Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka och inhämta information om den ryska och den tyska marknaden, både vad gäller lagar och restriktioner samt kulturskillnader, för att på så sätt få fram information som kan vara till nytta för svenska företag som funderar på att etablera sig på någon av dessa marknader. Metod: Studien är kvalitativ och resultat har erhållits genom en fallstudie av Ikea och de problem företaget upplevde vid etableringen i Ryssland och Tyskland. Intervjuer, såväl personligen som via mail, har genomförts med anställda inom Ikea i respektive land. Till detta har sekundärdata inom det valda området studerats och analyserats. Teoretiska perspektiv: Uppsatsens teoretiska syntes bygger på Porters sju etableringshinder, teorin om tariffära och icke-tariffära handelshinder och teorin om regional ekonomisk integration samt Hofstedes dimensionsmodell över nationella kulturer och teorin om hög- och lågkontextkulturer. Resultat: Resultaten av undersökningen visar bland annat att de konkreta handelshinderna, såsom statlig politik och höga tullar, upplevs vara de största svårigheterna vid en etablering på den ryska marknaden, medan kulturella skillnader ses som det största etableringshindret på den tyska marknaden. Detta beror på Tysklands EU-medlemskap, då EU i stort sett reducerat de konkreta handelshinderna mellan medlemsländerna. / Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and obtain information about the Russian and the German market regarding laws and restrictions as well as cultural differences, to elicit useful facts for those Swedish companies thinking about an establishment in both or one of these countries. Methodology: This thesis is based on a qualitative approach containing a case study of Ikea. Interviews with employees at the company in both Russia and Germany have been made, as well as a literature study within our study field. Theoretical perspectives: The frame of reference is based on the theory of Porter concerning trade barriers, the theory about tariff and non-tariff barriers as well as the one about regional economic integration. It also contains cultural theories, viz. Hofstede’s theory about national culture differences and the theory about high and low context cultures. Results: Our results show that trade barriers such as national politics and customs tariffs appear to cause the greatest problems when Swedish companies establish themselves on the Russian market, whereas cultural differences seem to be the most prominent barrier on the German market. The reason for this is the EU-membership of Germany, since EU has reduced most of the trade barriers between its members.

This thesis examines the experiences and perceptions that Aboriginal and white women have about abusive relationships and about the police responses to these situations. Differences and similarities between these two groups of women will further highlight the need for resources and policing which are sensitive to the different needs of both groups. Assessments of the cultural differences between Aboriginal and white inner city women are particularly important as women seek to develop more and better alternatives to living in abusive relationships.<p>Theoretically, an examination of gender oppression through patriarchy and its effect on male violence towards women is provided. Understanding the influence of patriarchal social relations on the subordination of women in society is helpful in explaining the similarities in perceptions and experiences of male violence between Aboriginal and white inner city women. The subculture of violence theory is also examined and is used to help understand the differences in perceptions and experiences of these two groups of women. The argument is made that Aboriginal women have qualitatively different perceptions of both battery and the police response to their calls of battery due to the historical legacy of colonization of Aboriginal people in Canada.<p>The data were gathered via a questionnaire and in-person interviews which asked women respondents a wide variety of questions pertaining to their perceptions and experiences with battery, and any police involvement. The questionnaires obtained background information about respondents, responses to a 5 point Likert scale of attitudinal statements pertaining to battery and policing, and responses to specific questions which requested written responses. <p>Analysis of the quantitative data involved descriptive presentation examining relationships between the independent variable ethnic background and dependent variables, as indicated by the 25 questionnaire items, using bivariate distributions. The qualitative data were thematically coded and examined.<p>Importantly, the study revealed that there are significant differences between the perceptions of Aboriginal and white inner-city women. Aboriginal women were found to much more tolerant of abuse from their male partners, and were less likely to call the police in a time of crisis. It was also found that many Aboriginal women had very negative experiences with the police which further disadvantaged them when dealing with battery situations.

