The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate how Start-Ups from Switzerland pattern their expansion to foreign markets and how prevalent traditional internationalization models are among Start-Ups. In order to conduct the research, the term Start-Up has been defined in comparison to other forms of enterprises. The first part of the literature review has been conducted regarding key concepts within the field of international business such as psychic distance or the choice of the right entry mode. The second part of the literature review has been conducted regarding relevant traditional internationalization theories as well as the international entrepreneurship theory, as counterpart to traditional internationalization theories. The theories have resulted in a conceptual framework that reveals the relations between the different theories. The thesis is built on a qualitative approach on the basis of a multiple case study by means of three interviews with Swiss Start-Ups. Further the thesis has followed a deductive approach to first build a profound knowledge about the internationalization process of Start-Ups. The authors of this thesis consider a good pre understanding of the research area as relevant to observe a pattern from the empirical observations. In the analysis chapter the differences and similarities between the theory and the empirical findings were discussed. The structure of both chapters, empirical findings and analysis, are structured in accordance with the conceptual framework. On the basis of the analysis, the conclusion chapter presents the responses of three research questions. Further the final chapter consists of theoretical and practical implications and recommendations as well as limitations and ends with proposals for a further research.

Electoral Rules and Leader Selection: Experimental Evidence from Ugandan Community Groups. Despite a large body of work documenting how electoral systems affect policy outcomes, less is known about their impact on leader selection. We study this by comparing two types of participatory decision making in Ugandan community groups: (i) vote by secret ballot and (ii) open discussion with consensus. Random assignment allows us to estimate the causal impact of the rules on leader types and social service delivery. Vote groups are found to elect leaders more similar to the average member while discussion group leaders are positively selected on socio-economic characteristics. Further, dropout rates are significantly higher in discussion groups, particularly for poorer members. After 3.5 years, vote groups are larger in size and their members save less and get smaller loans. We conclude that the secret ballot vote creates more inclusive groups while open discussion groups favor the already economically successful. Preparing for Genocide: Community Meetings in Rwanda. How do political elites prepare the civilian population for participation in violent conflict? We empirically investigate this question using data from the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Every Saturday before 1994, Rwandan villagers had to meet to work on community infrastructure. The practice was highly politicized and, according to anecdotal evidence, regularly used by the political elites for spreading propaganda in the years before the genocide. This paper presents the first quantitative evidence of this abuse of the community meetings. To establish causality, we exploit cross-sectional variation in meeting intensity induced by exogenous weather fluctuations. We find that an additional rainy Saturday resulted in a five percent lower civilian participation rate in genocide violence. Selection into Borrowing: Survey Evidence from Uganda. In this paper, I study how changes to the standard credit contract affect loan demand and selection into borrowing, using a representative sample of urban micro enterprises, most with no borrowing experience. Hypothetical loan demand questions are used to test whether firm owners respond to changes in loans' contractual terms and whether take-up varies by firms' risk type and other firm owner characteristics. The results indicate that contracts with lower interest rates and less stringent collateral requirements attract less risky borrowers, suggesting that there is scope for improvement of standard financial contract terms. Credit Contract Structure and Firm Growth: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial. We study the effects of credit contract structure on firm outcomes among small and medium sized firms. A randomized control trial was carried out to distinguish between some of the key constraints to efficient credit use connected to the firms' business environment and production function, namely (i) backloaded returns (ii) uncertain returns and (iii) indivisible fixed costs. Each firm was followed for the 1-year loan cycle. We describe the experiment and present preliminary results from the first 754 out of 2,340 firms to have completed the loan cycle. Firms offered a grace period have higher profits and higher household income than firms receiving a rebate later on as well as the control group. They also increased the number of paid employees  and reduced the number of unpaid employees, an effect also found among firms that received a cash subsidy at the beginning of the loan cycle. We discuss potential mechanisms behind these effects.

