The International Trade Administration reported that 70% of worldwide revenue for American businesses comes from consumers in emergent markets such as India, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. However, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a country that many American small business owners are not operating in and capitalizing on the financial opportunities that are available. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies American small business owners use in successful international entrepreneurship for increased revenue and operational longevity. The study population consisted of 5 American small business entrepreneurs who had succeeded operating in the UAE for at least 5 years. The resource-based view theory was the conceptual framework that grounded this study. Data collection included semistructured interviews and a review of company documents and government records. Data analysis involved coding, word clustering, and the use of qualitative data analytical software to identify patterns. Member checking of interview responses helped to strengthen the integrity of the findings. The use of methodical triangulation enabled a rich analysis and an enhanced trustworthiness of the results. The 4 key themes that emerged from the data analysis were strategic planning, understanding local culture, building relationships, and using digital platforms. Small business owners could use the key themes for the development of international entrepreneurial strategies. The findings from this study and the knowledge generated may influence positive social change by increasing local employment, improving economic conditions, and promoting the development of international business operations for American entrepreneurs.

This study explores the profound impact of Generation Z (Gen Z) on the international branding strategies employed by small fashion brand startups. As digital natives born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, Gen Z represents a dynamic force that challenges traditional marketing approaches. By delving into their distinct characteristics and preferences, this research aims to shed light on the ways in which Gen Z's unique mindset and behaviours shape the branding landscape. Drawing upon a qualitative research approach, this study employs in-depth one-on-one semi-structured interviews with small fashion brand owners. Thematic analysis is utilized to uncover patterns and themes, offering valuable insights into the strategies employed by small fashion brands to engage this influential consumer segment. Findings reveal insights and showcase that Gen Z's inclination towards authenticity, social responsibility, and individuality necessitates tailored branding strategies. Small fashion brand startups are compelled to harness the power of social media and immersive experiences to captivate Gen Z's attention. By comprehending the impact of Gen Z on international branding strategies, small fashion brand startups can adapt and thrive in an increasingly competitive market. The implications of this research concern the fashion industry, offering valuable insights for marketers and entrepreneurs seeking to engage with Gen Z within the fashion sector.

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台灣電腦週邊設備製造業的發展，一直以來與 PC 產業發展具有高度關聯性。本產業大約從1980 年代開始，國內廠商大多以代工模式興起。自1990 年起，產業進入快速成長階段，產能規模持續成長，台灣亦成為電腦週邊設備的製造重鎮。而近年來隨著科技產業的蓬勃發展，電腦週邊設備更是越來越複雜，產品種類不僅繁多、汰換率高且產品生命週期日趨縮短。再加上產業集中化與微利化的情形下，彼此之間的競爭更是激烈。 本論文研究是以台灣電腦週邊設備製造領導廠商G公司為個案，研究其將近三十年之行銷實務經驗，以提供未來台灣新創中小事業行銷組合策略之參考依據。在藉由本次行銷組合策略的分析過程中，讓我們更加了解電腦週邊設備製造業的現況及未來發展趨勢，以及如何面對產業的快速變化和不確定性。 文中是以訪談G公司經營高層，以及蒐集其他相關文件資料的方式，來探討國內電腦週邊設備製造商行銷組合策略，並將所獲得之成果進行衡量，其中研究之影響變數有市場區隔、目標市場、市場定位、產品定位、研發創新能力、行銷通路布建等等。透過本個案研究之結果，提供下列數點建議，以供台灣新創中小事業之借鏡： 1.透過明確的市場區隔，可穩定成長並避免與市場既有廠商競爭及攻擊。 2.要能掌握通路布局並與經銷商保持良好關係。 3.妥善運用區域彈性定價，以保持公司競爭強度及獲利。 4.發展品牌，以避免落入價格競爭。 5.技術領先與創新產品，保持公司競爭力。 6.積極參與國內、外產品展，藉以快速打開知名度。 關鍵字：新創事業，市場區隔，行銷組合策略。 / In Taiwan, computer peripheral equipment manufacturing industry has been highly associated with the PC industry. About the industry from the 1980s began, most domestic manufacturers rise to the OEM model. Since 1990, the industry entered a rapid growth stage, the capacity continued to grow; Taiwan has become the manufacturing center for computer peripherals. In recent years, the rapid development of the technology industry, computer peripheral equipment is more complex, not only the range of product categories, replacement rate and increasingly shorter product life cycles. Coupled with industry concentration and the case of shrinking profit margins, more competition between them is intense. This thesis is based on Taiwan's leading computer peripheral equipment G Co., as a case study of marketing practices for nearly three decades of experience, to provide for Taiwan's future small new ventures marketing mix strategy of reference. By this time in the marketing mix strategy analysis process, our understanding of computer peripheral equipment manufacturing industry development status and future trends, and how to deal with the rapid industry change and uncertainty. The article is based on interviews with the senior management of G co., and to collect other relevant documents, to explore the domestic manufacturer of computer peripherals marketing mix strategies, and measure the results obtained, which studies the impact of variables there is market segmentation, target market, market positioning, product positioning, R & D innovation, marketing channels, and so on. Through the case study results, the following points provide suggestions for the new ventures: 1.Through the market segmentation, we can stable growth and to avoid competition with existing companies and the victims of its attacks. 2.We should be able to master channel and maintain good relations with retailers. 3.Good use of flexible pricing strategy to maintain ours competitive and profitability. 4.To develop the brand in order to avoid falling into the price competition. 5.Technological leadership and innovative products, to keep the competitiveness of company. 6.Involved in domestic and international electronics show, in order to build brand awareness quickly. Keywords: New Ventures, market segmentation, marketing mix strategies.