By the effects of globalization, countries become more and more integrated into each other, which in turn offer big opportunities to international corporations to make business across the borders. Game Outlet Europe AB, based in Karlstad, is one of them, which also operate internationally. It is the leading distributor in Europe for PC and console games in the low and mid price segments. This thesis is based on the issue of investigating whether or not Game Outlet’s current business concept called the “pallet concept”, would be feasible to apply in Poland. In order to answer that main question, we designed a problem statement with its underlying sub questions. In order to make good conclusions, we started to theoretically investigate the cultural differences and the consumer behaviour within Poland compared to Sweden.Poland is a country in change and has just recently joined the EU and has been targeted as an emerging market by western corporations. But before launching one’s business operations in a developing country, which has for example no tradition of learning the English language until recently and possessing a different history, one must consider the cultural differences and the difference of consumer behaviour.Our theoretical research shows that the Polish society in general has lower purchase power and weaker financial situation than Swedish society. Poland as an emerging market is considered by international companies to be a potential market, but those who seek potential will need to compare and contrast the prices so that they match the Polish people’s purchase power. However, an interesting observation that is in the interest of Game Outlet, are the Polish consumers’ willingness to pay for a classical and new released games. When compared to Swedish respondents, they are almost equally willing to pay for classical games. As we see it, Game Outlet has all the potential to achieve successful expansion. We also suggest a business model which should act as a recommendation for Game Outlet to consider. Most of the conclusions verify the strength and pros about Game Outlets business model, but some suggestions are new and created by ourselves.

Background Through globalization, the world has changed a lot the latest decades and given people more freedom. Free trade is part of globalization and spreads prosperity and wealth. Sweden is a small and international economy and Brazil is a large and growing economy. More establishments of Swedish companies in the Brazilian market would benefit both Brazil and Sweden in many ways. Purpose The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of the barriers to entry that Swedish companies can face when they choose to establish themselves in the Brazilian market. Method This case study is deductive with a qualitative approach. We have conducted interviews on site in Brazil, with representatives from Swedish companies and organizations. The data from these interviews form the basis of our analysis. We chose to supplement the analysis with secondary data in the form of reports from the Swedish Embassy and Swedish organizations. Results In our case study we have found that the biggest barriers to entry the Brazilian market for Swedish companies are high import duties, bureaucracy, expensive labor force, criminality, high tax burden, lack of knowledge in the English language, a complex tax system, and basic cultural differences.

Title: How to find a great international leader – The case of Swedish Managers working in Singapore Level: Second Cycle: 15 Credit: Master Thesis in Business Administration Author: Charlotte Tham Supervisor: Maria Malama  Examiner: Akmal Hyder Date: June 2011 Aim: I’m interested in finding a way to make successful international recruitments. To do so I have worked with three research questions: What distinguish an international leader from a domestic leader? How do you recruit a successful international leader? Which personal qualities make an international leader successful?  Method: I have used a personal test (Hogan Personality Inventory) to find which personal qualities the manager has. Approx. 10 subordinates to each of the managers have answered a survey, in order to find how successful they find the managers to be. The five managers have also been interviewed twice. The first time to hear their opinion of the international leadership. The second time to follow up the result from the personal test and the survey.    Result &amp; Conclusions: The four main results of the study are: Handling cultural differences makes the international leader special. Following a structured procedure is essential when recruiting a successful international leader. Qualities to look for are high interpersonal skills, strong sense of self, high flexibility, and strong interest in learning new things. Leaders with strong task-orientation and love for details de-motivate their subordinates.   Suggestions for future research: The study could be done on a larger sample, to get a better statistical material. It could also be done on other nationalities, or on women to see how these factors affect the result.  Contribution of the thesis: The study shows that criteria like, high interpersonal skills and flexibility have to be searched for and a structured procedure has to be followed, when recruiting international leaders. The study can help multi-national companies make better recruitments and therefore save money and time.

