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News/RSS news Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statisticsen-usMon, 27 Oct 2025 14:08:42 +0100/en/news/new-programme-in-public-procurement---a-groundbreaking-initiative_12142907/New education in public procurement - a groundbreaking initiativeStarting in autumn 2026, the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics at Umeå University will launch a brand-new Master’s Programme in Public Procurement – a location-independent distance programme that marks a historic step for Swedish higher education. At the same time, public procurement will be established as a main field of study.Mon, 22 Sep 2025 15:29:19 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/890d87a889b3408580015b9e6208e920/sofia_lundberg_och_tom_madell3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/890d87a889b3408580015b9e6208e920/sofia_lundberg_och_tom_madell3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/890d87a889b3408580015b9e6208e920/sofia_lundberg_och_tom_madell3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/890d87a889b3408580015b9e6208e920/sofia_lundberg_och_tom_madell3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/890d87a889b3408580015b9e6208e920/sofia_lundberg_och_tom_madell3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/890d87a889b3408580015b9e6208e920/sofia_lundberg_och_tom_madell3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Sofia Lundberg and Tom Madell.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Malin Gronborg</span></div></div><p>This programme is the first of its kind in Sweden and will lead to a Master of Science degree in Public Procurement. It is aimed at both professionals and graduates from, for example, business administration, engineering, or social science bachelor’s programmes, and will be offered both full-time and part-time to meet different needs. The new Master’s programme is interdisciplinary and rests on a scientific foundation and a strong research environment, including economics, law, and informatics. The development of the programme is led by, among others, Professor Sofia Lundberg (Economics) and Professor Tom Madell (Law), who are also the programme directors.</p><h3>How do you think this programme will impact the supply of expertise in the public sector and business community? </h3><p>– Nationally and internationally, the demand for procurement professionals is high and continues to grow. The reason for this increasing demand is that public procurement is an expanding field where the strategic role of procurement professionals is becoming more significant, and the requirements for professionalising the role are increasing. The demand for procurement professionals is rising, and the job market for those who want to work in this field and have the right skills is strong. Despite this, Sweden lacks university-level programmes in public procurement. Among practitioners and industry organisations, the need for education in public procurement has been raised repeatedly, while surveys show that the supplier side calls for improved competence among procurement professionals. The Swedish Association of Public Purchasers (SOI) has developed a competency profile for public purchasers. The profile covers 13 scientific areas and reflects a complex and challenging role that is of increasing central importance in public organisations. As complexity and demands increase, so do competency requirements. The programme does not cover all 13 areas specified by SOI, but it provides broader competence than the courses currently available. The establishment of the main field of study is a prerequisite for the broad entry into the programme. Around 4,000 organisations in Sweden are covered by the legislation and regularly organise public procurements or freedom-of-choice systems, say Sofia and Tom.</p><p>Public procurement, which is regulated by EU directives and Swedish legislation, is a strategically important area. It amounts to approximately SEK 900 billion annually in Sweden – almost 18 percent of GDP – and covers everything from relatively standardized products to complex services and construction contracts. Through the programme, students gain in-depth knowledge of the legal, socio-economic, and digital dimensions of procurement, and how it can be used as a policy tool for sustainable development, innovation, and inclusion.</p><h3>What needs or gaps in today’s educational offerings did you identify that made this programme relevant to develop?</h3><p> – Over the years, as mentioned, we have been approached with requests for education in public procurement. We have also seen the need ourselves through our contacts with the business community and the public sector. This led to initiatives in the form of independent courses (which have been very successful). When Tom returned to Umeå University, it felt natural to revive the idea of an advanced-level programme that we had already developed in 2012. For various reasons, and because we were involved in other projects, the idea was put on hold, says Sofia.</p><p>The programme is based on current research and practical relevance. It is an impressive example of how the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics takes responsibility for societal development and meets labour market needs with high-quality, research-based education. The fact that the university is now establishing itself as a national pioneer in public procurement is nothing short of fantastic and a testament to both academic foresight and strategic action.</p><h3>What has been most challenging in the process of establishing an entirely new main field of study and programme, and how have you solved it? </h3><p>– The process itself is rigorous, and for good reason. Establishing a main field of study and a programme has an impact on the organisation. Part of the process was to justify the establishment in a way that could be received by people outside the research group in public procurement. The fact that we have two successful independent courses with a socio-economic focus and could demonstrate competitiveness compared to the existing offerings in the procurement field (primarily law courses) has probably contributed to our proposal being well received. Also, we have established networks within and outside Umeå University where dialogues and research on public procurement are ongoing, Sofia and Tom continue.</p><h3>What are you most proud of with this programme – and what do you hope students will take with them after graduation? </h3><p>– According to the Swedish Competition Authority, Umeå University brings together teachers from Sweden’s strongest research environment in public procurement, and on a personal level, it is gratifying to be able to build on this and offer a degree programme in the subject. We hope thereby to strengthen Umeå University’s educational offering and do something that benefits the organisation. By (further) educating experts in public procurement, Umeå University can help ensure that the resources of procuring organisations are used more efficiently and sustainably, which in turn can lead to significant economic and societal gains. The knowledge gained from the programme can provide students with insights into how to develop procurement strategies for sustainable development and strengthen society’s preparedness.</p>/en/news/new-programme-in-public-procurement---a-groundbreaking-initiative_12142907//en/news/welcome-to-usbe-advisory-board-henrik-skyttberg_12129330/Welcome to USBE Advisory Board, Henrik Skyttberg!Henrik Skyttberg, CEO of Coop Nord, is a determined and capable leader who, with strong commitment, leads one of Sweden’s largest consumer cooperatives. Since 2020, he has guided Coop Nord through an impressive growth journey, where profitability and local engagement have gone hand in hand. His background in retail and strategic acumen have made him a key figure in the development of commerce in northern Sweden – and now he is welcomed as a member of the USBE Advisory Board!Wed, 13 Aug 2025 11:24:30 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/13cdd877527a42e08bd0da555ba8f851/skyttberg2.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/13cdd877527a42e08bd0da555ba8f851/skyttberg2.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/13cdd877527a42e08bd0da555ba8f851/skyttberg2.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/13cdd877527a42e08bd0da555ba8f851/skyttberg2.png?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/13cdd877527a42e08bd0da555ba8f851/skyttberg2.png?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/13cdd877527a42e08bd0da555ba8f851/skyttberg2.png?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Henrik Skyttberg, CEO of Coop Nord.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>COOP</span></div></div><h3>What are your thoughts on being appointed to the Umeå School of Business Advisory Board?</h3><p>– I’m both happy and proud to be part of the School of Business Advisory Board. The school plays an important role in shaping talents and future stars who will develop organizations across industries for many years to come. I have many years of experience in retail, especially in the grocery sector, and I hope to contribute with insights from that field.</p><h3>What is a hot topic in retail that currently engages you?</h3><p>–  Retail as a whole is challenged by new buying behaviors and price pressure. One pressing issue right now is how to create or maintain an attractive employer brand in a tough economic climate.</p><h3>The School of Business offers a program in Retail and Logistics. What do you think is the most important takeaway for students aiming for a career in retail?</h3><p>–  The most important thing is to gain an understanding of the bigger picture and how the business is interconnected through various flows in a business model. You don’t need to know everything or be a specialist when you graduate, but having a broad understanding and interest in the business is a valuable asset. It’s also crucial to understand that human interaction, both in the workplace and especially with customers is absolutely essential for a sustainable business.</p>/en/news/welcome-to-usbe-advisory-board-henrik-skyttberg_12129330//en/news/usbe-research-institute-scientific-award-2025_12114049/USBE Research Institute Scientific Award 2025This year’s winner of the USBE Research Institute Scientific Award is Angelos Kostis! The award was established to promote research within USBE, and the idea behind the scientific award is to celebrate scientific writing as well as highlight high-quality research in the field.Thu, 19 Jun 2025 11:16:06 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/db558dddf2994118968b3d7882854e8e/angelos_kostis3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/db558dddf2994118968b3d7882854e8e/angelos_kostis3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/db558dddf2994118968b3d7882854e8e/angelos_kostis3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/db558dddf2994118968b3d7882854e8e/angelos_kostis3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/db558dddf2994118968b3d7882854e8e/angelos_kostis3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/db558dddf2994118968b3d7882854e8e/angelos_kostis3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Angelos Kostis</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Private</span></div></div><p>Marie Wiberg, Chair of the USBE Research Institute:<br>“Angelos Kostis has published high-quality research in leading international journals, while also building an extensive international network and achieving great success in securing research funding. His scientific contributions make him a truly deserving recipient of this year’s USBE Scientific Award.”</p><p>Angelos Kostis, recipient of the USBE Research Institute Scientific Award:<br>“The scientific award is a recognition that reflects a collective accomplishment and the support of I've received from the University, the department, my colleagues, my co-authors, and my students. Receiving such an award is the outcome of a collective commitment to an environment where curiosity is valued, ambition is wisely nurtured, individual wins are seen as manifestations of teamwork successes and care is generously guaranteed. Thank you very much for the USBE Scientific Award, which is a big honour, but nothing else than a manifestation of teamwork, success and care.”</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Jury’s Motivation</h2><p>“The idea behind the Award is to celebrate scientific writing and to distinguish high-quality research. Since defending his award-winning doctoral thesis in 2020, Kostis has produced remarkable research output, both in terms of quantity and quality. His work has been consistently published in high-ranked and well-recognized international journals. In addition, Kostis has established a broad international network for collaboration with researchers at world-leading universities and has successfully secured research funding.</p><p>Overall, the achievements of Angelos Kostis make him a truly well-deserved recipient of the Scientific Award for 2025.”</p>/en/news/usbe-research-institute-scientific-award-2025_12114049//en/news/siemens-financial-services-thesis-scholarship-in-finance-2025_12110416/<description>The prestigious Siemens Financial Services Thesis Scholarship in Finance is awarded this year to Tim Nilsson and Olle Olausson from the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE). Their thesis, titled “Bankruptcy Prediction for Swedish SMEs: Assessing Altman’s Z''-score in the Wake of Covid-19”, earned them a prize of SEK 20,000 and a diploma. The award was presented during USBE’s graduation ceremony in Aula Nordica by USBE Dean and Isac Hellsten from Siemens Financial Services.</description><pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2025 12:09:58 +0200</pubDate><atom:content type="html"><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/a1f4ef102d104016b6afa5fa3a0de91f/siemens_tim_olle3.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/a1f4ef102d104016b6afa5fa3a0de91f/siemens_tim_olle3.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/a1f4ef102d104016b6afa5fa3a0de91f/siemens_tim_olle3.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/a1f4ef102d104016b6afa5fa3a0de91f/siemens_tim_olle3.png?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/a1f4ef102d104016b6afa5fa3a0de91f/siemens_tim_olle3.png?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/a1f4ef102d104016b6afa5fa3a0de91f/siemens_tim_olle3.png?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Tim Nilsson and Olle Olausson.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Mattias Pettersson</span></div></div><p>Tim Nilsson:<br>“I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Umeå University and Siemens Financial Services for this wonderful recognition. We are proud and grateful to have been awarded this year’s thesis scholarship in finance. I’m especially happy to share this award with my dear friend and thesis partner Olle, to whom I owe a special thanks for his invaluable dedication and outstanding contribution throughout the process. Finally – thank you to Umeå University and everyone I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know during these four fantastic years.”</p><p>Olle Olausson:<br>“A big thank you to both Umeå University and Siemens Financial Services for honoring us with this award. It feels great to receive further recognition for the time we invested in this thesis last year, and even more rewarding to share it with Tim, who has been by my side since day one at university.”</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Jury’s motivation</h2><p>“For a well-written and well-executed study on bankruptcy prediction methodology. The study, conducted using appropriate methods, is timely and well-justified from both an academic and practical perspective.”</p><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">About the thesis</h2><p>Supervisor: <a href="~/link/da628dee63cd48459f04afe54d08dea0.aspx">Lars Lindbergh</a></p></atom:content><link>/en/news/siemens-financial-services-thesis-scholarship-in-finance-2025_12110416/</link></item><item xml:base="en/news/nordea-thesis-award-in-diversity-and-inclusion-2025_12109846/"><guid isPermaLink="false">/en/news/nordea-thesis-award-in-diversity-and-inclusion-2025_12109846/</guid><title>Nordea Thesis Award in Diversity and Inclusion 2025Alva Lind and Markus Leautwiler, students at the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE), are the recipients of this year’s award and a prize of SEK 15,000 for their thesis “Women’s Effect on the ESG Performance.”Wed, 11 Jun 2025 12:00:28 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/nordea_bild_13.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/nordea_bild_13.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/nordea_bild_13.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/nordea_bild_13.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/nordea_bild_13.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/nordea_bild_13.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Alva Lind and Markus Leautwiler.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Privat</span></div></div><p>The award aims to stimulate and sustain student interest in how topics within business administration, economics, and statistics relate to diversity and inclusion. The prize, awarded as a scholarship, is made possible through USBE’s strong collaboration with Nordea.</p><p>Fredrik Stenling, Head of the Business Banking unit at Nordea:<br>“The winning thesis applies a gender perspective to corporate sustainability efforts. Combined with a comprehensive and well-executed empirical analysis, this has resulted in a piece of work that is truly deserving of Nordea’s scholarship for the best thesis in the field of diversity and inclusion.”</p><p>Alva’s comment:<br>“A huge thank you to USBE, and especially to Nordea! We also want to thank our supervisor Henrik Höglund for all the support and guidance throughout the thesis process. It feels amazing to receive this award – diversity and inclusion are such important topics, and we’re happy to contribute to highlighting them.”</p><p>Markus’ comment:<br>“We are incredibly grateful to receive this award from Nordea and USBE. We’re glad to see this topic being recognized. Hopefully, this can inspire others to continue shedding light on the challenges we face regarding diversity and inclusion in the business world.”</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Jury’s motivation:</h2><p>“The thesis addresses a relevant and timely question regarding the relationship between female board members and ESG scores in publicly listed European companies, as diversity and inclusion are becoming increasingly central to corporate success and sustainability. The results and conclusions are both current and practically applicable.</p><p>The authors not only highlight the challenges of achieving board diversity but also offer potential solutions and examples of best practices. This contributes to a deeper understanding of how companies can actively work with diversity and inclusion to improve their ESG performance, which in turn can lead to increased corporate value and societal benefit.”</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/usbe_graduation-ceeremony-2113-250605-mpn2.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/usbe_graduation-ceeremony-2113-250605-mpn2.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/usbe_graduation-ceeremony-2113-250605-mpn2.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/usbe_graduation-ceeremony-2113-250605-mpn2.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/usbe_graduation-ceeremony-2113-250605-mpn2.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/8a166ffb740a4c94b0d046baecdaddb1/usbe_graduation-ceeremony-2113-250605-mpn2.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Markus and Alva receive the award from the Dean of USBE Mats Bergman.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Mattias Pettersson</span></div></div>/en/news/nordea-thesis-award-in-diversity-and-inclusion-2025_12109846//en/news/usbe-enrichment-award-2025_12109281/USBE Enrichment Award 2025The 2025 recipient of the USBE Enrichment Award of SEK 10,000, awarded in collaboration with Swedbank, has been announced. The recipient is Lisa Sånemyr, a student at the Business and Economics Program in Service Management.Tue, 10 Jun 2025 11:28:54 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025_lisa_s3_55912.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025_lisa_s3_55912.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025_lisa_s3_55912.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025_lisa_s3_55912.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025_lisa_s3_55912.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025_lisa_s3_55912.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Lisa Sånemy.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Rickard Lindberg</span></div></div><p>To be considered for the award, the recipient must have worked to:</p><p>"promote development and quality in terms of the study environment and/or campus life at the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics in such a way that it has benefited the education and/or development of fellow students"</p><p>Wael Hadrous, Swedbank Umeå and partner for the USBE Enrichment Award;</p><p>"We at Swedbank would like to say a big congratulations to Lisa for her fine work. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics for this fine collaboration that focuses on a positive work culture where you support people in your direct environment".</p><p>Lisa Sånemyr is awarded the prize for her work in the role as chair of the student association HHUS.</p><p>In her work as chairwoman, Lisa has worked structurally to improve inclusion and transparency for both members directly workding in the association as well as other members. The work has resulted in a positive cultural change, which has also been shown in increased member engagement. Lisa also has gotten good feedback on her leadership and behavior.</p><p>Said about Lisa: “… As chairwoman of HHUS, Lisa has, through her committed leadership, contributed to a significant improvement in student life for students at the business school. She has purposefully worked for increased inclusion and transparency and has exceeded the high expectations set for the role.”</p><p>Lisa´s comment about the award:</p><p>"I am incredibly happy and moved to receive this award! It has been a true privilege to lead HHUS as chairperson in a time of development, with dedicated work for increased inclusion and transparency. Our focus has been to strengthen the association's long-term sustainability, and through clearer communication and new guidelines, the goal was an HHUS where everyone is given the opportunity to grow and influence. The fact that this commitment is now being recognized and has led to a noticeable cultural change and increased member engagement makes me proud."</p><p>"The award is a fantastic confirmation that the joint work of the board and all our active members has really made a difference to student life at the School of Business. It also shows the power of student political engagement for both positive impact and personal development. A warm thank you to all of you active members who tirelessly devote your time and energy in the process - without you, there would be no HHUS!"</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025__dsc23403.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025__dsc23403.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025__dsc23403.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025__dsc23403.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025__dsc23403.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/af57916434db4178b13910e084449de1/usbe_enrichment_award_2025__dsc23403.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>USBE Enrichment Award 2025.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Mattias Pettersson</span></div></div>/en/news/usbe-enrichment-award-2025_12109281//en/news/umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics-graduation-ceremony-2025_12109261/Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics Graduation Ceremony 2025On June 5, the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE) held its annual graduation ceremony in Aula Nordica – the 19th edition. Around 300 students and their guests took part in the vibrant celebration, and once again, the auditorium was filled to capacity.Tue, 10 Jun 2025 11:06:38 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc22543.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc22543.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc22543.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc22543.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc22543.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc22543.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics Graduation Ceremony.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Mattias Pettersson</span></div></div><p>Students received their diplomas from USBE Dean Mats Bergman. Prestigious awards were presented, alumni sent congratulatory messages to the newly graduated students, and beautiful music filled the auditorium throughout the evening. Musical performances were given by Johan Wållberg, Viktor Edlund Hansson, and Malin Jonsson.</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Umeå Sustainability Award for Theses in Business Administration </h2><p>The Research Institute for Organization and Business in Sustainable Transition (ROBUST), together with Umeå Energi, has established an annual thesis award to encourage business students to engage with and deepen their understanding of sustainability and business ethics. This year’s award goes to Gustav Sigling and Johan Glase from the Stockholm School of Economics.</p><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">Nordea Thesis Award in Diversity and Inclusion </h2><p>Now in its fourth year, this award is presented in collaboration with Nordea and aims to stimulate and maintain student interest in how topics in business administration, economics, and statistics relate to diversity and inclusion. The 2025 award was presented to Markus Leutwiler and Alva Lind from the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics.</p><h2 id="info2" data-magellan-target="info2">Siemens Financial Services Thesis Scholarship in Finance </h2><p>This award is presented in collaboration with Siemens Financial Services and aims to encourage student interest in finance and financial economics, with potential positive impact on regional skills development. The 2025 recipients are Olle Olausson and Tim Nilsson from USBE.</p><h2 id="info3" data-magellan-target="info3">USBE Enrichment Award </h2><p>USBE and Swedbank present this award to individuals who have “promoted development and quality in education and research at the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics” and/or “supported the education and development of USBE students.” The 2025 award was given to Lisa Sånemyr, former chair of HHUS and student in the Service Management track of the Business and Economics program.</p><h2 id="info4" data-magellan-target="info4">USBE Pedagogical Prize </h2><p>The 2025 USBE Pedagogical Prize was presented to Assistant Lecturer Christopher Nicol. He is recognized for his strong commitment to teaching and for enhancing the quality of education at USBE.</p><h2 id="info5" data-magellan-target="info5">USBE Research Institute Scientific Award </h2><p>The idea behind the award is to celebrate scientific writing and to distinguish high-quality research. The winner of the Scientific Award for 2025 is Angelos Kostis, Associate Professor at the Department of Business Administration.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc21282.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc21282.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc21282.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc21282.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc21282.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/5683730db07741faa942126c3048a3ac/handelshogskolans_diplomeringsceremoni_2025_dsc21282.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Dean Mats Bergman.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Mattias Pettersson</span></div></div>/en/news/umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics-graduation-ceremony-2025_12109261//en/news/swedish-trade-federations-chairpersons-award-2025_12102816/Swedish Trade Federation’s Chairperson’s Award 2025Lilly Andersson, currently in her final year of the Business and Economics program with a specialization in Trade and Logistics, has been awarded the Swedish Trade Federation’s Chairperson’s Award. The prize is presented to two outstanding students enrolled in trade-focused programs at Swedish universities.Tue, 27 May 2025 15:54:22 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/dd5f981c519f4bcea4249129e076ae89/lilly_pris_sv.ha_25_dsc055863.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/dd5f981c519f4bcea4249129e076ae89/lilly_pris_sv.ha_25_dsc055863.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/dd5f981c519f4bcea4249129e076ae89/lilly_pris_sv.ha_25_dsc055863.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/dd5f981c519f4bcea4249129e076ae89/lilly_pris_sv.ha_25_dsc055863.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/dd5f981c519f4bcea4249129e076ae89/lilly_pris_sv.ha_25_dsc055863.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/dd5f981c519f4bcea4249129e076ae89/lilly_pris_sv.ha_25_dsc055863.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Lilly Andersson.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Rickard Lindberg</span></div></div><p>“I’m incredibly grateful to receive the Chairperson’s Award from the Swedish Trade Federation. It’s a meaningful recognition of my efforts during my studies and a strong motivation to continue contributing to the future of Swedish trade. I’m especially thankful for the experiences I’ve gained through my involvement in the student association HHUS, part-time jobs related to my studies, and of course, the education itself at the School of Business. These have all played a crucial role in my development. Trade is a highly dynamic industry that both sustains people and drives continuous innovation. I truly look forward to being part of its future.”</p><p>Lilly recently completed her thesis, which explored how Nordic luxury fashion companies approach and make decisions regarding sourcing strategies in their supply chains and production. Her work focused on “reshoring”—the strategic decision to relocate production closer to home, either back to the domestic market or from another continent to Europe. Her research reflects a curiosity and commitment to understanding the future challenges of trade, particularly in relation to sustainability and efficient logistics.</p><p>At a time when value chain issues are becoming increasingly central to corporate reporting (CSRD, CSDDD), Lilly’s hands-on experience from part-time roles in logistics and auditing has provided valuable insights and learning. Sustainable and efficient supply chains are also a clearly stated professional interest of hers, where she looks forward to contributing to the role of digitalization in transforming trade, and to helping companies balance profitability with sustainability demands in an increasingly complex global market.</p><p><a href="https://www.svenskhandel.se/nyheter/nyhet/arets-vinnare-av-ordforandepriset-2025">Read more (In Swedish)</a></p>/en/news/swedish-trade-federations-chairpersons-award-2025_12102816//en/news/swedish-trade-federations-career-forum_12099292/Swedish Trade Federation’s Career ForumFour students from the Business and Economics program with a specialization in Trade and Logistics, together with Rickard Lindberg from the Career Center, had the opportunity to attend the Swedish Trade Federation’s annual meeting and the subsequent Career Forum. The day offered valuable opportunities for networking and lunch conversations with both senior representatives from retail companies and entrepreneurs within the trade sector.Tue, 20 May 2025 16:16:33 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/047969b10641416ebff619df91921f18/dsc_18173.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/047969b10641416ebff619df91921f18/dsc_18173.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/047969b10641416ebff619df91921f18/dsc_18173.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/047969b10641416ebff619df91921f18/dsc_18173.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/047969b10641416ebff619df91921f18/dsc_18173.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/047969b10641416ebff619df91921f18/dsc_18173.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Swedish Trade Federation’s annual meeting.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Rickard Lindberg</span></div></div><p>The morning session provided an overview of the past year’s developments in Swedish trade, along with some interesting outlooks on the future. The afternoon Career Forum featured an inspiring talk by Erika Lyko, co-founder and product developer at Lyko. She shared the company’s journey—from its beginnings in Vansbro to becoming a publicly listed company—while maintaining a strong local presence as the largest employer in the area. A great example of how entrepreneurship can positively impact smaller communities.</p><p>The attending students also had the chance to hear from Marcus Hartmann, Head of Public Affairs & Sustainability at H&M for the Northern Europe region. Marcus offered insights into H&M’s sustainability efforts and emphasized the importance of maintaining momentum in the European sustainability reporting process (CSRD), so that companies that have already laid the groundwork can fully benefit from it. He also highlighted that transparency, while it may sometimes lead to media criticism, ultimately provides valuable input for improvement.</p><p>What are your thoughts as students on participating in this type of event—and what are your key takeaways from the day?</p><p><em>"It was truly inspiring to have the opportunity to attend the Swedish Trade Federation’s annual meeting and Career Forum, where the future of trade and its development were discussed. It provided new perspectives and a sense that what we study really matters and can lead to exciting opportunities ahead."</em></p><p><em>"It has been a pleasure to take part in such an interesting and educational event. I gained deeper insights into today’s trade landscape and the challenges companies are facing. It was also inspiring to hear from two passionate speakers and to have the chance to network with influential people in the retail industry!"</em></p><p><em>"It was incredibly rewarding to listen to a variety of representatives from the retail sector and hear their thoughts. It was also a great experience to have the opportunity to speak one-on-one with some of them—something that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise."</em></p>/en/news/swedish-trade-federations-career-forum_12099292//en/news/umea-sustainability-prize-2025_12091052/Umeå Sustainability Prize for theses in business administration 2025Johan Glase and Gustav Sigling, Stockholm School of Economics, receive Umeå Sustainability Prize for their thesis “Toward a Fossil-free Future: an explorative study on Value Proposition Development in an Emerging Ecosystem”. The prize including a scholarship worth 25,000 SEK is awarded in collaboration between the Research Institute for Organization and Business in Sustainable Transitions (ROBUST) at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics and Umeå Energi. Thu, 08 May 2025 10:24:43 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/521dbb05ec444b3b938877abb39791d7/johan-gustav3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/521dbb05ec444b3b938877abb39791d7/johan-gustav3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/521dbb05ec444b3b938877abb39791d7/johan-gustav3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/521dbb05ec444b3b938877abb39791d7/johan-gustav3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/521dbb05ec444b3b938877abb39791d7/johan-gustav3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/521dbb05ec444b3b938877abb39791d7/johan-gustav3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Sustainability prize winners Johan Glase and Gustav Sigling.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Privat</span></div></div><p>The winning thesis explores the development of value proposition within the emerging fossil-free steel ecosystem surrounding the HYBRIT initiative by SSAB, LKAB, and Vattenfall. This research is particularly relevant today because global challenges like climate change necessitate complex collaborations across sectors and the entire value chain to create and capture value. Johan and Gustav mean that understanding how value propositions are developed in such settings, decision makers can better support the transition toward a fossil-free future.</p><p>– Already during our Master's program, we became intrigued by the concept of collaboration between companies rather than competition. Recognizing the increasing importance of such collaborations for addressing complex global challenges, we decided to focus our thesis on this area. When we came across the HYBRIT initiative, which aims to decarbonize steel production and has the potential to cut Sweden's CO2 emissions dramatically, we knew it was the perfect case study for us to explore, Johan says. </p><p>Johan and Gustav have many memorable experiences from working with the thesis. One of the most significant was conducting interviews with the key stakeholders involved in the HYBRIT initiative. Hearing firsthand about the challenges and successes of developing the fossil-free steel ecosystem was both enlightening and inspiring.  </p><p>– Additionally, spending so much time working on our thesis together, even during difficult times, deepened our friendship and made the journey even more rewarding, Gustav says. </p><p>Their effort paid off. The jury, consisting of Johan Sandström (Luleå University of Technology), Emilia Cederberg (Stockholm School of Economics), Michelle Rydback (University of Gävle), and representatives from Umeå Energi AB, have selected the thesis for its original and academically rigorous contribution, noting how the students innovatively integrate marketing concepts and offer valuable, practice-oriented insights for businesses and policymakers driving green energy transitions.  </p><p>– Winning the prize is a great honor. It's incredibly rewarding to have our efforts recognized and to know that our research makes a meaningful contribution to the field of sustainability. This award inspires us to keep exploring and promoting sustainable practices in business, Johan and Gustav reflect together. </p><p>After graduation, they coincidentally started working at the same consulting company. Johan became a Management Analyst for the Energies & Utilities team, focusing on sustainable energy transition, while Gustav joined the Talent and Organization team, focusing on change management. </p><h3>Honourable mention</h3><p>The jury directs an honorable mention to two exceptional theses. As a runner-up, “Bothness Despite Otherness: A Synergistic Approach in a North-South Social Enterprise fusing Mutual Collaboration with Degrowth Values”, by Ricarda Becker and Ladina Laura Kaupp, Lund University School of Economics and Management. Third place goes to “Sustainable Food Systems: Leveraging Producer-Retailer Relationships” written by Olivia Adolfsson, Uppsala University. </p><h3>Important collaboration</h3><p>The prize, which is handed out as a scholarship worth 25,000 SEK, has been made financially possible through collaboration with Umeå Energi AB. </p><p>– Umeå Energi wants to be a positive force in sustainable development of the Umeå region. With this scholarship, we want to encourage students in business administration to deeply engage in sustainability. The winning thesis is of high relevance for the opportunities and challenges of green energy transitions that are unfolding in our region, says Magnus Stenvall, Umeå Energi AB.</p>/en/news/umea-sustainability-prize-2025_12091052//en/news/usbe-pedagogical-prize-2025_12087214/USBE Pedagogical Prize 2025Associate professor Christopher Nicol is awarded the USBE Pedagogical Prize for his dedicated and long-term work in integrating external collaboration into teaching.Tue, 29 Apr 2025 15:14:09 +0200<p>For many years, Christopher has been a driving force in building meaningful connections between academia and the wider society. He bridges theory and practice through case work, guest lectures, field studies, and face-to-face meetings between students and external partners.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/4d0c8e26c9ad4283bc2ef9e043d231ad/christopher_nicol4.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/4d0c8e26c9ad4283bc2ef9e043d231ad/christopher_nicol4.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/4d0c8e26c9ad4283bc2ef9e043d231ad/christopher_nicol4.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/4d0c8e26c9ad4283bc2ef9e043d231ad/christopher_nicol4.