The ceremony began with live music and speeches by the Dean, Christofer Edling, and student Janine Pröll. Following that, Malin Zillinger, the program director of the Master's program, presented the honorary award for the best Master's thesis in Service Management. This year, the award was given to two papers.
The first thesis, titled “Navigating the Seas of Change: A Grounded Theory Analysis of the First Adopters of Wind Propulsion Technology in the Shipping Industry” was authored by Sofia Heleena Laaksonen and Shazbah Shafi. The motivation behind this thesis was as follows:
This thesis investigate the underlying factors influencing shipping companies' decisions to adopt wind propulsion technology. Through a grounded theory methodology, the authors explore emotional, business, and regulatory drivers at different levels. The research methods include document analysis and interviews. The study contributes to theoretical, managerial, and social areas.
The second thesis, titled ”Adapting Household Energy Consumption: How Consumers in Germany and Sweden Managed the European Energy Crisis” was authored by Emmelina Eriksson and Daniel Götting. The motivation for this thesis was as follows:
This thesis analyses how households changed their everyday lives to deal with the energy crisis in 2022-2023. The authors apply social practice theory to explain the impact and meaning on such mundane activities as showering, cooking and hosting guests. The thesis demonstrates keen methodological sensitivity, and the results contribute to several aspects of sustainability discourse and practice.
Later, all Master's students were called up on stage and received congratulations and a diploma from the Dean.
