<p>Distance is of great influence when deciding whom to trade with. This thesis examines how the importance of distance in international trade has evolved. This is done using an extended generalized gravity model, which includes population, real exchange rate and a dummy variable for membership in the European Union. Using data for the EU27 and the four largest economies in the world outside of EU, this model estimates the effect of distance on trade from 1980 to 2005. This thesis shows that the impact of distance has evolved towards having a greater negative effect on trade during the observed years. The reason for this could be a development towards regional trade, at the expense of long-distance trade.</p>

<p>This thesis applies the dynamic capabilities framework to identify and examine the dynamic capabilities creating sustainable competitive advantage in the context of a developing economy. The attempt to explain sustainable competitive advantage by reacting to environmental changes has at all times been a highly discussed topic for research. The globalized and unstable environment often found in developing areas increases the need for more dynamic models when analyzing how to gain competitive advantage. To meet this demand, the dynamic capability framework introduces a very promising effort to better understand superior enterprise performance over time.</p><p> </p><p>This thesis intends to increase the understanding of the role of dynamic capabilities and analyze the knowledge of successful entrepreneurs in small and medium enterprises effectively can outperform competition in the unstable South African environment. More specific, the focus is mainly on strategic decisions and the empirical study consists of qualitative case studies of four successful entrepreneurs. This data is collected through semi-structured interviews in Cape Town. The strategic decisions are first analyzed within each case – applying selected parts of an existing framework – and thereafter a cross-sectional analysis is done in order to find both the similarities and differences between entrepreneurs. The findings suggest that all entrepreneurs in the analysis have the characteristics and skills to create dynamic capabilities within the process of sensing, seizing and reconfiguring opportunities. Furthermore, three main factors – maintaining a consistent long-term vision, placing the customer need in focus, and using the competence and resources wisely – are identified as features, which made these four entrepreneurs successful and helped them sustain the superior firm performance over time. In addition, these three factors must be adaptable to rapid and unexpected changes. Overall the findings suggest that when analyzing competitive advantage, the sensing, shaping and reconfiguration of opportunities must be seen as constant.  Lastly, the complete process containing different fundamental classes of dynamic capabilities should not be separated.</p><p> </p><p>The study demonstrates the relevance of the dynamic capabilities approach in identifying competitive advantage, which is based on the firm’s dynamic capabilities. The fact that small and medium enterprises are important for the economic growth in developing countries makes this study an important field for research.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D. (Business Management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

Background: It is necessary for a company to hold some unique and irreplicable competitive advantage in order to be able to succeed in a market. In a market where public procurement is an important part the competitive advantages will be characterized by the fact that some of the participants on the market are public organizations and that their actions as for procurement fall under the legislation LOU. The characteristics of competitive advantage also depend on and change with continuous changes on a market. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to study the competitive advantages that are presenton a current market characterized by public procurement and how these are created. The purposes is also to based on the trends on the market today study and predict the nature of the competitive advantage on the market in the future as well as the changes that we think will occur on the relevant market. Realization: We have performed a case study of the market for enteral nutrition where data have been gathered from interviews with participants in the market and from studying the law of public procurement. The data is gathered and analysed based on an adapted model that we have derived from two theoretical perspectives of competitive advantage. The model that looks to the nature and the origin of competitive advantage has been tested and evaluated through application on the market. Results: Strategic assets are of great importance in order for a company to create a competitive advantage in the form of being established, relations, being established in municipalities and the offer on the market of enteral nutrition today. These strategic assets and competitive advantages will in the future be characterized by the trends that are present on the market today. These trends are identified as an increasing knowledge, products for specific diseases, cooperation, limited procurements, alternative distribution channels and working towards the patients. The creation and the nature of competitive advantage is shaped by an interaction between the resources and capabilities of the firm and the needs and the needs and the demands of the market.

