In early January 2018, the clothing company H&M released a new collection for children. One of the sweaters in the collection was printed with the text "Coolest monkey in the jungle". The shirt was worn by a dark-skinned child and H&M was accused of racism. This is because the word "monkey" has historically been used as a racist slur to downgrade dark-skinned people. Throughout the scandal H&M has published an official press release, as well as a number of posts on social media, each of which affects the scandal. The purpose of the study is to analyze H&Ms crisis communication with regard to the strategies they used during the shirt scandal. The main question of the study is how did H&M's crisis communication express itself in text during the shirt scandal. The theories used in the study are William Benoit's image repair theory (2014) and Timothy Coombs Situational crisis communication theory (2007), abbreviated SCCT. The methods used are a qualitative content analysis, text analysis and a rhetorical analysis. The qualitative content analysis is based on the chosen theories, so that the survey can extract the underlying message that H&M wants to convey. While the text analysis processes the text itself and how the company wants the reader to perceive the message and how H&M’s texts interact with each other. The rhetorical analysis contributes to a deeper understanding of the text's underlying message and structure with the actual text as a starting point. The rhetorical analysis is done by analysing the text’s structure with the rhetoric disposition scheme as a starting point. H&M’s crisis communication is in this case related to what is proposed in the strategic theories of crisis communication. The main crisis communication strategies used by H&M were admitting responsibility, asking for forgiveness and corrective actions. The rhetoric analysis has shown that the press release and posts on social media have different functions. The press release make greater importance to the structure of the disposition scheme, while the social media posts rather contain certain parts, for example, a greater focus on pathos and the preparatory of counter arguments while communicating to individuals rather than the public.

The fashion industry has historically been seen as synonymous with many unsustainable practices, such as overproduction, pollution, and mass-consumption. Today, many fashion brands are putting more attention to sustainability and are engaging in activities aimed at making the industry more environmentally friendly. This study investigates three Swedish fashion businesses, H&M, Lindex, and Gina Tricot, with the purpose of examining and analyzing how they integrate circular strategies within their post-retail initiatives. Additionally, the aim is to investigate what strengths and weaknesses can be identified as related to these strategies in terms of reducing the fashion industry’s negative environmental impacts. The study is based on a content analysis of websites, documents, and policies of the fashion businesses as well as a qualitative semi-structured interview with a circular sustainability expert. By using a theoretical framework related to circular post-retail strategies as a tool of analysis, the results showed various levels of implementation of circular strategies among the businesses. Prolonging the lifespan of clothing by reusing, repairing, or re-designing, rather than repurposing and recycling, is seen as more effective in terms of environmental sustainability. Moreover, all businesses aim to inspire its consumers to make mindful choices, though the inspiration needs to be connected to an actual service if behaviors are to change. Concludingly, fashion businesses need to embrace circularity by finding new ways to profit from already existing garments through rental, repair, and re-design services to make the industry more environmentally sustainable. / Modeindustrin har historiskt setts som synonymt med många ohållbara fenomen, såsom överproduktion, föroreningar och masskonsumtion. Idag ägnar många modeföretag mer uppmärksamhet på hållbarhet och engagerar sig i aktiviteter som syftar till att göra industrin mer miljömässigt hållbar. Denna studie granskar tre svenska modeföretag, H&M, Lindex och Gina Tricot, i syfte att undersöka och analysera hur dessa integrerar cirkulära strategier i post-retail-fasen. Syftet är dessutom att identifiera och undersöka styrkor och svagheter relaterade till dessa strategier gällande dess potential att minska modeindustrins negativa miljöpåverkan. Studien bygger på en innehållsanalys av webbplatser, dokument och policys från dessa modeföretag samt en kvalitativ semistrukturerad intervju med en cirkulär hållbarhetsexpert. Genom användningen av ett teoretiskt ramverk relaterat till cirkulära post-retail strategier som ett analytiskt verktyg visar resultatet på varierande genomförandegrad av cirkulära strategier hos de olika modeföretagen. Att förlänga livslängden på kläder genom att återanvända, reparera eller designa om ses som mer effektivt när det gäller miljömässig hållbarhet snarare än att återvinna. Samtliga företag syftar även till att inspirera sina kunder till att göra hållbara val, dock måste inspirationen vara kopplad till verkliga tjänster om konsumenters beteenden ska förändras. Sammanfattningsvis måste modeföretag hitta nya sätt att profitera från redan befintliga plagg genom omdesign-, reparations- eller uthyrningstjänster för att göra industrin mer miljömässigt hållbar.