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/4d0c8e26c9ad4283bc2ef9e043d231ad/christopher_nicol4.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/4d0c8e26c9ad4283bc2ef9e043d231ad/christopher_nicol4.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Christopher Nicol</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Privat</span></div></div><p>“I am delighted to have my work recognised by my peers and students, and I’m especially pleased to have the opportunity to work with many wonderful young people and aid them, in some way, towards the achievement of their goals”, Christopher Nicols says.</p><p>Through collaborations with companies, public institutions, and non-profit organizations, students in his courses are given the opportunity to analyze real-world challenges and propose solutions that make a difference—not only for their own learning, but also for the organizations involved.</p><p>“Chris Nicols' fine and long-term work in integrating collaboration into teaching is appreciated by both students and colleagues. As the recipient of this year's pedagogical award, he receives well-deserved recognition for his great pedagogical commitment”, says Mats Bergman, Dean of the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics.</p><p>Christopher's teaching strengthens students’ problem-solving abilities, analytical thinking, and understanding of the demands of professional life. He is also a generous colleague who actively shares his network with other teachers, thereby enhancing USBE’s overall learning environment. Thanks to his efforts, several teachers have been able to invite companies, carry out collaborative projects, and provide students with valuable opportunities to engage with working life during their studies.</p>/en/news/usbe-pedagogical-prize-2025_12087214//en/news/more-students-apply-to-the-umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics_12085442/More Students Apply to the Umeå School of Business, Economics and StatisticsThe application statistics for admission in the autumn semester of 2025 show a positive outcome for the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, with the number of first-choice applicants increasing by nearly 9 percent compared to last year.Fri, 25 Apr 2025 13:08:25 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/studenter_utanfor_lindellhallen3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/studenter_utanfor_lindellhallen3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/studenter_utanfor_lindellhallen3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/studenter_utanfor_lindellhallen3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/studenter_utanfor_lindellhallen3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/studenter_utanfor_lindellhallen3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Rickard Lindberg</span></div></div><p>In the Swedish application round, the total number of first-choice applicants to our programs increased by nearly 9 percent. In contrast, Umeå University as a whole saw an increase of around 3 percent, while the national figure was about 3.5 percent. Particularly significant increases were noted for Civilekonomprogrammet, Civilekonomprogrammet med inriktning mot handel och logistik, and Civilekonomprogrammet med inriktning mot Service Management.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/bergman_mats_5673_160124_hkn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/bergman_mats_5673_160124_hkn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/bergman_mats_5673_160124_hkn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/bergman_mats_5673_160124_hkn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/bergman_mats_5673_160124_hkn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b0bb4aa2d8734b0e89e9ba5037de338c/bergman_mats_5673_160124_hkn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Mats Bergman, Dean of Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Hans Karlsson</span></div></div><p>The new Master’s Programme in Sustainability Reporting and Financial Analysis became the third most applied-for programme at the advanced level that we offer. In the international application round, this new programme was also the third most chosen first-choice option.</p><p>“These excellent application numbers are a gratifying confirmation that our programmes are attractive and relevant,” says Mats Bergman, Dean of the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics.</p>/en/news/more-students-apply-to-the-umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics_12085442//en/news/joint-statement-from-nordic-business-school-members-of-aacsb_12068699/Joint Statement from Nordic Business School Members of AACSBEducation and research should always remain independent of political pressures and uphold the principle of academic freedom for all.Tue, 25 Mar 2025 15:29:57 +0100<p>Across cultural contexts, promoting diversity and inclusion is essential for fostering equitable learning environments and preparing future leaders to navigate an increasingly complex and globalized world.</p><p>On behalf of Nordic business schools that are members of AACSB, we express our concern over the organization’s decision to replace “Diversity and Inclusion” as one of its ten Guiding Principles and Expectations for Accredited Schools with “Community and Connectedness.”</p><p>As Nordic business schools, we will stand by our core values and continue to prioritise diversity and inclusion in our education, research, and institutional culture.</p><p>We recommend that AACSB uphold its core guiding principles and clearly signal that diversity and inclusion may remain valuable - also for accreditation purposes - outside the US.</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Signed by:</h2><p> </p><h3>DENMARK</h3><p>Aalborg University, Aalborg University Business School</p><p>Copenhagen Business School</p><p> </p><h3>FINLAND</h3><p>Aalto University, School of Business</p><p>Abo Akademi University, Abo Akademi School of Business and Economics</p><p>Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences</p><p>Hanken School of Economics</p><p>JAMK University of Applied Sciences, School of Business</p><p>Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics, University of Jyväskylä</p><p>LAB University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Business and Hospitality Management</p><p>LUT University, LUT Business School</p><p>University of Eastern Finland, Business School</p><p>University of Oulu, Oulu Business School</p><p>University of Turku, Turku School of Economics</p><p>University of Vaasa, Faculty of Business Studies</p><p>Faculty of Management and Business, Tampere University</p><p> </p><h3>NORWAY</h3><p>BI Norwegian Business School</p><p>NHH Norwegian School of Economics</p><p>Nord University, Nord University Business School</p><p>Norwegian University of Life Sciences, School of Economics and Business</p><p>Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Economics and Management</p><p>Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo Business School</p><p>University of Agder, School of Business and Law</p><p>University of Stavanger, UiS School of Business and Law</p><p> </p><h3>SWEDEN</h3><p>Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping University</p><p>Karlstad University, Karlstad Business School</p><p>Linnaeus University, School of Business and Economics,</p><p>Lund University, School of Economics and Management</p><p>Mälardalen University, School of Business, Society and Engineering</p><p>School of Business, Economics, and Law, University of Gothenburg</p><p>Stockholm University, Stockholm Business School</p><p>Umeå University, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics</p><p>Örebro University, Örebro University School of Business</p><p> </p><h3>ICELAND</h3><p>University of Reykjavik</p>/en/news/joint-statement-from-nordic-business-school-members-of-aacsb_12068699//en/news/cfo-network-visit-on-campus_12056149/CFO network visit on campusFri, 28 Feb 2025 15:57:41 +0100<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/6b5bc0e8f4e0400c92729fe5a26e9634/cfo3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/6b5bc0e8f4e0400c92729fe5a26e9634/cfo3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/6b5bc0e8f4e0400c92729fe5a26e9634/cfo3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/6b5bc0e8f4e0400c92729fe5a26e9634/cfo3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/6b5bc0e8f4e0400c92729fe5a26e9634/cfo3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/6b5bc0e8f4e0400c92729fe5a26e9634/cfo3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Rickard Lindberg</span></div></div><p>Last week, we hosted a meeting session for PwC's CFO network. Professor Sofia Lundberg participated in the program by presenting the SNS report on “grading of suppliers in public procurement” of which she is one of the authors. Our dean Mats Bergman opened the meeting with an update from the business school for the participants, of which a majority were also our alumni.</p><p>Håkan Jonsson, office manager at PwC Umeå (and also an alumnus) presented the latest report from their global CEO survey, where the need for change and adaptation to new conditions had a clear impact in this year's survey. Something that emphasizes the importance of monitoring the world around us, continuously updating your market offering as a company, and the need for a focus on change management.</p><p>On top of that the meeting also provided an opportunity for conversations with mutual updates on what is happening in the companies as well as at our institution.</p>/en/news/cfo-network-visit-on-campus_12056149//en/news/alumn-fran-handelshogskolan-prisad-for-sitt-entreprenorskap_12044506/Business school alumnus honored for his entrepreneurshipJerry Engström, founder of Friluftsbyn, receives the AACSB Influential Leader award for his work in creating a year-round destination in tourism.Wed, 05 Feb 2025 10:46:12 +0100<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/bfd96fad24ca4a5ebe6ca8bb561bac85/jerry_engstrom.3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/bfd96fad24ca4a5ebe6ca8bb561bac85/jerry_engstrom.3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/bfd96fad24ca4a5ebe6ca8bb561bac85/jerry_engstrom.3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/bfd96fad24ca4a5ebe6ca8bb561bac85/jerry_engstrom.3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/bfd96fad24ca4a5ebe6ca8bb561bac85/jerry_engstrom.3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/bfd96fad24ca4a5ebe6ca8bb561bac85/jerry_engstrom.3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Jerry Engström.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Oskar Sandström</span></div></div><p>To showcase Sweden’s High Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jerry Engström founded Friluftsbyn in 2013, a hub for outdoor adventure, creativity, and community at Skuleberget outside Docksta. Jerry Engström studied the international economics program at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics at Umeå University. He also has a background as a successful global marketing manager for Fjällräven. Now Jerry Engström has been named an “Influential Leader” by <a href="https://www.aacsb.edu">AACSB</a>, a global accreditation institute for business schools.</p><p>The awards go to outstanding former students from AACSB-accredited business schools who create lasting positive impact in society. Jerry Engström is one of 24 people globally to receive the award for 2025, in which the theme was entrepreneurship. Previous recipients of the award include two other alumni from the business school; H&M Group's former CEO Helena Helmersson and investor Kerstin Cooley at Brightly Ventures.</p><p>Over the years, Jerry Engström has been named New Entrepreneur of the Year, Place Marketer of the Year in Sweden and has been nominated for the Sweden’s big tourism prize. By working creatively with concepts that, in addition to nature experiences, also weave in social and cultural elements, Jerry Engström has managed to elevate his business to such a level that it has a positive rural development effect.</p><p class="quote-left">Amazing journey</p><p>– Creating Friluftsbyn has been a fantastic journey where I have had the opportunity to build on my education and my experiences from global companies, while combining my passion for nature, entrepreneurship and community. My goal has been to get more people to discover the High Coast and at the same time contribute to the development of the region. This award is a recognition of what can be achieved by following one's dreams and working together with like-minded people to create something that benefits both visitors and the people who live here, says Jerry Engström.</p><p>Jerry Engström's award is also a fine example of what an education at the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics can lead to, both on an individual and societal level.</p><p>– The appointment is a fine recognition of Jerry Engström's entrepreneurship. For us, it is extra gratifying when our alumni show that entrepreneurship can be conducted with sustainability as a guiding star, says Mats Bergman, Dean at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics.</p><p><a href="https://www.aacsb.edu/about-us/advocacy/member-spotlight/influential-leaders/2025/jerry-engstrom">Link to the full motivation on the AACSB website</a></p><p>For questions, contact <a href="mailto:rickard.lindberg@ͯ��Ƶ">rickard.lindberg@ͯ��Ƶ</a>.</p>/en/news/alumn-fran-handelshogskolan-prisad-for-sitt-entreprenorskap_12044506//en/news/student-selected-for-prestigious-fellowship-programme_12041228/Student selected for prestigious fellowship programmeThu, 30 Jan 2025 15:48:05 +0100<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/660dd8bc782f474fb9a158fecefc6c94/demet_gbsn_fellowship3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/660dd8bc782f474fb9a158fecefc6c94/demet_gbsn_fellowship3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/660dd8bc782f474fb9a158fecefc6c94/demet_gbsn_fellowship3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/660dd8bc782f474fb9a158fecefc6c94/demet_gbsn_fellowship3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/660dd8bc782f474fb9a158fecefc6c94/demet_gbsn_fellowship3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/660dd8bc782f474fb9a158fecefc6c94/demet_gbsn_fellowship3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Demet Sertoglu Tertemiz</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Privat</span></div></div><p>Demet Sertoglu Tertemiz, master’s student in Business Development and Internationalisation at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, has been selected as a fellow in the highly esteemed 2025 DHL GoTrade GBSN Fellowship Program. This recognition follows a thorough and highly competitive selection process, highlighting Demet’s exceptional qualifications and potential for making significant contributions to international business.</p><p>The program connects postgraduate business students with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries to promote cross-border trade. Beginning in March 2025, the eight-month fellowship includes expert-led workshops, hands-on experience, and mentorship to enhance fellows’ skills.</p><h3>Expertise and Leadership</h3><p>Demet's extensive experience in international sales, marketing, and business development across diverse sectors—including consumer electronics, medtech, and cosmetics—made her an exceptional candidate for the fellowship.</p><p>“Demet’s track record of success in driving international sales for SMEs demonstrates her leadership potential and passion for international business, both of which are core values of the DHL GoTrade GBSN Fellowship.” States the Global Business School Network (GBSN).</p><h3>Demet’s comment on</h3><p><strong>Being selected:</strong> “I feel deeply honored and excited to have been selected for this prestigious programme. It’s an incredible opportunity to represent Umeå University and contribute to a meaningful initiative that supports SMEs in developing and least developed countries. I look forward to learning, collaborating, and making a meaningful contribution.”</p><p><strong>Motivation to apply:</strong> “This programme presents a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact by empowering SMEs in developing and least developed countries while also allowing me to grow professionally. The chance to contribute to sustainable economic development and create lasting value for businesses and communities is what truly inspired me to apply.</p><p><strong>Goals for the programme:</strong> “Through this programme, I hope to gain hands-on experience working with SMEs in challenging markets while applying my expertise to support their growth. Learning from DHL’s mentorship and training will enhance my understanding of cross-border trade and sustainable business practices.”</p><p><a href="https://gbsn.org/what-we-do/programs/gotrade-gbsn-fellowship-program/">For more information about the DHL GoTrade GBSN Fellowship Program</a>.</p>/en/news/student-selected-for-prestigious-fellowship-programme_12041228//en/news/new-members-from-umea-university-in-the-swedish-research-councils-scientific-councils_12021283/New members from Umeå University in the Swedish Research Council’s scientific councilsFredrik Almqvist, Sofia Lundberg, and Jörgen Johansson from Umeå University have been appointed as new members of the Swedish Research Council's three scientific councils. The mandate period runs from 2025 to 2027.Fri, 20 Dec 2024 10:12:39 +0100<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/ad0d005064f043a0b35b3709a8309c1a/vr_kollage3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/ad0d005064f043a0b35b3709a8309c1a/vr_kollage3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/ad0d005064f043a0b35b3709a8309c1a/vr_kollage3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/ad0d005064f043a0b35b3709a8309c1a/vr_kollage3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/ad0d005064f043a0b35b3709a8309c1a/vr_kollage3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/ad0d005064f043a0b35b3709a8309c1a/vr_kollage3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Fredrik Almqvist, Sofia Lundberg and Jörgen Johansson.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Mattias Pettersson</span></div></div><p>The Swedish Research Council has three scientific councils responsible for allocating research funding, as well as following up and evaluating research within their respective subject areas. The following persons from Umeå University were recently appointed new members:</p><p><strong>Fredrik Almqvist</strong>, Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Council for Natural and Engineering Sciences</p><p><strong>Sofia Lundberg</strong>, Professor at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, Council for Humanities and Social Sciences</p><p><strong>Jörgen Johansson</strong>, Professor at the Department of Molecular Biology, Council for Medicine and Health</p><p>At the same time, <strong>Niklas Arnberg</strong>, Professor at the Department of Clinical Microbiology, was re-elected as a member of the Swedish Research Council's board, and <strong>Charlotte Häger</strong>, Professor at the Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, was re-elected as a member of the Council for Medicine and Health.</p><p><a href="https://www.vr.se/english/just-now/news/news-archive/2024-12-17-new-members-of-the-swedish-research-councils-board-and-scientific-councils-2025-2027.html">Read more on the Swedish Research Council’s website</a> (vr.se)</p>/en/news/new-members-from-umea-university-in-the-swedish-research-councils-scientific-councils_12021283//en/news/umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics-launches-new-programme-together-with-hanken_11997881/Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics launches new programme together with HankenA new one-year Master's programme in Sustainability Reporting and Financial Analysis is launched as a collaboration between Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE) and Hanken School of Economics in Vaasa. The programme is one year long and students study one semester at each university and get a double degree within the new reporting rules introduced by the EU this summer.Thu, 12 Dec 2024 15:52:25 +0100<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/6c644b4ac4934810af6e975408940022/campusmiljobilder_3813_210921_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/6c644b4ac4934810af6e975408940022/campusmiljobilder_3813_210921_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/6c644b4ac4934810af6e975408940022/campusmiljobilder_3813_210921_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/6c644b4ac4934810af6e975408940022/campusmiljobilder_3813_210921_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/6c644b4ac4934810af6e975408940022/campusmiljobilder_3813_210921_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/6c644b4ac4934810af6e975408940022/campusmiljobilder_3813_210921_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Handelshögskolans entré.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Mattias Pettersson</span></div></div><p>– This is the first programme at Umeå University that can offer a double degree, which we believe, and hope will increase interest in the programme. We also see it as a way of strengthening cooperation across Kvarken and preparing our students for an international labour market in an excellent way”, says Mats Bergman, Dean at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics.</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Highly sought-after knowledge</h2><p>The students who take the programme will probably be in high demand as, since July this year, there are completely new requirements for companies with over 500 employees to report according to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the so-called ESG reporting requirements. This means increased transparency on how large companies impact their environment and society, but also on how they are governed. </p><p>– There is an increasing need for professionals who can deal with the global challenges and institutional regulation related to the financial and ESG reporting requirements. The new master's programme responds to this need, says Dennis Sundvik, Assistant Professor of Accounting at Hanken.</p><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">One semester on each side of Kvarken</h2><p>The Master's Programme in Sustainability Reporting and Financial Analysis covers 60 credits and has a total of 60 places.</p><p>The first semester is in Umeå and the second on the other side of Kvarken, in Vaasa. During the autumn semester in Umeå, students study 30 credits of financial analysis and risk management. During the spring semester in Vaasa, there are 15 points of sustainable finance and ESG analysis and an essay that gives 15 points.</p><p>Applications are open from now on and a maximum of 60 students will be admitted to <a href="~/link/ee50c00d98ba4d1799122c8c8f22fb6a.aspx">the new programme</a>.</p>/en/news/umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics-launches-new-programme-together-with-hanken_11997881//en/news/umea-university-equips-future-scholars-to-address-arctic-challenges_12003308/Umeå University equips future scholars to address Arctic challengesAn exciting journey for doctoral students to the heart of Swedish space research and Arctic politics. Fri, 22 Nov 2024 09:47:58 +0100<p>Eight doctoral students from the Arctic Graduate School recently returned from a study trip to Kiruna. The journey, which combined visits to the Institute of Space Physics and the Kiruna Mine with participation in the Forum for Arctic and Antarctic, highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary research in polar regions.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="29c721f4-ac7e-409b-86d3-0f9d8c46e404" data-contentname="2024 IRF Guidat besök ENG">{}</div><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">From space to underground</h2><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="0806d676-87ab-4b79-9185-1d40d27b1f29" data-contentname="2024 Richard Johansson IRF ENG">{}</div><p>The trip began at the Institute of Space Physics (IRF), where the group learned about doctoral student Richard Johansson's research project on trace gases.</p><p>This was followed by a guided tour of the world-famous Kiruna Mine - a fascinating contrast between high-tech space research and industrial innovation.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="235f472d-8ab8-488d-ac40-412bd37a9987" data-contentname="Kirunafoto2024ENG">{}</div><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">Forum for the future</h2><p>The highlight of the trip was the Forum for Arctic and Antarctic, where doctoral students met leading experts in polar research. Discussions centered on current topics such as climate change and security issues in the Arctic.</p><p>"This trip is part of our graduate school and gives doctoral students a chance to deepen their knowledge of Arctic issues from multiple perspectives," explains Anngelica Kristoferqvist, Education Coordinator at the Arctic Centre at Umeå University. She continues:</p><p class="quote-center">These types of experiences are valuable for building networks and understanding current and future challenges in the Arctic.</p><p>The Forum for Arctic and Antarctic could not have come at a more opportune time. Sweden is set to take over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2027, an intergovernmental forum for Arctic cooperation. According to Arctic expert Douglas Nord, it is crucial that Sweden begins shaping its vision for the chairmanship now.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="f07d83f1-51e6-4718-a9f2-391def446bb1" data-contentname="2024 Arktiskt Forum Publikens vy ENG">{}</div><p>Preparations are also underway for the International Polar Year 2032/2033, a global research initiative aimed at promoting cooperation and increasing understanding of polar regions, where Sweden can play a significant role.</p><h2 id="info2" data-magellan-target="info2">Interdisciplinary strength</h2><p>The eight doctoral students represent a broad spectrum of disciplines - from business economics to physics, from history to environmental science. This diversity perfectly reflects the complexity of current Arctic issues and the importance of interdisciplinary perspectives in polar research.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="16e1db46-1405-407f-9617-f59efe3b6946" data-contentname="Paul Schmidt AGS IRF bussplats 2024 ENG">{}</div><p>Paul Schmidt, a doctoral student in political science, emphasizes the value of the trip:</p><p class="quote-left">Being part of the Arctic Graduate School provides us with unique opportunities to participate in events that would otherwise be difficult to secure funding for and organize independently.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="62c6b0e8-a270-40ed-989f-3d2d0c9f2d52" data-contentname="Deltagare AGS Kiruna 2024 ENG">{}</div>/en/news/umea-university-equips-future-scholars-to-address-arctic-challenges_12003308//en/news/guest-lecture-with-lindex-head-of-tech_11992702/Guest lecture with Lindex Head of TechFlorian Westerdahl, Head of Tech at Lindex, recently hosted a guest lecture for our Master’s students in marketing, sharing his expertise on the topic: “Strategic Capability & Generative AI: How Lindex is Building Strategic Competencies and Lessons Learned as Early Adopters.”Tue, 08 Oct 2024 16:02:15 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_06532.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_06532.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_06532.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_06532.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_06532.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_06532.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>USBE Master’s students in marketing together with course responsible Elin Nilsson.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Rickard Lindberg</span></div></div><p>In his talk, Florian emphasized the growing challenge of driving both efficiency and innovation in an increasingly digitalized and complex world. He explained how businesses need new ways to organise and balance between people, technology, and business goals.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_0650-red.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_0650-red.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_0650-red.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_0650-red.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_0650-red.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/9a85b2baa5d14dbe998d7ac1cc7e3867/dsc_0650-red.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Florian and course responsible Elin Nilsson in the virtual lecture hall in Microsoft Teams.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Rickard Lindberg</span></div></div><p>From a business perspective, he highlighted Lindex’s proactive efforts in developing cross-disciplinary collaboration, focusing on how teams consisting of IT professionals and business professionals can work together more efficiently. He stressed the need for agility and clear decision-making mandates to avoid operational delays and maintain flexibility.</p><p>One of the key projects Florian discussed was Lindex’s Digital Store Program, which helps the company build strategic capabilities for seamless operations using AI. He also presented the Lindex Copilot, an AI tool designed to improve the in-store shopping experience.</p><p>Looking ahead, Florian emphasized that future business graduates must remain "tech curious”, by balancing technological possibilities with organizational strategies and being open to new innovative ways of working in the future.</p>/en/news/guest-lecture-with-lindex-head-of-tech_11992702//en/news/ai-and-digitalization-in-focus-at-digital-impact-north-summit-2024_11991222/AI and Digitalization in focus at Digital Impact North Summit 2024On September 24, Digital Impact North celebrated its first anniversary as a European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) by hosting its first annual conference: Digital Impact North Summit 2024. The day was filled with inspiring lectures, engaging workshops and opportunities to network with like-minded individuals and industry leaders. Topics such as AI, Digital Transformation, Smart Communities, Sustainable Industry, and Future Health were in focus, creating a platform for networking and discussions.Thu, 03 Oct 2024 15:38:29 +0200<h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Creating a positive synergy between the green and digital transition</h2><p>One of the speakers was Camilla Sandström, Professor at the Department of Political Science at Umeå University, who spoke to around 80 participants about twin transition and the search for “the sweet spot.” In her lecture, Sandström highlighted how the green and digital transitions are expected to reinforce each other. For instance, digital twins can be used to model sustainable forestry or optimize traffic flow to reduce emissions. However, she also emphasized the risks of these transitions clashing, with digitalization’s demand for electricity and resources potentially leading to increased consumption and waste, along with surveillance that could threaten privacy.</p><p>To find "the sweet spot" where the two transitions work positively together, an integrated and proactive approach is needed, involving both the private sector and government engagement to manage the negative impacts and promote a green economy.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-192.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-192.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-192.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-192.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-192.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-192.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Lecture by Camilla Sandström, Department of Political Science</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Jenny Karlsson</span></div></div><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">Workshop on AI-driven initiatives to become a leader in the region</h2><p>As part of the event, Ulf Hedestig and Mikael Söderström at the Department of Informatics at Umeå University, along with Henry Lopez Vega from the AI Policy Lab and the School of Economics at Umeå University, led a workshop focused on developing a regional AI strategy.</p><p>During the workshop, the participants discussed possible features of a future regional AI strategy for Västerbotten where they prioritized key components for AI-driven innovation and debated which actors that should have significant roles in such conversion work. The discussions resulted in a first draft for an action plan aimed at guiding municipalities and regions in managing AI and other disruptive technologies in the future.</p><p>Participants included representatives from Region Västerbotten, the County Administrative Board of Västerbotten, Umeå Municipality, Skellefteå Municipality, as well as representatives from a variety of different companies in the region. The outcomes of this workshop will contribute to ongoing dialogue and collaboration in the region.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-454.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-454.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-454.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-454.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-454.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-454.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Ulf Hedestig and Mikael Söderström, Department of Informatics</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Jenny Karlsson</span></div></div><h2 id="info2" data-magellan-target="info2">About Digital Impact North</h2><p>Digital Impact North works to assist small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) and organizations in their digital and green transitions and is established to contribute to northern Sweden as one of Europe’s leading regions in IT, artificial intelligence, and digitalization.</p><p>The initiative is led by Umeå University and its IT departments, along with Region Västerbotten, Umeå Municipality, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and RISE Umeå.</p><p><a href="https://digitalimpactnorth.se/en/home/">Read more about Digital Impact North here.</a></p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-182.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-182.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-182.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-182.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-182.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b3cb1b90867745b0844a78bcab72eab9/din-summit-182.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Participants during the lectures at the Digital Impact North Summit 2024</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Jenny Karlsson</span></div></div>/en/news/ai-and-digitalization-in-focus-at-digital-impact-north-summit-2024_11991222//en/news/become-a-mentor-for-one-of-usbes-students_11958827/Become a mentor for one of USBE’s studentsWe are now opening up the opportunity for you who are alumni to become a mentor for students at any of our educations. The question of mentorship is directed at former students at the USBE who are currently active in working life. The program will be launched in fall, and intensive work is currently underway to attract mentors who are then matched with students. Do you want to become one of our mentors and share your experiences and knowledge?Mon, 24 Jun 2024 14:18:17 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/bb1da01e24d54e01b25bfe7c9d297604/rickard_annakarin_ts3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/bb1da01e24d54e01b25bfe7c9d297604/rickard_annakarin_ts3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/bb1da01e24d54e01b25bfe7c9d297604/rickard_annakarin_ts3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/bb1da01e24d54e01b25bfe7c9d297604/rickard_annakarin_ts3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/bb1da01e24d54e01b25bfe7c9d297604/rickard_annakarin_ts3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/bb1da01e24d54e01b25bfe7c9d297604/rickard_annakarin_ts3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Rickard Lindberg and Annakarin Nyberg.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Therese Sarlin</span></div></div><p>The aim of USBE Mentor is to offer students opportunities to reflect on their own preparedness for working life through mentoring and exchange of experiences with alumni. The program starts in October 2024 and runs until February 2025. The meetings can be conducted analogue or digital and to the extent agreed upon by mentee and mentor. To support the conversations, a supportive document has been developed to facilitate the commitment as a mentor.</p><p>– The aim of the supportive materials is to make it easier for our mentors by providing them with a plan for both structure and suggestions for conversation topics and questions that can be used in meetings with our students in economics, statistics and business administration. It goes without saying that each mentee and mentor is free to choose whether and how they want to use the material, says Annakarin Nyberg, university lecturer and project manager for Mentor School of Economics.</p><p>Developing the program is a strategic decision made at USBE and the program builds on previous experiences from a pilot initiative.</p><p>– The pilot, which has been running for some time, has really shown the importance of mentoring for students. Among other things, students who participated say that they feel more calm about the future and professional life, and that they encourage all students to get a mentor with education and university as a common denominator. The desire to share their knowledge and experience is strong among former students and we are happy about that. Our alumni are, just like our students, very valuable to us, says Rickard Lindberg, Career Center USBE.</p><p>Offering a mentorship program is an important step in broadening and deepening collaboration with the surrounding community. It is not only valuable for students at USBE it is also an opportunity for more established and active professionals to meet new perspectives from those who will soon be entering the labor market.</p><p>– We hope that many will now take the chance to register their interest in becoming a mentor for one of our students. Meeting new perspectives, in this case, students' view of life, expectations of working life, employee and leadership is extremely exciting, challenging and rewarding. Right now we are creating a pool of alumni who are interested in mentorship, then we match them with students who want to participate in the program, says Annakarin Nyberg.</p><p>Those of you who wish to register your interest in becoming part of the venture are welcome to <a href="https://forms.office.com/e/weBkYSHbGN">fill in a registration of interest</a> or contact:</p><p><a href="~/link/d4be15f09daf4f7aa842c57f98c8fe5b.aspx">Annakarin Nyberg</a>, project manager USBE<br><a href="~/link/599b1880f48f4cbfa70baffedfba6501.aspx">Rickard Lindberg</a>, career center at USBE</p>/en/news/become-a-mentor-for-one-of-usbes-students_11958827//en/news/siemens-financial-services-best-student-thesis-award_11947569/<description>The award goes to Oskar Lindman and Arvid Särkiniemi, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE). The thesis entitled “Sustainability performance and market risk. A study of the banking sector” will be awarded 20.000 SEK at USBE’s graduation ceremony 2024.</description><pubDate>Mon, 27 May 2024 11:22:35 +0200</pubDate><atom:content type="html"><p>The jury mention in their decision that the winning thesis has a motivated and current research question, that is commendable analyzed with relevant methods. The thesis, that is well written, contribute with both theoretical and practical knowledge regarding whether sustainability performance among banks’ affect their market risk. </p><p>The price, which is handed out as a scholarship, has been made financially possible through USBE’s collaboration with <a href="https://www.siemens.com/se/sv/produkter/finansiering.html">Siemens Financial Services</a>.</p><h3>Comment from Siemens</h3><p>– We are proud that we, in collaboration with USBE, can award a prize that recognizes a thesis that explores a current and urgent topic in the financial industry. We are pleased to be able to contribute to promoting research and innovation in this area.</p><h3>Oskar Lindman</h3><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/lindman_oskar2.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/lindman_oskar2.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/lindman_oskar2.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/lindman_oskar2.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/lindman_oskar2.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/lindman_oskar2.