The object of this thesis is to analyse how a co-operational network can come about, operate and progress to contribute to industrial dynamics within the locality. The thesis is a case-study of the HomeCom Project, to learn whether this project has the required features to contribute to the clustering process and thus higher levels of industrial dynamics and competitive advantage of the home communications industry in Linköping. The theoretical platform is based on Porter’s Diamond-model, which explains the occurrence of clusters. Theories of external economies complement Porter’s theories, while oligopoly theory will be introduced to offer a different perspective. The empirical findings show that the HomeCom Project may be considered to contribute to the clustering and in consequence promote industrial dynamics and competitive advantage. But there are also difficulties and attitudes that may impede the reaching of the project’s goals.

Background: During the past years the increasing internationalisation has not only affected companies but also universities. This development is due to the Bologna Declaration which prescribes a harmonisation of the higher education in Europe. The declaration implies a tougher competition, but also a higher degree of co-operation among European universities. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine how LiU can make use of thenetwork approach in the process of internationalisation, in order to cope with the changes that the Bologna Declaration implies. Realisation: We have carried out a total amount of 17 interviews. To complement these interviews, secondary data about the Bologna Process and LiU have been extracted from the internet and other information material. Results: LiU should take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Bologna Process in order to further internationalise. The most favourable way of networking for LiU would be to be a part of relatively small and complementary networks. The promotion and facilitation of the communication between partners, but also within the university, is crucial. Use, and constantly develop, the competitive advantages in order to seek possible network partners and to attract students, teachers and researchers.

This thesis applies the dynamic capabilities framework to identify and examine the dynamic capabilities creating sustainable competitive advantage in the context of a developing economy. The attempt to explain sustainable competitive advantage by reacting to environmental changes has at all times been a highly discussed topic for research. The globalized and unstable environment often found in developing areas increases the need for more dynamic models when analyzing how to gain competitive advantage. To meet this demand, the dynamic capability framework introduces a very promising effort to better understand superior enterprise performance over time.   This thesis intends to increase the understanding of the role of dynamic capabilities and analyze the knowledge of successful entrepreneurs in small and medium enterprises effectively can outperform competition in the unstable South African environment. More specific, the focus is mainly on strategic decisions and the empirical study consists of qualitative case studies of four successful entrepreneurs. This data is collected through semi-structured interviews in Cape Town. The strategic decisions are first analyzed within each case – applying selected parts of an existing framework – and thereafter a cross-sectional analysis is done in order to find both the similarities and differences between entrepreneurs. The findings suggest that all entrepreneurs in the analysis have the characteristics and skills to create dynamic capabilities within the process of sensing, seizing and reconfiguring opportunities. Furthermore, three main factors – maintaining a consistent long-term vision, placing the customer need in focus, and using the competence and resources wisely – are identified as features, which made these four entrepreneurs successful and helped them sustain the superior firm performance over time. In addition, these three factors must be adaptable to rapid and unexpected changes. Overall the findings suggest that when analyzing competitive advantage, the sensing, shaping and reconfiguration of opportunities must be seen as constant.  Lastly, the complete process containing different fundamental classes of dynamic capabilities should not be separated.   The study demonstrates the relevance of the dynamic capabilities approach in identifying competitive advantage, which is based on the firm’s dynamic capabilities. The fact that small and medium enterprises are important for the economic growth in developing countries makes this study an important field for research.

