In order to succeed in a mega project, SMEs are requested to need networks that entails diversity of relationships. This research aims to investigate the emerging network of SMEs active in the Nuclear Power plant project to be built in the town of Pyhäjoki, and likewise similar competences that could lead to possible collaboration within the network. This study aims at contributing both managerially and theoretically. From a managerial viewpoint, it is highly essential for strategists, SME managers, and business-to-business marketers to be extremely conscious of their surrounding environment in order to make comprehensive decisions. Acquiring a comprehensive knowledge of the surrounding network is highly essential for companies competing in Nuclear Power Plant markets where much-hyped overactive competition has become a reality. Theoretically, going through earlier collaboration and strategic alliance network studies gave an opportunity to properly approach examining and identifying how network visualization of structural holes can be used to explore opportunities for collaboration within emerging networks. This study is considered a descriptive research. 154 companies are represented in the online portal (lisaakauppaa.fi), 49 of them would be analyzed, and they were singled out according to their competencies and their labor force. Structural hole was applied on the network of possible collaboration in order to reveal the entrepreneurial opportunities surrounding it. The outcome of the research exhibits prominent actors alongside with opportunities confronting them in the networks.

The thesis examines the influence of dynamic capabilities on strategic agility in a dynamic industry. The study considers what types of capabilities influence strategic agility of the case companies and in what ways. The study is connected to the theory discussions on strategic agility and dynamic capabilities in the field of strategic management, also connecting to issues in international business and management. The study was a personally built case. The subject arose from the theoretical issues and was linked to companies in a dynamic field which was found from energy conservation industry. Two executives from two companies were interviewed during December 2013 and January 2014. The interviewees were of executive or management positions in the companies. The interviews were completed through a half structured format to complement a case study method of research. The results showed that dynamic capabilities and strategic agility and be combined in international business study. The research showed that capabilities and dynamic capabilities do influence parts of strategic agility in the case companies. It was possible to present the results in figure form as well. In the thesis the companies were mainly analyzed separately but the influence on strategic agility came mainly from production concepts, sales organization and product development. It was understandable for Finnish companies that their dynamic capabilities were linked to product issues. Strategic agility which was affected by these dynamic capabilities was mainly on agility towards customers, reactivity to market changes and abilities to deliver tailor made or at least highly customized solutions to customers. The main contribution to managers was that despite the high velocity or dynamism in market, the changes and agility must be in a controlled way to ensure enough consistency in business. Reacting and moving all the time is difficult and costly which is why there must be careful consideration on which strategic opportunities and threats are pursued or countered. The information on market dynamism and demands of strategic agility should be constantly evaluated in companies. There must be careful evaluation of what can be pursued and to what extent. The information flow and learning from it must be acknowledged in dynamic energy conservation industry, where development through routines also plays an important role for case companies. The results were understandable and reasonably reliable in the context of this thesis. The methods used in the work created different types of useful ideas and can be utilized to an extent in case companies. The thesis does not aim to generalize to a larger context.

Networks and their role in internationalization process of International New Ventures (INVs) are believed to be of high importance. Entry to emerging markets, where network ties are considered to be a great success factor, enhances the significance of network ties, especially for young firms. The purpose of this Master’s Thesis was to study establishment of network relationships and securing right position for International New Ventures in existing networks of Russian and Ukrainian emerging markets. Particularly, steel industry in Russia and Ukraine was selected as a context of the study. Qualitative approach was chosen for this research and empirical study was carried out through semi-structured interviews. Themes for the interview were indicated in relation to covered literature and theoretical constructs. Representatives of eight companies within Russian and Ukrainian steel industry network were interviewed. Selected sample consisted of companies that vary in specialization and size, which allowed to collect responses from different perspectives. Data, obtained through interviews, was first analyzed separately in relation to outlined themes. Then, conclusions were drawn by aligning theoretical constructs with empirical findings. The results indicated that while network ties indeed play an important role in partnership establishment and securing position on target emerging market, they do not serve as a guarantee of desired spot in desired network. Presence of newly internationalizing firm in right network undoubtedly helps to operate in the emerging market and obtain customer base faster, however factors like quality and favorability of products, price, warranty conditions and time of delivery were found to be of greater importance to successful market entry. Penetration to target network requires combination of proactive and reactive measures of internationalizing firms, including exploitation of different channels. Based on the findings of the study, propositions for INVs management were given at the end of the thesis. Main contribution of the study is combination of network theory and INVs internationalization in relation to emerging markets. It was concluded that internationalizing firm should rely on the product and value it has to offer for target market. Being entrepreneurial in its nature firms can benefit from flexibility and seek for arising opportunities in desired networks, while maintaining the existing ties.