Studien analyserar H&M och Volvo Groups kommunikation gällande företagsvärderingar. Företagen verkar inom textilindustrin respektive transport- och fordonsindustrin och har genom åren fått kritik för sin negativa påverkan på hållbarhet. För att en organisation ska fungera måste det finnas kärnvärderingar som knyter samman organisationen. Det är också viktigt att värderingarna är hållbara. Eftersom vi lever i en värld där en omställning är högst aktuell är det viktigt att företag anpassar sin kommunikation för att klara denna omställning. Med hjälp av en semiotisk metod, analyserar studien hur H&M och Volvo Group kommunicerar sina värderingar på deras hemsidor. Därefter studerar vi hur företagen retoriskt framställer sina värderingar i syfte att övertyga deras mottagare. Med hjälp av semiotiken, retoriken och Brundtlandskommissionens definition av hållbarhet samt forskning inom ämnet diskuterar vi hur värderingarna framställs retoriskt och företagens ställningstagande i hållbarhetsfrågan.  Resultatet visar att Volvo Group har en tydlighet i sin kommunikation gällande värderingar. Det finns också ett tydligt samspel mellan bild och text där båda textelementen har ett retoriskt syfte. Det går att konstatera att Volvo Groups kommunikation gällande värderingar har ett starkt ethos. I H&M:s kommunikation av värderingar finns en röd tråd, en igenkänning och ett sammanhang som gör det enklare för mottagare att förstå. De argument som tydligast går att urskilja för att övertyga mottagarna är de med pathos-karaktär, eftersom båda företagen förmedlar en tydlig vi-känsla i sin kommunikation. Logos-argumenten hade kunnat stärkas ytterligare med en förklaring på varför värderingarna valdes. Resultatet visar också att den ekologiska dimensionen saknas i båda företagens kommunikation av värderingar. / This study analyses H&M and Volvo Group’s communication regarding corporate values. The two companies operate within the textile industry and transport industry and through the years, they have been criticized for their negative impact on sustainability. In order for an organization to function, core values must exist and attach the organization as a unit. It is also important that the values are sustainable. As we live in a world where adaption is highly relevant, it is important for companies to adapt their communication in order to manage this adaptation. By a visual method, this study analyses how H&M and Volvo Group communicate their corporate values on their websites. Thereafter, we study how the two companies rhetorically communicate their values for the purpose of convincing the perceiver. In view of semiotic, rhetoric and sustainability theories as well as scientific research within the field, we discuss how the corporate values are rhetorically presented and the companies’ standpoint regarding sustainable development.  The result shows that Volvo Group maintains a clarity in their communication regarding corporate values. There is also a clear connection between image and text where both text elements have a rhetorical purpose. It can also be stated that Volvo Group’s communication of values has a strong ethos. H&M uses a common thread, recognition, and cohesion in their communication to help perceivers to understand. The arguments that are most clearly discernible to convince the recipients are those with a pathos character, as both companies use team spirit in their communication. The logos-arguments could be stronger if there was an explanation to why the values have been chosen. The result also shows that the ecological dimension is not inherited in the companies’ communication regarding corporate values.