Since China opened up to the outside world in 1978, a tremendous economic development took place. China is today still a fast growing economy. With a huge population that makes up for an enormous market along with relatively low labor costs, China is very attractive for foreign companies. When foreign companies expand and establish in China, many aspects must be taken into consideration. Aspects like cultural differences must be considered by the foreign managers as well as how to manage the Chinese employees in human relations. Having innovative employees are beneficial to any company. However, the way to influence employees to be innovative can differ from one culture to another. There is little research done on Swedish companies operating in China and how they influence their Chinese employees to be innovative. The aim of this thesis is to provide some insight into this matter. The thesis takes a deductive approach, and the investigation is performed quantitatively by a survey. The survey is answered by the Chinese employees that are currently working in Swedish companies where they are to rank the presence of several Strategic Human Resource Management practices. Also, their perceptions on Chinese cultural aspects are investigated. The results from this thesis will point out the most successful practices in influencing the Chinese employees’ innovativeness, but also the cultural factors that can obstruct innovativeness. This research may be of value for Swedish companies, as well for Swedish managers hoping to establish themselves in China.

This thesis examines the experiences and perceptions that Aboriginal and white women have about abusive relationships and about the police responses to these situations. Differences and similarities between these two groups of women will further highlight the need for resources and policing which are sensitive to the different needs of both groups. Assessments of the cultural differences between Aboriginal and white inner city women are particularly important as women seek to develop more and better alternatives to living in abusive relationships.<p>Theoretically, an examination of gender oppression through patriarchy and its effect on male violence towards women is provided. Understanding the influence of patriarchal social relations on the subordination of women in society is helpful in explaining the similarities in perceptions and experiences of male violence between Aboriginal and white inner city women. The subculture of violence theory is also examined and is used to help understand the differences in perceptions and experiences of these two groups of women. The argument is made that Aboriginal women have qualitatively different perceptions of both battery and the police response to their calls of battery due to the historical legacy of colonization of Aboriginal people in Canada.<p>The data were gathered via a questionnaire and in-person interviews which asked women respondents a wide variety of questions pertaining to their perceptions and experiences with battery, and any police involvement. The questionnaires obtained background information about respondents, responses to a 5 point Likert scale of attitudinal statements pertaining to battery and policing, and responses to specific questions which requested written responses. <p>Analysis of the quantitative data involved descriptive presentation examining relationships between the independent variable ethnic background and dependent variables, as indicated by the 25 questionnaire items, using bivariate distributions. The qualitative data were thematically coded and examined.<p>Importantly, the study revealed that there are significant differences between the perceptions of Aboriginal and white inner-city women. Aboriginal women were found to much more tolerant of abuse from their male partners, and were less likely to call the police in a time of crisis. It was also found that many Aboriginal women had very negative experiences with the police which further disadvantaged them when dealing with battery situations.

Iconic brand is a new topic in the field of branding that has started to attract researchers’ attentions; yet, it is still mostly discussed in the non-academic field. Brand community is also an evolving topic in marketing. These two new concepts are the focuses of this research. The main subject of this research is to explore the componential factors of iconic brand and brand community and the influences of the former ones on the latter ones. Even though there are few books and articles related to iconic brand, so far no quantitative research has been conducted. Thus, in this study, quantitative method is used to explore the componential factors of iconic brand. The same method is applied to brand community as well to explore the impacts of iconic brand on brand community. This research also accounts for a fact that cultural differences of the three countries (Sweden, Taiwan, and Vietnam) may affect respondents’ perceptions on the factors of iconic brand and brand community, as well as the impact levels between them. This study starts with examining the relevant literatures of branding, iconic brand, brand community, and cultural aspects of branding. Then, the hypotheses and research model are proposed based on theories. Questionnaires are distributed to Swedish, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese respondents in accordance with convenience sampling and snowball sampling. A total collection of 486 accepted questionnaires (which includes 171 questionnaires from Sweden, 163 ones from Taiwan, and 152 ones from Vietnam) is coded and analyzed by using SPSS and AMOS. Factor Analysis (EFA and CFA) and Cronbach’s Alpha are used to test the measurement reliability and consistency. Together with them, other statistical techniques, such as ANOVA and SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) are employed to test the proposed hypotheses. Semi-structured interviews are then conducted, based on the results of quantitative analysis, with six dynamic consumers from the three countries to explore further the cultural differences for the topic in Sweden, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The results show that iconic brand has three componential factors: brand personality, brand myth, and brand storytelling, while brand community has two factors: brand loyalty and emotional attachment to brand community. Also, the findings reveal that brand personality has the most positive impacts on brand loyalty while brand storytelling has the lowest positive impact on brand loyalty. Other impacts of iconic brand’s factors on brand community’s factors are positively moderate. Furthermore, both quantitative and qualitative results confirm the hypotheses of cultural differences in respondents’ perceptions (in the three countries) on iconic brand’s factors, brand community’s factors, and the positive impact levels between them.