This research aims towards gaining a deeper understanding in how a manager’s previous experience influence which foreign entry mode chosen by a Swedish SME, where the manager acts as the decision-maker. Interviews were held with managers from different Swedish firms in order to collect empirical data that thereafter were analysed. In order to get a deeper understanding as to how the experience influenced the choice of entry mode, a qualitative research were implicated. The theory is based upon a conceptual framework where the managers previous experience is divided into educational background, international experience and position tenure. Furthermore, the conceptual framework includes the Uppsala Model, which the thesis is based upon, and entry modes as this is where focus lays. From the conceptual framework, the empirical findings and analysis is structured as a combined chapter. Based on the theory, empirical findings and analysis, a conclusion is presented, with the aim of answering the research question and also to fill the research gap regarding how a manager’s previous experience influence the choice of entry mode for Swedish SMEs. That a manager’s previous experience influenced was understood, however, that international experience influenced the choice to a higher extent is presented. An additional main implication is how the manager could be placed in line with the Uppsala Model, where the choice of entry modes can vary and incrementally shift to another entry mode as a manager gain experiential knowledge.

This diploma thesis deals with the International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs) and its possible applications in the Czech Republic. Theoretical part of thesis focuses particularly on the main differences between IFRS for SMEs and current Czech accounting regulation. Practical part aims to emphasize possible application of IFRS for SMEs on case studies. The goal of this part is also to outline the impact of these problems on real data provided by a specific Czech company. These problems are results of a field research and personal findings and opinions of the author.

The aim of this diploma work is to show the differences or similarities between financial reporting of small and medium enterprises based on International Financial Reporting Standard - IFRS for SMEs and British accounting standard - FRSSE. Introductory chapters are devoted to the principles of dividing enterprisies by the criteria of size on the first place, and also to the short characteristics of different kinds of regulation of accounting in the world, especially regulation based on IASB and British accounting standards. These introductory chapters serve as information basis for the main part of the diploma work. This part is represented by the analysis of financial reporting of small and medium enterprises based on IFRS for SMEs and British accounting standard FRSSE and consecutive comparison of these two ways of financial reporting of small and medium enterprises, which is also the last part of the diploma work. In the scope of this comparison there are, except for basic differencies, also analysis of differences in goodwill and leasing with occasional view on certain problems in the conditions of Czech Republic.

Hormis l'intérêt croissant que suscitent l'entrepreneuriat international et l'entrepreneuriat organisationnel comme nouvelles voies de réflexion, la recherche académique dans les deux champs ne semble pas suffisamment insister sur les processus et les dynamiques sous- jacentes de l'internationalisation rapide des PME et de la formation de leurs orientations entrepreneuriales (OE). La présente recherche se donne comme objectif de proposer une compréhension systémique des processus entrepreneuriaux de la PME à internationalisation rapide en plaçant la logique de identification des opportunités d'exportation au cœur de notre réflexion. Le travail s'achèvera par une modélisation qualitative expliquant le phénomène en question.La première partie de cette thèse est consacrée aux fondements théoriques de la recherche, abordant les concepts clés de notre cadre conceptuel. La deuxième partie aborde empiriquement la problématique de la recherche. Après une première analyse de contextualisation, sont présentés et analysés les résultats d'une étude de cas multiples, réalisées au sein de six jeunes PME exportatrices marocaines du secteur agro-industriel.La recherche met en évidence des vecteurs internes (connaissances, expériences et capital social) et des contraintes externes (nature de l'activité et caractéristiques du marché local) comme déterminants de l'internationalisation rapide des PME étudiées. Plus important encore, deux configurations différentes de l'OE sont décrites en relation avec deux logiques distinctes de identification des opportunités d'exportation (une logique de type causale et une autre de type effectuale). / Despite the growing interest in international entrepreneurship and organizational entrepreneurship as new ways of thinking, academic research in both fields does not seem sufficiently emphasize the underlying processes and dynamics of the accelerated internationalization of SMEs and the formation of their entrepreneurial orientation (EO). This research aims to provide a systemic understanding of entrepreneurial processes of the SMEs by placing the logic of determining export opportunities at the heart of our thinking. The work will conclude by a qualitative model explaining the phenomenon in question.The first part of this thesis is devoted to the theoretical foundations of research, addressing key concepts of our conceptual framework. The second part addresses the problem of empirical research. After an initial work of contextualization, are presented and analyzed the results of a multiple case study, conducted in six young Moroccan exporting SMEs in the agro-industrial sector.The research highlights the internal vectors (knowledge, experience and social capital) and external constraints (nature of the activity and the local market characteristics) as determinants of the accelerated internationalization of young SMEs studied. More importantly, two different configurations of the EO dimensions are described in relation with two distinct logics of determining export opportunities (causal logic vs effectuale logic).