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Oskar Lindman</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Klas Hultén</span></div></div><p>– It is with great joy and gratitude that I accept the Siemens Financial Services Best Student Thesis Award 2024. This recognition means a lot to me. When I received the news, I had to re-read the email several times to understand that the thesis we have spent so much time and patience on has led us to receive a scholarship. I feel honored to share this award with my friend and co-author Arvid.</p><h3>Arvid Särkiniemi</h3><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/arvid_sarkiniemi2.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/arvid_sarkiniemi2.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/arvid_sarkiniemi2.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/arvid_sarkiniemi2.png?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/arvid_sarkiniemi2.png?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/41631e154b7f4ff8b9d3d30ac19cdef1/arvid_sarkiniemi2.png?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Arvid Särkiniemi</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Privat</span></div></div><p>– Thanks to Siemens for the award and Umeå University for all the support. It is honorable that the thesis was judged to be of high quality and useful. I would like to express my appreciation to my thesis partner Oskar for all the dedication and enthusiasm that was invaluable during the writing process. Finally, I would like to pay tribute to our supervisor Catherine Lions for her support, patience and expertise.</p><h3>About the thesis</h3><p>The thesis supervisor was <a href="~/link/827fea2ed170494b836de25695a1a5d6.aspx">Catherine Lions</a>.</p><p>The thesis can be found <a href="https://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:1778086">here</a>.</p></atom:content><link>/en/news/siemens-financial-services-best-student-thesis-award_11947569/</link></item><item xml:base="en/news/science-and-creativity-explored-on-arctic-doctoral-field-trip_11945206/"><guid isPermaLink="false">/en/news/science-and-creativity-explored-on-arctic-doctoral-field-trip_11945206/</guid><title>Science and creativity explored on Arctic doctoral field tripBetween 22 and 26 of April 2024, Doctoral students at the Arctic Graduate School went to a combined doctoral course and field trip to Rovaniemi, Finland. The course, called “Communication and Transdisciplinary Methods in Arctic Research”, and the field trip were both parts of the program at the Arctic Graduate School.Fri, 24 May 2024 09:45:47 +0200<p>On Monday, 22 April, the train left Umeå with destination Haparanda-Tornio. On the train were seven Doctoral students from the Arctic Graduate School, as well as the Head and Coordinator of the school. Together, they went for their first stop on their week-long field trip to Rovaniemi, Finland. In Haparanda-Tornio, they all got to meet with Hanna-Leena Ainonen, Cross-border Development Specialist at Tornio Town Hall, for a presentation about the history, culture, and politics in the twin cities.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="99f27ef5-a32d-4518-8b30-5398e0e09188" data-contentname="PIC Rovaniemi field trip_Haparanda-Tornio">{}</div><p>Doctoral student Alina Bavykina was most amazed by the usage of differences between two cities and countries for entrepreneurial opportunities.</p><p>– For instance, Hanna-Leena mentioned the double New Year celebration on each side of the Tornio River, giving an opportunity for inhabitants and visitors to enjoy the fireworks twice. For me as a visitor, it felt like Haparanda-Tornio is one big town intertwined with the Swedish-Finnish culture and their unique traditions, culture, and language, Bavykina says.</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0"> </h2><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">Scientific methods meet creativity</h2><p>The next day was scheduled with creative workshops and presentations in Rovaniemi. Among the activities was a workshop with Postdoctoral fellow Pamela Bachmann-Vargas on transformative methods in research. She described “transformative methods” as student centered learning methods that enables imagination and thinking outside the box. The Doctoral students did a few exercises and practical activities as part of the workshop, such as making poetic reflections and convert them into haiku by listing three key concepts that describe their research.</p><p>– I enjoyed the workshop very much and found it useful to conceive of my research from different angles, comments Doctoral student Marcus Aronsson.</p><h2 id="info2" data-magellan-target="info2">Exhibitions and talks at the University of Lapland</h2><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="5b857155-18ba-4e85-a650-35b12ef0b262" data-contentname="PIC Rovaniemi field trip_Arktikum">{}</div><p>Both Wednesday and Thursday were spent at the University of Lapland, where Wednesday had an exhibition at Arktikum Science Centre on the agenda, and Thursday was filled with talks and presentations. Wednesday began with a brief introduction to the Arktikum and the Arctic Centre, followed by a presentation on just green transition in the Finnish Arctic by Docent Tanja Joona. Thereafter, the students went on a guided tour through an exhibition about the history of Lapland and Rovaniemi.</p><p>– Wednesday was personally my favorite and perhaps the most insightful day of the week. Most impressive was the guided tour through the exhibition. As I am not from Sweden or the high north, there is a host of knowledge that I am completely lacking. It was really good to have this engaged guide explaining the culture and history of the Arctic region, Doctoral student Paul Schmidt explains.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="164b3bc7-f892-482c-9ee0-8f3fb50a8cad" data-contentname="PIC Rovaniemi field trip_Walking with">{}</div><p>On Thursday, the Doctoral students got to listen to talks which were all revolving around communication and scientific methods. Among them was a talk on “Researching with Proximity”, by Professor Outi Rantala and Researcher Neal Cahoon, where they presented the idea that human and other than human social life is mutually dependent. The students got to experiment with what was called “walking with” as a methodological experiment that explores and enhances a curing and caring orientation towards beings and thoughts.</p><h2 id="info3" data-magellan-target="info3">A fun and interesting trip</h2><p>Upon the train ride home, the Doctoral students express that the field trip has been fun and interesting. Doctoral student Hilde Weiser sums up the week with themes like justice, land use rights, local conflicts, and other challenges in the geographical space of northern Finland/Sapmí. Doctoral student Marcus Aronsson expresses he has gained a much greater appreciation and understanding of how lived the northern part of our two countries are.</p><p>– To wrap up, this trip has made me feel more energized, confident, focused, and competent. 10/10 would do again, Aronsson concludes.</p>/en/news/science-and-creativity-explored-on-arctic-doctoral-field-trip_11945206//en/news/nordeas-thesis-award-diversity-and-inclusion_11945338/Nordeas thesis award, diversity and inclusionNordeas thesis award, diversity and inclusion is awarded to Evelina Berg and Simon Laukka, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE). Their thesis entitled ”Arbetsmiljö och motivation att leda. En kvalitativ studie om arbetsmiljöns inverkan på kvinnliga chefers motivation att leda inom den svenska IT-branschen” will be awarded with 15 000 SEK. Wed, 22 May 2024 14:21:38 +0200<p>This is the third time that the award is given and the purpose of the award is to stimulate and maintain students' interest in how issues in business administration, economics and statistics can be related to diversity and inclusion. The financing of the prize, which is given as a scholarship, has been made possible by the USBEs collaboration with Nordea | BBU Botnia.</p><h3>Comment from Nordea</h3><p>– It is gratifying to once again be able to award Nordea's scholarship for the best thesis in the field of diversity and inclusion. This time to two students who in a qualified manner investigated obstacles and success factors for women as leaders in male-dominated industries.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/cd85cd4b38f2428c93454473e03bf334/simon-och-evelina3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/cd85cd4b38f2428c93454473e03bf334/simon-och-evelina3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/cd85cd4b38f2428c93454473e03bf334/simon-och-evelina3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/cd85cd4b38f2428c93454473e03bf334/simon-och-evelina3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/cd85cd4b38f2428c93454473e03bf334/simon-och-evelina3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/cd85cd4b38f2428c93454473e03bf334/simon-och-evelina3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Evelina Berg and Simon Laukka.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Privat</span></div></div><h3>Comment from Simon</h3><p>– Thank you Nordea and USBE for the award! We would also like to extend a big thank you to our supervisor Quang Evansluong and our fellow course students for their guidance and support. Writing this thesis was a very educational and challenging period that will benefit us in our future careers.</p><h3>Evelina Berg</h3><p>– We are very happy that Nordea and USBE have this collaboration. Diversity and inclusion is an important topic that deserves to be highlighted. Hopefully, we can contribute to students and professionals being inspired to explore the topic from more, innovative perspectives.</p><h3>Words from the jury</h3><p>The thesis addresses a problem with high relevance for inclusion and diversity: the relationship between work environment and motivation to lead, with application to a traditionally male-dominated industry. It is particularly distinguished by a high level of ambition in terms of empirical method and the theoretical approach. In addition, the thesis is well connected to previous research in the field and is well written.</p><h3>About the thesis</h3><p>The thesis supervisor was <a href="~/link/42f5f0f3379c4e8e8fb80642b3b1b281.aspx">Quang Evansloung</a>.</p><p><a href="https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-210606">The thesis can be found here</a></p>/en/news/nordeas-thesis-award-diversity-and-inclusion_11945338//en/news/sustainability-prize-to-student-thesis-on-ai-and-circular-economy_11931044/Sustainability prize to student thesis on AI and circular economyNiklas Bäcklund and Björn Tomas Minde, Luleå University of Technology, receive Umeå sustainability prize for their thesis “Unlocking the Potential of AI-driven Circular Business Model Innovation: A case study of an industrial symbiosis”. The prize including a scholarship worth 25,000 SEK is awarded in collaboration between the Research Institute for Organization and Business in Sustainable Transitions (ROBUST) at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics and Umeå Energi.Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:37:39 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/1b42549d7efa4f83ab20208471299c3c/sustainability_prize_robust3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/1b42549d7efa4f83ab20208471299c3c/sustainability_prize_robust3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/1b42549d7efa4f83ab20208471299c3c/sustainability_prize_robust3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/1b42549d7efa4f83ab20208471299c3c/sustainability_prize_robust3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/1b42549d7efa4f83ab20208471299c3c/sustainability_prize_robust3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/1b42549d7efa4f83ab20208471299c3c/sustainability_prize_robust3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Sustainability prize winners Niklas Bäcklund and Björn Tomas Minde.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Privat</span></div></div><p>Artificial intelligence and circular economy are two trends that are highly relevant and widely debated in research and in the contemporary business landscape. Niklas an Björn Tomas have written a thesis that brings together these two trends in a highly ambitious empirical study of an AI initiative in industrial symbiosis. The study provides a comprehensive framework for AI-driven circular business model innovation that can be widely applicable to many businesses and industries seeking to contribute to sustainability transitions.</p><p>– Creating sustainable industries requires better utilization of resources and AI is a powerful enabler for circular economy. Despite the enormous potential, many industrial companies fail with AI because it requires so much more than just a working AI model. You need to rethink processes, collaborations, mindsets, data sharing and much more, which means that companies must change their business models to fully realize AI's sustainability potential, says Nicklas.</p><p>In their thesis, Niklas and Björn Tomas draw on a case of SSAB’s industrial symbiosis where residual gases from steel production are used for electricity and district heating production in Luleå. They conducted 32 interviews with representatives from five companies in the industrial symbiosis and experts. The most memorable experience from the thesis work was a personal guided site visit with the CEO of Lulekraft, district heating producer.</p><p>– To see how everything worked in real life gave us a deeper insight and a stronger connection to the subject. In addition, it was fascinating to see how the people of Luleå get heat in their homes and then also get the view of Luleå from the top of the heating plant, says Björn Tomas.</p><p>With some of the leading researchers in AI, digitalization, and innovation, the Luleå University of Technology reinforced already existing interest in technology. The teachers and specifically supervisors, David Sjödin and Milad Kolagar, further awakened curiosity about sustainability and AI's potential for circular business models. This interest has persisted even after the graduation. Niklas currently works as a business developer at Freshworks identifying and creating opportunities for the largest Swedish companies, where AI as important part. Björn Tomas is a consultant at Rejlers working with digitalization, project management, and business analysis including several green investment projects in Norrland.</p><p>– We hope that this award can inspire more companies to see the value in AI. It is extra rewarding that Umeå Energi is sponsoring the award. During our work on the thesis we realized the crucial role of energy companies in the green transition and the challenges they face, says Björn Tomas.</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Honourable mention</h2><p>The jury directs an honorable mention to two exceptional theses. As a runner-up, “At melting summits: How do ski resorts transform? A comparative case study of privately own ski resorts in Sweden”, by Isabelle Talsma and Vendela Silwén, Stockholm School of Economics. Third place goes to “Hållbarhetsstyrning och rapporteringskvalitet: En kvantitativ studie om styrsystem till följd av tvingande hållbarhetsrapportering” written by Amanda Henriksson and Isabelle Wennerström, Linköping University.</p><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">Important collaboration</h2><p>The prize, which is handed out as a scholarship worth 25,000 SEK, has been made financially possible through collaboration with Umeå Energi.</p><p>– Umeå Energi wants to be a positive force in sustainable development of the Umeå region. With this scholarship, we want to encourage students in business administration to deeply engage in sustainability, says Magnus Stenvall, Umeå Energi.</p><h2 id="info2" data-magellan-target="info2">The jury</h2><p>ROBUST expresses sincere gratitude to this year’s jury that consisted of Professor Timur Uman (Jönköping University), Professor Thomas Magnusson (Halmstad University), Karl Eldebo (Linköping University), and representatives from Umeå Energi: Sara Ekenstedt and Magnus Stenvall.</p><p>Read more about the thesis prize and the criteria underpinning the jury’s decision on our webpage:</p><p><a href="~/link/44fac5e0ebcd402b80f58b441d8e6b51.aspx">Umeå sustainability prize for theses in business administration</a></p>/en/news/sustainability-prize-to-student-thesis-on-ai-and-circular-economy_11931044//en/news/innovation-camp-students-solving-real-world-challenges_11929427/Innovation Camp: Students solving real-world challengesIn a collaboration between Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE), Olofsfors AB, and Umeå Kommunföretag, the Innovation Management course at USBE recently hosted a three-day Innovation Camp. The course objective is to develop the participating students’ innovation competencies in an interactive setting and positive atmosphere. For the 7th consecutive year, this intensive event fosters collaboration between academia and industry.Tue, 23 Apr 2024 13:56:08 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/bild42.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/bild42.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/bild42.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/bild42.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/bild42.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/bild42.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Students participating in a workshop during the innovation camp.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Zsuzsanna Vincze</span></div></div><p>The Innovation Camp is an experiential learning opportunity for our master’s students. They worked together during the intensive workshop days with our company partners to develop innovative solutions for the companies’ challenges. The camp run on a design thinking platform and related methods to integrate the perspectives, resources, and activities of the companies with the prototypes of new products, services and systems developed by the students.</p><p>With a focus on practical application, the Innovation Camp provided students with the opportunity to leverage their skills and knowledge in a hands-on environment. Over the course of two and a half weeks, student teams prepared for the camp, culminating in the broad challenges presented by the partnering companies, Olofsfors AB and Umeå Kommunföretag. First, the student teams needed to analyse the challenge and define the area of focus, that followed by developing potential solutions and specifying the solution that worked. Coached by the company managers and the teachers the teams refined their ideas, leading up to a concluding pitch session where they presented their proposed solutions.</p><p>Following the camp, teams had one week to fine-tune their proposals for the final pitch. The Innovation Camp concluded with the partner companies selecting their winning teams, which were awarded certificates for their innovative solutions. This event not only provided students with invaluable real-world experience but also offered industry partners fresh perspectives and potential solutions to pressing challenges.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic2.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic2.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic2.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic2.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic2.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic2.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Winning team for Olofsfors AB.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Zsuzsanna Vincze</span></div></div><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Students' insights from the Innovation Camp</h2><p class="quote-center">This has been one of the most interesting experiences during my time at Umeå University</p><p>Anton Laine, one of the participant students, expressed his enthusiasm for the event's success.</p><p>– This has been one of the most interesting experiences during my time at Umeå University. I believe that the challenges are way more interesting to work with when you get the chance to help a real organisation and provide them with a solution that actually matters. For anyone who is interested in the science and art of innovation management on a more advanced level I highly recommend this course.</p><p class="quote-center">We got the opportunity to apply all these theoretical concepts in a more creative way</p><p>Another student, Sadathana Wickramashinge, continues.</p><p>– The innovation camp was challenging but super fun! Right from the start with the brainstorming to the final pitch we got the opportunity to apply all these theoretical concepts in a more creative way. Since we came up with our own innovative ideas, it gave us the opportunity to actualize these theories in practice. The most important thing I learned during the camp is that if you want to be innovative you must try every possible way of failure by questioning your idea, to then find that one tiny spot that no one else has thought about, that is how your creative idea is born. All elements of the camp kept us engaged during the whole course and I am so thankful to all the teachers Zsuzsanna Vincze, Peter Gustafsson and Quang Evansluong.</p><p>The Innovation Camp is a part of USBE's commitment to bridging the gap between education and industry, preparing students to excel in an ever-evolving business landscape. With each edition, the camp continues to foster a culture of innovation, laying the groundwork for future collaborations and breakthroughs.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic1.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic1.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic1.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic1.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic1.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/e62c4bb6a51140cb8327e488be73e5dc/ic1.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Winning team for Umeå Kommunföretag.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Zsuzsanna Vincze</span></div></div>/en/news/innovation-camp-students-solving-real-world-challenges_11929427//en/news/tuning-calohee-project-results-supports-european-higher-education_11922087/Tuning-Calohee project results supports European Higher EducationMon, 08 Apr 2024 14:05:13 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/405dd3e728d34ebf9aa8cf9bbe721420/calohex2.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/405dd3e728d34ebf9aa8cf9bbe721420/calohex2.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/405dd3e728d34ebf9aa8cf9bbe721420/calohex2.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/405dd3e728d34ebf9aa8cf9bbe721420/calohex2.png?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/405dd3e728d34ebf9aa8cf9bbe721420/calohex2.png?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/405dd3e728d34ebf9aa8cf9bbe721420/calohex2.png?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Dan Frost (center) and the subject area group “Business”.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>CaloheX</span></div></div><p><a href="~/link/64010d8afbb54a81837706cd73f9faba.aspx">Dan Frost</a>, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, has acted as co-coordinator for the subject area group “Business” in the EU-funded TUNING-CALOHEE Extension project “CALOHEX”, implemented from 2020 to 2024. It directly follows the ERASMUS+ Forward Looking Cooperation Project, Measuring and Comparing Achievements in Higher Education in Europe. Dan’s involvement is a continuation of his previous work in the Tuning-projects (in Europe and China).</p><p>Tuning-Calohee offers sophisticated General Qualifications Reference Frameworks for all cycles: short cycle / associated degree, bachelor, master and doctorate. In addition, it offers a Guideline to use the materials for quality assurance in higher education programs and for micro-credentials.</p><p>The project aims to provide user-friendly tools for aligning and comparing Higher Education degree programs. At its core are Qualifications Reference Frameworks, categorized into three types:</p><ul><li>General Qualifications Reference Frameworks</li><li>Subject Area Qualifications Reference Frameworks</li><li>Subject Area Assessment/Learning Outcomes Reference Frameworks, including best practices for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment</li></ul><p>Do students across Europe's higher education institutions develop the competences they need? Are study programs fulfilling their promises? Can we meaningfully compare students' achievements across different countries?</p><p>The project help answer these questions by providing frameworks and tools to define and design cutting-edge degree programs. They also facilitate comparison and recognition, offering transparent information for universities, employers, quality assurance organizations, and, most importantly, learners.</p><p>The Calohee projects have covered the following subject areas: Civil Engineering, History, Nursing, Physics, Teacher Education, Business Administration, Information Technology, International Relations, Creative and Performing Arts & Design, Medicine, and Occupational Therapy.</p><p>The project result is now available online at <a href="https://www.tuning-calohex.eu/">www.tuning-calohex.eu</a> and <a href="https://www.calohee.eu/">www.calohee.eu</a> and will also be disseminated by the European Commission.</p>/en/news/tuning-calohee-project-results-supports-european-higher-education_11922087//en/news/swedish-cfa-research-challenge_11916100/Swedish CFA Research ChallengeTue, 26 Mar 2024 15:20:47 +0100<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_1756142.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_1756142.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_1756142.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_1756142.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_1756142.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_1756142.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Master students from USBE at the Swedish CFA Research Challenge final in Stockholm.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Peter Frii</span></div></div><p>Master students from Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE) presented their valuation case at the Swedish CFA Research Challenge final in Stockholm in late February. This is the first time students from USBE joined the competition, which is organized by the association Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Sweden. The first stage of the competition was to analyze a listed Swedish company (Evolution) and write a rigorous investment report under the supervision of a faculty advisor and an industry mentor. Only teams ranked top five based on the graded written report were invited to come and present in the final, held at Handelsbanken HQ.</p><p>Although the team from USBE did not win this year, the intention is to annually have at least one team from USBE partaking in the competition. The students representing USBE were Victor Anjou, Albin Eriksson, Max Kaing, Agust Vannebäck and Alexander Westman. The faulty advisor from USBE was Peter Frii, and the industry mentor was Andreas Brink, a managing partner at Ave Partners.</p><p>– I gained valuable knowledge from partaking in the competition and from our industry mentor and faculty advisor. The competition was to come up with a one-year target price based on financial analyses for the case company Evolution, which gave us hands-on experience analyzing a company in a professional setting. Personally, I gained the most from finding the most efficient strategy of conveying our investment case by writing a concise report and pitching our hours of in-depth analyses in 10 minutes to the jury at Handelsbanken HQ, says Agust Vannebäck.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_2225332.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_2225332.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_2225332.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_2225332.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_2225332.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/b2467911a54d4541a4aaf9e8fc59ef3a/20240220_2225332.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Master students together with their industry mentor.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Peter Frii</span></div></div>/en/news/swedish-cfa-research-challenge_11916100//en/news/competence-building-on-sustainable-development_11903443/Competence building on sustainable developmentUmeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE) hosted a symposium, 22-23 February 2024, called “Competence building on sustainable development in undergraduate and post-graduate programmes”, dedicated to discuss sustainability education across diverse countries and cultures. Fri, 01 Mar 2024 13:37:03 +0100<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/d5cdb0db2d254307b8534847800a1992/21.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/d5cdb0db2d254307b8534847800a1992/21.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/d5cdb0db2d254307b8534847800a1992/21.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/d5cdb0db2d254307b8534847800a1992/21.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/d5cdb0db2d254307b8534847800a1992/21.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/d5cdb0db2d254307b8534847800a1992/21.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Organisers Alice Annelin, Gert-Olof Boström and Walter Leal.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Privat</span></div></div><p>Alice Annelin and Gert-Olof Boström, Associate professors in Business Administration at USBE, organized the event along with UTRI (Umeå Transformation Research Initiative) and HAW-Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany. 26 participants from 11 countries took part in the symposium consisting of presentations, workshops and online presentations. The event was also made available for all employees at Umeå university to participate.</p><p>Professor Nick McGuigan at Monash University in Australia lead a futuring workshop where backcasting techniques were applied with different activities to inspire creative thinking on how to reach the desired future within higher education.</p><p><em>- The room was filled with passion, interdisciplinary discussion and solution thinking that together lead to some positive and fruitful activities. I am so grateful to all participants for providing the support for sustainability education, says Alice.</em></p><p>During the symposium the participants delved into the integration of sustainability competencies within educational frameworks. Key themes included the role of experiential learning in fostering intrapersonal competencies, innovative strategies for incorporating sustainability into academic curricula, and the ethical considerations inherent in sustainability education.</p><p>Among the highlights was the unveiling of an upcoming publication titled "Competence Building on Sustainable Development in Undergraduate and Post-Graduate Programmes." This collaborative effort aims to consolidate the collective wisdom shared during the symposium, offering a comprehensive resource for scholars and practitioners in the field.</p><p>Reflecting on the symposium, participants pondered critical questions about the future of sustainability education. They explored avenues for providing spaces that support interdisciplinary learning and discussed how to inspire action on sustainability challenges through collaborative efforts.</p><p><em>- It all went very well and we are grateful to have had the possibility to organise such a successful event, says Gert-Olof.</em></p>/en/news/competence-building-on-sustainable-development_11903443//en/news/large-language-models-for-efficient-data-management---new-summer-course_11893912/Large Language Models (LLM) for efficient data management – new summer courseEveryone is talking about ChatGPT and Large Language Models. But can this technology be used, for example, to streamline a work process or the value of a stock portfolio? This summer, IT specialists and students will have the opportunity to dive deep into the field. "We will explore the models' neural networks, their components, processes and workflow," says Michael Minock, Associate Professor at Umeå University.Mon, 23 Sep 2024 11:41:08 +0200<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/3a2d3ba92d1940a09ddd44427b703715/ai_bild.22.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/3a2d3ba92d1940a09ddd44427b703715/ai_bild.22.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/3a2d3ba92d1940a09ddd44427b703715/ai_bild.22.png?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/3a2d3ba92d1940a09ddd44427b703715/ai_bild.22.png?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/3a2d3ba92d1940a09ddd44427b703715/ai_bild.22.png?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/3a2d3ba92d1940a09ddd44427b703715/ai_bild.22.png?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>How to maximise the benefits of an LLM? That's what IT specialists and computer science students will learn this summer. "It will be a fun course where you are guaranteed to develop your skills," says Michael Minock, Associate Professor at the Department of Computing Science.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Kollage</span></div></div><p>The arrival of Chat GPT took the world by storm. Finally, there was a system that we could actually 'talk' to! Major language models then began to be applied in several different projects worldwide. But how can a Swedish company utilise and integrate the technology into its systems? <a href="~/link/b9957d9949164f6b93db87d6e9ef8fee.aspx">Michael Minock</a>, Associate Professor at the Department of Computing Science, will share this knowledge. His research and teaching interests include AI, natural language interfaces, knowledge representation and databases.</p><h3>When large models meet databases</h3><p>"Large Language Models (LLMs) in Data Management", as the course is called, is a unique course that meets a competence need. The aim is to create an understanding of how the new technology works and what happens when large language models meet databases.<br>If you join the course, you will learn how LLM works, what happens when it meets your own data assets and how you can use LLM to solve data management problems. "We simply take a deep dive into neural networks, their components, processes and workflow," says Michael Minock.</p><p>The summer course is intended for IT specialists, programmers and IT managers as well as students, with the appropriate qualifications. It is held in English via Zoom, which allows you to study wherever you are.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="6482376e-3195-419e-8eae-2a08a3a1e95f" data-contentname="LLM summer course cs">{}</div><h3>Maximizing the benefits of LLM</h3><p>The main focus is dynamic facts - such as weather data, the value of a stock portfolio, or the intricate details of an ongoing business deal or work process.<br>"Can the technology underlying big language models be used to help you get an overview of your data, answer questions or calculate results? And can LLM be used to help integrate databases? "We look beyond the hype and ask how we can maximize the benefits of LLMs in data management," says Michael Minock.</p><h3>Develop your expertise</h3><p>Those who take the course will be able to build and solve machine learning problems, set up and run machine learning models, and link language models to databases. "A summer course may not provide full answers but a basic understanding. You will develop an expertise in the field. This technology will have a profound effect on the economy and society, so it's important to keep up," says Michael Minock.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="5365e10b-cf3c-4696-a348-9e65369e6cfb" data-contentname="Michael Minock contact">{}</div>/en/news/large-language-models-for-efficient-data-management---new-summer-course_11893912//en/news/kunskapsnoden-kicks-off-prioritised-research-areas_11885001/Kunskapsnoden kicks off prioritised research areasThe annual Kunskapsnoden event at Grand Hôtel in Stockholm held on 7 February will mark the start of Umeå University’s new investment in three prioritised research areas. There will be interesting discussions on human learning and brain plasticity throughout life, how we can overcome microbial infections, and how plant research can contribute to a green transition in the Subarctic.Wed, 31 Jan 2024 14:17:15 +0100<p>The three prioritised research areas have shared SEK 50 million in an initiative commissioned by the Vice-Chancellor. The selection of prioritised research areas has evolved from the work and thematic discussions that started in 2022 based on a Government proposition to allocate research funding to all higher education institutions based on specific profile areas. Umeå University has used this momentum to enhance research quality and competitiveness on a long-term scale through these research fields.</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Learning and brain plasticity throughout the life span</h2><p>Lars Nyberg, Professor at the Department of Diagnostics and Intervention, and Maria Josefsson, Associate Professor at the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, coordinate the project.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/josefsson_maria_3636_240111_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/josefsson_maria_3636_240111_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/josefsson_maria_3636_240111_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/josefsson_maria_3636_240111_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/josefsson_maria_3636_240111_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/josefsson_maria_3636_240111_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText" style="padding-left: 40px;"><p>Maria Josefsson, Associate Professor at the Umeå School of Business.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Mattias Pettersson</span></div></div><h3>You derive from two very differing research fields – statistics and neuroscience – what do you envisage this project to achieve?</h3><p>“I’m looking forward to intensifying and setting up new, rewarding collaborations. For instance, recent technical advances through AI and machine learning have opened up for new research ideas linked to these new analyse methods. I believe we have lots to gain from collaborating across research fields,” says Maria Josefsson.</p><p>“We hope to acquire new knowledge and find new opportunities, but also limitations, when it comes to learning at different stages of life. It could be to promote strong and sustainable learning at school, set up conditions for renewed learning in adulthood, for instance when changing careers, and how to maintain vital brain capacity and well-functioning memory with age,” says Lars Nyberg.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_sofia_lars_maria3769_240111_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_sofia_lars_maria3769_240111_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_sofia_lars_maria3769_240111_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_sofia_lars_maria3769_240111_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_sofia_lars_maria3769_240111_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_sofia_lars_maria3769_240111_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText">Lars Nyberg and Maria Josefsson coordinate one of the prioritised research areas.<span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Mattias Pettersson</span></div></div><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">Mastering microbial infections</h2><p>This prioritised research area is coordinated by Marta Bally, Associate Professor at the Department of Clinical Microbiology, and Fredrik Almqvist, Professor at the Department of Chemistry. Both also work at the Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR).</p><h3>So, here we have a researcher studying viruses and one studying bacteria setting up a whole new research field together. What will you focus on and what exciting results can we expect?</h3><p>“Our field will be an intensification of the research already conducted at UCMR, where we both work and where the foundation for a Nobel Prize has already been laid once before. These additional resources will be hugely beneficial and contribute to new exciting research on infectious diseases, viruses, pandemics, antibiotic resistance and other related themes,” says Marta Bally.</p><p>“The extra funding we receive will help us focus even more on clinical research, and take on young researchers with clinical background. We’ll also invest in doctoral students and take a look at current problems in healthcare and link those to issues that will be of great importance in the future. Our ambition with this investment is to take huge leaps in our research and in the long run save further lives around the world,” says Fredrik Almqvist.