to the understanding of the way Swedish multinational enterprises reveal messages regarding corporate social responsibility to their international stakeholders while communicating with them online via their websites and social media. This research is of qualitative nature and follows a multiple case study design. The six Swedish MNEs the Volvo Group, H&M, Atlas Copco, Securitas AB, Svenska Kullagerfabriken, and Svenska Cellulosa AB are included in the sample. Two methods for data collection are combined: online observation of the communication regarding corporate social responsibility on the corporate websites including sustainability reports or alike and in social media as well as qualitative, semi-structured interviews with the employees in charge of corporate social responsibility. The results indicate that the examined multinational enterprises communicated corporate social responsibility in different ways depending on whether they communicate via their corporate websites, their reports or in social media. This master thesis concludes with practical recommendations for multinational enterprises involved in communication of corporate social responsibility.

Nyckelord: Kulturell påverkan, etik och religion, konsumentbeteende, internationell marknadsföring och svenskhet. Syfte Syftet med detta examensarbete är att skapa fördjupad förståelse för hur kulturella faktorer, såsom religion och etiska värderingar, påverkar svenska företags utformning av deras internationella marknadsföring med fokus på den saudiarabiska marknaden. Utifrån denna förståelse syftar studien till att undersöka de svenska konsumenternas reaktioner på företagens eventuella åtgärder och anpassningar efter den saudiarabiska kulturen, studien syftar även till att se om de finns några likheter och skillnader mellan olika generationer, kön och låg- respektive höginkomsttagare. Problemformulering Hur påverkar kulturella faktorer, såsom religion och etiska värderingar, svenska företags utformning av deras internationella marknadsföring i Saudiarabien? Hur påverkar företagens ageranden de svenska konsumenternas uppfattning av företaget och finns det några likheter och skillnader i attityderna mellan olika konsumentgrupper, såsom generationer, kön och låg- respektive höginkomsttagare? Metodval Studien fokuserar på två stycken stora svenska detaljhandelsföretag som opererar på den saudiarabiska marknaden. Undersökningen bygger på både kvalitativ och kvantitativ data. De data som samlats in och som ligger till grund för studiens resultat och slutsatser är genomförd via litteraturstudier och en enkätundersökning på 171 stycken deltagare. Resultat och slutsatser Kulturella faktorer har en stor inverkan på företagens internationella marknadsföring, men de har valt olika tillvägagångssätt. De svenska konsumenterna reagerade olika starkt mot olika sorters anpassningar och det är av stor vikt för företagen att skilja mellan vilka anpassningar som hemmarknaden accepterar och inte. Kunder tenderar att byta ut ett varumärke på grund av etiska skäl och det av stor betydelse för företagen att ha en långsiktigt hållbar marknadsföring. / Keywords: The impact of culture, ethics and religion, consumer behavior, International marketing and swedishness Purpose The purpose of this study is to create a deeper understanding about cultural factors, such as religion and ethical value, and the impact on Swedish business international marketing designs with focus on the Saudi Arabian market. With this knowledge the purpose of this study continues to focus on which effects this may have on the Swedish market and if the effects differ between different generations, gender and low-income respective high-income earners. Problem How do cultural factors, such as religion and ethical values, have an impact on Swedish business international marketing design in Saudi Arabia? Which impacts have the adaptations on the Swedish market and are there any differences between different groups of consumers, such as generations, gender and low-income respective high-income earners? Method This study focus on two big Swedish retail companies that operates on the Saudi Arabian market. The investigations in this study are built on both qualitative and quantitative data, one literature study and one survey that included 171 participants. Results and conclusions Cultural factors have a large impact on the businesses international marketing designs, but they have chosen different way to handle the situations. The Swedish consumers reactions were different regarding on the adaptations and it’s really important that the business know which adaptations that they are accepting and not. Customers may change from one brand to another because of ethical values and the companies need to have a long-term sustainable marketing.

Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka den kris som uppstod kring H&M:s textilförbränning 2017 genom att analysera medierapporteringen samt en intervju ur Uppdrag granskning. Uppsatsens problemställningar har undersökt hur denna kris uppkom samt vilka faktorer som låg till grund för denna. Den teoretiska tyngdpunkten är issues och issues management, hållbar kommunikation, förväntningssamhället (Nextopia) samt agenda setting. I resultatet presenteras en analys av den kodade medierapporteringen och intervjun utifrån en tematisk samt diskursanalytisk metod där materialet har tematiserats till att kretsa kring miljö, etik och ansvar samt källhantering. Miljöaspekten är inriktad mot konsekvenser av textilproduktion och etik och moral har visat sig vara en betydelsefull faktor för krisskadandet. Gemensamt för samtliga artiklar är att de är någorlunda presenterar en samstämmig bild av H&M:s textilbränning och att detta var en bidragande faktor till krisen. Slutligen visar uppsatsen på att vi har en rad förväntningar på media samtidigt som vi har förväntningar på H&M som företag, vilket tillsammans bidrar till krisskapandet. Mediernas uppbyggnad och syfte påverkar även att rapporteringen inte alltid är rationell. Det kan även vara problematiskt att förutspå hur förtroendekapital som skapas via PR-aktiviteter kan komma att tolkas i en framtida kontext. Agenda setting är ytterligare en bidragande orsak till krisskapandet och varför vissa händelser hamnar på mediernas agenda. Gränsen mellan hållbar och ohållbar kommunikation är inte alltid helt spikrak och genuint hållbar kommunikation kan endast legitimeras av organisationer med hållbara strategier och affärsmodeller.

This paper is an attempt to identify new ways to improve consumer’s response to ethical fashion branding through written mission statements and fashion films. It examines material by three fashion brands: H&M, Stella McCartney and People Tree. Additionally, it reviews and summarizes findings of previous literature in the field of ethical and sustainable fashion branding and builds a list of principal factors that play in the success of ethical fashion branding. The paper concludes with providing recommendations to improve the branding of each case study. / BA Thesis

This essay aims to establish a marxist perspective upon a phenomena that could be seen as typical neoliberal–femvertising. I have noticed an expanding trend in fashion; the use of feminism as branding. Fashion brands such as Dior and H&M have lately profiled themselves with feminism, framing it as radical as well as feminist. Meanwhile, the theory of reification by Georg Lukács claims that capitalism fools us to believe that we may acccomplish human aims and characteristics through commodities. I will investigate if it is possible to look upon this phenomena as an example of reification? The attempt brings the capitalistic dimension of femvertising into daylight and questions it´s feminist pretense.

The aim of this thesis is to define fast fashion as a trend in the contemporary retailing with a deeper focus on the Czech market. It provides an analysis and further comparison of marketing strategies and business activities of five chosen retailers (C&A, H&M, Marks&Spencer, Reserved and ZARA) who are mutual competitors on both, domestic and foreign markets. The empirical part presents information about Czech consumers and their perception of the marketing strategies that particular companies apply in the Czech Republic.

This thesis investigates how body positivity and sustainability are discursively constructed by fast fashion brands. The brand chosen as a case study is H&M, as it describes itself as being both environmentally and socially involved. Yet, despite H&M's claims, during our preliminary research we were able to detect the lack of accessibility of sustainable collections to plus size customers. In this essay, we analyze how H&M communicates body inclusivity in its sustainability reports, website, and YouTube campaigns promoting conscious lines. Drawing on theories of representation, biopolitics, and post-feminism, we sought to critically analyze the previously mentioned material through a multimodal critical analysis. The results show how H&M discursively constructs health communication in different ways depending on which clothing line the brand is promoting and to which consumers it is being advertised. Class discourses were recognized, leading to exclusive access to sustainable clothing for higher income shoppers. We believe this work is relevant to opening up the discussion about democratization and making sustainable items fully accessible to everyone.