Cette thèse examine l'impact de la structure du marché bancaire sur l’activité économique et les contraintes financières des petites et moyennes entreprises (PME) et l'efficacité des banques au niveau local. Il comprend trois chapitres empiriques. Le premier chapitre s’intéresse à l’impact du relationship banking sur les contraintes financières des PME et s'appuie sur deux indicateurs alternatifs pour saisir différentes dimensions de ces contraintes. Les résultats soulignent le rôle ambigu de la proximité bancaire et de la relation client face aux contraintes financières des PME. Sur la période 2005-2013, la présence accrue de banques régionales ou géographiquement concentrées contribue à atténuer les contraintes de crédit à court terme des PME françaises mais accroît leur sensibilité aux flux de trésorerie liés aux investissements. En outre, dans les deux cas, les contraintes financières des PME sont renforcées sur des marchés distants sur le plan fonctionnel. De plus, en période de crise, les avantages de la relation bancaire sur la contrainte de crédit à court terme demeurent et, dans certains cas, sont renforcés. Nous constatons également que la présence accrue des banques régionales facilite l'accès au crédit à court terme pour les entreprises plus rentables avant la crise financière mondiale et particulièrement pour celles qui ont connu une forte baisse de leur rentabilité en période de crise. Le deuxième chapitre analyse l’impact des relations de crédit via une plus grande proximité bancaire sur l’activité économique réelle, en s’appuyant à la fois sur des données individuelles de firmes et sur des données macroénomiques au niveau des départements. Il s’intéresse également à l’impact différencié de cette proximité en fonction du degré de dépendance au financement externe des PME françaises sur la période 2005-2013. Nos résultats révèlent que la relation de crédit via une plus grande proximité bancaire est bénéfique pour l'activité économique des PME en temps normal et en période de crise. De plus, parmi ces PME, les avantages de la proximité bancaire sont les plus importants pour les micro-entreprises. De plus, nos résultats montrent une forte hétérogénéité dans l’impact de la structure du marché bancaire local en fonction du degré de dépendance vis-à-vis du financement extérieur. Notre analyse macroéconomique montre également que une plus forte proximité bancaire a un impact positif sur l’emploi et stimule la croissance de l’activité économique. Le troisième chapitre analyse l’impact l'impact des caractéristiques des banques et des marchés locaux sur l'efficacité des succursales bancaires. Cette analyse s’appuie sur un ensemble données détaillé au niveau des succursales en Chine sur la période 2008-2011. Nos résultats suggèrent que les caractéristiques des marchés tant locaux que bancaires affectent l’efficacité des succursales bancaires. Les succursales de banques appartenant à l'État ont l’efficience-profit la plus forte mais l’efficience-coût la plus faible, tandis que les succursales de banques étrangères ont l’efficience-profit la plus élevée. En outre, la concurrence des banques et le développement économique sur le marché local contribuent à promouvoir l'efficacité des succursales. De plus, l’efficacité des banques et l’efficacité du marché bancaire local peuvent influer sur l’efficacité des succursales, l’impact de l’efficacité des banques étant économiquement plus important. Nos résultats suggèrent que la structure du marché bancaire local a un impact statistiquement et économiquement significatif sur l’activité économique et les contraintes financières des PME, l'activité économique réelle et l'efficacité des banques. Les superviseurs bancaires et les régulateurs doivent veiller à maintenir un environnement bancaire diversifié, garantissant la présence de banques locales et géographiquement concentrées, et à renforcer la concurrence des banques afin de stimuler la croissance économique. / This dissertation examines the impact of banking mar ket structure on SMEs financial constraints, real economic activity and bank efficiency at a local level. It comprises three empirical essays as three chapters, the first two chapters are on French banking market and the third one is on Chinese banking mar ket. The first chapter investigates the relevance of relationship lending for SMEs and continuation lending during crisisrelying on two alternative indicators to capture different dimensions of SMEs financial constraints. The findings emphasize the ambiguous role of banking proximity and of relationship banking on SMEs financial constraints. Over the 2005-2013 period, for French manufacturing SME s, higher presence of regional banks or of geographically-focused banks help to alle viate their short-term credit constraint, while lar germarket share of national banks or stronger presence of geographically-diversified banks is beneficial to reduce their investment cash-flow sensitivity. Moreover, in both cases, SMEs’ financial constraints are strengthened in functionally-distant mar kets. In addition, during crisis times, the benefits of relationship banking on short-term credit constraint remains and, insome cases, are reinforced. We also find that these benefits differ according to SMEs pre-crisis financial health, in line with pre vious findings of continuation lending during crisis.The second chapter analyzes the impact of relationship lending through a stronger banking proximity on real economic activity at both firm le vel and county (department) level and the heterogeneity of this impact based on SMEs external financial dependence in France over the 2005-2013 period. Our results confirm the benefits of elationship banking for SMEs as highlighted in the pre vious chapter. A stronger banking proximity is beneficial to SMEs’ economic activity in both ormal and crisis times, even after controlling for times, county, industry and firm level characteristics, and these benefits are stronger for micro firms, the smallest and more informationally-opaque SMEs. In addition, our results show a significant heterogeneity in the impact of local banking market structure among small firms depending on the le vel of dependence on external finance. Further, our macroeconomic analysis also provide evidence that local banking market structure has statistically and economically significant impact on economic activity. The third chapter analyzes the finance-growth nexus from a different perspective by investigating what drives bank branch efficiency. Three efficiency measures are adopted to estimate the impact of bank and local market characteristics on bank branch efficiency using a detailed branch-level dataset in China over the 2008-2011 period. Our findings suggest that both bank and local market characteristics affect bank branch efficiency. Branches of state-own banks are the most profit efficient and least cost efficient, while branches of foreign banks are the most cost efficient. In addition, bank competition and economic development in local market help promote branch efficiency. In addition, both bank efficiency and local banking market efficiency can affect branch efficiency, and the impact of bank efficiency is econ omically more significant. Our findings suggest that local banking market structure has a statistically and economically significant impact on small business lending, real economic activity and bank efficiency, bank supervisors and regulators should pay at tention to maintain a diversified banking environment, guaranty the presence of local and geographically-focused banks, and enhance bank competition to stimulate growth.