Title: Competitive Strategies of Ethnic Food Companies in Sweden Authors: Düriye Canbaz – Aktuğ Yılmaz Instructor: Prafulla Acharya Course: EFO 705-Master Thesis Date: 25/05/2009 Introduction: Sweden has a population of 9.1 million habitants and approximately 1.2 million people or 13% of the Swedish population consists of foreign nationalities or individuals born abroad. If the second generation is included in the consideration then the number increases to approximately 1.6 million which in the end corresponds to over 17% of the total population. (Market Brief Focus on Swedish Market, 2007, p.3) Under such circumstances, it is not unusual to see demand for ethnic food. During the last few years, ethnic food products have experienced a very positive market trend and the development is a reflection of both the increasing number of immigrants and native Swedes increasing interest in ethnic foods. (Ibid, p.6) “Several years ago, immigrants constituted the principal consumer group of ethnic foods, but this has changed over the years” that “Swedish consumers are now more and more regarded as the main consumer group of ethnic foods” (Ibid, p.6) Under such circumstances, the competition among the companies rise that companies try to raise their level of competitiveness. Doing so, companies adopt some strategies and develop some competences to outperform the rivals. Problem: How to compete in Swedish ethnic food stuff industry? Sub questions; -          What competitive strategies should be carried out? -          What competences and competitive advantages should be developed?   Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to identify the competitive strategies of existent ethnic food stuff companies in Sweden in order to set a success model for the new entrants as a guideline. To be able to set a clear model the distinctive competences of the companies on which strategies are constructed will be identified. Method: In this dissertation we used both primary and the secondary data. The primary data that we used consists of interviews that we made with the informants from the ethnic food stuff companies and retailers. The secondary data that is used in the thesis generally consists of resources that are relevant and valid such as reports from Swedish Chambers, European Union and reports from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as well as some dissertations from Swedish universities. Analysis and Conclusions: In Swedish ethnic food market both market structure and companies’ resources play important role in the shaping of competitive strategies. Case companies Laroc AB and Sevan AB follows the product differentiation strategy. Companies differentiate in quality, price and product variety. Also, they follow special strategies in branding and target different consumers groups. We recommend to new entrants to follow Sevan’s strategy in the short time which is providing well known brands from Middle Eastern region. However, in the long run, we recommend them to follow Laroc’s strategy which is generally based on creating its own brand name. One of the other recommendations we have for the new entrants is working with the independent stores that are not explored by the other ethnic food stuff companies. Another recommendation that we have for new entrants is the processed food and ready meal products. In the market for Middle Eastern processed food and ready meal products, there is a limited range of products. Ethnic food market is changing, as the only thing that does not change is change itself. Ethnic food is losing its ethnicity as it gets appreciated by the consumers and embeds into culture. Thus, both current competitors and new entrants should be aware of the changes and orient themselves accordingly.

Aim: The aim of this study is to describe and analyse the factors that are important when entering a regional market, with a new brand name, within the technical consultant business in Sweden. Method: A qualitative research method has been applied to this study. Two interviews with key members of the chosen organisation have been performed. This is to bring a deeper understanding and together with my own experiences will be used as a base for the analysis of the present subject. Result &amp; Conclusions: This study shows that the foundation of success when entering a new market with a new brand name is to focus on the long term building of relationships and personal networks. This has also shown to be a good strategy during an economical recession that recently has been over the last two years. To gain a competitive advantage in a market one has to be present and interact with the market. When competition increases with market threats from countries far away one has to stand out, be different, from your competitors. Relationship marketing and networking could for this reason be a good strategy because being local and visible makes the entry barriers higher for new entrants that are geographically located somewhere else in the world. 3 The downside of relationship marketing is that it‘s hard to use conventional advertisement because building a network of new relations with customers etcetera will take long time because a relation is build with personal interaction between two parties. One can say that when entering a market with a new brand the person that acts in a brand name is more important than the brand name itself because you have a relationship with persons not with brand names. Suggestions for future research: As years go by everything changes. Therefore the development of relationship marketing in the future could be an interesting case to study. When the economical situation now changes from recession to a positive trend this could be such a change to analyse in a study. Another interesting research might be to evaluate the situation in other countries. Is relationship marketing equally important as it is in Sweden today or does its‘ importance change in accordance to what country you analyze? At last, one can analyze if it is a different situation when entering a new market with a new brand if you work with traditionally employed personnel than it is when working with self-employed organizations. If one is to enter a market with traditionally employees are there other strategies that are successful or is relationship marketing important as well? Contribution of the thesis: This study could be useful for entrepreneurs that seek new ways of gaining success in a market. It has pointed out the advantages of relationship marketing and networking and has shown it could be really successful in practice. I strongly believe on the importance of building relationships within all business areas. Being part of a world that more and more goes toward virtual interaction and increased competition within all areas, both local and worldwide, relationships could be a key to success.