This study was conducted to provide further insight to network change. Previous studies have concentrated on offline business networks, but research on online networks is still currently missing. This thesis focuses on investigating networks in emergence, internationalization and growth phases and analyzing the similarities and differences between offline and online networks during each phase. Fashion industry was selected to provide the context for this study. The study phenomenon is conducted by qualitative single-case study research methodology. Theoretical framework is based on a thorough review of academic literature. The framework is used initially to form the interview questions and later for analyzing the interview results. The empirical data is collected by conducting a semi-structured, in-depth interview of two of the most knowledgeable informants of the case company. The goal of the interview is to gain rich data of networks in each development phase, and therefore the ARA-model is applied in interview. Overall the study reveals interesting and novel findings of online and offline networks. Both networks changed throughout the organizational development process and offline development affected the online network. It was also discovered that some of the actors were the same in online and offline networks. For example external distributors use both offline and online sales channels. Further interesting finding was that good offline reputation affected positively relationship building in an online environment. As this is a single case study, generalization of the findings is problematic. However, the interview findings corresponded well with previous academic literature, suggesting that the study results of the current study are reliable. The study provides managerial implications and suggestions for future study.

This study discusses challenges and possibilities with newly established firms related to international business opportunity development, and examines the role of branding in the process. The aim of the research is to analyse how international business opportunities and branding are intertwined in new and small firms’ activities. The study starts with a literature review where the phenomenon is approached by reviewing focal theories related to international business opportunity development and branding. The study continues with an empirical research by examining the international business opportunity development and branding of two Oulu-based newly founded firms operating in the high technology industry. The empirical research is carried out by theme-based interviews. The study revealed that international business opportunities can be supported by branding activities starting from the very early phase of founding a new firm. The different functions and actors of the international business opportunities are distinguished to analyse the connections to the branding activities and actors impacting branding process, and to analyse how branding efforts can support the international business opportunity development. Hence, the international business opportunity development within a new firm was depicted as a process incorporating the main activities of learning, networking, internationalising, innovating and creating customer value. The business opportunity is co-created together with the specialised capabilities of the main actors: entrepreneur(s), organisation, social networks and stakeholders. Branding being a continuous process to co-create value, building the brand identity and image promoting the awareness, reliability and recognition of the new firm can support also the development of the international business opportunity and nurture the network relationships management. The results show insights into how the development of the international business opportunity can utilise brand building endeavours to overcome the major challenges that occurred due to specific context of a newly established firm. The study advances the contemporary knowledge by pointing towards the supportive role of branding in establishing new customer and partner relationships to develop the international business opportunity. The purpose of this research was to gain a more profound understanding of the development of the international business opportunities, and to enhance the development of international entrepreneurship theory in order to explore the relations of the phenomenon. The scope of this study is not the emergence of the business opportunities as such, but the continuous interactive process of discovering, creating, evaluating and exploiting, thus, the development of opportunities in order to be able to collect the fruits of the specific international business opportunity. Branding has often regarded as a business functions for the bigger companies requiring heavy investments and big organization behind, which small firms with limited resources generally lack. This research is to understand the role of branding in new and small firms established for developing the international business opportunity. The present study encourages entrepreneurs to systematically think of the potential advantages of branding for the development of their international business opportunity and for tackling the challenges faced by a new and small firm.