El presente trabajo fue realizado con el propósito de analizar el impacto de las NIIF para las PYMES en la toma de decisiones financieras en las empresas del sector textil de confecciones de ropa en el distrito de la Victoria. Además, dentro de la investigación se busca que las pequeñas y medianas empresas conozcan como tomar decisiones de manera acertada, con respecto a la adopción de las NIIF para las PYMES. Para el desarrollo de esta investigación se ha tomado en cuenta las normas internacionales de información financieras para las pequeñas y medianas empresas y las principales ratios que se utilizan para una acertada toma de decisiones; además, se explica la importancia de las pequeñas y medianas empresas en nuestro país. Por otro lado, el caso práctico se basó en la empresa Eficaz Blue Trading E.I.R.L, la cual adoptará las NIIF para las Pymes aplicando la Sección 13: Inventario y Sección 17: Propiedad, Planta y Equipo. Para ello, se utilizó los parámetros que deben considerarse para adoptar por primera vez las NIIF para las Pymes. Con el caso práctico se pretende demostrar que adoptar la norma internacional genera que los estados financieros sean sólidos y muestren un correcto valor que permita a los gerentes analizar la información y puedan tomar decisiones financieras acertadas. Por último, se busca que se las NIIF para las PYMES influyan positivamente en la toma de decisiones financieras en empresas del sector textil de confecciones de ropa en el distrito de la Victoria. / The present work was realized by the intention of analyzing the impact of the NIIF for the SMES in the capture of financial decisions in the companies of the textile sector of confections of clothes in the district of La Victoria. In addition, inside the investigation there is looked that the small and medium companies know like to take decisions of a guessed right way, with regard to the adoption of the NIIF for the SMES. For the development of this investigation the international procedure of information have been born in mind financiers for the small and medium companies and principal ratios that are in use for a guessed right capture of decisions; in addition, is explained the importance of the small and medium companies in our country. On the other hand, the practical case based on the Effective company Blue Trading E.I.R.L, which will adopt the NIIF for the SMEs applying the Section 13: Inventory and Section 17: Property, Plant and Equipment. For it, one used the parameters that they must be considered to be to adopt for the first time the NIIF for the SMEs. With the practical case one tries to demonstrate that to adopt the international norm generates that the financial statements are solid and show a correct value that allows to the managers to analyze the information and to could take financial guessed right decisions. Finally, there is looked that the NIIF for the SMES influence positively the capture of financial decisions companies of the textile sector of confections of clothes the district of La Victoria. / Tesis