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_och_marta_3830_240115_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_och_marta_3830_240115_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_och_marta_3830_240115_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_och_marta_3830_240115_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_och_marta_3830_240115_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/fredrik_och_marta_3830_240115_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Fredrik Almqvist and Marta Bally coordinate one of the prioritised research areas.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Mattias Pettersson</span></div></div><h2 id="info2" data-magellan-target="info2">Plant science for a sustainable green transformation of the subarctic</h2><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/lundberg_sofia_3681_240111_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/lundberg_sofia_3681_240111_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/lundberg_sofia_3681_240111_mpn3.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/lundberg_sofia_3681_240111_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/lundberg_sofia_3681_240111_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/lundberg_sofia_3681_240111_mpn3.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Sofia Lundberg, Professor at the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Mattias Pettersson</span></div></div><p>This prioritised research area is coordinated by Sofia Lundberg, Professor at the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, and Stefan Jansson, Professor at the Department of Plant Physiology.</p><h3>A plant scientist and a business school professor spontaneously sound miles apart, but what are your respective strengths that will make this field fly?</h3><p class="quote-center">It will be really exciting to see what we can achieve together.</p><div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/9stefan_jansson_181120_152741_jgs8.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/9stefan_jansson_181120_152741_jgs8.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/9stefan_jansson_181120_152741_jgs8.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/9stefan_jansson_181120_152741_jgs8.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/9stefan_jansson_181120_152741_jgs8.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/21d6cdd1506d4f83a0d32ea5e8a315e9/9stefan_jansson_181120_152741_jgs8.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Stefan Jansson, Professor at the Department of Plant Physiology.</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Johan Gunséus</span></div></div><p>“We need to coordinate natural sciences, social sciences and humanities research on northern Swedish forest and food production to be able to make a difference. Current forestry debate shows how complex these issues are and since we think it’s possible to set up new opportunities for plant breeding for food production in northern Sweden, all these aspects need to be covered,” says Stefan Jansson.</p><p>“The field spans across several disciplines and the common denominator for everyone, including my economics discipline, is food. This new interdisciplinary research field can be described as a life-cycle analysis following a food item from plant to being consumed. It’ll be very exciting to see what we can achieve together,” says Sofia Lundberg.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="00eff7f1-b7dc-488c-bf22-a0ad2128152f" data-contentname="Faktaruta - livesändning">{}</div>/en/news/kunskapsnoden-kicks-off-prioritised-research-areas_11885001//en/news/a-new-thesis-in-statistics_11887515/Estimation of hazard ratios from observational data with applications related to strokeA new thesis by Guilherme Wang de Faria Barros, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, focuses on challenges in time-to-event studies based on observational data, particularly in the context of stroke research using the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke). Wed, 07 Feb 2024 14:18:36 +0100<div class="mediaflowwrapper bildlink halfwidthsquareright"><div class="bildImage"><picture><source srcset="/contentassets/198fdd91859a49b0a2a64b41a0a2fe1b/barros_guilherme_4966_231122_hkn6.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/198fdd91859a49b0a2a64b41a0a2fe1b/barros_guilherme_4966_231122_hkn6.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/198fdd91859a49b0a2a64b41a0a2fe1b/barros_guilherme_4966_231122_hkn6.jpg?format=webp&mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"><source srcset="/contentassets/198fdd91859a49b0a2a64b41a0a2fe1b/barros_guilherme_4966_231122_hkn6.jpg?mode=crop&width=640 640w, /contentassets/198fdd91859a49b0a2a64b41a0a2fe1b/barros_guilherme_4966_231122_hkn6.jpg?mode=crop&width=854 854w, /contentassets/198fdd91859a49b0a2a64b41a0a2fe1b/barros_guilherme_4966_231122_hkn6.jpg?mode=crop&width=1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 640px, (max-width: 854px) 854px, 1280px"></picture></div><div class="bildText"><p>Doktorand vid Handelshögskolan vid Umeå universitet</p><span class="bildPhotografer"><span class="photo">Image</span>Hans Karlsson</span></div></div><p>The primary interest lies in understanding the time to recurrent stroke or death after an initial stroke. The main parameter of interest is the hazard ratio, comparing risks between treated and untreated groups, often estimated using the Cox regression model.</p><p>Observational data, unlike experimental data, introduces challenges due to the presence of confounders—variables that can distort the relationship between treatment and outcome.</p><p>“The use of national registers facilitates access to rich observational data, and Sweden is a country known for its many high quality national registers relating to different topics regarding its population”, says Guilherme Wang de Faria Barros.</p><p>The four papers in the thesis address specific challenges in time-to-event studies. Paper I tackles the issue of competing risks in survival analysis, comparing individuals with and without modifiable risk factors using data from the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke).</p><p>Papers II and IV delve into methodological aspects. Paper II explores non-parametric methods for balancing datasets, offering alternatives to traditional parametric methods. It includes a case study on anticoagulant prescription after a stroke. Paper IV addresses covariate selection in high-dimensional data, proposing methods to navigate situations where the number of covariates is comparable to the number of individuals in the study.</p><p>Paper III investigates the impact of censoring on marginal hazard ratio estimation. It explores solutions considering varying effect sizes and censoring rates, presenting a procedure to mitigate the issue.</p><p>“Although this thesis focuses on stroke, the topics covered in each paper address practical challenges in any observational time-to-event study, making the research relevant for improving methodologies and contributing to the field of observational data analysis”, says Guilherme Wang de Faria Barros.</p><p>The Department of Statistics, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, at Umeå University has numerous researchers focused on the study of causality and analysis of data from registers, and is a leading university in the topic.</p><p><a href="https://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?language=sv&pid=diva2%3A1825506&dswid=-844">Link to the doctoral thesis</a></p><p><strong>About the public defence of the thesis</strong><br>Guilherme Wang de Faria Barros, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, is publicly defending his doctoral thesis with the title: Estimation of hazard ratios from observational data with applications related to stroke Faculty Opponent: Daniel Nevo, Associate Professor, Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Tel Aviv University</p><p><a href="~/link/3d29cdf3fb154c168d2eab56e66b7adf.aspx">More information</a></p><p> </p>/en/news/a-new-thesis-in-statistics_11887515//en/news/fashion-retailer-kappahl_11827677/Fashion retailer Kappahl's CEO in conversation with our programme studentsThu, 14 Sep 2023 16:00:08 +0200<p>Elisabeth Peregi, CEO at Kappahl, one of Scandinavia's leading fashion retailers with markets extending to Poland and UK, met our new students on the Retail and Supply Chain Management Programme over a digital conversation. Elisabeth talked and reflected about her journey from business studies to the role of CEO, where the mix of classic roles in controlling and marketing together with broader operational responsibilities paved the way for both interest and the opportunity to assume managerial and CEO positions.</p><p>The conversation also revolved around retail's future opportunities and challenges from Kappahl's horizon and how they are preparing to future-proof their business. Sustainability issues take on an increasingly central role, as does more active work with data analysis and new KPIs, but also setting processes and systems to be able to take on new business opportunities.</p><p>Soft issues such as creating internal commitment for the company's journey forward are something that, according to Elisabeth, are of great importance.</p><p>Collaboration was also part of the discussion and apart from the fact that it is important within the industry, Elisabeth also concluded by highlighting the importance of dialogue in a broader sense.</p><p><em>"It´s always inspiring to have a dialogue with students, and I strongly believe in a good collaboration between business and academia to solve future challenges and opportunities."</em></p>/en/news/fashion-retailer-kappahl_11827677//en/news/tredje-omgangen-celog-certifierade-studenter_11818316/Third round cELog certified studentsUSBE have now received the cELog certificates (Candidate European Logistician) for the 30 students in the professional degree programme Retail and Supply Change Management who meet the international standard established by ELA (European Logistic Association). A big congratulations to all the recipients!Fri, 01 Sep 2023 08:44:22 +0200<p>USBE is the only university in Sweden (and one of 26 in Europe), that has the privilege of being able to certify logistics students based on the ELA standard. SILF (Swedish Purchasing and Logistics Association) has the exclusive right in Sweden to logistics certification managers at two levels according to the international standard established by ELA and in collaboration with them USBE can certify students on the junior level. </p><p><a href="~/link/6a85eb9e131a4e79ab596360085a4dcd.aspx">Elin Nilsson</a>, who was the initiator to get the certification:</p><p>– It is incredibly fun to be able to give the students that meet the criteria something unique that can really benefit them professionally. I really look forward to following their careers when they now leave the university. </p>/en/news/tredje-omgangen-celog-certifierade-studenter_11818316//en/news/siemens-financial-services-best-student-thesis-award_11774633/Siemens Financial Services Best Student Thesis AwardThe prize is awarded to Kristina Björling and Fredrika Norberg, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE). The thesis entitled “Kvinnliga styrelseledamöter och företagens finansiella lönsamhet: En paneldataanalys om effekten av kvinnor i styrelser på Svenska Large Cap bolag” will be awarded 20.000 SEK at USBEs graduation ceremony 2023.Wed, 24 May 2023 15:45:46 +0200<p>The jury mention in their decision that the winning thesis has a motivated and current research question, that is commendable analyzed with relevant methods. The thesis, that is well written, contribute with both theoretical and practical knowledge regarding to what extent female representation on corporate boards affect firm profitability among large Swedish firms. </p><p>The prize, which is handed out as a scholarship, has been made financially possible through USBE’s collaboration with Siemens Financial Services.</p><h3>Comment from Siemens</h3><p>– We are very pleased to have entered into this collaboration with USBE and to give the award this year to a very well-written and interesting thesis that highlights a modern and prominent topic within the financial sector.</p><h3>Comment from Kristina Björling</h3><p>– I feel incredibly honoured to receive the Siemens Financial Services scholarship for 2023 alongside my friend Fredrika.<br> Directing your thesis towards something you are passionate about is essential, as it is passion that overcomes the inevitable challenges in composing an essay. I hope that our study can act as a source of motivation for everyone on the way, or already out in working life, creating a place where everyone is evaluated solely based on their skills and nothing else.</p><p>– Finally, I want to thank USBE and Siemens Financial Services for this scholarship, and my loved ones who have been an incredible support throughout my studies.</p><h3>Comment from Fredrika Norberg</h3><p>– I would like to express my deep gratitude for being honored with the Siemens Financial Services Scholarship. Receiving this prestigious award alongside my thesis partner and dear friend fills me with great honor and joy.</p><p>– Completing the essay that we dedicated extensive time and passion to was an incredible feeling. Therefore, I am even more delighted to receive this scholarship as an additional recognition of our efforts.</p><p>– I sincerely hope that our study can serve as a source of inspiration for other students, enabling them to benefit from and build upon the subject matter.</p><p>– I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks once again to Kristina Björling for her invaluable cooperation, Siemens Financial Services for graciously awarding us this scholarship, and lastly, to Umeå University for providing me with four exceptional years of education.</p><h3>About the thesis</h3><p>The thesis supervisor was <a href="~/link/da628dee63cd48459f04afe54d08dea0.aspx">Lars Lindbergh</a>.</p><p>The thesis can be found <a href="https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-197581">here</a>.</p>/en/news/siemens-financial-services-best-student-thesis-award_11774633//en/news/nordeas-thesis-award-diversity-and-inclusion_11770968/Nordeas thesis award, diversity and inclusionNordeas thesis award, diversity and inclusion is awarded to Maike Strube, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE). The thesis entitled Unemployment of Foreign-Born People in Europe: A study of the Beveridge Curve between 2012 and 2021 will be awarded with 15 000 SEK.Tue, 16 May 2023 11:21:01 +0200<p>It is the second time that the award is given and the purpose of the award is to stimulate and maintain students' interest in how issues in business administration, economics and statistics can be related to diversity and inclusion. The financing of the prize, which is given as a scholarship, has been made possible by the USBEs collaboration with Nordea | BBU Botnia.</p><p>Comment from Nordea:</p><p>– We are very pleased to have entered into this collaboration with USBE and to give the award this year to a very well-written and interesting thesis that highlights diversity and inclusion.</p><p>Comment from the award winner Maike Strube:</p><p>– I am very honored to receive this scholarship. Diversity and inclusion deserve more attention within economics. I hope that some students will get inspired to include new perspectives in their studies.</p><p>– Thanks to the welcoming atmosphere at the economics department, I felt encouraged to write about something that personally interests me. I want to thank Nordea and USBE for this price and my supervisor Magnus Wikström.</p><p>Supervisor: Professor Magnus Wikström, Department of Economics.</p><h3>Words from the jury</h3><p>Strube (2022) Unemployment of Foreign-Born People in Europe is the clear winner this year, as it highlights target groups, gender differences and integration policy in the labor market.</p><p>This study uses the Beveridge curve to analyze the labor market conditions of migrants in Europe and proves that the matching efficiency improved significantly from 2012 to 2021, especially after the refugee crisis in 2015. However, a higher proportion of foreign-born people in a country is associated with higher unemployment for migrants, which underlines the need for better integration policies on the labor market.</p><p>Gender differences were also observed, with female migrants experiencing smaller improvements in matching efficiency. The study emphasizes the importance of working with diversity and inclusion to better support migrant populations, especially female migrants.</p><p><a href="https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-204364">The Thesis can be found in DiVA</a></p>/en/news/nordeas-thesis-award-diversity-and-inclusion_11770968//en/news/arctic-graduate-school-funds-6-new-arctic-research-projects_11770411/Arctic Graduate School Funds 6 New Arctic Research Projects6 out of 13 applications have been granted funding for their Arctic research projects.Wed, 16 Aug 2023 10:20:35 +0200<p><strong>During spring, The Arctic Graduate School launched their call for funded research projects at Umeå University. In March, 13 applications were submitted, and 6 applications have now been granted funding.</strong></p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="32f4fe21-ecbf-4ca4-989d-913a40780b50" data-contentname="AGS NEWS PIC">{}</div><p>Congratulations to Christian Bigler, Liselotte Eriksson, Malcolm Lillie, Uwe Raffalski, Per Åke Rosvall and Norbert Steigenberger! Read more about the projects below.</p><p class="quote-center">–We are very happy with the number of applicants, and the vast spread in the applications.</p><p>The Director of Arctic Graduate School, Linda Lundmark, comments the result:<br>–We are very happy with the number of applicants, and the vast spread in the applications.<br>Lundmark explains that the Doctoral students for the projects are expected to attend the school at the school start in the autumn. A kick-off for this will be planned in October.<br>–The new projects provide even more perspectives on sustainable development in the Arctic, and with a total of 16 Doctoral students at the Graduate School, I expect that we actively contribute to new knowledge and social debate, and become a natural gathering point for interdisciplinary research, Lundmark shares.</p><h3>The following projects have been granted funds</h3><p class="foldable"><strong>Cumulative effects of environmental impacts in the Arctic</strong> – Christian Bigler</p><p><em>Department of Ecology and Environmental Science (EMG) in collaboration with Várdduo – Centre for Sámi Research</em></p><p>The ongoing green transformation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change has resulted in an increased pressure on land and natural resources in Northern Sweden. In a new geopolitical setting, the goal is to ensure supply of clean energy (e.g. wind) and essential natural resources (e.g. forestry, mining). This results in tremendous environmental, societal and economic impacts, challenging the overall aims of sustainable development.</p><p>Even though Environmental Assessments (EA) are carried out prior to decision making, substantial challenges remain if overall societal needs for energy and resources are to be balanced against cultural, economic and social needs and rights of local and Indigenous communities. Often, certain impacts of a single, specific project are considered, neglecting the cumulative effects and consequences of other past, present and future actions. As a consequence, Sámi reindeer herding communities in particular, are experiencing accelerating losses of their lands to external and extractive industry actors.</p><p>In this project, we aim to assess the consequences of these cumulative environmental effects on local and Indigenous communities. Including environmental, social and economic aspects, but also consequences on well-being and health. We intend to address our research questions both on a regional scale (case studies in specific areas in northern Sweden), but also through comparisons with in other Arctic areas (e.g. Canada).</p><p class="foldable"><strong>Children in Arctic Sweden in the 1920's and 1930's: The Meaning of Childhood Living Conditions for Health and Well-being Later in Life</strong> –Liselotte Eriksson</p><p><em>Unit of Economic History</em></p><p>Today, we have an uneven geographical distribution of resources, which causes a skewed access to school, medical- and social care. In society at large, there is a growing socio-economic inequality between different groups where low income and education increase the risk of suffering from illness and premature death. However, up until the 1990’s, equality increased, reaching its peak in the 1980s. Since income and education have a documented effect on health, we would expect an equalization of health and mortality over the period. However, instead, great geographical differences in health and mortality were noticed in the 1980s. Parts of Arctic Sweden had a 40% higher mortality from cardiovascular diseases than some regions in southern Sweden.</p><p>A growing body of literature shows that early life conditions affect health and mortality well into later life. Many of the individuals in Arctic Sweden who later suffered excess mortality in the 1980s experienced poverty, poor educational opportunities, ethnic discrimination and malnutrition as children.</p><p>The difficult childhood living conditions led in 1929/30 to an extensive socio-medical investigation of nutrition, health and living conditions among school children in Norr- and Västerbotten. Lena-Maria Nilsson has digitized the entire survey (NU database), which provides a unique opportunity to study the historical health of the Arctic population and how different living conditions in childhood affect health and mortality in adulthood. This is also of interest today as differences between children's opportunities have increased. The project can also shed light on the health effects of historical Arctic conditions, not least the short- and long-term health effects of the nomad school.</p><p class="foldable"><strong>Arctic & Sub-Arctic Wetlands: A threatened resource</strong> – Philip Buckland</p><p><em>Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies</em></p><p>Climate change impacts are compromising the integrity of wetlands globally (Matthiessen et al. 2022). However, in regions like the Arctic, the precise nature of these impacts on heritage and palaeoenvironmental assets remains poorly understood (see Hollesen et al. 2018). Importantly Kåresdotter et al. (2021) have previously noted that there is a need for improvements in our understanding of Arctic wetlands in general, and that an assessment of their vulnerability to climate change impacts is also needed. A similar situation exists for archaeological sites in the Arctic/Sub-Arctic (Hollesen et al. 2018). Fundamentally, linking these themes is of considerable importance given the close synergies in in situ preservation of organic heritage and natural assets in wetland contexts.</p><p>To date, little, or no, consideration is given to the ways in which any climate (or human) driven changes impact upon Arctic wetlands and the heritage assets that are encapsulated within them. This is concerning given that (Hollesen et al. 2019:575) suggest that in the Arctic region alone there are ~180,000 sites in the national cultural heritage databases. As such, there is a clear need for research into the potential impacts of climate-and human-induced changes in Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions, and for the generation of high-resolution data aimed at assessing long-term changes in in situ preservation potential in these environments and the ways these link to climate change and other human impacts.</p><p class="foldable"><strong>Measurements of stratospheric and mesospheric trace gases and retrieval of temperature and ozone profiles and UV radiation over the Arctic</strong> – Uwe Raffalski</p><p><em>Department of Physics</em></p><p>Microwave radiometry is a powerful tool for remote sensing of composition and variability of the atmosphere. At IRF in Kiruna the KIrunaMikrowaveRAdiometer KIMRA is operated since 2002 to monitor O3, CO and O2 in the stratosphere and mesosphere between 20 and 80 km altitude. Besides long unbroken time series these measurements also open up for interesting research with a direct connection to sustainability through the anthropogenic effects on Earth’s atmosphere. The direct coupling between climate heating of Earth's surface => stratospheric cooling => ozone depletion => increased UV radiation at the surface is only one of the examples which will be studied within this project. However, this coupling is of great importance especially for the arctic environment which suffers twice, first due to temperature rise due to climate change and then also due to increased UV radiation affecting the sensitive arctic flora. Not to mention the effects on reindeer herding, tourism and not the least on people's health in that area.</p><p>In this project we will develop methods to retrieve stratospheric temperature profiles in the context of ozone variability and UV radiation as well as we will find appropriate collaboration with other research (for instance at Abisko Natural Science station) where effects of such variability are studied.  With the research proposed here we will attempt to connect the evidence thoroughly studied on the ground with the developments higher up in the atmosphere</p><p class="foldable"><strong>Sustainable development for work as and recruitment of qualified teachers in Creative subjects in the north of Sweden</strong> – Per Åke Rosvall</p><p><em>Department of Creative Studies</em></p><p>In general, too few teachers are trained in Sweden to cover future needs for qualified teachers. The situation is described as particularly difficult for municipalities and schools in northern Sweden. For smaller schools, it can also be even more difficult to create attractive positions for teachers in practical/aesthetic subjects such as arts, music and handicrafts because these subjects have little space in the time plan and rarely fill full positions. Working as a teacher of practical-aesthetic subjects in municipalities in Norrland's inland can therefore be synonymous with working part-time, shared assignments (for example, handicraft teacher and janitor) or a position divided between several different schools with great geographical distances. Through this application, we therefore intend to employ a doctoral student to study how teachers of practical aesthetic subjects, principals and municipal administration (head of education or equivalent) reason about the conditions for a sustainable working environment as teachers in these subjects and the possibilities for recruitment in a selection of municipalities in Norrland's inland. We choose a selection of municipalities because Norrland's municipalities' opportunities and obstacles are often described as similar, while previous studies have shown that the conditions for the municipalities can differ greatly. By studying several municipalities, variation can be described and how it possibly can be understood.</p><p class="foldable"><strong>Female entrepreneurs in the rural Arctic</strong> – Norbert Steigenberger</p><p><em>Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics</em></p><p>With this doctoral project, we aim to build better knowledge on how female entrepreneurs in the rural arctic experience and resolve resource  constraints. In entrepreneurship research and practice, it is well-known that male entrepreneurs receive more funding and support than female enrepreneurs, and attention has been paid to how support institutions can help female entrepreneurs. We know close to nothing, however, about if and how female entrepreneurs experience these problems also in places where support institutions, such as science parks or incubators, are not accessible and support mostly comes from local communities. The goal of this PhD project is to build this knowledge. The project builds on qualitative methods (case studies).</p><div class="foldableEnd"> </div><p> </p><p> </p>/en/news/arctic-graduate-school-funds-6-new-arctic-research-projects_11770411//en/news/usbe-alumni-foundation-prize-2023_11770383/USBE Alumni Foundation Prize 2023The 2023 recipient of the USBE Alumni Foundation's scholarship of SEK 10,000, which is awarded in collaboration with Swedbank, has been appointed. Mon, 15 May 2023 11:11:25 +0200<p>The recipient is Douglas Drake, student at the Business and Economics Programme (Civilekonomprogrammet). The award will be handed out at the annual graduation ceremony.</p><p>Emelie Viklund, from Swedbank Umeå and partner for the Alumni Foundation's prize:</p><p>– It is with pleasure that we at Swedbank hand out the Alumni Foundation's prize to a very worthy candidate! During his time as a student at the business school, Douglas has, among other things, been active within Unga Aktiesparare and pushed the issue of creating interest and involving more female students in the financial field, which we think is a very important initiative that should be acknowledged. We wish Douglas the best of luck in the future and hope that the award will be useful for the purpose for which it is intended.</p><p>During his time as a student, Douglas have been involved in various ways and, among other things, represented USBE at the Swedish championships in Business and Economics. However, it is thanks to his work as chairman of the association Young Shareholders Umeå (UA) that Douglas is awarded the scholarship. In his work, Douglas has shown the importance of cooperation between different associations by working for a closer cooperation between UA and the Finance section in HHUS. Through a more active dialogue between the associations, conditions are created for increased knowledge of, and interest in, finance among the students at the business school.</p><p>Douglas has also worked actively to improve the gender balance both in UA's activities and in its local board. By trying out events for female students only the gender balance among attendees has improved and the work has also yielded concrete results through a more equal representation on the board.</p><p>Said about Douglas:</p><p>"Douglas has demonstrated a high level of professionalism, curiosity, lack of prestige, good fellowship and networking. Through solid schoolwork combined with an active non-profit and commercial commitment, he contributes daily to the development of the education offered at USBE. Douglas has proudly become involved as chairman of Unga Aktiesparare. He is a real role model and a true ambassador for USBE locally as well as nationally and internationally!"</p><p>"Through his commitment, Douglas has worked over the years to spread his knowledge to other students, which is very inspiring"</p><p>Douglas about the award:</p><p>– I am proud and honored to be the recipient of the award from the USBE Alumni Foundation's scholarship and humbled by the classmates who took the time to nominate me. It means a lot and is the ultimate proof that what you have done alongside your studies has left a positive impression.</p><p>– It has been 4 intense and educational years at the business school and I am grateful for all the friends made along the way and the predecessors who paved the way before me. To current and future students, make the most of the time, get involved in something meaningful and have a blast.</p>/en/news/usbe-alumni-foundation-prize-2023_11770383//en/news/usbe-scientific-award-2023_11767051/USBE Scientific Award 2023This year we have two recipients and we congratulate Ulrika Leijerholt, Department of Business Administration and Hanna Lindström, Department of Economics. The idea behind the scientific awards is to celebrate scientific writing and to distinguish high-quality research in the field of the disciplines.Mon, 08 May 2023 16:26:51 +0200<h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">The Scientific Award in Business Administration</h2><p><strong>Ulrika Leijerholt</strong>, associate professor at The Department of Business Administration has after defending her dissertation in 2019, in many ways, been a role model for what a modern scholar is. She has published several articles in journals of excellent quality, frequently attends conferences and builds her network, and is an appreciated teacher by students and colleagues alike. Ulrika demonstrates scholarly maturity by taking responsibility beyond herself by contributing to shaping the research environment at the department through, for instance, initiating and organizing the monthly writing sessions for researchers at the department.</p><p>Finally, Ulrika has started or been part of several external outreach activities for regional organizations, including initiating the network for public sector branding. Considering these achievements and the willingness to take responsibility for others beyond herself, it is with great pleasure that Ulrika Leijerholt is awarded the USBE Scientific Award in Business Administration in 2023.</p><h3>Comment from Ulrika Leijerholt</h3><p>- I am very happy and grateful to be awarded the USBE Scientific Award 2023. It is very encouraging to receive the award, and I look forward to continuing my work and developing new research projects in collaboration with colleagues and public institutions.</p><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">The Scientific Award in Economics</h2><p><strong>Hanna Lindström</strong> received her PhD in Economics in 2021 and is working as an assistant professor at The Department of Economics.</p><p>Hanna is a highly skilled empirically oriented economist working with issues on public procurement, environmental policy evaluation, consumer preferences and producer behavior. She is involved in a research project that studies how the green transition within energy intensive sectors in Sweden affects labor demand and substitution between different input factors.</p><p>Hanna has a number of working papers and papers in progress dealing with e.g. public procurement and environmental policy evaluation. Hanna´s work is of high scientific quality, and is expecting to publish her work in well renowned scientific journals.</p><p>Hanna has the ability to generate interesting research ideas, and she writes and presents her research pedagogically and very clearly. She is an excellent and enthusiastic teacher and receives positive reviews from students.</p><p>Hanna Lindström is a worthy winner of the USBE Scientific Award in Economics who significantly contributes to the working environment at the department.</p><h3>Comment from Hanna Lindström</h3><p>I am very honored to be this year’s winner of the USBE Scientific Award in Economics. I consider it highly inspiring and motivating that my activities as a researcher and teacher are highlighted and celebrated in this manner.</p>/en/news/usbe-scientific-award-2023_11767051//en/news/the-pedagogical-prize-2023_11762408/The Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE) Pedagogical Prize 2023The Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE) Pedagogical Prize 2023 is awarded to Professor Stefan Sundgren and Associate Professor Jan Bodin. Both have a great commitment to student learning and in their respective teaching roles they motivate the students through both good subject knowledge and excellent teaching skills.Fri, 28 Apr 2023 11:18:16 +0200<p>USBE annually announces a pedagogical award whose purpose is to encourage teachers who make good pedagogical contributions in undergraduate education and to stimulate pedagogical development at USBE. This year, the prize is awarded to two teachers. The decision on the laureates has been made by the school’s management team.</p><p>– Stefan Sundgren and Jan Bodin are both worthy winners of the pedagogical prize and it was difficult to distinguish between them based on the nominations and criteria. That's why we chose to nominate two laureates this year," says Sofia Lundberg, Dean of USBE.</p><p><strong>Stefan Sundgren</strong> is Professor in business administration with a focus on accounting. Stefan is awarded the prize for sharing his subject knowledge in an engaging way and thereby awakens the students' desire to learn. The students emphasize Stefan's passion for the subject and his skill in sharing his knowledge and how his ability to engage the students during the lectures makes them involved in learning. Stefan also receives the award for his good ability to support student learning by clearly demonstrating the practical relevance of the subject.  </p><p>– Great, I appreciate this! Thank you, students who nominated me!<br>It is also you who give me motivation by showing that you are interested in learning what I teach.</p><p><strong>Jan Bodin</strong> is an associate professor in business administration with a focus on marketing. During the past year, Jan has strongly contributed to the development of innovative learning activities within the framework of several marketing courses at both undergraduate and advanced level. Colleagues emphasize his enthusiasm for the constant development of courses and programs and his ability to engage and motivate them in development work. In his role as program coordinator for the professional degree program with specialization service management, Jan also contributes to program development and in that role, he collaborates with colleagues outside of USBE. Students describe that Jan's commitment and well-prepared, fun, and clear lectures contribute to learning.   </p><p>– I am honored to receive this recognition and want to express my gratitude to everyone that promoted my name for this award. I've been teaching since 1988 and it is still both fun and really rewarding to interact with all bright students that I meet at USBE.</p><p>Teachers and students at USBE nominated around 30 different teachers and teaching teams, which is significantly more than in previous years. HHUS organized a special nomination event and in connection with this, many students took the opportunity to nominate teachers.</p><p>– We are of course very pleased that so many of our teachers have been nominated for the pedagogical prize and it has been a joy to read all the great nominations, says Sofia Lundberg.</p><p>This year's prize money is SEK 20,000 each (gross) and it consists of a travel scholarship that can be used for conference participation, study visits or equivalent. The prize will be awarded in connection with the USBE Graduation ceremony on 2 June.</p>/en/news/the-pedagogical-prize-2023_11762408//en/news/sustainability-prize-to-student-thesis-from-halmstad-university_11761854/Sustainability prize to student thesis from Halmstad UniversitySimon Sandahl receives sustainability prize for his Master’s thesis “Electrification choices of heavy road transporters - An exploratory study of the connections between the technology choices and the transporters' business models”. The prize includes a scholarship worth 25,000 SEK and is awarded by the Research Institute for Organization and Business in Sustainable Transitions (ROBUST) at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics and Umeå Energy.Thu, 27 Apr 2023 13:50:54 +0200<p>In his thesis, Simon Sandahl identifies the connections between the choice of different electrification technologies and the transportation actors' business models for different local and regional heavy truck applications in Sweden. The study provides unique and important insights into the energy transition in the context of Swedish transportation industry that affects many sectors of society and the everyday lives of millions of consumers. Simon hopes that his work can provide a better understanding for the challenges that electrification creates for transportation companies and their business ecosystems.</p><p>– It is an honor to receive the prize considering its significance for future challenges. It feels like a good proof that one’s thesis delivered something useful that someone else also recognizes as important and that might even inspire future students to write about similar issues says Simon.</p><p>While electric cars are widely discussed today, much less attention is given to electric trucks with their many applications including regional-, construction-, and waste collecting transports. Simon’s interest for the topic was born during his studies when he had a chance to work on hands-on cases on sustainable business models and business model innovation in collaboration with the industry.</p><p>Comment from Simon:</p><p>– I am thankful to our fantastic professors and teachers at Halmstad University who awakened the interest in sustainability and innovation management. As students, we were included in cutting-edge research projects and got an opportunity to contribute with our insights, which felt really inspiring. The cases showed how easy it can be for a company to make a difference, and at the same time how fast this can become into a complex and challenging task that requires major transformations.</p><p>Right after graduation, Simon went on to work for Saab Kockums as Design Engineer.</p><p>– We are doing tremendously important work for national security, especially in these uncertain times. Saab Kockums also aspires to become more sustainable on different levels, which can be a challenge in the defense industry. But it is exciting to be a part of this journey Simon concludes.