Large product assortments commonly lead to that fast fashion retailers have a large number of transport cartons, with varying sizes, to distribute products from manufacturing sites to distribution centers. Ultimately, the transport cartons have a large impact on the supply chain efficiency, as they affect several nodes in the supply chain network. Previous research has considered transport cartons’ impact on individual supply chain nodes, but little research has been devoted to evaluate the transport cartons impact on the supply chain network as a whole. Thus, this thesis aims to contribute with knowledge to bridge the gap in literature by investigating how a company’s transport cartons affect the overall supply chain efficiency, by applying a holistic perspective. The thesis was conducted as a case study in collaboration with Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), aworld-leading fast fashion retailer. The research identifies opportunities and challenges related totransport carton usage, and how the cartons impact supply chain efficiency. Moreover, the research evaluates the costs associated with different sets of transport carton sizes, based on acost estimation model constructed on data provided by H&M. It is concluded that a small set oftransport carton sizes could increase supply chain efficiency and generate potential cost savingsdue to mainly two reasons. First, a small set of transport cartons could lead to efficient containerloading. Second, it could lead to efficient carton handling and optimal space utilization in thedistribution centers. / Till följd av stora produktsortiment har snabbmodeaktörer ofta ett stort set av transportkartonger, med varierande storlekar, för att distribuera produkterna från tillverkning till varuhus. Eftersom transportkartongerna påverkar fler noder i försörjningskedjan, har de följaktligen stor påverkan på hur effektiv försörjningskedjan är. Tidigare forskning har utvärderat hur transportkartongerna kan påverka enskilda noder i försörjningskedjan, men lite fokus har ägnats åt att utvärdera kartongernas effekt på försörjningskedjan, sett ur ett helhetsperspektiv. Detta examensarbete syftar till att bidra med kunskap för att överbrygga detta gap genom att undersöka hur ett företags transportkartonger påverkar den totala försörjningskedjans effektivitet genom att tillämpa ett helhetsperspektiv. Examensarbetet genomfördes som en fallstudie i samarbete med Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), som är en av de världsledande aktörerna inom snabbmode. Studien identifierar möjligheter och utmaningar relaterade till transportkartonganvändning, och hur kartongerna påverkar försörjningskedjans effektivitet. Vidare utvärderades kostnaden av att ha olika uppsättningar av transportkartonger, baserat på en beräkningsmodell grundad på data från H&M. Resultaten visade att ett litet set av transportkartonger kan ha positiv påverkan på försörjningskedjans effektivitet och generera kostnadsbesparingar till följd av två huvudsakliga anledningar. Den första anledningen är att ett litet set förenklar effektiv containerladdning. Den andra anledningen är att det kan leda till mer effektiv kartonghantering på lager och bättre utnyttjande av lagerutrymme.

The highly variable demand of fast fashion causes retailers in the industry to face large uncertainties when allocating initial inventory batches across multiple locations. Further into the selling season, inventory imbalances might arise as an effect of deviations from expected demand. To mitigate these imbalances, retailers can make use of lateral transshipments of inventory from locations with excess stock to those facing the risk of a stockout. Such transshipments require models for determining what and how much to ship as well as when to ship it. This thesis investigates how such a model can be applied on replenishment warehouse level in a fast-fashion retail setting. The research was conducted through a quantitative case study at Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), one of the largest fast-fashion retailers in the world. An appropriate existing transshipment model based on the concept of service level was identified and adjusted to suit the characteristics of H&M. In contrast to the vast majority of models in literature, empirical probability distributions were used for dynamically modelling short-term demand. The proposed model was evaluated and found to suggest transshipments yielding significant revenue increase driven by lowered price reductions. This thesis differs from existing literature by providing a unique case-study of how a transshipment model can be applied in practice and how it performs on empirical data from one of the largest fast-fashion retailers in the world. / Den kraftigt varierande efterfrågan på snabbt mode gör att aktörer i branschen står inför stora osäkerheter vid initiala lagerallokeringar. Längre in i försäljningscykeln kan lagerobalanser uppstå till följd av avvikelser från den förväntade efterfrågan. För att hantera obalanserna kan företag flytta lager från de regioner med lageröverskott till de som i närtid riskerar att få slut i lager. Sådana flyttar kräver modeller för att avgöra vad och hur mycket som ska flyttas samt när det ska flyttas. Detta examensarbete undersöker hur en sådan modell kan appliceras inom branschen för snabbt mode. Studien genomfördes som en kvantitativ fallstudie i samarbete med Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), en av världens största aktörer inom snabbmodebranschen. En lämplig existerande modell som baseras på konceptet om servicenivå identifierades och anpassades efter H&M:s egenskaper. Till skillnad från majoriteten av modeller i literature användes empiriska sannolikhetsfördelningar för att dynamiskt modellera kortsiktig efterfrågan. Den föreslagna modellen utvärderades och visades föreslå flyttar som genererar signifikanta intäktsökningar drivet av lägre prisnedsättningar. Denna studie skiljer sig från existerande litteratur genom sitt bidrag med en unik fallstudie av hur en modell för lagerflyttar kan appliceras i praktiken samt hur den presterar på empirisk data från en av världens största snabbmodeaktörer.