The world market has during recent decades become an increasingly globalized arena, in which lowered trade barriers, enhanced technology, worldwide communication and containerization have made internationalization an easily obtainable option for companies. The once dominating multinational enterprises are present day challenged by small- and medium sized enterprises as global actors, and competitiveness is an ever-increasing factor, making the pursuit and exploitation of opportunities essential.   The International Entrepreneurship Theory has during the last two decades emerged as a theory explaining the phenomena of small- and medium sized enterprises internationalizing their operations at an early age; a theory comprehending entrepreneurial behavior, the ability to explore and take advantage of opportunities overlooked by others in order to create value in the organization.   The purpose of this thesis is to create an understanding of the emergence, definition and theoretical framework of the International Entrepreneurship Theory. By implementing a deductive research approach and a quantitative research method, empirical data is collected in order to confront the theoretical framework in the analysis. The analysis will further be the basis for conclusions and recommendations that will conclude our thesis.

Our master dissertation pursued the research question of what the internationalization process of a hybrid firm would look like. To do so, the authors performed an in-depth analysis of a Swedish SME which exhibited characteristics of a hybrid firm. These hybrid firms, as we have named them, use a mixed range of internationalization strategies. An abductive method of research was used in this thesis, as the authors took direction from previous literature and created their own new internationalization process model based on their findings. The main areas of this research focused on the drivers for internationalization and the barriers to internationalization, as well as the market selection and entry mode into foreign countries. This research found that the Swedish SME base their internationalization process on their human resources and the intuition of their management. These two key elements were the foundation for the new hybrid internationalization process model created by the authors.

L’intérêt croissant des différentes économies pour augmenter et promouvoir la participation de ces entreprises dans le commerce international, rend nécessaire une renaissance de la recherche sur les processus d’internationalisation des firmes, en particulier des petites et moyennes entreprises. L’objectif est de fournir un aperçu théorique étendu et complet sur les processus d’internationalisation des PME Languedociennes-Roussillonnaises et Andalouses, et donc par extension Françaises et Espagnoles; ainsi qu’une analyse comparative entre les deux régions. D’un point de vue empirique il s’agira de vérifier les facteurs déterminants des processus d’internationalisation que suivent ces PME, selon leurs structures organisationnelles et facteurs intangibles, mettre en évidence leurs concordances, leurs complémentarités et leurs divergences avec les différentes approches théoriques, aussi, déterminer si uniquement avec le développement et la gestion de certains facteurs présents dans les Born Globals (variables internes), les entreprises à bas intensité exportatrice peuvent d’augmenter leur performance internationale. L’intensité exportatrice associée à l’activité internationale prend tout son sens pour ces organisations. En effet, est devenue une option stratégique nécessaire pour combler la baisse de la demande dans les pays exportateurs. Par ailleurs, l’activité export constitue un enjeu de taille compte tenu de la concurrence ardue sur les marchés internationaux émanant de concurrents aux ressources incomparables et au comportement export très différent. / The growing interest of various economies in increasing and promoting the participation of their SMEs in international trade requires a renaissance of research into the internationalization processes of companies, especially those of small and medium enterprises. The objective is to provide an extensive and global theoretical overview of the processes of internationalization of SMEs in Languedoc-Roussillon and Andalusia and, by extension, of those of French and Spanish enterprises, together with a comparative analysis of the two regions. From an empirical standpoint, we will verify the factors that determine the internationalization process followed by these SMEs, according to their organizational structure and intangible considerations, in order to highlight their similarities to and differences from the various theoretical approaches. We will also determine whether firms with a low rate of exports may improve their international performance solely through the development and management of certain factors in the Born Globals (internal variables). The export rate associated with international activity makes sense for these organizations. In fact, it has become a necessary strategic option in order to offset the drop in demand in exporting countries. In addition, exporting is a major challenge given the stiff competition in international markets from competitors with huge resources and very different export behaviour.