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="48f0084b-5bda-4c67-a720-29753b031063" data-contentname="Simon Sandahl - Faktaruta">{}</div><h3>Honourable mention</h3><p>Honourable mention goes to Nicole Fleming, Stockholm University, for the thesis “The Future We Want To Want - Temporal Equity Within Sustainable Development Discourse”. The jury commends the thesis for its refreshing and critical perspective on sustainable development.</p><p>Sanja Janevska and Stephanie Bedin, Linnaeus University, also receive honourable mention for their high-quality thesis “Exploration of the current state of the entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports the transition to a circular economy in Sweden”.</p><h3>Important collaboration</h3><p>The prize, which is handed out as a scholarship worth 25,000 SEK, has been made financially possible through collaboration with Umeå Energy.</p><p>– Umeå Energy wants to be a positive force in sustainable development of the Umeå region. With this scholarship, we want to encourage students in business administration to deeply engage in sustainability.</p><h3>The jury</h3><p>ROBUST expresses sincere gratitude to this year’s jury that consisted of Professor Thomas Lennerfors (Uppsala University), Susanne Sweet (Stockholm School of Economics), and Zeinab Rezvani (Örebro University School of Business).</p><p>Read more about the thesis prize and the criteria underpinning the jury’s decision <a href="~/link/44fac5e0ebcd402b80f58b441d8e6b51.aspx">on our webpage</a>.</p>/en/news/sustainability-prize-to-student-thesis-from-halmstad-university_11761854//en/news/business-advisory-board_11735980/We welcome new members to our Business Advisory BoardUmeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE) has a Business Advisory Board made up of members from the business community and the public sector. In collaboration the advisory board contributes to the continuous improvement of USBE. Annually, The USBE Board, Business Advisory Board, and the Internationally Advisory board meet to jointly discuss strategy issues.Thu, 09 Mar 2023 11:16:36 +0100<h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">In the past year we have welcomed five new members</h2><p><strong>Anna Andersdotter</strong>, statistician/analyst at Novus Group International AB. She has previously worked at the Swedish Quality Index and worked as an assistant professor at both Stockholm University and here in Umeå. Anna is an alumna with a master's degree in statistics from 2010. Active in Stockholm.</p><p><strong>Ylva Billing</strong>, Business Developer at Skellefteå Science City. Ylva has previously been CFO in several different companies, business advisor at Praktikertjänst and head of unit in Skellefteå municipality. Ylva is an alumna with a degree in accounting from 1991.</p><p><strong>Karin Johansson</strong>, Senior Relationship Manager, Nordea. Karin has previously held several roles at Danske bank. Karin is an alumna with a master's degree in finance from 2010. Active in Umeå.</p><p><strong>David Sundström</strong>, national economist, Swedish Transport Administration. David has previously worked at Statistics Sweden and SNS and worked as a senior lecturer at Umeå University. David is an alumnus, a PhD in econometrics in 2016. Active in Umeå (employer Stockholm).</p><p><strong>Anna Thoursie</strong>, Chief Economist, Ledarna. Anna has previously been chairman and member of the USBE board for a total of eight years. Anna has a PhD in Economics from Stockholm University.</p><h3>Business Advisory Board members include:</h3><p>Anna Andersdotter, Novus Group International AB<br>Ylva Billing, Skellefteå Science City<br>Nils-Olof Forsgren, Uminova Innovation<br>Henrik Johansson, Grant Thornton<br>Karin Johansson, Nordea<br>Sofia Lundberg, Handelshögskolan (convener)<br>Anna-Karin Nilsson, Vitec<br>Peter Renkel, Konftel<br>Oskar Riby, RISE<br>Tom Sarin, Komatsu Forest<br>Ann-Christine Schmidt, Skellefteå Kraft<br>Magnus Stenvall, Umeå Energi AB<br>David Sundström, Trafikverket<br>Kristina Säfsten, Övik Energi<br>Royne Söderström, Akademiska Hus<br>Anna Thoursie, Ledarna</p>/en/news/business-advisory-board_11735980//en/news/nominate-to-the-usbe-pedagogical-prize-2023_11732422/Nominate to the USBE Pedagogical Prize 2023Now you can nominate for the USBE Pedagogical Award. Both students and staff can nominate. Nominations are submitted no later than 24 /3 at 17:00.Wed, 01 Mar 2023 11:26:02 +0100<p>USBE annually awards a pedagogical laureate. The purpose of the prize is to encourage teachers who make good pedagogical efforts in undergraduate education and to stimulate pedagogical development at the USBE.</p><p>All forms of quality-enhancing activities aimed at supporting students' learning are noticed and such activities can take place in both direct teaching activities and in pedagogical development work. A teacher or a teaching team operating within the framework of undergraduate education may be nominated for the pedagogical prize if he/she/ has/have made special pedagogical efforts during 2022 through one of the following activities:</p><ul><li>Designed learning activities with students' learning in focus.</li><li>Integrated collaboration and/or working life connection in the structure and content of the course.</li><li>Had a special focus on research connection in structure and content.<br>Worked with pedagogical renewal (e.g., learning activities and examination forms).</li><li>Developed courses and programs.</li></ul><p>All employees at the USBE and students at our programs and courses are encouraged to nominate teachers or teaching teams. Students who nominate must have been active in one of our courses/one of our programs during 2022 and 2023.</p><p><a href="https://www.hh.ͯ��Ƶ/forms/ms/adfs/pedagogicalprize.php">Here's how to nominate</a></p>/en/news/nominate-to-the-usbe-pedagogical-prize-2023_11732422//en/news/the-benefits-of-ai-in-crisis-situations-_11721647/The benefits of AI in crisis situations Professor Frank Dignum, Director of Umeå University's new AI Centre, TAIGA, is chairing an international workshop aimed at creating a roadmap for research and development in agent-based social simulation.Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:43:18 +0100<p>The aim of the workshop: "Agent Based Simulations for Societal Resilience in Crisis Situations" is to learn from models built for crises, e.g., during the Covid-19 pandemic and other crises that any of the participants have practical model experience with: What worked well? What is missing? Where do we need improvements? What are the requirements for the tools that are necessary?</p><p><a href="https://wasp-hs.org/">WASP-HS</a> Assistant Professor <a href="https://wasp-hs.org/people/fabian-lorig">Fabian Lorig</a>, and Professor <a href="~/link/7c1d151779104ce782f403dbf1cb096f.aspx">Frank Dignum</a>, are arranging the workshop with the aim to create a roadmap of research and development in agent-based social simulation for crises in order to be better prepared to support governments and health care authorities.</p><h3>Further information</h3><p>Agent Based Simulations for Societal Resilience in Crisis Situations, 27 February - 3 March 2023. <a href="https://www.lorentzcenter.nl/agent-based-simulations-for-societal-resilience-in-crisis-situations.html">More information can be found here.</a> </p>/en/news/the-benefits-of-ai-in-crisis-situations-_11721647//en/news/rise-in-applications-to-international-masters-programmes_11711233/Rise in applications to international master’s programmes Interest in studying at Umeå University continues to rise throughout the world. The number of applicants to international master’s programmes starting in autumn 2023 has increased by over 20 per cent compared to the previous year. Fri, 03 Feb 2023 15:06:58 +0100<p>On 17 January, the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) presented new statistics that show the number of applicants for <a title="International master's programmes at Umeå University" href="~/link/cce28cf61fe542b080d8506cd84ace04.aspx">international master's programmes</a> for the autumn semester 2023 at Umeå University increased from 8,360 to 10,092, or 20.7%, compared to the autumn semester 2022. Interest in international master's programmes is a trend that has increased in recent years.</p><p>Umeå University placed 6th of 31 colleges and universities in Sweden that offer international master’s programmes regarding the largest percentage change in applicants for the autumn 2023 application round.</p><p>The total number of applications to international master's programmes was highest in business development, accounting, management, and finance. These degree programmes are offered by the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE).</p><p>“It is satisfying that so many individuals are interested in our programmes and that our profile areas are perceived as attractive,” says Sofia Isberg, programme director at USBE. “We are particularly pleased with the large number of applicants to our new bachelor's programme. We see this as a confirmation that we have made the right choice with our specialisation in internationalisation and data-driven decision-making. We have also put extra effort into marketing the new programme.”</p><p class="quote-center">It is inspiring and encouraging that the interest in our international master's programmes is high and continues to increase.</p><p>Furthermore, there is a significant interest in master's programmes in public health, psychology, environmental science, mathematics, and health psychology. The two-year master's public health placed ninth among all international master's programmes in Sweden in total applicants for autumn 2023. It is also noteworthy that the new master's programme in biomedical engineering has attracted many new applicants.</p><p>“It is inspiring and encouraging that the interest in our international master's programmes is high and continues to increase,” says Chatrine Norberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education at Umeå University. “We now hope that all prospective students who are admitted will accept their place and that we will see each other in the autumn.”</p><p>For all higher education institutions in Sweden, there were approximately 8,000 more applications for the autumn semester of 2023 than the previous year or a collective increase of 9.8%</p><p>Umeå University also has seen a rise in applications to its two <a title="Bachelor degree programes at Umeå University" href="~/link/dcd51605c5994a9faf1a58f44c8b23cb.aspx">programmes offered at the bachelor level</a>: the International Business and Economics Programme and the Bachelor of Science Programme in Life Science. </p><p>On 30 March, applicants to international master’s programmes will receive their notification of admission results. Bachelor level programme applicants will receive notification of admission on 5 April.</p><p><em>Source: <a title="Swedish Council for Higher Education news release in Swedish" href="https://www.uhr.se/nyhet-2023-01-17">Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR)</a> - news release and comprehensive statistics in Swedish.</em></p>/en/news/rise-in-applications-to-international-masters-programmes_11711233//en/news/a-new-ai-collaboration-will-give-robots-a-common-sense_11688272/New AI collaboration will give robots "common sense"Are there "smart" robots? Not today. But now researchers at Umeå University will try to change that in a new collaboration between Computing Science and Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics. – We will develop techniques so that robots learn what we sometimes call "common sense" with the help of us humans, says Thomas Hellström, Professor at the Department of Computing Science. Wed, 13 Mar 2024 15:45:57 +0100<p>Thomas Hellström is in charge of the new ROCC project, "Robots with Causal Capabilities", funded by the Swedish Research Council. The aim is to develop the robots' ability to see causal relationships and at the same time figure out what actually doesn't matter.</p><p>"This is essential for problem-solving, decision-making, and prediction, as well as creativity. In this respect, we humans are completely superior to today's AI systems," says Thomas Hellström.</p><p>He is a professor in computing science with a focus on robotics and leads the Intelligent Robotics research group at Umeå University, a team that has both coordinated and participated in a number of national and international projects over the past few years.</p><h3>Intelligent robots</h3><p>So, what do we mean by causal abilities? A simple example might be a supermarket and the amount of ice cream sold in a day, versus the store's electricity consumption at the same time.</p><p>"If it's hot, both ice cream sales and electricity consumption increase, so they are correlated, but there is no causal relationship that makes ice cream sales increase if electricity consumption goes up. We, humans, understand this – but unfortunately not today's computers and robots," says Thomas Hellström.</p><p>Another example is a service robot working in the dining room of a home for the elderly. The robot observes how Jan, after eating lunch, often sits down next to Julia on the couch for a chat. After a while, the kitchen door opens and the coffee cart rolls into the room. Julia claps her hands and smiles delightedly, while Jan moves to the dining table to drink coffee there.</p><p>"An intelligent robot must understand that it was the coffee that made Julia smile, and not Jan leaving the couch, i.e. it must understand the difference between observed correlations and real causal relationships," says Hellström.</p><h3>Learning through questions</h3><p>Together with <a href="~/link/ad73f18d1a22489ab6d3eb5cd3e25ac9.aspx">Suna Bensch</a>, Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science, <a href="http://stat4reg.se/xavierdeluna">Xavier de Luna</a>, Professor at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE), and <a href="~/link/0153fcacc9424a9689fb95e48f63bd82.aspx">Filip Edström</a>, PhD student at the Statistics department at USBE, <a href="~/link/f861ee61eb6f4a05b720943de9582dc4.aspx">Thomas Hellström</a> will now be teaching the robots how to do this.</p><p>"In this project, robots will talk to humans and ask questions about how the world works. Does leaving the lights on at night increase ice cream sales? Or is the increase due to something else? Hellström says.</p><p>Combining observations with questions and answers, the robot can gradually learn to understand cause and effect, a capability that can be used in many different ways.</p><p>"The robot can better make plans to achieve set goals because it knows more about what happens when it performs different types of actions. It can also learn to better understand us, humans, because it understands the purpose and goal of the things we do," says Thomas Hellström.</p><p>One research question is how the robot decides which questions to ask. Another is what statistical methods it should use to draw the right conclusions from these answers.</p><h3>Combination of expertise</h3><p>In the ROCC project, the researchers will also investigate how people experience and best interact with robots that can understand and make use of causal relationships.<br>- Yes, just as we can get annoyed with children who incessantly ask "why?" we will probably get annoyed with robots who do the same!</p><p>The project will require a combination of expertise in robotics, linguistics, and statistics.</p><p>"The transdisciplinary environment within <a href="~/link/81c258e0a3e6489bb81e7ea6cdb0ca9c.aspx">TAIGA</a>, Umeå University's new AI initiative, provides valuable support for this type of project, which would not be possible within individual research areas, concludes Thomas Hellström.</p>/en/news/a-new-ai-collaboration-will-give-robots-a-common-sense_11688272//en/news/nationalekonomiska-foreningens-thesis-prize_11690748/Nationalekonomiska föreningen’s Thesis PrizeThe aim of Nationalekonomiska föreningen (Swedish Economic Association) is to award a prize each year for the best master’s thesis on the subject of Economics written by a student at Umeå University. The prize was awarded December 1 in 2022 in connection with the seminar held by Nationalekonomiska föreningen. Mon, 05 Dec 2022 11:18:49 +0100<h3>Prize winner</h3><p>The winner was Suess Severin for his thesis with the title "<em>Forward Guidance Through Newspaper Articles - Explaining Movement in Bond Yields Through Text Analysis</em>".</p><p>He was  awarded a scholarship of 10,000 SEK.</p><p><strong>Comments from the jury:</strong> It is of great importance, in many aspects, to be able to interpret information correctly. This is especially true for the financial markets, in terms of interpreting the statements of financial and public actors. </p><p>The Swedish central bank aims to provide as correct and easily interpreted information as possible with regards to the financial and monetary situation in Sweden, and the world, to reduce uncertainties. </p><p>However, it isn’t reasonable to assume that financial actors use the information provided by the Swedish central bank alone as foundation for their financial decisions. It is more reasonable to assume that they collect information from several different sources, such as newspapers, in their attempt to predict the potential yield from bonds in the future. Further, newspapers may not necessarily be as precise in their statements as the Swedish central bank, implying that actors could misinterpret the information provided to them. </p><p>In this paper, Severin Suess investigates (through text mining) whether the Swedish newspapers interpretation (and "translation") of the information from the Swedish central bank can predict future bond yields. The results from the model imply that the model in fact can predict the return in the short run, but preforms worse for long run predictions. </p><p>The author demonstrate the ability to apply his theoretical understanding to advanced econometric settings to test relevant hypotheses. The thesis is innovative, well-written, and shows that there is great potential to conduct impactful and insightful research through the rather novel approach of text mining.</p>/en/news/nationalekonomiska-foreningens-thesis-prize_11690748//en/news/umea-delegation-at-japanese-swedish-research--innovation-week_11680371/Umeå delegation at Japanese-Swedish Research & Innovation WeekDuring 15-18 November, a delegation from Umeå University will be attending a bilateral research conference arranged at Kyushu University, Japan, together with other 19 Swedish and Japanese universities. The theme for the conference is “Sharing ONE future: Integrative Knowledge and Sustainable Transformation towards a better world.”Wed, 09 Nov 2022 10:39:10 +0100<p>The Research and Innovation (R&I) week is arranged within the MIRAI 2.0 project and the programme contains joint activities and scientific workshops within the thematic areas of the network: Ageing, Sustainability, Materials Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Participants are given the opportunity to present their research, learn from other successful collaboration projects, and discuss and develop project ideas.</p><p>“For Umeå University, MIRAI is a fantastic opportunity for researchers to establish long-term collaboration with Japanese and Swedish colleagues in a broad range of disciplines,” says Katrine Riklund, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Umeå University. “We are looking forward to the continued exchange of ideas, and especially for our young researchers to expand their networks with other researchers within their field. To furter strengthen the collaboration, there is seed funding for projects and courses to apply for, and the application period closes 1 December."<br> <br>The MIRAI 2.0 R&I week 2022 brings together researchers, students, and university management from all 20 Swedish and Japanese MIRAI 2.0 member universities, as well as research funding agencies and policymakers. Umeå University has been a collaborating member within the MIRAI project since 2017.</p><h3>Paralllel scientific sessions within AI, sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship. materials science, and ageing</h3><p><a title="Carl-Johan Boraxbekk" href="~/link/73d576c5c60146f987a7026b1783683a.aspx">Carl-Johan Boraxbekk</a>, professor at the Department of Radiation Sciences and co-chair of the thematic expert group within ageing, will deliver the opening remarks at the thematic expert group within ageing. Japan and Sweden are two countries that are facing similar challenges with a growing ageing population yet are also two very different countries.</p><p><a title="Tomas Blomquist" href="~/link/2204ef7746e645b498bf0b9059c7c18a.aspx">Tomas Blomquist</a>, professor of business administration at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, will be delivering a presentation titled “Experiences from the first meetings between tech startups and corporates: How do you prepare yourself?” at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship group parallel scientific session.<br><br><a title="Jennifer Frankel" href="~/link/a46827f9d7f34c1c96a0be9f1329687b.aspx">Jennifer Frankel</a>, doctoral student at the Department of Radiation Sciences, will be delivering a presentation titled “High-intensity interval training (HIT) for older adults - Development of new training strategies” at the Ageing group parallel scientific session.<br><br>Furthermore, <a title="Irina Mancheva" href="~/link/f753434e69bd436c871b56741fa65ecd.aspx">Irina Mancheva</a>, postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Political Science, is co-organising a workshop in the Sustainability programme titled “Interdisciplinary approaches to research on global, regional and national policy goals – opportunities and hinders for local sustainability.” Irina Mancheva is one of three Umeå researchers that received MIRAI seed funding for joint research projects.</p><p>There will also be a special focus on researchers in the early stages of their careers. Many attendees are young researchers and doctoral students that will have the opportunity to showcase their research at poster sessions over three days.</p><p class="quote-center">MIRAI R&I week is an excellent opportunity to enhance and update my research knowledge in the field of material science, by exchanging ideas within national and international research groups and developing new collaboration networks.</p><p><sub>- <a title="Mouna Rafei" href="~/link/93fc33b33eed43ff94087d25e08035e0.aspx">Mouna Rafei</a>, doctoral student at the Department of Physics</sub></p><p> </p><p><strong>The delegation from Umeå University includes:</strong> <br>Katrine Riklund, Ingrid Svensson, Gregory Neely, Carl-Johan Boraxbekk, Tomas Blomquist, Anne Ouma, Ida Asplund, Irina Mancheva, Jennifer Frankel, Mouna Rafei, Jia Wang, Xiuyu Wu, Siyang Wang, and Jenny Ahlinder Hagberg.</p><p><a title="MIRAI 2.0 Research & Innovation Week" href="https://miraisejp2022.wixsite.com/r-and-i-week">Read more about MIRAI 2.0 R&I Week 2022</a></p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="5c7d57fb-c877-4a5b-a79d-06db4ebb6959" data-contentname="About MIRAI 2.0">{}</div>/en/news/umea-delegation-at-japanese-swedish-research--innovation-week_11680371//en/news/ai-for-the-good-of-all-the-theme-of-the-inauguration-of-a-new-ai-center-_11673988/AI for the Good of All? The theme of the inauguration of a new AI-center Some of the world's top AI experts attend the Inauguration of TAIGA, the new centre for transdisciplinary AI For the Good of All at Umeå University. Harvard professor Milind Tambe, Ana Paiva, AI professor at the University of Lisbon and keynote speaker of this year's largest AI conference as well as Paul Lukowicz, Coordinator of Europe's largest AI research network will be giving talks. Tue, 18 Oct 2022 11:47:33 +0200<p>H&M Group, Boliden, IKEA, Zalando, Sogeti and others will join for presentations, demos, roundtables, and panel discussions.</p><p>“TAIGA connects researchers from different disciplines bringing their expertise and uniting them with the knowledge of others to develop AI that contributes to the positive development of society – AI for The Good of All." This is unique in the world, according to Frank Dignum, AI professor and director of TAIGA.</p><h3>Ecosystem of AI</h3><p>In the autumn of 2021, the University Board approved its strategy for developing a strong, sustainable, and university-wide ecosystem of AI research at Umeå University.</p><p>“A year later, we can now open the new cross-faculty centre which, under the leadership of Frank Dignum, will be a strong hub for both in-house and international collaborations with a clear profile – to tackle research questions and societal problems that are otherwise not possible. It feels very satisfying," Katrine Riklund, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Umeå University, comments.</p><h3>For the benefit of society</h3><p>The inauguration of TAIGA on 26-28 October will feature a wide range of different activities open to all. Attendees will hear the very latest in AI from some of the world's leading experts. <a href="~/link/6878f63c03d24dadb20017d1321dbfea.aspx">Milind Tambe</a>, Professor at Harvard University will talk about how AI can be used to improve women's health on an international scale; <a href="~/link/6878f63c03d24dadb20017d1321dbfea.aspx">Ana Paiva</a>, AI Professor at the University of Lisbon and a keynote speaker at the world's largest AI conference – the International Joint Conference of AI – will talk about social agents, chat-bots and social robots and the art of building sociability and collaboration into AI solutions. <a href="~/link/6878f63c03d24dadb20017d1321dbfea.aspx">Paul Lukowicz</a>, Director of the German Research Center for AI, (DFKI), talks about human-centered AI. Prof Lukowicz leads Europe's largest research network on AI.</p><p>“These are among the world's top researchers coming to talk about how to develop AI for the benefit of society – in Umeå”, says Frank Dignum, director of TAIGA.</p><h3>A critical approach</h3><p>Key questions about AI, its aesthetics, and politics will be discussed during a panel debate with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-cook-82b0395/?originalSubdomain=uk">Sara Cook</a>, Professor of Museum Studies at the University of Glasgow, and <a href="https://www.marioncarre.com/">Marion Carré</a>, artist and the CEO of Ask Mona, a discussion chaired by <a href="~/link/d3f6ed0b88f5432da0ad7f408c87e0d6.aspx">Ele Carpenter</a>, Professor at Umeå School of Architecture. The need for critical AI research is also the theme of one of TAIGA's roundtables: gigantic data sets, GDPR, as well as major changes when human judgment must interact with AI is something that affects us all and where research is greatly needed. Some of this research is led by Umeå university already.</p><p>“This will be interspersed with the latest in AI in healthcare, education, art, law, and society, as well as AI at Umeå University, where the visitors will get to meet today's robots and technology,” says Frank Dignum.</p><h3>Global companies</h3><p>The transformation of the working life is already happening, and <a href="~/link/df48f1a6316d464a8fd46712047efa3f.aspx">Virginia Dignum</a>, AI professor and member of the European Commission's expert group on AI, will chair a panel discussion with representatives from the H&M Group, Boliden, Health care, workforce research, and Umeå Municipality. And if AI can make decisions both faster and more logically, will top management be needed? This will be the subject of a talk by <a href="https://alfrehn.com/">Alf Rehn</a>, esteemed speaker and Professor of Innovation, Design and Management at the University of Southern Denmark.</p><h3>Umeå on the International AI Map</h3><p>"TAIGA develops connections within the university and in the national and international research community. We are also building strong collaborations with society, business, and industry. Several companies are coming to showcase new AI solutions at our Exhibition"  says professor Dignum.</p><p>There will also be a hackathon geared towards the younger generation such as the Umeå University students. There will also be round table discussions on understanding AI and Social AI including behavioral scientists, psychologists, and social scientists.</p><p>“AI affects us all and the transdisciplinary approach of TAIGA is the start of something new for all the researchers at Umeå University but also for the region and Sweden companies and social actors. With TAIGA we consolidate the place of Umeå University on the international AI map, Frank Dignum concludes.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="10281111-0ab7-438e-821b-fc52800c6b19" data-contentname="contact Frank Dignum TAIGA">{}</div>/en/news/ai-for-the-good-of-all-the-theme-of-the-inauguration-of-a-new-ai-center-_11673988//en/news/umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics-graduation-ceremony-2022_11607551/Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics Graduation Ceremony 2022On June 3 the Graduation Ceremony for 270 USBE students took place in Aula Nordica.Tue, 07 Jun 2022 13:29:24 +0200<p>There was about 270 students graduating. Many of them were international students. They all received their certificate from the Dean Sofia Lundberg. The Aula Nordica was filled with the students relatives and guests.</p><p>During the Ceremony some prizes were handed out:</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Nordeas thesis award, diversity and inclusion</h2><p>It is the first time that the award is given and the purpose of the award is to stimulate and maintain students' interest in how issues in business administration, economics and statistics can be related to diversity and inclusion. The financing of the prize, which is given as a scholarship, has been made possible by the USBEs collaboration with Nordea | BBU Botnia.</p><p>The prize is awarded to Hedda Dahlström and Frederik Lund-Petersen, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE). </p><p><a href="~/link/0f6b7251a1904d45b11469e182a969f9.aspx">Read more</a></p><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">Siemens Financial Services Best Student Thesis Award</h2><p>It is the third time that the award is given and the purpose of the award is to stimulate and maintain students' interest in the area of finance / financial economics with potential positive impact on regional skills provision. The funding of the award, which is given as a scholarship, has been made possible by USBEs collaboration with Siemens Financial Services</p><p>The prize is awarded to Patric Beijer and Moa Pålsson, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics.</p><p><a href="~/link/20e19c414347439383b05e161bd54d0a.aspx">Read more</a></p><h2 id="info2" data-magellan-target="info2">USBE Pedagogical Prize 2022</h2><p>USBE Pedagogical Prize 2022 is assigned to Associate Professor Lina Schelin, Department of Statistics. Lina is recognized for her way of engaging and including students in teaching and for developing an atmosphere in the room (physical or digital) that makes students feel safe and where students’ learning is in focus.</p><p><a href="~/link/a67a5e557e3a4b149db4dbfcc803aaf5.aspx">Read more</a></p><h2 id="info3" data-magellan-target="info3">USBE Scientific Awards</h2><p>USBE Scientific Award is awarded by the USBE Research Institute and the idea with the scientific awards is to celebrate scientific writing and distinguishes high-quality research in the field of Business Administration, Economics and Statistics.</p><p>The recipients for 2022 are  Gabriel Wallin, Statistics, Elin Nilsson, Business Administration<br>and Fei Xu, Economics</p><p><a href="~/link/6016da71892e4bd5a24b10341bd24249.aspx">Read more</a></p><h2 id="info4" data-magellan-target="info4">RiseB´s thesis prize</h2><p>RiseB, the Research Institute for Sustainability and Ethics in Business announces an annual thesis prize to encourage business students to become interested in and immerse themselves in sustainability and business ethics. The prize, which this year is handed out as two scholarships has been made financially possible through RiseB´s collaboration with Umeå Energi.</p><p>The winners are: Martina Reppen, Södertörn University, and Henry Müller and Felix Pahl, Stockholm School of Economics.</p><p><a href="~/link/1e3e4a57f3f942ac99673d9a31da8977.aspx">Read more</a></p><h2 id="info5" data-magellan-target="info5">USBE Scientific Awards</h2><p>USBE Scientific Award is awarded by the USBE Research Institute and the idea with the scientific awards is to celebrate scientific writing and distinguishes high-quality research in the field of Business Administration, Economics and Statistics.</p><p>The recipients for 2022 are Gabriel Wallin, Statistics, Elin Nilsson, Business Administration and Fei Xu, Economics</p><p><a href="~/link/6016da71892e4bd5a24b10341bd24249.aspx">Read more</a></p><h2 id="info6" data-magellan-target="info6">USBE Alumni Scholarship Foundation and Swedbanks Prize</h2><p>USBE Alumni Scholarship Foundation honors students that have contributed positively to the business school’s learning environment. The recipient of the 2022 scholarship, awarded by the USBE Alumni Scholarship foundation in cooperation with Swedbank is Hjalmar Johnson, student at the Business Administration and Economics program.</p><p><a href="~/link/600884071b6e4c26b56acf83d4790145.aspx">Read more</a></p><p>Music and singing during the ceremony: Malin Jonsson, Johan Wållberg and Jenny Nordkvist.</p>/en/news/umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics-graduation-ceremony-2022_11607551//en/news/usbe-alumni-foundation-prize-2022_11604785/USBE Alumni Foundation Prize 2022The 2022 recipient of the USBE Alumni Foundation's scholarship of SEK 10,000, which is awarded in collaboration with Swedbank, has been appointed.Wed, 01 Jun 2022 10:10:07 +0200<p>The recipient is Hjalmar Johnson, student at the Business Administration and Economics Program (Civilekonomprogrammet). The award will be handed out at the annual graduation ceremony. Throughout his studies, Hjalmar has been active in the student association HHUS and in particular the Finance Mastery in where he has worked to make the issues of finance visible through both events and articles in the student magazine Ekbladet.</p><p>Emelie Viklund, Swedbank Umeå and partner for the Alumni Foundation's award; <em>"We at Swedbank are proud and happy to be a part of handing out this fine prize to a very worthy representative! We hope that Hjalmar benefits from the prize and wish him all the best in the future!"</em></p><p>Hjalmar about the award; <em>"Really fun and honoring to be awarded this year's scholarship by the USBE Alumni Foundation. It feels incredibly fun to receive a confirmation that the time and commitment that has been put into the side of the studies has been appreciated. I would like to take the opportunity to send a greeting to all of you who have also been involved and who have laid the foundation for the student activities that exist today. For me, it is a big part of what makes the university both fun and educational. With this, I also want to encourage current and future students to get involved. It's really heavenly fun!"</em></p><p>Fellow students comment about Hjalmar: <em>"An unpretentious role model who always encourages and motivates to engage in both extracurricular activities and to aim for good study results."</em></p>/en/news/usbe-alumni-foundation-prize-2022_11604785//en/news/second-round-celog-certified-students_11602019/Second round cELog certified studentsOn May 24, we cELog-certified (Candidate European Logistician) 27 students in the Master of Business Administration program with a focus on retail and logistics.Wed, 25 May 2022 11:42:46 +0200<p>USBE is the only university in Sweden (and one of 26 in Europe), that has the privilege of being able to certify logistics students based on ELA´'s (European logistic association) standard. SILF (Swedish Purchasing and Logistics Association) which has the exclusive right in Sweden to logistics certification managers at two levels according to the international standard established by ELA.</p><p>"In collaboration with SILF, we can, as the only university in Sweden give out the first level to students with good study results. It is incredibly fun to see so many students meet the criteria!" says Elin Nilsson who was the initiator to get the certification. </p>/en/news/second-round-celog-certified-students_11602019//en/news/usbe-alumni-event-in-stockholm_11600968/USBE Alumni event in Stockholm10th of May we were able to once again arrange our yearly alumni meeting in Stockholm. This time we gathered under the theme "Change Management".Mon, 23 May 2022 14:14:21 +0200<p>Alumni Katarina Önell (1989) at Kantar-Sifo partnered up to host the event in central Stockholm with close to 40 alumni who met in the afternoon and where the majority also stayed for After Work in the same premises.</p><p>Sofia Lundberg gave updates from the USBE perspective and Robert Kihlberg and Siarhei Manzhynski gave online presentations from their dissertations.</p><p>Main speaker of the event was Jörgen Bergqvist, alumni from 2002 with broad experience from a number of different managerial and CEO roles at Swedish / Nordic level (Carlsberg, LEGO, Brio, Delicato and most recently Insula Seafood) gave reflections from his horizon.</p><p>Working with change work is a roller coaster according to Jörgen and always contains unexpected setbacks but also provides stimulus and is an area he has actively looked for during his career. In addition he also spoke about purpose/"WHY" were Jörgen himself had come to the conclusion that he wanted to contribute to a more sustainable world and in his case more specifically how we can change the food system for this purpose, in the future with a focus as an investor and the added value he can contribute through his own experiences.</p><p>Katarina Önell, Client Director at Kantar-Sifo also spoke about how Kantar-Sifo conducts measurements both broadly and with the same customers over time linked to, among other things, change work.</p><p>We were able to exceed the alumni’s expectations a bit on both content (3,6/5) and social aspects 3,7/5 according to evaluation (3=expectations met)</p><p>A participant comment:<em> “Good mix of lecturers and super with a review of what is happening for USBE!“</em></p>/en/news/usbe-alumni-event-in-stockholm_11600968//en/news/usbe-scientific-awards-2022_11600905/USBE Scientific Awards 2022This year we have three recipients and we congratulate Gabriel Wallin, Department of Statistics, Elin Nilsson, Department of Business Administration and Fei Xu, Department of Economics. The idea behind the scientific awards is to celebrate scientific writing and to distinguish high-quality research in the field of the disciplines.Mon, 23 May 2022 11:22:11 +0200<h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">The Scientific Award in Statistics</h2><p><strong>Gabriel Wallin</strong> did his doctoral studies in Statistics, USBE and defended his dissertation "Extensions of the kernel method of test score equating". in January 2020. After his dissertation he was first post doc at the Université Côte d’Azur & Inria, Nice in France. In 2021, Wallin received an international postdoc position from the Swedish Research Council, since then he is back at Statistics, USBE and affiliated with London School of Economics. Wallin's research focuses on developing statistical methods for obtaining legally secure knowledge tests, partly by being able to compare test results from different test versions but now also to detect if samplers cheat. The methods have been developed in agreement with test developers so that it can be used practically in large-scale knowledge tests, such as university exams.</p><p>Although Wallin is relatively new to the subject, he already has three publications in international peer review journals as well as five peer-reviewed book chapters and an internationally well-qualified network with which he collaborates. Wallin is a very competent and promising young researcher.</p><h3>Gabriel Wallin</h3><p>– I am very happy and thankful to receive this prize. I wish to thank the steering committee of the USBE Research Institute, and everyone at the Department of Statistics for contributing to a stimulating environment. I wish to express a special thank you to my PhD supervisors Marie Wiberg and Jenny Häggström who have had an important part in my academic career.</p><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">The Scientific Award in Business Administration</h2><p><strong>Elin Nilsson</strong> has since her dissertation in business administration published well in international peer review journals. She is a sought-after and appreciated speaker and was, for example, a leader in the arrangement of the NRWC conference in Umeå 2021. Her research in marketing with a focus on, among other things, creative industries has taken her to Australia and the University of South Australia, as a post doc. She has also been part of the accelerator program Future retail Lab at Expression, Umeå - a project that focuses on the creative industries.