The study seeks to characterise management in Spain in general. It seeks to explain, within a social cultural framework, how management in Spain differs in values and structure from that in the United Kingdom. The basis of the study is empirical evidence largely derived from interviews with managers practising in Spain. The study concludes that there are underlying similarities in management values across regions and' industries in Spain that are different from those prevalent in Britain. Of special interest are the prioritisation of human individual values, the nature of the authority structure and the principal methods of communication which managers choose to employ.

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In today’s rapidly changing society company development and Continuous improvements are crucial to gain a competitive advantage on the global market. Through interviews this study investigated how two Chinese companies worked with Continuous improvements. The empirical findings were compared to the theoretical theories. The study showed that the biggest difference between western business and Chinese businesses was the organizational structure. The hierarchical organizational structure, since it hinders empowerment, was also the biggest barrier for Chinese companies to integrate further developmental work with Continuous improvements. Thus empowerment contributes to flexibility, innovation, employee development and increased communication processes.

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Japanese companies have been said to rarely have strategies that resemble the ones that can be seen in literature from the Western world. However, even though Japanese companies do not show the same kind of strategy as can be found in the west, it does not necessarily mean they have no strategy at all. Recent studies have shown that Japanese companies do show clarity in their approach to strategy. Still, not much research can be found on this subject. When the world is becoming more globalized and multinational, it is of interest for both the companies’ stakeholders and shareholders to know how they operate, and their strategic planning process is one part of this. The research question therefore becomes: How does the process of strategic planning in Japanese companies work and in what way is the Japanese culture an influence? The main purpose of this master thesis is to provide a deeper understanding concerning the concept of strategic planning in Japanese companies. It also has two sub purposes. Firstly, this research aims towards understanding the current strategic planning process, in what way it is used in Japanese companies. Secondly, it will try to understand if the Japanese culture influences the strategic planning process and if so, in what way.The thesis is based on a qualitative study with semi structured interviews where five respondents were divided into two categories (based in the respondents’ background), two respondents with a Japanese view and three with an international view. A constructionist ontological position, interpretivism epistemological position and an inductive scientific approach have been adopted.The theoretical framework is divided into two parts; the first concerns the strategic planning process and the second Japanese business culture.Analysis was done across the two different categories of respondents’ and from my research I have found that the strategic planning process in Japan is different from company to company but that they all tend to share one important step, consensus. I have also found that Japanese culture has had a great impact on the strategic planning process although there seem to be a shift towards becoming more streamlined and more international to be able to compete on the global market.The practical implications of my findings are that since Japanese companies seem to incorporate their culture into their strategic planning, it is important that the field of strategic planning research take into consideration the culture and its effect on the strategic planning process. Japanese companies also need to assess if strategic planning should be used as a way towards becoming more globalized, and if so, in what way.

Bachelor thesis. / Format: PDF. Bibl.

Background: China is today regarded as Sweden’s most important business partner in Asia. Even if there are cultural differences between Sweden and China the intercultural distance has successively decreased. One of the reasons is the globalisation. Another reason is the consecutive development of Swedish-Chinese relations. The interpretation from common understanding has increased the level of trade between the nations. There is an on-going development of business co-operation between Sweden and China.  The Purpose: This Bachelor Thesis will examine the differences between the Swedish-Chinese business culture and how the cultural differences affect the Swedish B2B in China. The purpose is formulated by the basis of our main research questions; “How do Swedish B2B companies perceive the cultural differences between the Swedish and Chinese way of doing business?“ and “how do Swedish companies operating in China deal with business cultural diversity in China?”  Theoretical Framework: The basis of our Bachelor Thesis examines the theories within cultural dimension. The theoretical framework is based on proven studies from e.g. Hofstede’s Five Dimensions, Trompenaars Cultural Diversity, CVS, the GLOBE Study, Cross-Cultural- Communication & Adaptation and Guanxi.  Methodology: We have used an abductive approach with the basis of a qualitative research strategy. The primary data is gathered from six different case studies; Scania, Ludvig Svensson AB, Formox AB, Century 21, Business Sweden and Småland-China Support Office. The empirical findings will further be interpreted with the theoretical framework, analysed and we will finish up with our conclusion.  Conclusion: From the research examined we have identified a numerous of business cultural differences between Sweden and China. Even if the cultural barriers including communication, decision-making, co-operation, relations and business behaviour differs there are numerous of essential exploratory effort that can be initiated to prevent cultural misunderstandings and barriers. This fundamental will be presented as our suggestions.