The challenge to obtain early-stage funding for small ventures is especially pronounced in Africa, where traditional funding sources are available only to a small extent. This lack, combined with the diffusion of mobile phones and internet access, enabled the unprecedented rise of mobile payments on a personal level in Africa in recent years. On a commercial level, ICT-enabled crowdfunding is given the potential to mitigate the early-stage funding gap for African entrepreneurs. Using exploratory research, the dissertation provides initial empirical evidence on crowdfunding in Sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, it is shown that African entrepreneurs across the continent can raise substantial amounts of money by tapping into the global funding community. Moreover, empirical evidence is provided, that the basic economic constructs, institutions and infrastructure appear to play a decisive role for African crowdfunding and that their effect size depends on the respective institutional setting.:1. Introduction 2. Prevailing Forms of Funding for African Entrepreneurs 2.1 Informal Funding 2.2 Government Funding 2.3 Business Angels 2.4 Venture Capital 2.5 Factoring and Leasing 2.6 Banking Loans 2.7 Mobile Money 2.8 Microfinance 2.9 Summary 3. Crowdfunding 3.1 Definition of Crowdfunding 3.2 Taxonomy of Crowdfunding 3.3 Donation-based Crowdfunding 3.3.1 Characteristics 3.3.2 Platforms 3.3.3 Empirical Research 3.4 Reward-based Crowdfunding 3.4.1 Characteristics 3.4.2 Platforms 3.4.3 Empirical Research 3.5 Debt-based Crowdfunding 3.5.1 Characteristics 3.5.2 Platforms 3.5.3 Empirical Research 3.6 Equity-based Crowdfunding 3.6.1 Characteristics 3.6.2 Platforms 3.6.3 Empirical Research 3.7 The Emergence of Crowdfunding 3.8 The Worldwide Crowdfunding Market 3.9 The African Crowdfunding Market 4. Evidence on the Use of Reward-based Crowdfunding in Africa 4.1 Research Objective 4.2 Research Design and Methodology 4.3 Data Sample 4.3.1 Data Set Construction 4.3.2 Variables 4.4 Results 4.4.1 Project and Platform Results 4.4.2 Category Results 4.4.3 Country Results 4.5 Summary and Critical Reflection 5. National Competitiveness 5.1 What is National Competitiveness? 5.2 The Global Competitiveness Report 5.3 The Global Competitiveness Index 6. Evidence on Enabling Economic Factors for the Usage of Reward-based Crowdfunding in Africa 6.1 Research Objective 6.2 Research Design and Methodology 6.3 Data Sample 6.3.1 Data Set Construction 6.3.2 Variables 6.4 Results 6.4.1 Total Sample 6.4.2 Low-Income Countries 6.4.3 Middle-Income Countries 6.4.4 Below-Median Crowdfunding Activity Countries 6.4.5 Above-Median Crowdfunding Activity Countries 6.5 The Role of Productivity and Basic Requirements 6.6 Discussion and Connection of the Results 6.7 Summary and Critical Reflection 7. Summary and Implications 7.1 Executive Summary 7.2 Theoretical Implications 7.3 Implications for Policymakers 7.4 Implications for African Entrepreneurs 7.5 Implications for Other Stakeholders 7.6 Limitations and Avenues for Future Research 7.7 Concluding Remarks References Appendices