</p><p>In education, her contribution is noticeable, including the mapping of the professional degree program in retail and supply chain management against ELA's European logistics certification. This was made possible by Elin's involvement in SILF. Other positions of trust include the Swedish City Centers Research Council and the board assignment in Gösta Skoglund's international fund. Among the ongoing projects is an externally funded project in collaboration with Norrmejerier.</p><p>Elin is a very driving, competent researcher who also contributes in education and collaboration.</p><h3>Elin Nilsson</h3><p>– I feel very happy, honored and grateful to have been awarded Umeå School of Business, Economic and Statistics scientific prize in 2022. It is truly an encouragement beyond the ordinary.</p><h2 id="info2" data-magellan-target="info2">The Scientific Award in Business Economics</h2><p><strong>Fei Xu</strong> became a PhD in Economics at the University of Manchester, U.K., in December 2017, and was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Researcher at Sciences Po in Paris, France, between 2018 and 2020. She joined the Department of Economics at USBE as a Browaldh-Scholar in 2020.</p><p>Fei is a highly skilled theoretical economist working in the intersection between the economics of corruption, public economics, contract theory, and political economy. Her main research contributions so far refer to topics in the economics of corruption, such as the incentives underlying such behavior and policy implications thereof. To date, Fei has published five journal articles. In addition, she has a number of working papers and papers in progress, dealing with corruption, crime, optimal taxation in economies with tax evasion, and, more recently, also public procurement.</p><p>She is currently working together with several co-authors, including her former PhD supervisor at the University of Manchester and me. Fei’s work is of high scientific quality, and her work will most likely publish well renowned scientific journals.</p><h3>Fei Xu</h3><p>– I would like to thank the USBE Research Institute for giving me the prize. It is a great honor and I am proud of being part of this exciting organization of competent researchers. My research focuses on weak institutions, and how they remain a great threat to sustainable development. I, therefore, explore the fundamental threat to the rule of law, i.e., corruption, in order to improve the quality of institutions and public trusts. This prize will inspire me to continue my work. I am very grateful to work with my colleagues in USBE, and for the invaluable continued support.</p>/en/news/usbe-scientific-awards-2022_11600905//en/news/siemens-financial-services-best-student-thesis-award_11598575/Siemens Financial Services Best Student Thesis AwardThe prize is awarded to Patric Beijer and Moa Pålsson, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics. The thesis entitled “Corporate Sustainability Performance and the Risk of Financial Distress” will be awarded 20.000 SEK at Umea School of Business, Economics and Statistics’ graduation ceremony 2022.Wed, 18 May 2022 15:55:47 +0200<p>The jury mention in their decision that the winning thesis has a motivated and current research question, that is commendable analyzed with relevant methods. The thesis, that is well written, contribute with both theoretical and practical knowledge regarding the relation between firms’ sustainability performance and the risk of financial distress. <br>The price, which is handed out as a scholarship, has been made financially possible through USBE’s collaboration with <a href="https://new.siemens.com/se/sv/produkter/finansiering.html">Siemens Financial Services</a>.</p><h3>Comment from Siemens</h3><p>– We are very pleased to have entered into this collaboration with USBE and to give the award this year to a very well-written and interesting thesis that highlights a modern and prominent topic within the financial sector.</p><h3>Moa Pålsson</h3><p>– I feel incredibly honored to receive Siemens Financial Services scholarship 2022 for the thesis that I wrote along with Patric last spring.</p><p>– I think that the most important thing is to write about a topic that you really care about and everything else will fall into place. I feel proud of our thesis and I hope that it will inspire other students as we were inspired by the work of students before us.</p><p>– I like to thank our supervisor Catherine for the valuable feedback that we got throughout the process of writing the thesis. I would also like to thank my family and friends for all the support.</p><h3>Patric Beijer</h3><p>– Wow! It really warms my heart to receive this scholarship. We worked very hard on our thesis, and I hope that it can serve as inspiration to further research by other students as well as a contribution to research within sustainability topics.</p><p>– I would like to thank Siemens Financial Services and USBE for the scholarship and Moa Pålsson for a great teamwork. Lastly a huge thank you to Catherine Lions for great motivation and feedback.</p><p>The thesis supervisor was Catherine Lions. </p><p>The thesis can be found <a href="https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1574452&dswid=-1708">here</a>.</p>/en/news/siemens-financial-services-best-student-thesis-award_11598575//en/news/nordeas-thesis-award-diversity-and-inclusion_11597875/Nordeas thesis award, diversity and inclusionNordeas thesis award, diversity and inclusion is awarded to Hedda Dahlström and Frederik Lund-Petersen, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE). The thesis entitled ”Kvinna och ledare i techbranschen: En kvalitativ studie om kvinnors upplevelser av anpassning till maskulina könsnormer i den svenska techbranschen” will be awarded with 15 000 SEK.Tue, 17 May 2022 10:39:54 +0200<p>It is the first time that the award is given and the purpose of the award is to stimulate and maintain students' interest in how issues in business administration, economics and statistics can be related to diversity and inclusion. The financing of the prize, which is given as a scholarship, has been made possible by the USBEs collaboration with <a href="https://www.nordea.se/">Nordea</a> | BBU Botnia.</p><h3>Comment from Nordea: </h3><p>– We are very pleased to have entered into this collaboration with USBE and to give the award this year to a very well-written and interesting thesis that highlights diversity and inclusion.</p><h3>Thank you from the award winners</h3><p>– Thank you for this award, it feels great to receive this scholarship! We are happy that this subject is getting more attention and that this scholarship has been introduced. We hope that diversity and inclusion will be given even more attention in the Business Administration and Economics programmes in the future and that this can inspire both students and professionals to get more involved in the issue.</p><p>– We are very happy for our four years at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics and the education we have received.</p><h3>Words from the jury</h3><p>This thesis deals with a current and relevant empirical problem regarding the lack of female leaders in the tech industry. The topic is approached by the authors with an independently chosen and theoretically interesting angle in the form of female leaders' own experiences of how their leadership is adapted to masculine gender norms.</p><p>The study is well anchored in existing literature on gender roles and identity within organizations and leadership. The empirical study is well thought out and of high quality. The authors show a good ability to develop in-depth insights into the complexity of reality through critical reflection on the experiences of the interviewed female managers. They succeed in both maintaining respect for women's experiences and at the same time drawing their own conclusions with a more critical approach. The theoretical contribution is clearly carved out and the practical recommendations to companies in the tech industry are relevant and concrete.</p><p>They recommend that companies seek the help of independent gender equality consultants to become aware of the challenges and injustices that women may face, and then develop strategies for recruiting and allocating power and tasks that can be an integral part of the company's long-term plan rather than personal dependent.</p><p>The students also point to the societal potential that more inclusive and diverse organizations can increase profitability and competitiveness as well as facilitate the recruitment of co-workers.</p><p>The thesis supervisor was Associate Professor Ulrica Nylén.</p><p><a href="http://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1565460&dswid=1322">The thesis can be found in DiVA</a></p><h3>The Jury</h3><p>Many thanks to the jury which consists of associate professors Ulrika Leijerholt, business administration, Tomas Raattamaa, economics, Maria Karlsson, statistics, Sofia Lundberg, USBE Dean and Fredrik Stenling from Nordea.</p>/en/news/nordeas-thesis-award-diversity-and-inclusion_11597875//en/news/usbe-prme-report-2022_11594389/USBE PRME report 2022Bi-annual report on USBE:s work on sustainability.Tue, 10 May 2022 10:14:08 +0200<p><a href="https://www.unprme.org/">PRME</a>, Principles for Responsible Management Education, is a UN initiative for a more responsible education of the leaders of tomorrow. USBE agrees on the six principles decided upon by PRME and we are a member of the network since 2013. As a part of PRME are we bi-annually reporting on how our work on sustainability develops.</p><p><a class="documentIcon" href="~/link/655008ed14c34299ae891d229238121e.aspx">USBE PRME report 2022</a></p>/en/news/usbe-prme-report-2022_11594389//en/news/risebs-thesis-prize-2022_11591585/RiseB’s thesis prize 2022This year we have two thesis that are awarded the prize. The winners are: Martina Reppen, Södertörn University, and Henry Müller and Felix Pahl, Stockholm School of Economics. The prize will be handed out at the USBE graduation ceremony on June 3.Wed, 04 May 2022 16:30:05 +0200<h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Double thesis prize to students at Södertörn University and Stockholm School of Economics</h2><p>This year it is not one but two theses that are awarded RiseBs annual thesis prize in sustainability and business ethics. The winners are Martina Reppen, Södertörn University, and Henry Müller and Felix Pahl, Stockholm School of Economics. Each thesis receives the full prize and the scholarship worth 25,000 SEK from Umeå Energi.</p><p>The decision to award a double prize is unique and it is the result of a close tie between the two theses. Together, they map out opportunities and challenges for accelerating sustainability transitions across the public and private sector.  </p><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">From siloistic to holistic implementation of sustainability policy</h2><p>In the first winning thesis, Martina Reppen examines key factors, conditions, and barriers in the work with sustainable transition in the public administration. Reppen interviewed civil servants working strategically with implementation of the UN Agenda 2030 on the municipal level, and she found a gap between ambitions and actual policy integration in most municipalities. Agenda 2030 was often treated in isolated programmes for social, environmental, and economic sustainability, and there was a lack of vertical coordination both within the organisation and between different governmental levels.</p><p>Reppen makes a compelling case for holistic implementation of sustainability policy in the public sector.</p><p>– Agenda 2030 is a complex framework for integrated and horizontal issues that must be managed with regard to potential synergies and goal conflicts. An important question for me was how to attend to such holistic frameworks in the public sector that often separates and compartmentalizes issues in its organisation.</p><p>– My study shows that the traditional organizational logic may counteract long-term sustainability goals. There is a risk that Agenda 2030 or sustainability simply become a “political sprinkle” on top, rather than a real force for change from the bottom-up.</p><p>Title: <a href="http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-46583">From siloistic to holistic? – Integration and coordination to implement the 2030 Agenda on the Swedish municipal level</a></p><p><strong>Supervisor:</strong> Steffi Siegert</p><h2 id="info2" data-magellan-target="info2">Startups drive transition towards a circular economy</h2><p>Another winning thesis, written by Henry Müller and Felix Pahl, sheds light on the important and multifaceted role that startups play in circular ecosystems. The study builds on impressive empirical data including 33 interviews with entrepreneurs, established organisations, experts, and support structures, with a special focus on construction, fashion, and packaging industries.</p><p>Müller and Pahl find that startups introduce new business models, develop digital platforms that connect actors in the value chain in new ways, and employ a wide range of strategies to drive innovations despite challenges like high uncertainty and lack of funding.</p><p>– This prize is a great reward for the efforts that we invested into this research project. Being aware of intensifying environmental and social issues stemming from a “take-make-waste” economy, we aspired to contribute to promoting circularity.</p><p>– We hope that the study will provide practitioners, both entrepreneurs and established organizations, with strategic insights into transforming ecosystems from linear to circular. Ultimately, we show how seemingly insignificant startups with marginal sphere of influence may initiate, steer, or facilitate ecosystem-level changes.</p><p>Title: <a href="https://hhs.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/46SSOE_INST/1r9rksa/alma991001439890906056">Driving a better future: The role of startups in circular ecosystem innovation</a></p><p><strong>Supervisor:</strong> Per Andersson</p><h2 id="info3" data-magellan-target="info3">Honourable mention</h2><p>The jury also gives honourable mention to Sofia Gudmundsson and Anaïs Andréa Marie Lachini, Linnaeus University, for their high-quality thesis “Designing Business Models of Tomorrow: Exploring the Expansion of Cleantech-as-a-Service through an Agile Approach”.</p><h2 id="info4" data-magellan-target="info4">Important collaboration</h2><p>The prize, which this year is handed out as two scholarships worth 25,000 SEK each, has been made financially possible through RiseB´s collaboration with Umeå Energi.</p><p><a href="~/link/46e67131180b4c13aa2fca0c344d4d14.aspx">–</a> Umeå energi wants to be a positive force in sustainable development of the Umeå region. With this scholarship, we want to encourage students in business administration to deeply engage in sustainability.</p><h2 id="info5" data-magellan-target="info5">The jury</h2><p>RiseB expresses sincere gratitude to this year’s jury that consisted of Professor Satu Teerikangas (University of Turku), Maira Babri (Örebro University School of Business), Maxim Vlasov (Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics), and representatives from Umeå Energi: Maria Mårtensson and Marcus Larsson</p><p>Read more about the thesis prize and the criteria underpinning the jury’s decision at <a href="~/link/46e67131180b4c13aa2fca0c344d4d14.aspx">RiseB’s homepage</a>.</p>/en/news/risebs-thesis-prize-2022_11591585//en/news/usbe-pedagogical-prize-2022_11589003/USBE Pedagogical Prize 2022Associate Professor Lina Schelin, Department of Statistics, is awarded the USBE Pedagogical Prize of 2022. Lina is recognized for her way of engaging and including students in teaching and for developing an atmosphere in the room (physical or digital) that makes students feel safe and where students’ learning is in focus.Fri, 29 Apr 2022 10:41:44 +0200<p><em>This year's theme for nominations: Pedagogical innovation for student engagement in physical and/or digital education environment.</em></p><p>Lina has, among other things, worked with a special pedagogical approach where the students at the beginning of a course week get tasks to solve. The students meet later the same week for discussions in small groups, where the participants have solved different, but similar, assignments. The groups are divided according to a self-assessment of the students’ level of prior knowledge. Experience has shown that a group division linked to the level of prior knowledge supports all students' learning. Students with a higher level of prior knowledge learn more when discussing the tasks together. At the same time, students with a lower level of knowledge are given the opportunity to ask questions and discuss based on their needs. At the time of discussion, teachers are on site and walk around among the groups. The teacher's allocation of time can be adapted to the prior levels of knowledge of the different groups. Lina and her colleagues strive to create an open discussion climate where students feel safe and dare to ask questions.</p><p>– I am, of course, happy and grateful for the award. I find teaching both important and fun. In my teaching, I try to create a learning environment where students feel safe. Therefore, it is extra gratifying to receive confirmation that the students are also experiencing this.</p><p>– I also see the award as a confirmation that the pedagogical development work we do within the department is relevant and important. We have continuous pedagogical discussions, and there is a great engagement in pedagogical development work.</p>/en/news/usbe-pedagogical-prize-2022_11589003//en/news/nominate-to-the-usbe-pedagogical-prize-2022_11573257/Nominate to the USBE Pedagogical Prize 2022Now you can nominate for the USBE Pedagogical Award. Both students and staff can nominate.Tue, 05 Apr 2022 15:30:16 +0200<p>Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE) annually awards a pedagogical prize. The purpose is to encourage good educational efforts of our teachers and to stimulate pedagogical development at the school.</p><p>All employees at the USBE and students at our programmes/courses are invited to nominate teachers or teaching teams for USBE pedagogical prize 2022. Students who nominate must have been active in one of our courses/one of our programs during 2021.</p><p><em>This year's theme for nominations: Pedagogical innovation for student engagement in physical and/or digital education environment.</em></p><p>The prize is awarded to teachers/teaching teams who have made special pedagogical contributions in undergraduate education during 2021 by developing, adapting, or improving learning activities based on the physical or digital educational environment so that the activities encourage student engagement, are permissive and contribute to creating trust between teacher and student and between students. Extraemphasis is placed on activities that have promoted all students' learning opportunities regardless of gender, ethnicity, social background, or disability.</p><p><strong>Here's how to nominate: </strong><br>Describe overall why you would like to nominate this teacher/teaching team. The nomination should relate to this year's theme and preferably include concrete examples that can prove it. It is especially important that the nomination shows the pedagogical strengths of the teacher/teaching team in relation to the criteria.</p><p><a href="https://www.hh.ͯ��Ƶ/forms/ms/adfs/pedagogicalprize.php">The nomination is submitted via this link no later than 20/4 at 17:00.</a></p><p>Welcome with your nomination!</p>/en/news/nominate-to-the-usbe-pedagogical-prize-2022_11573257//en/news/positive-industry-impact-gives-international-award-to-alumni-from-usbe_11347897/Positive industry impact gives international award to USBE alumnaeKerstin Cooley, Managing Partner at Brightly Ventures, is a pioneer among investors. She has long worked for diversity and equal conditions on the investor side and is also a successful entrepreneur. The Influential Leader award draws attention to the importance of her efforts on an even more international arena.Wed, 12 Oct 2022 10:38:53 +0200<p>AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), one of the world's largest organizations for business schools, wants to draw attention to alumni who make a difference through the annual Influential Leader award. This year, 27 alumni are selected from the approximately 900 business schools that are accredited according to AACSB's quality standard. For the second time, an alumni from Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE) at Umeå University receives the award. Three years ago, H & M's CEO Helena Helmersson was awarded the award for her sustainability work.</p><p>– Through the award, we get the opportunity to highlight some of all our talented alumni and show what a difference they can make. It shows the societal value of our educations in a broad sense, says Sofia Lundberg, Dean of USBE</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">USBE laid the foundation for an international career</h2><p>Kerstin Cooley graduated with an international one year master's degree from USBE in 1995. She began her career at the Silicon Valley-based company Echelon and also has a background in communication via the company Cognito and has worked at SEB. Since 2013, when she founded the private capital company MOOR, she has been a leading force for increased gender equality and diversity in the industry. She is now one of 27 alumni from AACSB-accredited business schools globally who are awarded the Influential Leader Class of 2022 award.</p><p>– An award that makes me very happy and proud! I would like to thank the AACSB, which focuses on positive, sustainable and passionate leadership, but also USBE, which laid the foundation for my international career and nominated me. Through the privilege of working with unique and fantastic people around the world, I have been inspired to break new ground. If the award can encourage young people to take action and dare to challenge the status quo, it is very worthwhile, says Kerstin Cooley.</p><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">The journey towards a more gender equal investment industry</h2><p>In Kerstin Cooley's current company Brightly Ventures, 30% percent of the companies they invest in have female founders, a significant increase compared to the global average of 1-10%. Brightly Ventures measures gender equality, reports back to all investors driving an active dialogue on issues related to diversity and inclusion.</p><p>In recent years, Kerstin Cooley has also served as a mentor for women in several organizations, including Level 20, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving gender equality in the European private equity industry. She is also a member of Women in VC, a global organization for promoting and supporting other women in the industry.</p><p>Kerstin Cooley also receives regular attention on issues concerning gender equality in the investment industry in the media, for example in Sweden’s leading daily business magazine Dagens Industri.</p><p class="quote-center">We are well on our way to a positive change in the industry regarding more gender equality.</p><p>For more information about AACSB Influential Leaders and the entire portrait of Kerstin Cooley and others who will receive the 2022 award, visit <a href="http://www.aacsb.edu/influential-leaders">www.aacsb.edu/influential-leaders</a>.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="ead36ef7-2fa5-4cc0-8b8a-bd0198cb5368" data-contentname="Sofia Lundberg eng - Kontakt">{}</div><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="7b17b6a0-4b20-4a57-8e13-799684bb2b48" data-contentname="AACSB - Faktaruta">{}</div><p> </p>/en/news/positive-industry-impact-gives-international-award-to-alumni-from-usbe_11347897//en/news/sns-economic-policy-council-report-2022_11309876/The SNS Economic Policy Council 2022: Introduce a rating system in public procurement similar to systems used for taxi and hotel servicesA major problem with regard to public procurement is that buyers are not allowed to take previous experiences with suppliers into account when evaluating tenders. In order to remedy this, the SNS Economic Policy Council proposes introducing rating systems for suppliers to the public sector similar to systems used online to rate taxi and hotel services.Thu, 20 Jan 2022 09:53:54 +0100<p>In 2019, Swedish public sector procurement amounted to more than SEK 800 billion, corresponding to almost 18 percent of GDP. In the SNS Economic Policy Council Report 2022: Public Procurement, the authors highlight a number of problems related to how public procurement is currently carried out while also suggesting ways of addressing these.</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Past performance is not taken into account</h2><p>First, current procurement rules limit the possibility of using information on previous deliveries when carrying out evaluations in a new tender process.</p><p>“It is difficult to prevent a supplier that has previously misbehaved from participating in a new tender process. And it is even more difficult to reward a supplier you are satisfied with. Furthermore, it is not possible to include information on other organizations’ experiences with a supplier in the evaluation, other than in the form of references,” says Sofia Lundberg, professor of economics at the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, Umeå University and chair of the SNS Economic Policy Council 2022.</p><p>In order to remedy these problems, the researchers propose introducing rating systems for public sector suppliers that take past deliveries into account, similar to the online services used for rating, for instance, taxi and hotel providers.</p><h2 id="info1" data-magellan-target="info1">Weak link between price in tender and price in contract</h2><p>Second, there may be a weak link between tender price and what is actually paid out, which, according to the researchers, risks ruining the entire tender procedure.</p><p>“If the tender price repeatedly differs from what is actually paid, there is no reason for suppliers to submit bids reflecting the actual costs. This increases the risk of dishonest suppliers winning contracts,” says Mats Bergman, professor of economics at Södertörn University.</p><p>The researchers believe that government authorities need to get better at designing their procurement processes so that the price in the winning bid more clearly reflects the actual money paid out.</p><h2 id="info2" data-magellan-target="info2">Inadequate division of responsibility for cost overruns</h2><p>Third, uncertainty regarding costs is not handled properly. It is difficult to know in advance how much a complex service such as constructing a building or bridge will ultimately cost. Surprises in the form of, for instance, difficult ground conditions and bad weather affect both costs and quality. That is why contractual terms and follow-up procedures play a crucial role.</p><p>“We can offer examples of shortcomings in both contracts and follow-ups. There are cases indicating that somewhere between the call for tenders and the final delivery, the procurement process goes from a fixed-price contract to a cost-plus contract. In some cases, the amount paid out is three or four times higher than the tender price,” says Malin Arve, associate professor of economics at the Norwegian School of Economics.</p><p>The researchers recommend that potential cost overruns should be managed in the contract as far as possible in advance (e.g., by cost-sharing contracts). This reduces the risk of unjustifiably high amounts being paid out and increases the level of predictability for the buyer.</p><h2 id="info3" data-magellan-target="info3">Contact</h2><h3>Authors</h3><p>Sofia Lundberg (chair), Professor of Economics, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, Umeå University<br><a href="mailto:sofia.lundberg@ͯ��Ƶ">sofia.lundberg@ͯ��Ƶ</a><br>070-374 92 55</p><p>Malin Arve, Associate Professor of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics, Bergen<br><a href="mailto:malin.arve@nhh.no">malin.arve@nhh.no</a><br>+47 55 95 91 52</p><p>Mats A. Bergman, Professor of Economics, Södertörn University<br><a href="mailto:mats.bergman@sh.se">mats.bergman@sh.se</a><br>073-841 62 14</p><p>Lars Henriksson, Professor of Law, Stockholm School of Economics<br><a href="mailto:lars.henriksson@hhs.se">lars.henriksson@hhs.se</a><br>08-736 9182</p><h3>Press officer</h3><p>Jenny Landqvist<br><a href="mailto:jenny.landqvist@sns.se">jenny.landqvist@sns.se</a><br>0722-51 36 28<br><a href="https://www.sns.se/">www.sns.se</a><br><a href="https://twitter.com/snskunskap">twitter.com/snskunskap</a><br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SNSinfo/">facebook.com/snsinfo</a></p><h2 id="info4" data-magellan-target="info4">Download a summary</h2><p><a href="https://www.sns.se/en/articles/sns-economic-policy-council-report-2022-public-procurement/">SNS Economic Policy Council Report 2022: Public Procurement</a></p>/en/news/sns-economic-policy-council-report-2022_11309876//en/news/angelos-kostis-awarded-the-2020-oscar-sillen-prize-_11175030/Angelos Kostis awarded the 2020 Oscar Sillén Prize For the 18th year in a row, the organization FEI awards the “Oscar Sillén Prize for Best Thesis in Business Administration” to the best Swedish thesis in the field. 2020 the award goes to USBE alumnus Angelos Kostis for his thesis "Coping with Interpartner Uncertainty in Interorganizational Interactions".Tue, 07 Dec 2021 12:02:47 +0100<p>– I am very excited about the fact that my thesis and its focus are acknowledged as important and relevant. Undoubtedly, it is an honor that my doctoral thesis received this highly prestigious award. It is gratifying that the subject of my thesis, which focuses on the notion of interpartner uncertainty in interorganizational relations, is noticed in this type of forum. Receiving the Oskar Sillén prize is itself a motivation for the future and an extra boost for producing high quality research. I want to thank both the jury, my academic advisors Prof Maria Bengtsson and Associate Prof Malin Näsholm, and everyone who has in some way contributed to the dissertation over the years, says Angelos Kostis.</p><p>– We live in an ever-changing world where organizational realities are marked by unpredictability and organizations are constantly confronted with uncertainty, not least with uncertainty in inter-organizational relationships. Whilst interorganizational relationships are important means for achieving demanding strategic goals, they are also highly unstable and uncertain. Understanding the multiple facets of uncertainty organizations face and shedding light on the ways in which they can manage such multifaceted uncertainty is important and my thesis addresses this by offering knowledge that can support organizations understand and cope with a key challenge they are constantly confronted with: interpartner uncertainty. In my thesis, I unpack the multifaceted nature and sources of uncertainty, which is particularly prominent when the relationship falls within coopetition, ie relationships that consist of both cooperation and competition, since the partners then only have partially common interests. In addition, light is shed on three distinct yet still interconnected dimensions of the uncertainty coping process - managerial cognition, relationality, and materiality.</p><p>After earning his PhD from USBE, Angelos Kostis is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the SCDI AI Lab at the Department of Informatics, Umeå University. He is also a Visiting Scholar at SCANCOR, Stanford University.</p><p>– In the near future, my plan is to focus on producing high quality and relevant research related to the manner in which organizations engage with Artificial Intelligence. Since last year I have had the pleasure of getting a Kempe scholarship and working with Professor Jonny Holmström, who further motivated me to explore the imbrication processes between IT and organizations. I recently received the news that I got a Wallander scholarship from the Jan Wallanders och Tom Hedelius stiftelse, which is a great honor too. I am thankful about all these, as they are extra boosts for the future and encourage me to further delve into research topics residing in the intersection between organization theory and Information technology.</p><p>Read the thesis: <a href="http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-175247"><em>Coping with Interpartner Uncertainty in Interorganizational Interactions</em></a></p>/en/news/angelos-kostis-awarded-the-2020-oscar-sillen-prize-_11175030//en/news/how-can-competitors-collaborate-for-sustainability_11171715/How can competitors collaborate for sustainability?In a world where higher and higher demands are placed on sustainability, competing companies are forced to work together to achieve sustainability goals. What does this collaboration look like and what results are achieved? This is studied in a new dissertation from Umeå University.Mon, 06 Dec 2021 13:29:40 +0100<p>In his dissertation <em>Understanding and Managing Coopetition for Sustainability: Process and Outcomes</em> Siarhei Manzhynski, doctoral student at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE), studies “coopetition for sustainability “– an inter-firm phenomenon where actors from the same industry simultaneously cooperate and compete with the intent to achieve environmental, economic, and social benefits.</p><p>– Even though in practice we see more and more examples of collaboration between competitors for supporting sustainability in different industries (e.g., in housing, construction, automotive industry), there is still a lack of knowledge about both the process and possible outcomes of such collaboration. For example, while it is obvious that collaboration between competitors as such is quite difficult to organize and manage because of numerous tensions, there is a need to develop effective mechanisms for regulating the process of collaboration, especially if the task is not only to make money but also to enhance environmental and social sustainability, says Siarhei Manzhynski.</p><p>The thesis shows that whilst coopetition for sustainability is a complex, tension-filled phenomenon, it has great potential to advance sustainability in both theory and practice.</p><p>– I contribute to business administration research by generating novel insights into the process and outcomes of coopetition for sustainability. This dissertation is one of the first attempts to investigate the phenomenon comprehensively, covering both processual nuances and outcomes and employing conceptual, quantitative, and qualitative approaches.</p><p>This thesis has important practical implications that can be used by managers who are involved in and responsible for coopetitive relationships.</p><p>– I systematically conceptualize and model outcomes of coopetition for sustainability that allow practitioners to fulfill a more comprehensive assessment of possible consequences of coopetitive relationships and thus make a more informed decision about the appropriateness of coopetition. My approach gives a possibility to present information about outcomes in a traditional business way, i.e., in numerical monetary units, which is not easy when it comes to environmental and social dimensions. This allows stakeholders to compare gains and losses for each firm as well as at the group level.</p><p>– Finally, by examining the cause–effect relationship between the intensity, balance, and outcomes in coopetition for sustainability, I provide important implications for managers who are involved in and responsible for coopetitive relationships. For example, the findings show that managers can affect coopetition for sustainability by regulating its intensity and balance between competing demands. For relatively weak coopetitive interactions, managers are encouraged to intensify the relationship, while for relatively strong coopetition, managers instead need to keep the status quo and not get involved in more and/or deeper interactions or even abate some interactions.</p><p><strong>Read the thesis:</strong> <a href="http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-189472"><em>Understanding and Managing Coopetition for Sustainability: Process and Outcomes</em></a></p>/en/news/how-can-competitors-collaborate-for-sustainability_11171715//en/news/labour-market-effects-om-childbearing-and-fertility_11148949/Labour market effects om childbearing and fertilityIn her doctoral thesis "Fertility, childcare and labour market: dynamics in time and space", Elena Kotyrlo, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE), explores the mechanisms explaining how the labour market is related to childbearing and fertility in Sweden.Mon, 29 Nov 2021 10:42:15 +0100<p>The thesis explores three major mechanisms that can be strengthened or diminished by family and labour market policies that support and promote gender equalization.</p><p>– The first hypothesised mechanism accounts for social interactions. For example, parenting peers can potentially influence the decision to have a child, as they share common interests and can give emotional support during parenthood. Secondly, childbearing decision depends on how individuals evaluate their current income with a desired one, relative to others around them. Thirdly, internal migration and daily commuting can contribute to a successful match in the marriage market followed by childbirth, says Elena Kotyrlo.</p><p>– My research also contributes to the study of the long-term and short-term effects of earnings on fertility. Earlier studies have argued that richer families tend to invest in education of their children more than families with relatively low income. On the other hand, the greater is the income the larger family one can afford, and my results suggest that this latter effect dominates.</p><p>Elena Kotyrlo studied the effects of internal migration and daily mobility on fertility.</p><p>– I argue that mobility makes information exchange more intense, affecting life and family patterns. Labour mobility could accelerate or delay final marital choice and childbearing. It also relates to earnings and its consequences in the desire to have children. I find that an average commuting woman postpones her motherhood. More intensive interactions with single people working and daily commuting can decrease the desire to have children. A longer time, spent for work including commuting, and a shorter time, spent for household’s production such as childbearing and childrearing is another reason.</p><p>Together with colleagues Magnus Wikström and Niklas Hanes, Elena Kotyrlo evaluated the effect of Swedish childcare policies enacted in 2001-2002. The policies increased the accessibility of formal childcare for pre-school children.</p><p>– We find that native Swedish mothers of children of 2-5 years old increased their earnings and labour force participation (LFP). The results give no evidence that immigrant mothers’ earnings and LFP were affected by the reform package.</p><p><strong>Read the thesis:</strong> <a href="http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-180307"><em>Fertility, childcare and labour market: dynamics in time and space</em></a></p><p><strong>Contact Elena Kotyrlo:</strong> <a href="https://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/190260383">https://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/190260383</a></p>/en/news/labour-market-effects-om-childbearing-and-fertility_11148949//en/news/nordic-retail-and-wholesale-conference-nrwc_11087180/Nordic Retail and Wholesale Conference (NRWC)Umeå School of Business Economics and Statistics (USBE) have the honor of arranging the 7th Nordic Retail and Wholesale Conference (NRWC) this week, November 9-11.Tue, 09 Nov 2021 12:43:12 +0100<p>The NRWC conference brings together around 100 researchers from various disciplines with a focus on retail, to share and take part of exciting research that takes place in the field.</p><p>We see it as an excellent opportunity to showcase Umeå University and Umeå as a city as well as many of the fantastically talented entrepreneurs we have in the region.</p><p>NRWA - Nordic Retail and Wholesale Association is a trade-oriented academic research network initiated by and funded by the Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council and the Hakon Swenson Foundation.</p><h3>Organizing committee</h3><p>Dr Elin Nilsson (chair), Professor Sofia Lundberg, Professor Lars Silver and Associate Professor/Docent  Johan Lundberg.</p><p>More detailed information is available on the conference website: <a href="https://nrwa.se/">www.nrwa.se</a></p>/en/news/nordic-retail-and-wholesale-conference-nrwc_11087180//en/news/grants-from-forte-and-handelsbanken_10516979/Grants from Forte and HandelsbankenWe are very proud to announce that research funding of 10.8 million has been granted from Forte and Handelsbanken.Mon, 31 May 2021 11:30:47 +0200<h3>Grants from Forte</h3><p>Forte is a research council funding research on health, working life and welfare. The research Forte funds today paves the way for a more equal and sustainable society in the future.</p><p>Senior Lecturer Tetiana Gorbach, Departmet of Statistics has been granted funding from Forte’s international postdoc program, outgoing international postdoc, SEK 2 300 000. The grant covers two years and at least two thirds of the project time must be spent in the country chosen for the postdoc period.