The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of the business cultural challenges that arise when Swedish companies choose to enter the Chinese market. The study utilizes a qualitative approach, employing semi-structured interviews with five individuals who possess extensive experience working in China. The theoretical framework draws upon Hofstede's cultural dimensions and Trompenaar's seven dimensions to illustrate the cultural differences between Sweden and China. The findings of the study indicate that Swedish companies encounter numerous business cultural challenges. Recruiting employees, communication styles, and learning the social intricacies, including the Chinese language are among the various business cultural challenges faced by Swedish companies when establishing themselves in China. / Syftet med denna studie är att öka förståelsen för de affärskulturella utmaningar som uppstår när svenska företag etablerar sig på den kinesiska marknaden. Studien använder en kvalitativ metod och genomför semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem personer som har omfattande erfarenhet av att arbeta i Kina. Den teoretiska ramen bygger på Hofstedes kulturella dimensioner och Trompenaars sju dimensioner för att belysa de kulturella skillnaderna mellan Sverige och Kina. Resultaten från studien visar att svenska företag står inför ett antal affärskulturella utmaningar. Rekrytering av personal, kommunikationsstilar och lärandet av de hemliga koderna i samhället, inklusive det kinesiska språket, är bland de olika affärskulturella utmaningar som svenska företag möter när de etablerar sig i Kina.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and provide a deeper understanding of how the national culture of China affects the use of formal and informal management control systems of Swedish firms, operating in China. In order to conduct this research, relevant theories concerning internationalization, culture and management control systems were gathered and analyzed in relation to each other. This resulted in a conceptual framework, which illustrates the interrelationships between the concepts. Thereafter, this was used as the ground to which the empirical findings were analyzed and compared to. The analysis chapter involves a discussion of the similarities and dissimilarities between theory and empirical data, which leads to the conclusions of this study. This is lastly followed by theoretical implications, practical implications and recommendations, limitations and suggestions for further research.   The study has been conducted with a qualitative research method, in order to obtain a deeper understanding of how national culture can affect the use of  management control systems of Swedish firms in China. Further, due to the unexplored and limited research area of this complex subject, the study followed an abductive approach.   The findings of this research indicate that the Chinese culture affects the use of formal control systems, in which they are used extensively within Swedish firms, operating  in China. However, the national culture of China does not have an effect on the informal control systems of Swedish firms. Nevertheless, the use of the informal control systems should not be undermined, as the use of these triggers for more innovation and creativity among the members of an organization. This in turn could lead to Swedish firms operating more efficiently in the Chinese market. This research can be valuable for Swedish firms that wish to internationalize to the Chinese market, as well as firms operating in China with concerns regarding the use of management control systems in relation to the culture.

This work deals with the corporate culture, its description, significance and corporate culture analysis in the hotel chain Hong Ngoc Hotel Group, especially the Hong Ngoc Dynastie hotel. The work is divided into three parts. Content of the theoretical part are basic knowledge about corporate culture, the author analyses the term of corporate culture, its basic features and types of corporate culture. The practical part is focused on the hotel chain Hong Ngoc Hotel Group, where the Hong Ngoc Dynastie hotel is introduced. The author concerned with the analysis and description of the corporate culture of two hotels -- Hong Ngoc Dynastie and XY located in Prague. The last part of the study is dedicated to comparing this two corporate culture and improvement proposals for Hong Ngoc Dynastie hotel to approach its goals to become one of respected hotels at international level.