Univ., Diss.--St. Gallen, 2003.

Univ., Diss.--Mannheim, 2004.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Waikato, 2009. / Title from PDF cover (viewed April 24, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 214-227)

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to extend the knowledge on how Swedish companies canbecome more embedded in the Chinese market by building relationships with political actors. Research question: How do Swedish managers develop and maintain relations with politicalactors in China, and how do they perceive the outcomes from such relations? Method: Qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews. Results: The results of the study shows that managers initially use local middlemen orconsultancies to get in contact with political actions. Further, they participate in variousactivities to build upon and develop that relationship, something that is argued by therespondents to be more time-consuming and extensive than in western countries. The outcomeof having these relationships is that firm could gain a competitive edge and the managers tobecome more efficient in their role. Contribution: This study contributes with additional research to the Extended BusinessNetwork and relationship building with non-business actors in China from a Swedishmanagerial perspective.

ABSTRACT Aim of the study: This study aims to contribute to the existing knowledge on similarities and differences of networking styles across Europe and support either network contextualists or universalists with new empirical knowledge. Method used: A multiple case study was used in this paper. Qualitative data was gathered gathering from 10 interviews collected amongst experienced Swedish, Polish and Dutch entrepreneurs. Findings: Empirical findings have revealed significant differences in the networking patterns in the Netherlands, Sweden and Poland. Main networking motivation for Dutch entrepreneurs is seeking new sales opportunities, for Swedish it is the exchange of knowledge and information. All the entrepreneurs admitted that trust is an important component of network relationship. However, in Sweden trust seem to play more significant role. The empirical findings questioned the theory that trust can be easily transferred based on recommendations. No entrepreneur directly suggested that asked about trust acquisition. In Sweden informal networks are strongly preferred, while in the Netherlands formal network are much more popular. In Poland informal networks are also more popular. In the Netherlands, commercial, paid organizations may be extremely popular given the fact that all of the Dutch respondents participate in them, on the other hand in Sweden governmental networking organizations are quite common, in Poland no respondent have mentioned neither of them. Findings indicate that networking is still not as developed in Poland as it is in two other researched countries. Practical Implications: Common networking patterns cannot be expected in different European countries and background studies should be conducted before entering foreign market. There is still market growth opportunity for commercial networking organizations in Poland. Polish government should engage in more effective promotion of networking amongst entrepreneurs. Contribution: Empirical data confirm the contextualists approach that emphasizes the importance of national differences on networking and warns managers that resemblance of certain patterns cannot be assumed for different countries. This approach was confirmed since the findings exposed significant differences in several areas of networking. Keywords: Business networking, internationalization of business network, networking motivations, trust building, network type preferences, network contextualism and universalism.

Background Understanding the benefits from the environment of municipally-owned energy firms in Sweden, through the perspective of the network theory, the triple helix model and knowledge transfer. Aim To construct a model describing the resources flowing within the network of relationships within the specific context of operations. Methodology The study is centred on a case company where two specific departments are put in focus: the energy recovery department and the business development. The case study aims to be descriptive, according to the data collected from interviews of relevant respondents. Findings - The benefits derived from a collaboration with a knowledge centre is the legitimate creation of exploitable innovation for the firm, as well as the creation/improvement of hybrid platforms where mobility of personnel is seen as a central communication factor. - When it comes to the income generating activities the main benefits that arose within the collaboration was the creation of opportunities for growth and business networks as such.- Power on influencing the context generates policies and favourable network oriented circumstances.