</p><h3>Grants from Jan Wallander's and Tom Hedelius's foundation and Tore Browald's foundation</h3><p><a href="https://www.handelsbanken.se/shb/inet/IStartSv.nsf/FrameSet?OpenView&id=Forskningsstiftelserna">Jan Wallander's and Tom Hedelius's foundation as well as Tore Browald's foundation</a> are intended to support social science research, primarily in economic history, economic geography, business economics, economics and econometrics.</p><p>Professor Giovanni Forchini, Department of Economics, has received SEK 1 725 000 for prolongation of Raoul Theler’s Browaldh-scholarship and Professor Thomas Aronsson, also Department of Economics, has received the same amount for prolongation of Sonal Yadav’s Browaldh-scholarship. This means that Raoul and Sonal can stay with us at the business school for additional three years and both of them now enter their second scholarship period. The prolongation decision is made by Handelsbanken, and is based on an assessment of the scholars’ accomplishments during the first scholarship-period (i.e., the first three years).</p><p>Professor Gauthier Lanot, Department of Economics (PI) with co-applicants Professor Thomas Aronsson, doctoral student Johan Holmberg, and doctoral student Johan Gustafsson, all from The Department of Economics , have received TSEK 2 400 from Jan Wallanders &Tom Hedelius foundation & Tore Browaldhs foundation, for their project <em>“Economic policy, Social Insurance and Self-employment”</em>.</p><p>PhD Doctor Katharina Jenderny, Department of Economics, (PI) with co-applicants Professor Thomas Aronsson, Department of Economics and PhD. Johannes Koenig (Doctoral Fellow at Freie Universitat Berlin) have received funding from Jan Wallanders &Tom Hedelius foundation & Tore Browaldhs foundation. The amount is SEK 670 000 for the project: <em>“Inkomster, finansiellt risktagande och ojämlikhet i livstidsresurser”</em>.</p><p>Docent Sujith Nair (PI) with co-applicants Professor Tomas Blomquist and  Docent Medhanie Gaim, all from The Departmet of Business Administration, have received TSEK 1 979, from Jan Wallanders &Tom Hedelius foundation & Tore Browaldhs foundation for their project<em> “Understanding the emergence of complex innovations and their ecosystems”</em>.</p>/en/news/grants-from-forte-and-handelsbanken_10516979//en/news/siemens-financial-services-best-student-thesis-award_10481707/Siemens Financial Services Best Student Thesis AwardSiemens Financial Services Best Student Thesis Award is awarded to Bui Thi Mai Anh (Kelly) and Alessandra Frongillo, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics. The thesis entitled “How does the market perceive ESG in IPOs: Investigating how ESG factors affect IPO Underpricing in the U.S. market” will be awarded 20,000 SEK at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics’ digital graduation ceremony 2021.Fri, 21 May 2021 15:18:06 +0200<p>It is the second year that the award is given and the purpose of the award is to stimulate and maintain students' interest in the area of finance / financial economics with potential positive impact on regional skills provision. The funding of the award, which is given as a scholarship, has been made possible by USBEs collaboration with <a href="https://new.siemens.com/se/sv/produkter/finansiering.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_-7KvOqz6QIVAsqyCh06vgQ2EAAYASAAEgLyWPD_BwE">Siemens Financial Services</a>.</p><p><em>- We are very pleased to continue our collaboration with USBE and honored to give the award this year to a very well-written thesis that highlights an interesting and prominent topic within the financial sector.</em></p><h3>Words from the jury</h3><p>The jury mention in their decision that the winning thesis has a well-motivated and current research question regarding the role of private firms’ sustainability information in the valuation of firms in initial public offerings (IPOs). The research question is commendable analyzed with relevant methods and contribute with new theoretical and practical knowledge regarding firms’ IPOs.</p><p>Alessandra</p><p><em>- I am excited and glad for this prize! I hope our work can help raise substantial interest in sustainable finance among students, professors and companies and drive consequent research in this interesting field. Thanks to Kelly and Jörgen for the work done together and thanks to the Siemens Financial Services commission for the opportunity!</em></p><p>Kelly:</p><p><em>- I enjoyed writing this thesis as an interesting yet challenging experience. It is like we are doing research in the real-world in which we were creative and take the full responsibility for it. For me, the award encourages me to keep my enthusiasm up in my future career. Hope that this Award also motivates other students, who are interested in research, to be creative with various topics and try new ideas.</em></p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="5230c643-6911-4724-b50e-a1f986848656" data-contentname="Siemens prize - faktaruta">{}</div>/en/news/siemens-financial-services-best-student-thesis-award_10481707//en/news/riseb-thesis-prize-is-awarded-to-students-at-lund-university_10470748/RiseB thesis prize is awarded to students at Lund UniversityRiseB’s annual thesis prize in sustainability and business ethics is awarded to Olivia Johnsson & Annique Snel, School of Economics and Management, Lund University. They receive the scholarship worth 25000 SEK for the MSc thesis: “The Incompatibility of Two Systems. A qualitative study on incumbent firms and small entrepreneurial companies’ attempt to transition from a linear to a circular economic system”. This is the second consecutive year that the prize goes to students from Lund University.Tue, 18 May 2021 16:30:17 +0200<p>This year was marked with a record-high number and quality of nominations, which made the jury’s task very challenging. RiseB received nominations from 15 different institutions with business and economics education all around the country.</p><h3>The winning thesis</h3><p>The winning thesis demonstrates high theoretical and practical relevance by offering a nuanced and critical analysis on the role of businesses in transitioning to a circular economy. The authors conducted a comparative study of an incumbent firm and small entrepreneurial companies in the furniture and related industries. The study reveals that the adoption of circular business models by these firms is full of conflicts between the traditional business thinking and the logics of circularity and regeneration.</p><p><em>-We both have had a passion for the subject for a while now, and knowing that our efforts are valued this way makes us feel very proud. This encourages us to continue applying nuanced, but critical thinking in our future endeavours, as winning this prize shows that it is appreciated and much needed in order to advance the sustainability agenda. </em></p><p>The thesis contributes to a better understanding of mental and institutional barriers faced by individual circular initiatives that still have to operate by the rules of the current economic system. Johnsson and Snel conclude that transition to a circular economy cannot be driven by companies alone, and that there is a need for systemic change on the level of governments, consumers and financial institutes. With its originality, academic quality and rigour, the thesis broadens the debate on circular economy and on the different kinds of future it can create.</p><p><em>-We came in contact with the circular economy when we went on inspirational evening seminars in Lund. The critical perspective grew during the process, as we interviewed people and read more and more about this novel idea. Following the course ‘Reimagining-capitalism’, taught by our supervisor Ester Barinaga, gave us the confidence to think outside of the box and to challenge the status quo.</em></p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="01dcb5ea-7cca-4f95-bcaf-a5bfbdeb5f24" data-contentname="RiseB pris 2021 - Faktaruta">{}</div><h3>Honourable mention</h3><p>The jury also gives honourable mention to the second and third place runner-ups: Erica Damsten and Lee Hasselgren (Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics) and to Jana Shawkat (Södertörn University) for their high-quality theses. </p><h3>Important collaboration</h3><p>The prize, which is handed out as a scholarship worth 25000 SEK, has been made financially possible through RiseB´s collaboration with <a href="http://www.umeaenergi.se/">Umeå Energi</a>.</p><p><em>- Umeå energi wants to be a positive force in sustainable development of the Umeå region. With this scholarship, we want to encourage students in business administration to deeply engage in sustainability.</em></p><h3>The jury</h3><p>RiseB expresses sincere gratitude to this year’s jury that consisted of Herman Stål (University of Gothenburg), Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes (Hanken School of Economics) and Susanne Arvidsson (Lund University).</p><p>Read more about the thesis prize and the criteria underpinning the jury’s decision at <a href="~/link/44fac5e0ebcd402b80f58b441d8e6b51.aspx">RiseB’s homepage</a>. The nomination of theses written in 2021 opens this autumn.</p>/en/news/riseb-thesis-prize-is-awarded-to-students-at-lund-university_10470748//en/news/usbe-scientific-award-2021_10467033/USBE Scientific Award 2021USBE Research Institute introduced the USBE Scientific Award in Business Administration, Economics and Statistics in 2017. This year we have two recipients and we congratulate Tetiana Gorbach, Department of Statistics and Oscar Stålnacke, Department of Business Administration. The award celebrates scientific writing and distinguishes high-quality research in the field of business administration, economics and statistics.Mon, 17 May 2021 11:25:39 +0200<h3>Tetiana Gorbach is the recipient of the 2021 USBE Scientific Award in Statistics</h3><p>Tetiana Gorbach is awarded the USBE Scientific Award for her research on methods to handle missing data in longitudinal studies. Her methods have been developed in particular for longitudinal studies of the brain (brain imaging data) and cognition in older populations.</p><p>She has for instance studied brain connectivity and its changes through time in relation to cognitive abilities. The methods developed by Gorbach are however general and can be applied to, e.g., studies where partial correlations are estimated on incomplete data, or longitudinal studies with dropout.</p><p>Despite her short career, Gorbach has already published 9 articles in peer-reviewed international journals, both within the statistical sciences and the neurosciences. She is currently collaborating with neuroscientists and statisticians, both in Umeå, Uppsala, Stockholm and Finland, and she is involved in several externally funded projects.</p><p>Tetiana:</p><p><em>"It is a great honor for me to receive the USBE Scientific Award 2021.  I would like to express my gratitude to the Department of Statistics for the opportunity to be a part of our friendly and inspiring department family. Thank you to my supervisors and all collaborators for our numerous fruitful discussions and your effort to achieve the best results!"</em></p><h3>Oscar Stålnacke is the recipient of the 2021 USBE Scientific Award in Business Administration</h3><p>Oscar Stålnacke is awarded the USBE Scientific Award for his research on investors' expectations and financial behaviors. Stålnacke has, for example, explored how trust and sociability impact stock-portfolio returns. Stålnacke's research is important for understanding how and why the individual behind financial decisions impacts the stock portfolios and why some stock portfolios are more successful than others.</p><p>During his relatively short academic career, Oscar Stålnacke has already published four peer-reviewed articles in academic journals, a book chapter and presented his research at multiple conferences. He has also received funding from numerous funding agencies, received an award for his research, and been co-section head of the accounting/finance section at the Department of Business Administration.</p><p>Oscar:</p><p><em>"I feel glad and honored for receiving the prize and wants to thank the USBE research institute for the award."</em></p>/en/news/usbe-scientific-award-2021_10467033//en/news/usbe-pedagogical-prize-2021_10467023/USBE Pedagogical Prize 2021The pedagogical prize winner 2021 is an experienced teacher with a strong commitment and engagement in her meeting with our learners. Appreciated among colleagues and students. Senior Lecturer Catherine Lions is awarded the USBE Pedagogical Prize of 2021. Mon, 17 May 2021 10:55:55 +0200<p>Catherine Lions, Department of Business Administration is noted for having further developed her pedagogy during the ongoing pandemic so that the students felt seen and noticed also online. The students especially highlight Catherine's passion for her teaching role and the in-depth explanations and examples that are given both in lectures, recorded material, and when questions are answered.</p><p class="quote-center">This prize is a wonderful gift that means a lot to me, since it comes from students and colleagues. I feel happy and honored.</p><p>Through her pedagogy, within business administration, particularly in finance, the students have felt included and inspired to see the connection between theory and practice. The teaching activities carried out in a digital environment have worked well in terms of seminars, group work, and presentations and given the students the active support they need to master their studies under these special circumstances.</p><p>The objective of our Pedagogical Prize is to encourage teachers’ efforts to improve and develop the conditions for students’ learning, in line with our goal of offering a high-quality learning environment that encourages analytical, critical, and independent thinking for our students.</p><p>Catherine:</p><p><em>- Last months have been challenging and impressive collective work has been achieved for managing major disruption in pedagogy. It is nice to belong to this great bunch of excellent, qualified and engaged teachers! USBE students are worth it! Thank you all at USBE for a long series of wonderful years, with inspiration and gratefulness always present.</em></p>/en/news/usbe-pedagogical-prize-2021_10467023//en/news/usbe-alumni-foundation-prize-2021_10449645/USBE Alumni Foundation Prize 2021The 2021 recipient of the USBE Alumni Foundation's scholarship of SEK 10,000, which is awarded in collaboration with Swedbank, has been appointed. Wed, 12 May 2021 09:14:44 +0200<p>The recipient is Mathias Särkimukka, student at the Retail and Supply Chain Management Program but with a chosen specialization in Accounting. The prize will be handed out at the annual graduation ceremony. Throughout his studies, Mathias has been active in the Finance Mastery in the student association HHUS, where he has worked to make the issues of finance visible through both events and article in the student magazine Ekbladet.</p><p>Mathias was part of the group that planned and carried out the financial trip to Stockholm in 2019, where 20 students got to visit a number of financial actors. Mathias also managed to part-finance the trip for all participants by applying for and receiving funding from a memorial fund in the industry. Mathias has also taken on the role of auditor at Unga aktiesparare in Umeå.</p><p>Furthermore Mathias has also successfully participated in the Swedish Championships in business/economics where he won the Umeå competition two years in a row. With a 6th place nationally last year, he now hopes for an even better position 2021 with a semifinal that will take place soon.</p><p>By successfully participating in national competitions, Mathias inspires fellow students at USBE and shows that the quality of education in Umeå is very good in national comparison. In addition to his efforts in these areas, Mathias has also contributed to the social well-being of his fellow students by acting within the welcoming committee for new students as well as participating in international buddy programs. As a buddy, Mathias took the initiative to invite international students to a Björklöven hockey game and to play curling.</p><p>Said about Mathias:</p><p class="quote-center">An unpretentious role model who always encourages and motivates to engage in both extracurricular activities and to aim for good study results</p><p>- “It is incredibly honoring to be this year's recipient of the USBE Alumni Foundation's scholarship and I would like to thank you very much for this award. I would also like to send a special greeting to all committed members within our student organisations HHUS´ Finance Mastery and to my teammates in the Swedish Championships in Economics.</p><p>- To current and future students, I want to encourage you to get involved alongside your studies, find something you find interesting and take advantage of all the opportunities that are offered during your studies. With this award, I hope that students and future recipients of this award will be inspired and contribute to USBE's activities in one way or another for a long time to come.”</p>/en/news/usbe-alumni-foundation-prize-2021_10449645//en/news/nominate-to-the-usbe-pedagogical-prize-2021_10293978/Nominate to the USBE Pedagogical Prize 2021Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE) annually awards a pedagogical prize. The purpose is to encourage good educational efforts of our teachers and to stimulate pedagogical development at the school.Tue, 30 Mar 2021 09:07:17 +0200<p>This academic year, in the shadow from covid-19, has meant special challenges for both students and teachers. This year's prize will therefore go to a teacher or a teaching team that has made a strong pedagogical effort to support our students' learning in a digital environment by using or developing particularly well-functioning teaching or examination methods. </p><p>You are now asked to <strong>nominate</strong> via this link, where you can also find additional information:</p><p><a href="http://www.hh.ͯ��Ƶ/forms/ms/cas/pedagogicalprize.php">Nominate to the USBE Pedagogical Prize 2021</a></p><p>We look forward to your nominations!</p><p>Committee for Teaching and Learning</p>/en/news/nominate-to-the-usbe-pedagogical-prize-2021_10293978//en/news/the-graduate-school-of-gender-studies-advertise-phd-positions_10105566/The Graduate School of Gender Studies advertise PhD positionsThe Graduate School of Gender Studies is recruiting three PhD students. As a PhD student at the graduate school, you will be part of an interdisciplinary context where you belong to two departments: Umeå Centre for Gender Studies and the department that is associated with the topic of your dissertation.Mon, 08 Feb 2021 12:22:09 +0100<p>PhD student in human geography with a focus on demography and gender (Department of Geography) Read more and apply not later than March 5<br><a href="~/link/68321ebbaf2f47399cae09ed5b9431aa.aspx">Read more and apply before March 5</a></p><p>Ph.D. position in Business Administration - Entrepreneurship and Gender (Umeå School of Business, Economics, and Statistics (USBE))<br><a href="~/link/ee5916daa1504c28a74b890adf2eec86.aspx">Read more and apply before March 5</a></p><p>Doktorand i pedagogik med genusinriktning, samfinansieras med Pedagogiska institutionen (Swedish only)<br><a href="~/link/154bccabc95e4f1eb43ba71af36fd744.aspx">Read more and apply before March 5</a><br> <br><strong>The Graduate School of Gender Studies</strong><br>Umeå Centre for Gender Studies offers postgraduate education within the Graduate School of Gender Studies as UCGS. The Graduate School is an interdisciplinary collaboration where the students belong to two departments: UCGS and the department that is associated with the topic of the student's dissertation. There are now around 30 doctoral students participating in the graduate school.</p><p>For more information: <a href="~/link/ba726d3bb15a478ca8001e7f10272611.aspx">/en/umea-centre-for-gender-studies/doctoral-studies/the-graduate-school-of-gender-studies/</a> </p>/en/news/the-graduate-school-of-gender-studies-advertise-phd-positions_10105566//en/news/collaboration-for-future-research_8651378/Samverkan för forskningen framåtStrengths and weaknesses in research collaboration, challenging thoughts about boundaries between academia and the business community, and discussions concerning collaboration. This was the focus the third major workshop at the Industrial Doctoral School for Research and Innovation, where all current, past and future collaborative partners, academic supervisors, doctoral students and other interested parties were invited to participate. Mon, 28 Dec 2020 12:52:51 +0100<p>This year’s theme Outreach and collaboration – for whom and for what purpose? aimed at opening up discussions on how research cooperation is being conducted.</p><p><strong>Collaboration as a factor for success</strong></p><p>The day commenced with opening remarks from Professor Dieter Muller, who is chairperson of the Industrial Doctoral School for Research and Innovation’s steering group. He talked about science as a success story when it comes to the Industrial Doctoral School for Research and Innovation and emphasised that in the ideal and vision of Sweden’s research policy, joint collaborations are a vital ingredient.</p><p>“The Industrial Doctoral School for Research and Innovation is one way to respond and meet such a demand. Research is not an isolated entity, but rather we embrace the idea of collaboration. In addition to improving the quality of research, the results are also embedded in a societal context,” notes Dieter Muller.</p><p><strong>Increased credibility</strong></p><p>Roger Filipsson, Coompanion Nord, took over the stage after Dieter Muller and spoke about his experiences of collaboration with the academic world. It wasn’t easy for him to find an entrance to the University. But once he has established contacts, the collaboration aspect has been a tremendous asset, for example only one such a thing being able to use Umeå University’s logo has increased the credibility of his activities.</p><p>After this then all doctoral students had one minute to pitch their project – meaning summarising the essence and core of their research in an inspiring way. After this time was set aside for the participants to engage in discussions with the doctoral students and look over their posters in Café KBC outside the lecture hall.</p><p>“The workshop is a really important meeting point so that everyone in the Industrial Doctoral School for Research and Innovation has the opportunity to meet and discuss things. It is in the meeting that new ideas are born,” notes Professor Anna Linusson, Director of the Industrial Doctoral School for Research and Innovation at Umeå University, who enjoyed mingling around the posters.</p><p><strong>Understanding the concept</strong></p><p>The afternoon was devoted to Maria Grafström, SCORE/Stockholm University and Anna Jonsson, SCORE/Lund University, who theorised and did a deep dive into the concept of “boundary work” and how we should understand what collaboration is.</p><p>The distance between research and the society-at-large, the “gap,” is a gap that must, according to the lecturers, exist in order to keep the disciplines apart. Bridging the gap is to translate the knowledge into practice, that expertise and the work constitute “boundary work.”</p><p>Above all, we are told that “we need to work together jointly more.” But what does that mean? How do we understand the phrase? How can jointly work together take place? What will be the consequence of the jointly working together be? These were questions that Maria Grafström and Anna Jonsson raised.</p><p>The day concluded with a panel debate. Lectures and discussions were held in English, and the moderator was Anna Linusson.</p>/en/news/collaboration-for-future-research_8651378//en/news/how-do-swedish-industry-respond-to-improved-energy-efficiency_9833048/How do Swedish industry respond to improved energy efficiency?A new thesis from Umeå University studies how energy efficiency and environmental regulation affect the Swedish industrial sector.Tue, 24 Nov 2020 15:05:54 +0100<p>Golnaz Amjadi has studied the impacts of energy efficiency improvements in Swedish manufacturing firms using a detailed firm-level datasets for the Swedish manufacturing industry consisting of 14 sectors spanning the period 1997–2008. Her research suggests that manufacturing firms have generally potential to improve energy efficiency, but paradoxically, improved energy efficiency can increase a firm’s energy use.</p><p>- Broadly speaking, the main source(s) of energy inefficiency are long run shortcomings mainly related to structural rigidities connected to technology and/or management issues. Manufacturing firms which improve their efficiency in the use of energy, may further respond to such improvement by increasing their energy use, this is called energy rebound effects. The reason is that energy efficiency improvement lowers the price of energy service and that may result in an increased energy consumption. An intuitive and widely used example of energy rebound effect is that if one upgrades to a more fuel-efficient car, then he/she might drive more kilometers since the price of fuel per kilometer for this person is lower after this upgrade. This does not mean that improved efficiency is harmful. Indeed, higher energy efficiency is welfare enhancing. I measured the size of energy rebound effect for manufacturing firms, and found that the size of this effect is generally substantial. However, rebound effect does not totally offset the energy and emission savings expected from efficiency gains. This result help to set realistic energy and climate targets and to design policy mandates that show an awareness of accounts for behavioral responses to energy efficiency improvements, Golnaz Amjadi continues.</p><h3>Environmental regulations pose little threat to industrial jobs</h3><p>In the public and academic debate on environmental regulations, concerns are raised about a potential “jobs versus the environment” conflict. Labor unions and trade groups argue that environmental regulations impose extra costs on producers. The output prices increase and demand for the outputs decrease. Firms scale down their production and employment levels.<br>- When studying this data, I can find no substantial trade-off between the environment and jobs, suggesting that environmental regulation has no large effect on employment. However, the results show that the negative effects become relatively larger for firms exposed to world market competition, says Golnaz Amjadi.</p><p>- I hope that this thesis contributes to policy design and provides more insights into the relationships between major policy objectives in Sweden (such as energy efficiency improvement, preservation of the environment/climate, and employment) in order to better understand how industrial firms react to these policies, and how those reactions in turn affect whether policy goals are met, Golnaz Amjadi concludes.</p><p>Golnaz Amjadi is a doctoral student at the Centre for Environmental and Resource Economics (CERE), Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, Umeå University. She holds a Master in Economics and Econometrics from Örebro University, Sweden, and a bachelor in Economics from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Since October 2018, she joined the Research Division of STATEC (STATEC Red) in Luxembourg to work on productivity and efficiency related subjects.</p><p><strong>Download the thesis:</strong> <a href="http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-176362"><em>Essays on energy efficiency, environmental regulation and labor demand in Swedish industry</em></a></p>/en/news/how-do-swedish-industry-respond-to-improved-energy-efficiency_9833048//en/news/do-we-have-the-right-incentives-to-promote-a-more-circular-economy_9805725/Do we have the right incentives to promote a more circular economy?A new thesis from the Industrial Doctoral School at Umeå University analyzes the effects of incentives aiming to create a more circular economy. Mon, 16 Nov 2020 10:54:30 +0100<p>To create an economic system that is both cost-effective and environmentally sustainable, policy makers need to understand how households, companies, and states respond to incentives. In his thesis, Alejandro Egüez, have examined how different incentives affect three fundamental sectors for a more circular economy: energy efficiency, district heating, and waste management.</p><h3>Encouraging energy efficiency</h3><p>More energy efficient buildings would contribute to a more resource-efficient economy, but many households do not invest in energy efficiency even though it would benefit them to do so. Alejandro Egüez and his colleagues have investigated if more information can encourage energy efficient investments.<br>“In one of the chapters of my thesis, we evaluate the effect of an information-based instrument called “Energy Performance Certificates” (EPCs), on energy efficiency investments in single-family houses. It turns out that EPCs are only effective in promoting a few heating system-related measures and that they have no effect for most of the other measures that a household can take to improve the energy performance of their house. The limited effectiveness of EPCs raises concerns about their cost-effectiveness,” says Alejandro Egüez.</p><h3>Ownership matters</h3><p>Together with his co-supervisor Thomas Broberg, Alejandro Egüez can also demonstrate that tenant-owned buildings show better energy performance than rental apartment buildings, where the heating bill is usually included in the rent.<br>“These differences highlight the potential for improvements in energy performance in all types of multi-dwelling buildings. In another chapter of my thesis I also find that district heating prices are slightly higher in private networks than in municipally-owned networks. The different objectives of municipal and private companies may partially explain these differences.”</p><h3>Effective waste management regulations</h3><p>The EU Waste Hierarchy (EWH) aim towards a more efficient waste management in EU member states. It prescribes an order to prioritize waste treatment options. Waste prevention and re-use are at the top of the hierarchy, and waste disposal methods such as incineration and landfilling are at the bottom.<br>“When looking at the EWH, I can see that enforcement of environmental regulations have a positive effect on compliance with the EWH. Enforcement of environmental regulations are also associated with a decrease in landfilling,” says Alejandro Egüez.</p><h3>Collaboration with the industry</h3><p>Alejandro Egüez is part of the The Industrial Doctoral School for Research and Innovation at Umeå University (IDS), and his project co-financed by local energy company Umeå Energi AB.<br>“Being part of the IDS allowed me to learn from other disciplines, reflect on my research, and develop useful communication skills. During my internship at Umeå Energi AB, I had the unique opportunity to interact with highly qualified practitioners and see how a combined heat and power plant operates daily.  I hope that this research can contribute to a better understanding of how households, companies, and states respond to incentives and environmental policy to promote the circular economy,” concludes Alejandro Egüez.</p><p><strong>Download the thesis:</strong> <a title="Energy efficiency, district heating and waste management: essays on environmental economics" href="http://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1479199&dswid=5167" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Energy efficiency, district heating and waste management: essays on environmental economics</em></a></p>/en/news/do-we-have-the-right-incentives-to-promote-a-more-circular-economy_9805725//en/news/usbe-pedagogical-prize-2020_9232237/USBE Pedagogical Prize 2020Professor Giovanni Forchini, Department of Economics, is awarded the USBE Pedagogical Prize of 2020. He has developed the pedagogy on the introductory course of the Master's Program in Economics.Mon, 08 Jun 2020 08:59:12 +0200<div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="a8e8f98c-c592-45f4-a3a1-233606baf5cd" data-contentname="Giovanni pedagogiska - Bild">{}</div><p>Giovanni is recognized for his course development on the introductory courses of the Master's Program in Economics, where he introduced the so-called "flipped classroom" methodology during the program's first course.</p><p>The course deals with mathematical methods used in economics and gives the students an important basis for upcoming courses in the program. Previously, the method course in question was characterized by more traditional pedagogy, but Giovanni recorded videos and used the time in class to solve problems together with the students.</p><p>This type of arrangement is relatively unexplored in economics at the advanced level, but Giovanni has shown great openness to new ways of working, always with students in focus. The outcome was positive, and as knowledge from this course is important for the students' continuing studies in the Master's Program in Economics, this is something that has benefited the students not only at the beginning of the autumn semester, but also in subsequent courses.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="2728e73a-9ccd-47dc-bcd1-98f5a5557be0" data-contentname="Giovanni pedagogiska - Film">{}</div>/en/news/usbe-pedagogical-prize-2020_9232237//en/news/usbe-graduation-2020_9232248/USBE Graduation 2020This spring everything is different but definitely not without a celebration of your graduation. Of course, we will celebrate our students even if it will be in a different way.Fri, 05 Jun 2020 10:55:44 +0200<p>On the last Friday of the semester it is always time for the graduation ceremony. So even this year but now the celebration and congratulations are happening on our web.</p><p>On the webpage there will be a video with gratulations from us and we will also congratulate winners of the prizes awarded by USBE.</p><p>We will also congratulate the thesis prizes that are given with partners and the alumni foundation prize to a student who has contributed to the development of the school or created added value to fellow students.</p><p>Welcome to invite friends and family to the <a href="~/link/272d043a6d7c424f8f887bd89297940d.aspx">graduation webpage</a>! </p><p>The webpage will be published at June 5, at 16.30 and will be available also after that date.</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Award and prizes to be noted in connection with graduation:</h2><h3>USBE Alumni Scholarship Foundation and Swedbanks Prize</h3><p>USBE Alumni Scholarship Foundation honors students that have contributed positively to the business school’s learning environment. The recipient of the 2020 scholarship, awarded by the USBE Alumni Scholarship Foundation in cooperation with Swedbank is Javier Jo Mai, student at the master program in finance.</p><p><a href="~/link/cb6c2d32702b4b4489a8d2f63feb2493.aspx">Read more</a></p><h3>USBE Pedagogically Prize 2020</h3><p>USBE Pedagogically prize 2020 is assigned to Professor  Giovanni Forchini, Department of Economics.</p><h3>USBE Scientific Awards</h3><p>USBE Scientific Award is awarded by the USBE Research Institute and the idea with the scientific awards is to celebrate scientific writing and distinguishes high-quality research in the field of Business Administration, Economics and Statistics.</p><p>The recipients for 2020 are: <br>Medhanie Gaim, Business Administration<br>Anita Lindmark, Statistics <br>Sonal Yadal, Economics</p><p><a href="~/link/6c61c33732ec4476926c74bf5dd64009.aspx">Read more</a></p><h3>RiseB´s  Thesis Prize in Sustainability and Business Ethics </h3><p>RiseB, the Research Institute for Sustainability and Ethics in Business announces an annual thesis prize to encourage business students to become interested in and immerse themselves in sustainability and business ethics. Thesis prize partner is Umeå Energi that have made the financing possible. This years winners are Djenane Liasse och Jana Tigges, Lund University.</p><p><a href="~/link/d67df2dc90ff4b279d3870773280e4f6.aspx">Read more</a></p><h3>Siemens Financial Services Best Student Thesis Award</h3><p>It is the first time that the award is given and the purpose of the award is to stimulate and maintain students' interest in the area of finance / financial economics with potential positive impact on regional skills provision. The funding of the award, which is given as a scholarship, has been made possible by USBEs collaboration with Siemens Financial Services.</p><p>The prize is awarded to Lovisa Kjerstensson and Hanna Nygren, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE).</p><p><a href="~/link/012bdd5affcd4ddaa6b1199bacaae37b.aspx">Read more</a></p>/en/news/usbe-graduation-2020_9232248//en/news/usbe-alumni-foundation-prize-2020_9221748/USBE Alumni Foundation Prize 2020This year's recipient is Javier Jo Mai, student at the Master´s Program in Finance. Tue, 02 Jun 2020 09:54:25 +0200<div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="b09dd71c-73fd-429c-811f-e2eea136acf8" data-contentname="Handelshögskolans Alumnistiftelses pris 2020 - Film">{}</div><p>The USBE Alumni foundation scholarship of SEK 10,000 is handed out in collaboration with <a href="https://www.swedbank.se/en/">Swedbank</a>.</p><p>Criteria for the scholarship is as follows:<br>To be considered as a candidate for the USBE Alumni Scholarship the student should have worked to <em>"promote the development and quality of education and research at the Business School"</em> and / or <em>"support other USBE students' education and development"</em>.</p><p>Javier Jo Mai has showed a great commitment in driving internationalization within the student organization HHUS making it a more inclusive environment for international students at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics. One of his driving forces was to be an activist in his education in the hopes of providing a better future for students. With internalization being a target for HHUS, Javier has been one of the international students leading the way.</p><p>In addition, Javier have worked actively in the further development of the HHUS Business Week with national and international company visits. </p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="08e11f57-0e91-4bb3-82ec-fd665111c4c7" data-contentname="Javier Jo Mai Alumnipriset - Bild">{}</div><p>Javier regarding the Alumni Foundation Prize<em>: “We all have stories to tell, and this year, I am grateful to share my story with such an accomplishment with everyone who supported me along the journey. I am very grateful to be the receiver of this year's USBE Alumni prize. With this award, I want to continue strengthening my story and inspire future receivers to lay one more stone towards the path of a brighter future for upcoming generations.”</em></p><p>Fellow students about Javier: <em>“I believe that Javier’s contribution during his time as a board advisor within the student organization HHUS served the student community to not only to become more inclusive, but also to promote different values which are still eminent up to date.”</em></p><p><em>“First, when it comes to studies, Javier is committed to education and really strives to go further and help people on the way.  He is sociable and encourages people to be open and accepting to other cultures. I had the opportunity to work with him for a project called Business Week within HHUS.“</em></p>/en/news/usbe-alumni-foundation-prize-2020_9221748//en/news/finance-student-appointed-global-swede_9204713/Finance student appointed Global SwedeJavier Jo Mai, master’s degree student in in finance, has been appointed Umeå University's Global Swede 2020. On Thursday, May 28, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Swedish Institute, organized a diploma ceremony for the award – the first ever digital one. Javier received a diploma, on Campus, from Deputy Vice Chancellor Heidi Hansson. Thu, 28 May 2020 18:35:39 +0200<p>It’s the Swedish Institute which, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the tenth consecutive year, invites Swedish Universities to nominate a student from a country outside the EU/EES to Global Swede. Foreign students who have distinguished themselves in areas such as innovation and entrepreneurship, and are good representatives of both Sweden and their own country, are being acknowledged during the ceremony.<br><br></p><p>Javier Jo Mai comes from Guatemala and is a last term Finance student at the School of Business, Economics and Statistics at Umeå University.</p><p>- This award means a lot to me. I get to be an ambassador for Umeå University and Sweden, as well as the connection to Guatemala. In this world we need to be more connected to each other, as we are all dependent on each other.</p><p>Global Swede is part of the process of building long-term relationships with international students in Sweden.</p><p>- Javier has been a driving force in important questions for international students and has organized activities to strengthen the community among them. He is a good ambassador for both Umeå University and Sweden, says Heidi Hansson, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Umeå University.