Befolkningen i Sverige blir alltmer mångkulturell. Detta bidrar till att hälso- och sjukvårdspersonal möter fler patienter med en annan kulturell bakgrund. Kommunikationen är ett viktigt hjälpmedel för sjuksköterskan i omvårdnadsarbetet och det kan därför leda till allvarliga konsekvenser när sjuksköterska och patient inte förstår varandra. Syftet med studien var att belysa sjuksköterskans erfarenhet av kommunikation med patienter med olika kulturella bakgrunder i hälso- och sjukvården. 12 kvalitativa artiklar ligger till grund för denna litteraturstudie. Resultatet visar att sjuksköterskan förutom de språkliga hindren, ser kulturella olikheter som ett stort problem. De eftersöker mer utbildning för att kunna hantera detta på ett bättre sätt. Då sjuksköterska och patient inte förstår varandra eller inte kan kommunicera, kan detta leda till att patienten inte får den vård han/hon har rätt till. Tolken har en stor betydelse, men används dessvärre inte i tillräcklig utsträckning. Bättre tillgång och större ekonomiska resurser krävs enligt sjuksköterskan, som anser att tolk i vissa fall är nödvändigt för att kunna genomföra en god omvårdnad. / The Swedish population is getting more and more multicultural. This means that medical staff meets many patients, belonging to a large variety of cultures. Communication is a vital part of nursing and when lacking, it can lead to serious consequences. The aim of this study was to investigate how nurses experience communication with patients from another culture, within healthcare. This research study is based on 12 research articles using the qualitative approach. The result shows that, besides language barriers, cultural differences are experienced as a major problem for nurses today and they believe education is necessary to handle these situations. If the nurse can’t communicate with the patient, it could affect the patients’ quality of care. An interpreter is needed to overcome these communication difficulties but unfortunately, health care personnel do not use it enough. There has to be financial resources available and the interpreter needs to be easily accessible.

Most multicultural teams are not as successful as expected. Germany and Sweden are close trade partners and one form of cooperation are German-Swedish project teams. In this thesis the reader will get answers to the following questions: What are the problems and benefits among German-Swedish project team members due to cultural differences and in which way can problems be coped with and benefits be enhanced. This thesis does not focus on virtual teams, the leadership of multicultural teams and the formation of German-Swedish project teams. The main components of the theoretical framework are cultural models which serve as basis for our analysis are Hofstede’s five dimensional model, Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s model and Hall’s model. For our research we interviewed eight members of German-Swedish project teams. We discovered problems among German-Swedish project team members deriving from differences in the communication styles, in the focus on cooperation versus task and in dealing with rules. Beneficial in the German-Swedish collaborations is that the cultures complement each other in focusing on the facts versus broadening the subject and in the focus on team spirit versus goal achievement. Another beneficial characteristic is the similarity of the German and Swedish culture. After analysing the problems and benefits due to cultural differences in German-Swedish project teams, we present our concept to reduce the problems in German-Swedish project teams. The concept consists of steps which build up on one another and therefore represent an overall concept which can serve as a basis and inspiration for enhancing the collaboration in German-Swedish project teams. Our concept includes the steps: intercultural training, a mentor system in the team, internal advisors in the company and a cultural evaluation.