The fashion industry has a significant environmental impact due to its high rate of production and consumption. In order to become sustainable, fashion businesses are making fundamental changes in their business models. In doing so, they are aiming to reduce the use of materials, decrease carbon footprint, and meet customer demands while also being profitable. This shift towards making fashion sustainable and profitable has encouraged companies to adopt circular business models where products are designed for multiple lifecycles. The branding of circular business models and products is an important yet underdeveloped area of research. The literature on the branding and communication of circular products is limited. Therefore, this study aims to explore different communication strategies for branding of circular products. In order to achieve the research objectives, a case study research methodology is implemented using the H&M Group as a case company. This study performed a brief systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis on the communication of circular products by H&M Group to identify the dominant themes. This study identified twelve themes from the systematic literature review & fourteen themes from the qualitative content analysis. The analysis shows that these themes have an inclination towards either increasing brand engagement or increasing customer awareness from a company perspective. Based on the analysis of the results this study identifies two main communication strategies for branding of circular products: awareness-oriented communication strategy and engagement-oriented communication strategy. / Modeindustrin har en betydande miljöpåverkan på grund av sin höga produktions- och konsumtionstakt. För att bli hållbara gör modeföretagen grundläggande förändringar i sina affärsmodeller. Genom att göra det strävar de efter att minska materialanvändningen, minska koldioxidavtrycket och möta kundernas krav samtidigt som de är lönsamma. Denna förändring mot att göra mode hållbart och lönsamt har uppmuntrat företag att anta cirkulära affärsmodeller där produkter är designade för flera livscykler. Varumärkesbyggandet av cirkulära affärsmodeller och produkter är ett viktigt men underutvecklat forskningsområde. Litteraturen om varumärkesbyggande och kommunikation av cirkulära produkter är begränsad. Därför syftar denna studie till att utforska olika kommunikationsstrategier för varumärkesbyggande av cirkulära produkter. För att uppnå forskningsmålen implementeras en forskningsmetodik för fallstudier med hjälp av H&M-gruppen som ett fallföretag. Denna studie genomförde en kort systematisk litteraturgenomgång och kvalitativ innehållsanalys av H&M Groups kommunikation av cirkulära produkter för att identifiera de dominerande teman. Denna studie identifierade tolv teman från den systematiska litteraturöversikten och fjorton teman från den kvalitativa innehållsanalysen. Analysen visar att dessa teman har en benägenhet att antingen öka varumärkesengagemanget eller öka kundmedvetenheten ur ett företagsperspektiv. Baserat på analysen av resultaten identifierar denna studie två huvudsakliga kommunikationsstrategier för varumärkesbyggande av cirkulära produkter: medvetenhetsorienterad kommunikationsstrategi och engagemangsorienterad kommunikationsstrategi.