</p><p class="foldable">Foreign Trade Minister and Minister responsible for Nordic Affairs, Anna Hallberg and the Swedish Institute's Director General Madeleine Sjöstedt, as well as students and representatives from other Swedish universities, also participated in the digital ceremony. </p><p class="foldable"><a href="~/link/b7e7b30816754a4b8910c723ef791921.aspx">Find an interview with Javier here</a></p><h2 class="foldable">For questions </h2><p class="foldable">Please contact <a href="mailto:ingrid.svensson@ͯ��Ƶ">Ingrid Svensson</a>, Director International Office, <br>or Javier Jo Mai, +46 (0)702828891.</p><p> </p>/en/news/finance-student-appointed-global-swede_9204713//en/news/usbe-scientific-awards-2020_9201051/USBE Scientific Awards 2020USBE Research Institute introduced the USBE Scientific Awards in Business Administration, Economics and Statistics in 2017. The idea behind the scientific awards is to celebrate scientific writing and to distinguish high-quality research in the field of the listed disciplines. Wed, 27 May 2020 12:07:06 +0200<p><strong>Medhanie Gaim</strong> is the recipient of the 2020 USBE Scientific Award in Business Administration. <a href="#medhanie">Read the jury's motivation and see the video</a>.</p><p><strong>Sonal Yadav</strong> is the recipient of the 2020 USBE Scientific Award in Economics. <a href="#sonal">Read the jury's motivation and see the video</a>.</p><p><strong>Anita Lindmark</strong> is the recipient of the 2020 USBE Scientific Award in Statistics. <a href="#anita">Read the jury's motivation and see the video</a>.</p><h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">The jury's motivation and videos</h2><h3><a id="medhanie"></a>Medhanie Gaim is the recipient of the 2020 USBE Scientific Award in Business Administration</h3><p>Medhanie Gaim defended his thesis "Paradox as the new normal: Essays on framing, managing and sustaining organizational tensions" in 2017. Based on this thesis, Medhanie was awarded the prestigious Handelsbanken’s Wallander Scholarship.</p><p>After having successfully defended his dissertation Gaim has demonstrated his skills and strengths as a researcher by receiving multiple grants, publishing in well-respected and top ranked journals, been accepted for a two-year postdoc at Stanford University (USA), and developed strong and consistent ties with researchers within and outside of USBE.</p><p>During the past few years, Gaim has become an independent researcher that continues to develop the paradox literature but has also broadened the research interest to include e.g. business ventures. These contributions have also been put to good use in Gaim's teaching. Based on these developments as a scholar, and with a bright future ahead Dr. Medhanie Gaim is undoubtedly a worthy winner of the USBE scientific award in Business Administration.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="e04ebeed-9046-4a7a-afaf-a23cbdc531df" data-contentname="USBE Scientific 2020 Medhanie - Film">{}</div><p> </p><h3><a id="sonal"></a>Sonal Yadav is the recipient of the 2020 USBE Scientific Award in Economics</h3><p>Sonal Yadav has been a Browaldh fellow at the Department of Economics, since November 2018. She defended her PhD thesis in September 2015 at the Indian Statistical Institute under the supervision of Professor Arunava Sen. Before coming to Umeå, Sonal was employed as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Padua, Italy. Sonal is a gifted theoretical economist and her main interests are in social choice theory and mechanism design. Her current interest concerns the theory of matching, which finds application in the organization of allocation processes for non-standard goods; for example, organs, medical internship, as well as certain resource allocation problems in the public sector.</p><p>Since coming to Umeå, Sonal has published the paper “Matching with Partners and Projects” (with Antonio Nicolò and Arunava Sen)  in the prestigious Journal of Economic Theory (the top field journal in economic theory), and recently her paper  “Global Equivalence in Voting Models: A Characterization and Applications” (with Ujjwal Kumar, Souvik Roy, Arunava Sen and Huaxia Zeng)  was accepted for publication in Theoretical Economics (a sister journal to Econometrica). Sonal has, therefore, made an impact on the theoretical literature in a short amount of time. Dr. Sonal Yadav is undoubtedly a worthy winner of the USBE Scientific Award in Economics.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="9d7aa3f4-d842-46e8-8316-0b0fb6040eaf" data-contentname="USBE Scientific 2020 Sonal - Film">{}</div><p> </p><h3><a id="anita"></a>Anita Lindmark is the recipient of the 2020 USBE Scientific Award in Statistics</h3><p>Anita Lindmark obtained her PhD at the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, in October 2016 with the thesis “Statistical methods for register based studies with applications to stroke.” Starting from empirical research questions, Anita’s research consists in theoretical, method and software development, as well as applied research.</p><p>Anita has published five scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals, some of which top ranked in their field. She has also published in a popular science journal. Through the implementation of a novel methods in freeware, she has been able to spread the use of state-of-the art statistical methods for health care center comparisons and for mediation analysis. She has also presented regularly her research in national and international scientific meetings and showed excellent communication and pedagogical skills.</p><p>Anita is now principal investigator for the project “Uncovering the mechanisms behind socioeconomic inequalities in stroke care and outcome through innovative statistical methods for mediation analysis” funded by both the Swedish Research council and Forte. Dr. Anita Lindmark is undoubtedly a worthy winner of the USBE Scientific Award in Statistics.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="364bef04-39cc-45fd-a48a-a9b66863aa24" data-contentname="USBE Scientific 2020 Anita - Film">{}</div>/en/news/usbe-scientific-awards-2020_9201051//en/news/siemens-financial-services-best-student-thesis-award_9193966/Siemens Financial Services Best Student Thesis AwardSiemens Financial Services Best Student Thesis Award is awarded to Lovisa Kjerstensson and Hanna Nygren, Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE). The thesis entitled “ESG Rating and Corporate Bond Performance: An analysis of the effect of ESG rating on yield spread” will be awarded 20,000 SEK.Wed, 20 May 2020 13:05:21 +0200<div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="5854d7e0-e4c8-49ef-ae4b-c819fae15efc" data-contentname="Siemens pris 2020 - Film">{}</div><p>It is the first time that the award is given and the purpose of the award is to stimulate and maintain students' interest in the area of finance / financial economics with potential positive impact on regional skills provision. The funding of the award, which is given as a scholarship, has been made possible by USBEs collaboration with Siemens Financial Services.</p><p><em>- We are very pleased to have entered into this collaboration with USBE and to give the award this year to a very well-written and interesting thesis that highlights a modern and prominent topic within the financial sector.</em></p><p>The jury mention in their decision that the winning thesis has well motivated and current research question, that is commendable analyzed with relevant methods. The thesis, that is well written, contribute with both theoretical and practical knowledge regarding the relation between firms’ sustainability practices and cost of debt, as well as investors’ required risk premium for investing in corporate bonds.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="8a4eff33-942a-43de-8a00-b2210a14e700" data-contentname="Siemens pris 2020 - Bild">{}</div><p>The award winners would like to express their strongest gratitude to USBE  and Siemens Financial Services for awarding them with this scholarship. They are very happy and honored to receive this and the recognition makes all the work a little bit extra worth it!</p><p>They continue with:</p><p><em>- As we all are aware, sustainability is becoming increasingly important in all areas of finance and we are happy to have been a part of contributing to research and discussions in the area. We hope that in the future many others will continue doing research within sustainable finance and we are glad that many great initiatives are taken to help us create a better future.” say the award winners.</em></p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="41d81937-2b1a-4685-a82f-efebbae561cf" data-contentname="Siemens pris 2020 - Faktaruta">{}</div>/en/news/siemens-financial-services-best-student-thesis-award_9193966//en/news/riseb-thesis-prize-is-awarded-to-students-at-lund-university_9193927/RiseB thesis prize is awarded to students at Lund UniversityRiseB´s annual thesis prize in Sustainability and Business Ethics is awarded to Djenane Liasse and Jana Tigges, Lund University. The thesis entitled “Branding Public Transportation in Sweden An Experimental Study of Three different Branding Concepts: Green, Love and Technology” will be awarded 25.000 SEK which is handed out as a scholarship and has been made financially possible through RiseB´s collaboration with Umeå Energi.Wed, 20 May 2020 10:03:03 +0200<div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="e79f464d-e01b-42c6-90de-da61c72fc112" data-contentname="Riseb pris - Film">{}</div><p><em>- We feel honored to win the RiseB thesis prize and would like to thank the jury for nominating us. It was an intensive two months of work with many ups and downs during long study sessions say the award winners.</em></p><p>The Jury would also like to honorably mention Moa Gunnarsson, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Johanna Bergdahl, Viktoria Björnsson-Spets, Umea School of Business, Economics and Statistics.</p><p>The jury mentions in their decision that the winning thesis impresses through the work invested in it, particularly when it comes to data collection, especially as it only comprises 15 ECTs. Moreover the quality of the scientific contribution is high and the jury sees an opportunity for the thesis to be published as a scientific article in a journal.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="4e674d5d-b28b-4aab-a7e9-76dd599e385b" data-contentname="Riseb uppsatspris 2020 - Bild">{}</div><p><em>- We are very pleased to see that our thesis is considered relevant by experts in the field and hope that it will encourage other students to take the research further say the award winners.</em></p><p>Of equal importance is the thesis’s practical relevance, suggesting ways to get more people to use public transport, an issue of utmost importance for Sweden to fulfill its national climate goals and its part of the Paris agreement.</p><h3>Financing of the prize</h3><p>The prize, which is handed out as a scholarship, has been made financially possible through RiseB´s collaboration with <a href="http://www.umeaenergi.se/summary">Umeå Energi</a>.</p><p><em>“In this way Umeå Energi AB, driving positive, societal, development in the Umea region, wants to encourage business students to deepen their knowledge in sustainability and business ethics”</em>.</p><div data-classid="36f4349b-8093-492b-b616-05d8964e4c89" data-contentguid="48b2e293-12fd-40d6-85f0-d07fc444cdbe" data-contentname="Riseb uppsatspris 2020 - faktaruta">{}</div>/en/news/riseb-thesis-prize-is-awarded-to-students-at-lund-university_9193927//en/news/our-premises-have-been-closed-due-to-covid-19_8997463/Our premises have been closed due to COVID-19Due to the Government decision, that Swedish universities should conduct their teaching remotely from 18 March, the Umeå University’s premises, with some exception, will be locked to students until further notice.Tue, 17 Mar 2020 17:32:20 +0100<p>To reduce the risk of spreading disease, the Government has decided that Swedish universities should conduct their teaching remotely from 18 March.</p><p>As a consequence, the university's premises, with some exception, will be locked to students until further notice.</p><p>Members of staff must use their Umu cards to access their workplace.</p><p>Find out more about what premises are open and during what times on the Universit's webpage.</p><p>Please follow the University recommendations regarding COVID-19 on:<br><a href="~/link/43de068660d24be48b5c829e4be30107.aspx">University recommendations regarding COVID-19</a></p>/en/news/our-premises-have-been-closed-due-to-covid-19_8997463//en/news/transition-to-online-teaching_8997458/The University is transitioning to online teachingDue to the Government's new recommendations for higher education institutions, Umeå University has decided to transition to online teaching from March 18. The decision also means that the university's premises, with certain exceptions, will be closed to students and visitors.Tue, 17 Mar 2020 17:13:11 +0100<p>In order to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus, Prime Minister Stefan Löfvén announced on Tuesday that the Government is recommending higher education institutions to conduct their teaching remotely from 18 March. Umeå University is following the government's recommendations, and is now suspending all teaching involving physical meetings.  In addition, the University is closing its premises for students, with some exceptions.</p><p>“We have tried to prepare as much as possible for a similar situation, among other things, the opportunity for our teachers to use alternative and digital teaching methods,” says Hans Adolfsson, Vice-Chancellor at Umeå University. “With the new recommendation, we must take further measures. This means that all teaching from tomorrow will be conducted online, and that our premises will be closed to students.”</p><p>The decision also means that thesis work and independent work will not be allowed to take place in the university premises. More detailed guidelines on this will be announced shortly, as will guidelines on clinical placements in health care, as Umeå University is awaiting the regions' position on the issue.</p><p>Umeå University has already implemented a transition to alternative teaching and examination forms due to the outbreak of COVID-19.</p><p>“We have reviewed the capacity and support of the University's digital systems to facilitate and ensure a transition to online teaching. Since this morning, we have also permitted deviations from course syllabi regarding teaching and examination forms,” continued Hans Adolfsson.</p><p>In recent weeks, the University has taken several measures in response to COVID-19, among other things, and all public events have been canceled until further notice. Faculty, staff and students with illness symptoms have also stayed at home.</p><h3>For more information</h3><p><a href="~/link/43de068660d24be48b5c829e4be30107.aspx">University recommendations regarding COVID-19</a></p>/en/news/transition-to-online-teaching_8997458//en/news/international-design-award-to-an-usbe-alumni_8892896/International design award to an USBE alumniInnovative treatment of low back pain & frozen shoulder winner of German Design Award 2020.Mon, 17 Feb 2020 15:56:14 +0100<p>The Swedish med-tech start up Atlasbalans, where Hans Bohlin is CEO and also an alumni from USBE, received two German Design Awards for treatment tools M1 and M2, optimized for Fascia treatment.</p><p><em>“It is amazing that a small Swedish company that has invested in local design, development and manufacturing is rewarded with two international acclaimed awards likt this”</em> says Hans Bohlin, CEO of Atlasbalans.</p><p>German Design Award is one of the world’s most prestigious design awards. Among the 2020 winners are Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens – and Swedish company Atlasbalans, developing products and methods to help people with low back pain and frozen shoulder.</p><p><em>“Thanks to its good ergonomic properties, it lies perfectly in the therapist’s hand and thus promises effective treatment.”</em> – Statement of the jury</p><p>Early 2020 a collaboration was started between Atlasbalans and the German-Swedish Chamber of Commerce to introduce the concept to the German market. Anne Öye, project manager at the Chamber of Commerce is excited:</p><p><em>“Germany is in the forefront regarding new health care solutions so it should be a great market for a new method for Frozen Shoulder treatment.”</em></p>/en/news/international-design-award-to-an-usbe-alumni_8892896//en/news/usbe-prme-report-2020_8892832/USBE PRME report 2020Bi-annual report on USBE:s work on sustainability.Mon, 17 Feb 2020 11:43:09 +0100<p><a href="https://www.unprme.org/">PRME</a>, Principles for Responsible Management Education, is a UN initiative for a more responsible education of the leaders of tomorrow. USBE agrees on the six principles decided upon by PRME and we are a member of the network since 2013. As a part of PRME are we bi-annually reporting on how our work on sustainability develops.</p><p><a class="documentIcon" href="~/link/419109cd27c84d4585fdbb3efa891462.aspx">USBE PRME report 2020</a></p><p><a href="~/link/eefe68dac6524a38abcc7ea153c56358.aspx">Sustainability at USBE</a></p>/en/news/usbe-prme-report-2020_8892832//en/news/business-school-alumnus-new-ceo-of-inter-ikea-group_8868077/Business school alumnus new CEO of Inter IKEA GroupJon Abrahamsson Ring - graduate of Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics - will take over as new CEO of Inter IKEA, the company that owns the IKEA furniture brand. He has previously been assistant to the legendary founder Ingvar Kamprad, but also CEO of Filippa K and Plantagen. In 1998, he earned a master’s degree in business administration with a focus on service management.Tue, 11 Feb 2020 15:21:35 +0100<p>"The degree programme was above expectations and it was fun to be in the startup phase," said Jon Abrahamsson Ring at previous visit to Umeå University. "There was a responsiveness and an interest in developing the programme in dialogue with us students. The education also included design, IT and other things that were missing from other similar programmes. In addition, there was an openness and an ambition that we would think for ourselves and question."</p><p>Similar to many other business school students, he was drawn to companies which had a lot of contact with people. Even before he graduated, Jon Abrahamsson Ring was given the opportunity to join the international trainee programme that Ikea organises at several years intervals. For four years in Canada, he got to work with logistics, sales and department store building.  During those years abroad, he had great use of the knowledge from the business administration programme.<br><br>"There were different theories and models, perhaps especially the SWOT analysis about corporate earnings and potential barriers that I often used then - and I still do today. But above all, I think I have acquired the ability to sort and organise information," according to Jon Abrahamsson Ring.</p><p>After four years in Toronto, he became an IKEA store manager, which he describes as "the world's most fun job". But there turned out to be other career opportunities at the same company. He has worked as an assistant to IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad and CEO Anders Dahlvig, and thus also gained a true close-up of the company's philosophy. He then became deputy retail manager of IKEA in China, and for a few years left the furniture giant and led the fashion brand Filippa K and later became CEO of the gardening chain Plantagen. He re-joined IKEA when he started working for Inter IKEA Systems in 2017. </p><p>Jon is more than happy to reflect back on his time as a student in Umeå.</p><p>"I like the winter and I like to exercise. One thing that was really good about the university was that we were taken care of. It was felt from day one that there was I was more than just one of many."</p><p>"Umeå University is an educational institution that aims to be on the forefront," says Jon Abrahamsson Ring. "That was also the reason why I went there. When I started, we even got our own email address, which was pretty amazing at the time."</p><p><a href="https://preview.thenewsmarket.com/Previews/IKEA/DocumentAssets/556630.pdf">Read the press release from Inter IKEA Group</a></p>/en/news/business-school-alumnus-new-ceo-of-inter-ikea-group_8868077//en/news/alumn-fran-handelshogskolan-ny-vd-for-hm_8830943/Alumna becomes new CEO of H&MHelena Helmersson, alumna of Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, becomes new CEO of H&M. Stefan Persson has decided not to stand for re-election at the AGM on 7 May 2020. Stefan Persson wishes Karl-Johan Persson to succeed him as Chairman of the Board. The Board of Directors has therefore decided that Helena Helmersson will succeed Karl-Johan as CEO of H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB.Fri, 31 Jan 2020 08:59:48 +0100<h2 id="info0" data-magellan-target="info0">Helmersson has worked in the company since 1997</h2><p>Helena Helmersson studied the International Business Program at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, and graduated in 1997. Helena started the same year as Controller at H&M in the purchasing department. She then held various roles in purchasing and production. She was Sustainability Manager for five years and then Production Manager based in Hong Kong. For more than a year, she has been Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for expansion, logistics, production, IT and Advanced Data Analysis/AI as well as Insights and Analytics.<br> <br>- I feel confident in handing over the CEO role to Helena who is an experienced and great leader who embodies our values. Helena will continue to work on the plan we have adopted for 2020 and onwards, says former CEO Karl-Johan Persson in the press release.<br> <br>Helena Helmersson says she is very motivated for the task:<br>- There is great potential to expand with existing and new brands, with new types of partnerships and to lead the development towards a sustainable fashion industry, says Helena in a pressrelease.<br> <br>In 2014, she was named the most powerful woman in business by the Swedish Business magazine Veckans Affärer. By then, she had spent more than three years on the post of Sustainability Manager at the company.<br> <br>In 2019, she was named Influential Leader by the global business network, AACSB. The prize was awarded when Helena visited Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics in last autumn giving an open guest lecture.</p><p>The motivation for the Influential Leader Award included: "A leader and advocate for sustainability, Helena Helmersson has influenced the way corporations view sustainability. Helena Helmersson has demonstrated true leadership and a devotion to sustainability throughout her career at H&M, Sweden’s largest fashion company, and a big actor globally. Her awards as a sustainability manager have emphasized the importance of sustainability as a path to success, a crucial aspect for the future."</p><p>Read more:</p><p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hennes-mauritz-results/five-facts-about-hms-first-female-ceo-idUSKBN1ZT1BA">Reuters </a></p><p><a href="https://fortune.com/2020/01/30/hennes-mauritz-first-female-ceo-helena-helmersson/">Fortune</a></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/01/30/business/30reuters-h-m-results.html?searchResultPosition=1">The New York Times</a></p><p><a href="https://hmgroup.com/media/news/financial-reports/2020/1/3552412.html">H&M Group</a></p><p> </p>/en/news/alumn-fran-handelshogskolan-ny-vd-for-hm_8830943//en/news/usbe-at-master-and-more-student-fair-in-hamburg_8647410/USBE at Master and More student fair in HamburgOn December 6th USBE will be attending a student recruitment fair called MASTER AND MORE in Hamburg, Germany.Tue, 03 Dec 2019 09:01:43 +0100<p>USBE will present its Master’s programmes at the fair in Hamburg. The programme advisors of USBE will be present to answer individual questions and conduct personal counselling sessions. Visitors have the opportunity to find out more about the postgraduate degrees at USBE and study  in Sweden.</p><p>MASTER AND MORE organizes study fairs in various cities in Europe and are aimed at undergraduate students, graduates and young professionals looking for a Masters degree. The fairs bring students, higher education institutions, agencies and other study organisations together to share information and experience.</p><p>We look forward meeting you there if you are in the area of Hamburg!</p><p><strong>When:</strong> Friday, December 6th, 2019 | 10:00-16:00<br><strong>Where:</strong> edel-optics.de Arena, Hamburg<br><strong>Information:</strong> <a href="http://www.mastermessen.de/hamburg">www.mastermessen.de/hamburg</a></p>/en/news/usbe-at-master-and-more-student-fair-in-hamburg_8647410//en/news/visit-by-distinguished-alumni_8417123/Visit by distinguished alumniThis Friday, October 4th, Helena Helmersson, COO at H&M group, will visit Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics. Helena is one of your most prominent alumni who this year was recognized as an influential leader within the AACSB network. She has made a professional journey within H&M with roles as global sustainability manager, global production manager and since last year in the role of COO.Wed, 02 Oct 2019 11:32:48 +0200<p>In 2014, she was named the most powerful business woman in Sweden by the magazine Veckans Affärer.</p><p>The event is a part of our 30 year anniversary as a business school and the <a href="~/link/c8077de9276d40649a19310601856036.aspx">Influential Leader</a> prize by AACSB will be handed out in conjunction with the lecture.</p><h3>The lecture</h3><p>Helena will speak for an hour under the heading “Leadership in a Changing World” with content regarding H&M's journey, status today, trends today and transformational needs in the industry.</p><h3>Panel Discussion</h3><p>After the lecture, there will be a panel discussion for 30 minutes about future of retail together with Helena, Marlene from eXpression Umeå with the Future Retail Lab project, Jenny Ferry from the cycling clothing company Sigr and Simon Norberg from Childrenshouse.se.</p><p> </p><p>When: Friday, October 4, 13: 15-15<br>Where: Auditorium G, Humanist House<br>Sign up: <a href="mailto:rickard.lindberg@ͯ��Ƶ">rickard.lindberg@ͯ��Ƶ</a></p>/en/news/visit-by-distinguished-alumni_8417123//en/news/the-usbe-alumni-foundations-scholarship-recipient_8017287/The USBE Alumni Foundation's scholarship recipientThe 2019 recipient of the USBE Alumni Foundation's scholarship of SEK 10,000, which is awarded in collaboration with Swedbank, has been appointed. Recipient is Jenny Uneby, a student at the Service Management Program. The prize was awarded at the annual graduation ceremony.Thu, 13 Jun 2019 15:39:49 +0200<p>Throughout her studies, Jenny has been active in the student association HHUS in leading roles. During her second year as head of the student magazine Ekbladet and during her 3rd year as president of HHUS. During her final term, Jenny has also been involved in a newly started student organization focusing on entrepreneurship (Student Startup Hub).</p><p>One of her achievements as president of HHUS was to operationalize the organisation towards a more value-driven approach and implement a crisis management routine. A work that has potential to provide value to students at the business school over time.</p><p>Peer voice about Jenny: <em>“Jenny has incredible energy, perseverance and commitment. She is innovative and interested in developing herself and others personally and professionally. Jenny is a true role model and source of inspiration!”</em></p><p>In order to qualify as a recipient of the scholarship, the student/-s should have worked to "promote development and quality in education and research at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics" and / or "promote the education and development of USBE students"</p><p>USBE Alumni foundation scholarship is handed out in cooperation with Swedbank and consists of a scholarship worth 10 000 SEK. The prize was handed out on our graduation ceremony 5th of June.</p>/en/news/the-usbe-alumni-foundations-scholarship-recipient_8017287//en/news/umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics-graduation-ceremony-2019_7987874/Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics Graduation Ceremony 2019On June 5 at 16:30 it's time for the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics annual Graduation Ceremony in Aula NordicaWed, 05 Jun 2019 11:28:15 +0200<p>There will be 250 students graduating. Many are international students. They  will all receive their certificate from the Dean Sofia Lundberg. There will be many guests and the Aula Nordica will be filled with the students relatives and guests.</p><h2 id="info0">During the Ceremony some prices are handed out:</h2><h3>USBE Pedagogically Prize 2019</h3><p>USBE Pedagogically prize 2019 is assigned to Director of Studies at the Department of Statistics Jessica Fahlén.</p><p><a href="~/link/51b57696c9534ab2951c465409560eff.aspx">Read more</a></p><h3>USBE Alumni Scholarship Foundation and Swedbanks Prize</h3><p>USBE Alumni Scholarship Foundation honors students that have contributed positively to the business school’s learning environment. The recipient of the 2019 scholarship, awarded by the USBE Alumni Scholarship foundation in cooperation with Swedbank is Jenny Uneby from the Service Management Program.</p><h3>RiseB, the Research Institute for Sustainability and Ethics in Business and Umeå Energi Prize</h3><p>RiseB, the Research Institute for Sustainability and Ethics in Business announces an annual thesis prize to encourage business students to become interested in and immerse themselves in sustainability and business ethics. Thesis prize partner is Umeå Energi that have made the financing possible. This years winners are Adam Lind och Cecilia Persson, University of  Gävle.</p><p><a href="~/link/fd36144af80647528f4ec28f449d34d9.aspx">Read more</a></p><h3>USBE Scientific Awards</h3><p>USBE Scientific Award is awarded by the USBE Research Institute and the idea with the scientific awards is to celebrate scientific writing and distinguishes high-quality research in the field of Business Administration, Economics and Statistics.</p><p>The recipients for 2019 are</p><p>Emma Persson, Statistics<br>Tatbeeq Raza Ullah, Business Administration<br>Mattias Vesterberg, Economics</p><p><a href="~/link/ffd09653f26c4c8faf1ba5e7274a7c3d.aspx">Read more</a><br> </p><p>Music and singing during the ceremony: Malin Jonsson, Anna Axelsson, John Wållberg and Viktor Hansson.</p>/en/news/umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics-graduation-ceremony-2019_7987874//en/news/usbe-pedagogical-prize-2019_7962116/USBE pedagogical prize 2019Jessica Fahlén is awarded the USBE pedagogical prize of 2019. In her role as teacher, she has in a clear and appreciated way contributed to a high-quality learning environment by, in various ways, encouraging students’ active and responsible role in their learning process. Wed, 29 May 2019 09:16:53 +0200<p>Jessica is recognized for her well-structured approach to plan learning activities in order to reach learning objectives, with adaptation to problems and needs of students. Many records of engagement, energy and accessibility have been given. In particular, Jessica’s ability to generate interest in, and understanding of, the discipline has caught attention as a necessary foundation for student learning. Jessica adapts content and level to the preunderstanding and interest of different student groups, hence contributing to clarify and strengthen the curricula’s scientific basis, irrespective of programme or background of students. Furthermore, Jessica has shown an extensive engagement for pedagogical development at USBE through discussions, seminars and pedagogical leadership.</p><p>The prize will be handed out at the Graduation Ceremony, June 5<sup>th</sup>.</p>/en/news/usbe-pedagogical-prize-2019_7962116//en/news/student-at-umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics-is-global-swede-2019_7938805/Student at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics is Global Swede 2019Munashe Chivaura, student at the Master’s Programme in Business Development and Internationalisation, is Umeå University’s Global Swede 2019. On 21 May, he and other Global Swede students were honored during a ceremony at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.Wed, 22 May 2019 07:55:09 +0200<p>– My nomination came as a total surprise, says Munashe. – I took it as an affirmation that those around me are appreciative of my efforts. After all, it is those who surround us who bring out the best of us. As for my future plans, I always keep an open mind, but one thing for sure, I will continue to strive for a better world.</p><p>It is the Swedish Institute on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that invites Sweden's higher education institutions to nominate a student from a country outside the EU/EEA for Global Swede. During the ceremony, foreign students who have distinguished themselves in areas related to innovation and entrepreneurship, and who have proven to be good representatives for both Sweden and their own country are honored. Global Swede is one part of building long-term relationships with international students in Sweden.</p><p>– Munashe has distinguished himself through his commitments in start-up projects, mentoring programmes and student organisations. He also has a great interest in sustainable business development in both Sweden and Zimbabwe. Overall, he has proven to be a very good ambassador for Umeå University and Sweden as a study destination, says Ingrid Svensson, Head of the International Office.</p><p>During the ceremony, 26 students from all over the world received a diploma from Foreign Minister Ann Linde.</p><p> </p>/en/news/student-at-umea-school-of-business-economics-and-statistics-is-global-swede-2019_7938805//en/news/the-usbe-scientific-awards-2019_7935194/The USBE Scientific Awards 2019USBE Research Institute introduced the USBE Scientific Awards in Business Administration, Economics and Statistics in 2017. The idea behind the scientific awards is to celebrate scientific writing and to distinguish high-quality research in the field of the listed disciplines. The prizes are handed out at the Graduation Ceremony, June 5th.Tue, 21 May 2019 15:34:51 +0200<h3>Tatbeeq Raza Ullah is the recipient of the 2019 USBE Scientific Award in Business Administration.</h3><p>Tatbeeq Raza Ullah has demonstrated an outstanding research output after the dissertation. He has several publications that were not included in the dissertation in good quality journals and with international publishers. He has also received competitive funding from Wallander foundation for a continued research career. He is embedded locally within the school’s research environment, and with leading international scholars. While the award is not considering past and forthcoming achievements doctor Raza Ullah has shown past performance and a potential for future contributions in his field.</p><p>Tatbeeq’s research lies at the intersection of strategy, psychology, and paradox theory. He studies the implications of cognitive and emotional ambivalence, the role of Top Management Team diversity, trust and distrust, and capabilities in strategic coopetition (i.e., inter-firm relationships that embed the paradox of simultaneous competition and cooperation). His research has appeared/ forthcoming in prestigious international journals such as Industrial Marketing Management, Long Range Planning, and Strategic Management Review. One of his papers has crossed 200 citations.</p><h3>Emma Persson is the recipient of the 2019 USBE Scientific Award in Statistics</h3><p>Emma Persson is nominated for her innovative research results in the areas of causal inference and case control designs. She has, e.g., developed new methods that allow researchers to reuse case control data for other purposes than the case control design was originally intended for. She has also implemented and applied these new methods to study the effect of children diabetes (type 1) on school performance. </p><h3>Mattias Vesterberg is the recipient of the 2019 USBE Scientific Award in Economics</h3><p>Mattias Vesterberg is nominated for his research in environmental and resource economics and has published well in high ranked international journal. Mattias is currently funded by a Wallander scholarship, and was previously funded by a Energimyndigheten SamspEL research grant and a Handelsbanken research project grant. His dissertation was partly funded and based on business data from a local energy firm, and he his currently working using data from another electricity distributor and he has developed a list of contact in the industry which will make his research very relevant in the long run. Mattias is enthusiastic about his work, and he is willing to expand much effort to make the work shine, get more data, re-analyse, learn new methods, think about new problems.</p><p><em>Congratulations!</em></p>/en/news/the-usbe-scientific-awards-2019_7935194//en/news/risebs-thesis-prize-is-awarded-to-students-at-gavle-university_7912240/RiseB:s thesis prize is awarded to students at Gävle UniversityRiseB:s annual thesis prize in Sustainability and Business Ethics is awarded to Adam Lindh and Cecilia Persson, Gävle University. Congratulations!Mon, 13 May 2019 10:32:29 +0200<p>The thesis entitled “The influence of green marketing on Word of Mouth (SWE)” will be awarded 25.000 SEK at Umea School of Business, Economics and Statistics’ graduation ceremony on the 5th of June.</p><p>The jury would also like to honourably mention Rebecka Skogh/Alexandra Olofsson, Umea School of Business, Economics and Statistics, and Gabriella Thulin/Fanny Widepalm, Stockholm School of Economics.</p><p>The jury mention in their decision that the winning thesis has an original approach, is ambitious with a clear link to research, The thesis also has relevance for practice, more precisely how firms can communicate their sustainability efforts. </p><p>The thesis supervisor was Johan Kågström. It is the first time that a thesis from Gävle University has won. Congratulations Johan and Gävle!</p><p>The thesis can be found <a href="http://hig.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1214330&dswid=6936">here</a>.</p><p>The price, which is handed out as a scholarship, has been made financially possible through RiseB: s collaboration with <a href="http://www.umeaenergi.se/summary">Umeå Energy</a>.</p><p>Read more about RiseB: s thesis price, and the criteria underpinning the jury’s decision, <a href="~/link/44fac5e0ebcd402b80f58b441d8e6b51.aspx">here</a>.</p>/en/news/risebs-thesis-prize-is-awarded-to-students-at-gavle-university_7912240//en/news/nominate-to-the-usbe-pedagogical-prize-2019_7729755/Nominate to the USBE Pedagogical Prize 2019Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE) annually awards a pedagogical prize. The purpose is to encourage good educational efforts of our teachers and to stimulate pedagogical development at the school.Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:15:00 +0100<p>The prize sum is 20 000 SEK (gross) and can be awarded an individual teacher or a team of teachers in the form of a scholarship that can be used for conferences, study visits or similar purposes. The pedagogical prize will be awarded at the USBE Graduation Ceremony June 5th.</p><p>To be nominated, a teacher or a team of teachers should, in a way that you find worth acknowledging, have contributed to the overall goal with USBE educational activities, to provide a high-quality adaptive learning environment, which on a solid scientific basis stimulates professional independent thinking, and thereby prepare our students for future challenges.</p><p>More specifically, the pedagogical accomplishment could, for instance, imply that the teacher or the team of teachers, through the educational activities has:</p><ul><li>clarified and strengthened the scientific base of our education</li><li>introduced instances of cooperation with the surrounding community which have contributed to student learning and to the accomplishment of course objectives</li><li>created an understanding of international perspectives by taking advantage of the international composition of the student group</li><li>contributed to the students' own responsibility for, and active role in, the process of learning</li><li>contributed to student awareness of global challenges as expressed in the SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda</li></ul><p>Employees and students at USBE (program and course students) are invited to nominate teachers or team of teachers to the USBE pedagogical prize. Your nomination should contain motives that explicitly relate to this announcement and be submitted via this link no later than Friday April 5, 13:00:</p><p><a href="https://www.hh.ͯ��Ƶ/forms/cas/pedagogisktpris/index_eng.php">Nominate to the USBE Pedagogical Prize 2019</a></p><p>Nominations will be assessed by the Committee for Teaching and Learning, which will provide a suggestion to the USBE dean who makes the decision of the 2019 pedagogical prize.</p>/en/news/nominate-to-the-usbe-pedagogical-prize-2019_7729755/