Hanna Astner

Hanna has achieved the title of Excellent Teacher and is an engaged and experienced academic educator. She has developed and led courses across a wide range of subjects at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including organisational theory, marketing, research methodology, sustainable development, and ethics. Currently, she is responsible for the courses Organisational Theory I (FÖ0473) and Quality and Environmental Management – Advanced Theory in Organisation and Marketing (FÖ0480).

Hanna conducts qualitative research focusing on entrepreneurship, often with an interdisciplinary approach that bridges organisational theory and sociology. Her work has explored concepts such as context, agency, embeddedness, identity work, and hope to understand how actors collaborate and contribute to sustainable development. By employing critical perspectives, she challenges conventional views of entrepreneurship and fosters new thinking and change.

Hanna is a member of the research group EIS (Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Sustainability), which focuses on how different actors collaborate to drive change and the role of context in this process.

She is currently involved in the research project “Keys to Navigating Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Rural Areas,” funded by the Kamprad Foundation for the period 2024–2027. Within this project, she collaborates with other researchers and local stakeholders to develop knowledge about how entrepreneurial ecosystems may be strengthened and developed in rural areas.

In addition, Hanna has studied and followed the development of the meal kit market in Sweden from 2010 to 2022, where she developed insights into how new markets are shaped and how identities, brands, and values are co-created in this dynamic process.

Hanna has a deep commitment to sustainability, food production, and rural development, which is reflected in her research, teaching, and contributions to public debate.

In addition to her collaborative research projects, Hanna is involved in several other collaborative initiatives both within academia and through external networks:

• Member of the Rural Network’s Analysis Group for Sustainable Green Industries, Swedish Board of Agriculture (since 2023).
• Contributor to SLU’s work on the Rural Development Bill (during 2024).
• Member of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) (since 2015).
• Chair of the teaching team for marketing and organisational theory at the Department of Economics, SLU (since 2018).
• Member of the Programme Board for Rural Development, NJ Faculty, SLU (since 2017).
• Environmental Representative at the Department of Economics (since 2023).
• Internal auditor for SLU’s environmental and quality management system (since 2018).
• Member of the Education Committee for Economics, Environment & Technology, NJ Faculty, SLU (2009–2013).
• Environmental Coordinator at the Department of Economics, SLU (2010–2011).

Hanna is the assistant supervisor for two doctoral students and provides guidance to undergraduate and master’s students in their theses and projects.

Astner, H. & Gaddefors, J. (2024). Founders and Their Brands: How Founder Identity Matters in Small Firm Branding. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/QMR-06-2023-0085 

Astner, H. & Roos, A. (2024). Approaching the Rural – Uncovering Rural Context in Entrepreneurship. The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. https://doi.org/10.1177/14657503241267746

Astner, H. (2022). Exploring entrepreneurial processes in new markets: towards sustainable food systems. Doctoral Thesis, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Vol. 2022, No: 28. https://pub.epsilon.slu.se/27587/1/astner-h-220421.pdf

Astner, H. (2022). The marionette: embeddedness in a community of family-controlled firms. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 16(2), 260-277. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEC-01-2020-0011

Astner, H., and Gaddefors, J. (2021). Identities at work in developing a new market. Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. 23(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRME-07-2018-0038

Astner, H., Stigzelius, I., Andersson, H. & Mark-Herbert, C. (2011). Managing Procurement of Food with Added Value: A Case Study of Beef in the Catering Sector. Problems of Management in the 21st Century, Vol. 2, pp. 19-35. https://www.scientiasocialis.lt/pmc/files/pdf/Astner_Vol.2.pdf

Selected Conference Contributions

Melin, E., Astner, H. och Jonsson, J. (2024). A beacon of light in the darkest of times: exploring hope in entrepreneurship. RENT conference, Nantes 2024.

Astner, H., Melin, E. och Jonsson, J. (2024). 'Hope' in education. TrEE conference "Branching Out”, Stockholm 2024.

Jonsson, J. & Astner, H. (2023). Exploring the Echo Chambers as Context in Entrepreneurship, ISBE conference (Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship), Birmingham 2023.

Astner, H. & Roos, A. (2023). How is Rural Context Special? - Investigating the Rural in Rural Entrepreneurship. ISBE conference (Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship), Birmingham 2023.

Ferguson, F., Astner, H., Gaddefors, J., Melin, E. och Roos, A. (2023). Pooled entrepreneuring: how small, low-productive ventures persevere in rural place. Rural Entrepreneurship in Times of Transformation 2023.

Astner, H. (2022). Getting the windmills to turn: creating sustainable food markets. Nordic Conference for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (NCSB), Kolding 2022.