The positive relationship of firm-level entrepreneurship and performance has received much attention in recent years and has become an attractive title in the entrepreneurship literature. This popularity encourages researchers to study the role played by the phenomenon on other organizational outputs such as internationalization. Until now, the majority of international studies have put their attention on the conceptual explanation of the interaction, and the number of empirical studies on the subject is few. Furthermore, almost all the empirical studies have been performed in developed and emerging markets, and developing areas such as the Middle East are nearly ignored. In the real context of Iranian business, policymakers support entrepreneurship as a proven way to improve the internationalization of smaller companies. Following this assumption, several supportive plans have been designed and executed which aim to increase the entrepreneurial status of SMEs as a way to enhance their internationalization. A question worth answering here is: Does having a better entrepreneurial stature mean better internationalization for Iranian SMEs? To answer this question and to fill the gap in the literature on the subject, this research explains the relationship of firm-level entrepreneurship and the internationalization of Iranian SMEs. To resolve the current conceptualization problem of firm-level entrepreneurship and to respect a broad conceptualization of entrepreneurship, a profile measurement model was employed in which companies are classified into four different groups: non-entrepreneurial, forced entrepreneurial, latent entrepreneurial, and actual entrepreneurial. This profile model incorporates the two popular constructs of entrepreneurial orientation and corporate entrepreneurship to determine the entrepreneurial stature of a company. Surprisingly, while the literature predicted the highest level of internationalization for actual entrepreneurial companies, the forced entrepreneurial firms showed the best internationalization in reality. The only exception was when the environments became very hostile, in which the actual entrepreneurial SMEs suppressed the forced entrepreneurial, showing better internationalization. These unexpected conclusions led the researcher to consider the complementary role of business networks. A case study approach was applied. The results revealed the importance of actor type in the decision to enter a foreign market, structural holes in identifying international opportunities, and network closure in realizing the opportunities. In simpler words, the forced entrepreneurial company held a better position to receive the information about international markets because most actors who dealt with them where international companies. In addition, it enjoyed an external network rich of structural holes and a dense internal network, which respectively facilitated the exploration and exploitation of subsequent international opportunities. All in all, however, firm-level entrepreneurship seems an important factor of companies’ internationalization that could somehow justify why entrepreneurial companies show better international activities than nonentrepreneurial firms, it is not able to explain how different types of entrepreneurial companies could hold different levels of internationalization. This is the mutual interaction of entrepreneurial status and the network structure that presents a powerful explanation of the difference in internationalization among companies. Therefore, researchers are invited to focus more on a configurational analysis of firm-level entrepreneurship, network structure, and internationalization, and policymakers are recommended to see both entrepreneurship and business networks when they design a supportive plan to improve the internationalization of SMEs. / <p>In the printed version is the ISBN incorrrect: 978-91-7519-497-4. The ISBN is corrected in the electronic version.</p>

Mesmo reconhecendo a importância das centrais de negócios no contexto brasileiro, pode-se dizer que existe pouco conhecimento sobre o assunto. Essa iniciativa ganhou força apenas nos últimos cinco anos no país e a maioria dos estudos encontrados na literatura, possuem caráter predominantemente exploratório. Nesse sentido, o presente trabalho buscou fomentar importantes discussões sobre as centrais de negócios de supermercadistas de pequeno e médio porte, ao analisar de forma crítica a sua formação, identificando os fatores que influenciam a sua sustentabilidade. A metodologia do estudo fundamenta-se em cinco etapas que se complementam. A primeira refere-se ao levantamento bibliográfico e pesquisa em dados secundários, cujo objetivo era ampliar o conhecimento teórico sobre as centrais de negócios. Em um segundo momento, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa de natureza exploratória junto a três centrais de negócios, visando uma percepção prática do tema, a definição das etapas metodológicas, e a elucidação do problema, proposições, perguntas e variáveis da pesquisa. Na seqüência foi realizado um estudo qualitativo com seis centrais de negócios formadas há pelo menos um ano e que possuíam maior conhecimento e experiência no seu processo de formação. Na quarta etapa metodológica foi feita uma pesquisa quantitativa com 21 centrais de negócios em diversos Estados brasileiros para analisar proposições, investigar a correlação entre as variáveis e descrever as características das centrais de negócios no território nacional. Finalmente, por meio de uma pesquisa qualitativa, buscou-se identificar nas experiências internacionais dinamarquesas, potenciais ações que pudessem ser adaptadas ao contexto nacional. Os resultados discutidos podem contribuir para uma melhor compreensão do processo de formação das centrais de negócios. Pôde-se concluir que para ser bem sucedida, ela precisa ter uma proposta abrangente, mas ao mesmo tempo focar em objetivos claros, tratar da qualificação e capacitação profissional dos seus membros e incluir e unir o econômico, o social e o cultural. No final do estudo apresentam-se recomendações voltadas à sustentabilidade das centrais de negócios de supermercadistas de pequeno e médio porte. / Even recognizing the importance of the business networks composed by the small and medium grocery retailers for its sustainability in Brazil, the lack of publications is notable. This working force has just received more attention in the country in the last five years and the studies found in the literature have predominantly exploratory character. Based on these facts, the objective of this study is to foment important discussions about the business networks composed by small and medium grocery retailers. It analyzes critically it formation, identifying the influence factors at its sustainability. The methodology of the study is based on five stages that complement each other. The first one refers to the bibliographical research and secondary data research, that attempts to promote the theoretical knowledge on the business networks. In a second moment, an exploratory research was accomplished with three business networks formed by small and medium grocery retailers, seeking a practical perception of the theme, the definition of the methodological stages, and the elucidation of the problem, propositions, questions and variables of the research. In the sequence a qualitative study was conducted with six business networks of small and medium grocery retailers formed at least one year ago that could improve larger knowledge and experience in it formation process. In the fourth methodological stage a quantitative research was realized with 21 business networks in several Brazilian States to analyze propositions, to investigate correlation among the variables and to describe the characteristics of the business networks in the national territory. Finally, through a qualitative research, it was attempted to identify, based on international Danish experiences, potential actions that could be adapted to the national context. The discussed results can contribute to a better understanding of the process of formation of the business networks composed by the small and medium grocery retailers. As a result, for this union succeed, it needs to include a proposal, but at the same time to focus in clear objectives, to improve the qualification of the processes and the professional training of their members, and to include the economical, social and cultural perspective. Since one of the attempt of this study was to provide recommendations focused on the sustainability of the business networks composed by small and medium grocery retailers, the study provides useful insights that should be taken for which business network that aim to be maintainable.