The revolution of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and globalization leverages the business model concept to become more popular in order to support the firm to achieve competitive advantage in dynamic business environment. The start up is not restrict in their size and their novelty but able to be agile by efficiently and effectively exploiting business opportunity through business model innovation. Given these points, the study want to find an optimal combination and fit between the different business model elements and scalability phenomenon in order to build the scalable business model. Based on a comprehensive literature review and empirical research, the study developed a framework that support to answer the research question “How to develop scalable business model for ICT and software business”. The research use the Explorative Model of Business Model Scalability (EMBMS) of Stampfl, Prügl and Osterloh (2013) to examines the factors that take an effect on the scalability of ICT and software business from business perspective. The findings of the research support the proposed model regarding the key elements impacts on the scalability of the business. However, the application of the EMBMS to great extent in some elements whilst some elements is not revealed in the empirical research or proposed in a different way. Research findings shows that Network Effect and Management are disclosed as the most important mechanisms take an effect on the scalable of the firm operating in ICT and Software industry. It is necessary for the new venture to generate kinds of scalable revenue streams in other to attain sustain accelerated growth. In additions, location take an extremely impact on the scalable of the business, not only regarding the legal regimes or human perspective but also to a greater extent compare to the original EMBMS. The opportunity exploration and exploitation process are emphasizing in order to build the scalable business model. For this reason, it seems seamless between the business model conceptualization and business model realization which is partitioned in the EMBMS. Since most of the prior research emphasize on technological side of scalability concept. This study is considered as a major step forward by contributing to the existing literature regarding the scalability in term of business perspective. In additions, descriptive framework proposed in this study support the business practitioners to utilize the business model concept to scale up their company’s business.

Japanese companies are internationalising and becoming increasingly involved in global business. It has become more and more common in Japan to use English, the global language of business. Recently, English has been introduced as the official language of a few Japanese corporations and discussions are going on in many other companies. English is not used for international operations solely but it is required in almost all functions. English has an undeniable role as the lingua franca of global business. Using English is no more a choice but inevitable for companies trying to compete in international markets. Yet, the effects of English in business communication have not been studied much until recent years. The aim of this research is to examine the effects of using English in Japanese-based multinational corporations. Using qualitative research method, the empirical part of the study is comprised of a two-step research including three interviews and a questionnaire. Participants were selected from four Japanese-based multinational corporations. Three main topics are discussed in the study. Firstly, the role of language skills in cross-cultural business communication is analysed. Secondly, the effects of using English in Japanese companies are studied on two levels including individual and company levels. On individual level, it is discussed how using English affects job performance, and how English language skills affect career development in Japanese corporations. On company level, it is examined how the corporate strategy can support effective use of English in Japanese companies. There were two main findings in this study. Firstly, English language skills can contribute to better job performance and promotion in Japanese-based multinational corporations. Employees with English language skills seem to have better chances for promotion and overseas assignments, and have wider career choices. On the other hand, using English can make communication slow, cause misunderstanding, create frustration and create barriers for employees with poor language skills. Secondly, it was found out that the company strategy has an essential role in supporting effective business communication in English. Not only can the company choose the right language policy, but it can enhance effective use of English, by creating an encouraging atmosphere and offering its employees opportunities to use and practise English language skills. In summary, by presenting a qualitative study of Japanese-based multinational corporations, this research aims at contributing to better understanding of effective business communication. The role of language cannot be left aside, since effective cross-cultural business communication can define Japanese companies’ success in today’s multicultural business world. This study was conducted in Tohoku University research programme during academic year 2012–2013, in Sendai, Japan.