In this study, sustainability strategy implementation processes are discussed together with internal communication processes in SMEs. Large enterprises are not the only contributor to unsustainable development, but so are SMEs. Additionally, SMEs have a significant negative impact on sustainability as they make up the major part of the world economy. In fact, only in Sweden SMEs make up 99.9% (based on the number of employees) of all businesses. Yet, SMEs have not received much attention in society nor in literature of sustainability and sustainable developmentand are lagging behind in sustainable development. Due to pressure from external stakeholders Sustainability is essential for future business growth as well asto stay competitive in today's marketplace. EU and Swedish legislation together with the next generation of sustainable-conscious consumers, have increased pressure on organisations to take responsibility for their actions. Still, SMEs seem to take a reactive approach. For successful sustainable development, sustainability strategies must be aligned with business strategies. However, SMEs face challenges when implementing sustainability strategies. To ease the implementation process, company-specific tools are needed forSMEs. Internal communication is acknowledgedto be essential for sustainability strategy implementation which is most successful when performed in a contextual specific and conceptual abstract practice. Internal communication further contributes to reducing tension in an organisation when implementing a change which is required during implementation processes.This study has been conducted through a single case study operating in the housing construction industry,based in Sweden. We have usedan exploratory and a qualitative approach where both semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted to receive insights from top management and lower-level employees. Our research shows that sustainability strategies, business strategies and communicationstrategies must be balanced to create a shared sustainability vision through short-and long-termgoals to reduce the complexity of sustainable development. Therefore, the role of internal communication in the sustainability strategy implementation processis essential to transformintangible sustainability strategies into tangible features to engage employees and reduce tension within the organisation.

Nas Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PMEs) industriais em que o seu produto é essencialmente metal mecânico e o desenvolvimento de produtos é estratégico, surgem questões sobre quais são as metodologias mais adequadas para as diferentes fases de projeto de produto e como implantá-las em um modelo de Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produto (PDP) adequado às necessidades dessas empresas, de modo a aumentar a probabilidade de sucesso do produto. O presente trabalho propõe um modelo de referência do PDP aplicado a PMEs industriais do setor metal mecânico que desenvolvem móveis hospitalares. O modelo é baseado em propostas de PDP da grande área mecânica, especificidades do produto, a saber, móveis hospitalares e dispositivos médicos e em fatores da realidade das PMEs. O trabalho divide-se nas seguintes fases principais: revisão bibliográfica sobre propostas de modelos de gestão do PDP da grande área mecânica e do setor específico de móveis e dispositivos médicos, revisão de normas e regulamentações que tenham influência no PDP, realização de estudos de casos múltiplos de PMEs industriais metal mecânicas que desenvolvem móveis hospitalares, no Brasil e na Colômbia e, por último, síntese de uma proposta final do modelo de referência de PDP, específico para as PMEs industriais do setor metal mecânico que desenvolvem móveis hospitalares, aplicado à realidade do Brasil e da Colômbia. / In small and medium-sized industrial enterprises (PMEs), in which the product is essentially metal mechanical, and the product development is strategic, issues arise about which are the most appropriate methodologies for the different stages of product design and how to deploy them in a model of Product Development Process (PDP), suitable to the needs of these companies, in order to increase the probability of success of the product. The present research proposes a reference model for PDP applied to industrial SMEs at the metal mechanical sector that develops hospital furniture. The model is based on PDP proposals of large mechanical area, in specific features of the product as medical devices and hospital furniture and in reality factors of SMEs. The work is divided into the following main phases: literature review about proposals for PDP management models of large area mechanics, and specific sector of furniture and medical devices, revision of rules and regulations that have influenced on PDP, realization of multiple case studies of industrial metal mechanics PMEs that develop hospital furniture in Brazil and Colombia and lastly, a synthesis of a final proposal of the PDP reference model, specific for SMEs industry-industrial metal mechanic who develop hospital furniture, applied to the reality of Brazil and Colombia.