This thesis aims to document and discuss the role and legacy of the Italian antiquario Alessandro Contini Bonacossi (1878-1955) in the international secondary art market for Old Master paintings during the first half of the twentieth century. Grounded in the discovery of primary archival evidence and set against the major historical events that unfolded during his lifetime, this work presents its findings by following a research process adopted to answer the following research questions: who was Contini Bonacossi, what was his business network (where was he buying paintings, at what prices, and who were his clients), what was his modus operandi for selling and marketing his work, and what is his legacy. To answer these questions, I made extensive use of primary sources, the vast majority of which are unpublished or have never been used before in this context, framed by a contextualized analysis of their historical background. The archival investigation has brought to light, for the first time, documentary evidence of Contini Bonacossi's transactions and business ties with other European dealers such as Duveen Brothers, Heinemann Galleries, Colin Agnew, Colnaghi, Böhler, Steinmeyer, and Kleinberger Galleries; with scholars such as Wilhelm von Bode, Roberto Longhi, and Bernard Berenson; as well as previously unknown connections Contini Bonacossi had with members of the Harvard museum community and the Boston cultural elite such as Paul Sachs (1878-1965), Edward W. Forbes (1873-1969) Denmann Ross (1853-1935); and offers new details regarding his relationship with the Kress Brothers, their gifts of artworks to the new National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and the Kress Foundation's Regional Program that endowed museums across the US. Ultimately, this work adds to our knowledge important sources for the study of the history of private and public collecting during its crucial years in the formation of American museums. More broadly, in documenting Contini Bonacossi's case, this study strives to rethink the role of art dealers, to look at them not solely as market professionals engaged in the dynamics of supply, demand and profit, but first and foremost as bearers and sellers of culture, whose activities were fully embedded in the socio-political environment of their time and so to acknowledge and extend knowledge about their active role in the international dissemination and interpretation of cultural heritage.

<p>Relationships of entrepreneur vary automatically over time; however, entrepreneurs themselves are the ones who create relationships. This process requires self-motivated action in order to gain good relationships and trusts. In this research, the particular ways that entrepreneurs use to create relationships with customers, suppliers and financial institutions follow each step of interest, commitment, adaptation and trust. The authors find that entrepreneurs use both similar and different methods in each stage depending on type and size of their business. In addition, we examine how organizations supporting entrepreneurs to start business influence the networking of entrepreneurs. The authors select Idélab as our case study. During joining Idélab’s activities, the attendants would gain more relationships from both inside and outside of Idélab which are apart from their backgrounds and experiences. Therefore, the entrepreneurs attending Idélab reach more relationships than entrepreneurs who do not.</p>