During the past decade traditional hierarchical organizations have been replaced by more permeable, flexible and even born-global virtual organizations. Virtual working arrangements increase flexibility, customer responsiveness and intelligence, productivity, collaboration possibilities, and lowers bureaucracy and costs. It also responds to the needs of the turbulent, uncertain and complex business environment. Often it seems as if virtual organizations should be under constant transformation without hierarchical decelerating organizational structures. However, it has been recognized that also virtual organizations require specific type of organization form and leadership logic to be able to function. They need to find the right degree of centralization and for that carefully choose the right organizational design. One form of virtual organizations is knowledge intensive virtual consultancy companies, which sell the expertise of their employees. In this study the focus is on more recent virtual consultancy company types that utilize the idea of ‘expertise-on-demand’, which means that customers approach these virtual consultancy companies with a problem, which will then be solved by a group of professionals invited especially to find solutions for the particular case. From the experts’ point of view offering solutions does not necessarily mean received compensation if the solution is not leading to a business transaction which is why this business model is often called ‘pay-for-performance’. For that reason this study focuses on finding out the balance between flexibility versus structure in virtual setting among knowledge workers. In other words how to manage ‘without managing’ a company ‘without walls’ in order to ensure innovative, efficient and productive knowledge flow that should at the same time inspire the experts to contribute and tempt customers to obtain the service? Based on the identified research gap the main research question is: how to commit and increase the activity level of global virtual experts in a loosely coupled work relationship? This research question is answered with the help of the following sub questions: what kind of organizational support systems benefit virtual knowledge work and what kind of leadership logic benefits virtual knowledge work? The research is a case-study driven however applicable to any field of virtual knowledge work. The aim of the study is to increase the level of understanding and describe the phenomenon of virtual knowledge intensive organizing in the present day business world from expert point of view. The study will be carried out by following qualitative research practices and narrative methodology. Through narrative research one is able to gain access to deeper organizational realities strongly linked to their narrators’ experiences. The empirical data was collected from three experts working in the field of virtual knowledge work. Based on the main findings of the study a virtual knowledge intensive organization needs both certain type of leadership logic and organizational support systems to be able to commit and increase the level of activity of its experts. In relations to both leadership logics and organizational support systems, experts need specific talent management practices to be implemented as well. Leadership logics beneficial for virtual knowledge-intensive companies in pay-for-performance setting underline the attitude of breaking away from traditional leadership and management logics by approaching it both holistically from network perspective and from the point of view of complexity management. Leadership in virtual setting should focus on relational processes such as trust and coherence formation and in creating shared vision, motivation and goals. The organizational support systems benefitting virtual knowledge work are functional processes (skill management and task design), communicational processes (dialog, norms of communication) and specific structural factors (technology support systems and confidentiality, performance monitoring and reward systems). There is a clear need for a facilitator, who functions as a catalyst both in activating the task procedures at hand as well as monitoring the communicational processes and norms of communication. The talent management of experts is based on implemented knowledge management practices and persuasive user design methods.

SMEs do not always possess the resources needed for internationalization. This lack of resources, both tacit and tangible along with international competition has brought forth a number of internationalization support services available for SMEs. These support activities are mainly focused on exporting as an entry mode and their purpose is to facilitate growth in SMEs that benefits both the company and country they reside in. The purpose of this master’s thesis is to determine the impact and use of internationalization support in SME internationalization process. By analyzing the needs of the companies and the criteria and form of support external support services provide, we are able to see the problems in allocating internationalization support for companies and whether internationalization support has the wanted impact on SME internationalization. In addition the organizational development of internationalization services is looked upon and theorized if there is room for improvement regarding the allocation of support for SMEs. The study was conducted as a qualitative case analysis of two Finnish companies and two internationalization support service providers. The interviews were decoded into themes that included SME internationalization process, the use and impact of internationalization support and internationalization support organizations. Theoretical approach is applied to the analysis. The results of the study revealed firstly, that external support is offered too late in the SME internationalization process and firms would like to utilize external support earlier in their internationalization. Secondly, the internationalization support providers lack the tools to help companies that are fast in their internationalization process and operate at a loss for the first years of their development. Thirdly, optimal form of support is discussed. These findings are helpful in planning internationalization support programs for start-ups and internationalizing SMEs in Finland.

This study examined Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by multinational (MNC) and transnational corporations (TNC) of the oil industry in Nigeria. In contrast to much of the existing literature, this study approached the subject from a macro (inclusive) context. The objective was to provide a possible optimization of future CSR strategy for the oil industry. The methodology was derived from an inductive research process. First, a structured literature review was conducted, which established the theoretical framework. Next, the qualitative method of a thematic analysis engaged the outcome of the literature review. The analysis looked for clues into any possible patterns or themes in the data regarding the challenges affecting CSR strategy by the oil industry in Nigeria. The results indicated the need for an internal analysis by the MNC’s and TNC’s on their current CSR activities across all regions of their global operations, so that they can identify and further capitalize on proven CSR activities, in addition to the formation of a sharing committee across other global industries that have operations in or near their extractive sites, in an attempt to exchange best practices and learn from the failures of past CSR activities from these sharing committee members. This in turn, can optimize their own CSR strategy, integrating efficiencies, while eliminating inadequacies. The conclusions highlighted the continuing need for the conceptual definition of CSR to encompass the externalities currently existing outside the perceived term with little to no representation. This finding is represented as ‘the paradigmatic mindfulness of CSR in Africa’ concept with the externality dimension of CSR, represented as “ x “ or CSRx. A final discovery was made with theoretical implications into the research process of CSR. This finding is represented as the ‘mechanisms and explanations in a system of CSR analysis’. This research construct creates value for the researcher through the formation or clarification of the relational and sequential nature among the many research methodologies engaging CSR.