Syfte: Denna uppsats syftar till att göra en undersökning bland Länsförsäkringars kunder, vilket är intressant då försäkringsbranschen säljer en produkt som det inte går att ta på och som kunden betalar för trots att han eller hon troligtvis aldrig kommer att använda produkten och faktiskt helst inte ens vill utnyttja densamma. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka följande: • Varför stannar Länsförsäkringars befintliga kunder kvar inom företaget? • Varför väljer en person att bli kund hos Länsförsäkringar? • Tycker kunderna att det är viktigt att ha bank, försäkring och liv inom samma bolag? • Tycker kunderna att det är viktigt med en ”egen” personlig kontakt hos sitt bolag? • Vad är det för likheter samt olikheter mellan Länsförsäkringars kunder i Gävle, Bollnäs och Söderhamn? Metod: För att utföra studien har ett flertal olika tillvägagångssätt utnyttjats: 1. Litteraturstudie 2. Enkätundersökning 3. Statistisk bearbetning av enkätsvaren Resultat &amp; slutsats: De viktigaste slutsatserna som jag har kommit fram till är följande: • Länsförsäkringars nya kunder värdesätter priset mest medan däremot de befintliga kunderna värdesätter personal och service mest. • Länsförsäkringar måste marknadsföra fördelarna med konceptet bank, försäkring och liv inom samma bolag för att det ska kunna fungera som ett konkurrensmedel. • För att Länsförsäkringar ska lyckas med att införa en ”egen” personlig kontakt måste fördelarna med detta marknadsföras till kunderna. • Några väsentliga skillnader kan inte utläsas mellan orterna Gävle, Bollnäs och Söderhamn. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: • Att genomföra djupintervjuer eller en enkätundersökning bland de kunder som har lämnat Länsförsäkringar för att se varför de lämnade företaget. • Att genomföra ytterligare studier på de 40 procent av de nya kunderna som valde Länsförsäkringar för prisets skull. Verkar de representera en grupp människor som ofta byter bolag för att få lägsta pris? Uppsatsens bidrag: Uppsatsen ger dels Länsförsäkringar, men även andra som är intresserade, möjlighet att få en inblick i vilka av Länsförsäkringars konkurrensmedel som uppskattas av deras kunder. / Aim: This thesis aims to study customers of Länsförsäkringar. This study is interesting because insurance companies sale invisible products. Even the customer who pays for a product, is not probably going to use or want to use it. The aim of my paper is to investigate the followings: • Why do the existing customers of Länsförsäkringar stay with the company? • Why does a person chose to become a customer at Länsförsäkringar? • Do the customers find it important to have bank, insurance and life with the same company? • Do the customers find it important with a personal contact of their own at their company? • What similarities and differences are there between the customers of Länsförsäkringar in Gävle, Bollnäs and Söderhamn? Method: To conduct this study I have made use of several different procedures: 1. Study of literature 2. Questionnaire survey 3. Statistical work on the questionnaire Result &amp; Conclusions: The most important conclusions that I have come to see are the following: • The new customers of Länsförsäkringar seem to value price the most while the existing customers value staff and service the most. • Länsförsäkringar has to market the benefits with the concept bank, insurance and life within the same company in order to make it work as a competitive advantage. • To succeed with implementing a “personal contact” Länsförsäkringar has to market the benefits of it to the customers. • No major differences can be found between the localities Gävle, Bollnäs and Söderhamn. Suggestions for future research: • To carry out more thorough interviews or a questionnaire survey among the customers who have left Länsförsäkringar in order to see why they left the company. • To conduct further studies of the 40 percent of the new customers who choose Länsförsäkringar for the sake of the price. Do they seem to represent a group of people who often switch companies in order to get the lowest price? Contribution of the thesis: The thesis gives not only Länsförsäkringar, but also others that are interested, an opportunity to get an insight in which of Länsförsäkringar competitive advantages that are appreciated by their costumers.