La pandemia del COVID 19 que empezó en marzo del 2020 en nuestro país generó el cierre de varias empresas y la posterior crisis económica. Sin embargo, pese a ello, nuevos emprendimientos se formaron durante ese tiempo y otros negocios cambiaron de rubro adaptándose así a la coyuntura y a los nuevos hábitos de compra de los consumidores. Múltiples empresas que no tenían como herramienta a las redes sociales, se vieron obligadas a implementar plataformas digitales para la exposición de sus productos o servicios. Por ello, diversas empresas se vieron obligadas a realizar estrategias que generen confianza a los consumidores ya que para estos no contaban con la posibilidad de visitar una tienda física por lo tanto eran conscientes de que el vínculo de confianza era clave para generar un interés en su marca y posteriormente lograr la compra, plasmando en el documento, las acciones que funcionan en estos tiempos inciertos. Por lo tanto, el presente trabajo busca las acciones de social media marketing, como interacción, tendencia y riesgo percibido, que construyen confianza en los nuevos emprendimientos. / The COVID 19 pandemic that began in March 2020 in our country led to the closure of several companies and the subsequent economic crisis. However, despite this, new ventures were formed during that time and other businesses changed their category, thus adapting to the situation and to the new purchasing habits of consumers. Multiple companies that did not have social networks as a tool were forced to implement digital platforms for the exposure of their products or services. For this reason, various companies were forced to carry out strategies that generate confidence in consumers since for them they did not have the possibility of visiting a physical store, therefore they were aware that the bond of trust was key to generate an interest in their brand and subsequently achieve the purchase, reflecting in the document, the actions that work in these uncertain times. Therefore, the present work looks for social media marketing actions, such as interaction, trend and perceived risk, which build trust in new ventures. / Trabajo de investigación

[pt] O propósito desta pesquisa é investigar um tipo emergente de INV, a Borderless Firm, ao apresentar um estudo de caso sobre uma jovem e pequena empresa brasileira que se enquadra nas características que distinguem este tipo de empresa. Analisa-se detalhadamente como ocorreu o processo de estabelecimento de cada uma das atividades coordenadas internacionalmente, buscando entender as motivações da empresa e a relevância das redes de relacionamento nessa trajetória. Embora a pesquisa seja baseada em um estudo de caso único devido às limitações atuais de se identificar empreendimentos que apresentem a configuração da Borderless Firm, acredita-se que o caso da Zee.dog contribui para corroborar certos aspectos da incipiente teoria, como a diversidade de motivos que influenciam as decisões de internacionalização dessas empresas, a alternância entre as lógicas de previsão e controle que parecem guiar esse processo e a importância que as redes de relacionamento assumem não apenas para o reconhecimento de novas oportunidades, mas para diminuir barreiras ao aprofundamento da internacionalização, e como mecanismo alternativo de governança para evitar o oportunismo. Além disso, o estudo indica que a configuração global pautada na coordenação de atividades geograficamente dispersas e baseada em relacionamentos complexos com diversos atores internacionais pode vir a ser fonte de vantagens competitivas sustentáveis, que são necessárias para sobreviver no mercado global. / [en] The purpose of this research is to inquire about an emergent type of International New Venture, the Borderless Firm, by presenting a case study on a small and young Brazilian company that can be framed in this type of firm main characteristics. The analysis details how was the process of establishing internationally coordinated activities, also trying to understand the company s motivations and the relevance of international networks to this trajectory. Although the research is based on a single case study due to current limitations of identifying companies that present the Borderless Firm configuration, it is believed that the Zee.dog case contributes to corroborate certain aspects of the incipient theory, such as the diversity of reasons that influence the companies internationalization decisions, the alternance between the logics of causation and effectuation that seems to guide this process and the importance that networks relationships assume not only to the acknowledgement of new opportunities, but to diminish the barriers of broadening internationalization and as an alternative governance mechanism to avoid opportunism. Furthermore, this study indicates that the global configuration grounded by the coordination of geographically dispersed activities and based on complex relationships with multiple international actors may become source of sustainable competitive advantages that are required to survival in the global market.