This thesis is about Ibn Taymiyya's thinking on jihād and baghy. It aims to make an important contribution to the study of early Islamic political thought. It considers how the terms jihād and baghy have developed and been expanded from the structure established by the Qur'an and hadith. It also examines the relationship between jihād and baghy in Islamic law and reveals the pivotal role of the imām in politics. The main focus of this study is Ibn Taymiyya's thinking on jihād and the fatwās that resulted from it, using hitherto overlooked printed materials. It also seeks to explain why Ibn Taymiyya upheld jihād against the Mongols, the Franks and the heretic Shī'a. The thesis is divided into four chapters and structured as follows. The first chapter deals with the life of Ibn Taymiyya. This chapter moves beyond conventional biography to relate the story of Ibn Taymiyya's life to the main events that occurred during the Mongols' incursion. The second chapter identifies what Meccan and Medinan Qur'anic texts say about jihād, and examines whether jihād is a mechanism of self defense or an act of aggression; it also explains the relationship between jihād and the establishment of dār al-Islām, dār al-ḥarb and dār al-'ahd. The third chapter considers Ibn Taymiyya's view on jihād. The fourth chapter analyses Ibn Taymiyya's view on baghy, and aims to arrive at a clearer picture of the relationship between Ibn Taymiyya's concepts of jihād and baghy.

Research Question: How can the concept of Greening Goliaths and Emerging Davids be applied to better understand the sustainabile transformation of the fashion industry?  Purpose: This paper sets out to analyze two approaches to sustainability within the fashion industry; A firm adopting CSR initiatives into their business strategy versus a sustainable brand. These approaches are explored within the framework of Greening Goliaths and Emerging Davids to recognize their contribution to the sustainable transformation of the fashion industry. Method: A qualitative approach to our case study was taken in which we analyze and measure the Swedish fast fashion company, H&M and an American eco-friendly fashion label, Reformation. A semi-formal phone interview with an expert on sustainability in the fashion industry gave us further knowledge of how the two approaches can be combined for the industry to become more sustainable. A model was developed that aided the analysis as well as the discussion of the empirical findings. Conclusion: Our conclusions found that the sustainable brand, Reformation can be categorized as an Emerging David and is in the Take-off stage. In order to gain a larger market share an contribute to the sustainable transformation of the industry Reformation will need to continue process innovation to lower their price point. H&M was initially categorized as a Greening Goliath however upon further analysis we believe they are shifting to become and Environmental David leading the sustainable transformation of the industry. In order for a sustainable transformation of the fashion industry there needs to be a co-evolution of both Greening Goliaths and Emerging Davids working together for a sustainable future.

Prior research has pointed out the importance of companies attending social media during company crises. Though limited studies have examined how crisis communication stands on social media platforms during real organisational crises. Done by a qualitative textual analysis conducted through official statements from H&M:s Facebook posts, Twitter posts and Instagram posts for this case, this study aims to explore how the crisis communication for H&M stood during their crisis “coolest monkey in the jungle” in January 2018 to see how H&M used effective crisis communication strategies. The textual analysis is used to study how the empirical material reveal recurrent strategies from Image repair theory together with the rhetorical concept of ethos pathos and logos. Based on prior research for crisis communication mainly made through case studies we use the same design which has been proven successful. Findings suggested how H&M regularly were using recurrent strategies from Image repair theory and the rhetorical concept in their crisis communication in this case. The outcome of this study shows an example for how crisis communication on social media can be and how effective crisis communication strategies can be used on social media.

With the growing trend of the manufacturing of sustainable products by the apparel brands, the eco-friendly consumers are becoming more interested in knowing the brands’ sustainability communication and their claims. This study has taken the Katz’s attitude functions theory as a framework to better understand the factors which can help in calculating the consumers’ attitudes towards the sustainability communication of H&M, the leading apparel brand of Sweden. This research paper used qualitative research method and have done the ‘focused group analyses’ to investigate the consumers attitude towards sustainability communication of H&M. Four focus groups interviews were conducted and then transcribed to generate themes to interpretate the results. Researcher utilized the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach as a qualitative research method, to explore the ‘lived experience’ of the research participants. Author then interpretated the results and found out that the consumers are aware from the H&M sustainability communication. Although most of them positively influenced from the brand’s sustainability, yet some of them have doubts on the sustainability claims of H&M.