Innovation and internationalization are quite often regarded as important strategies for companies to grow and succeed in the fast pacing market battlefield. Literature has deeply investigated these subjects, separately and together. However, papers on the relations of innovation capability and internationalization degree are still scarce and therefore, under researched. Moreover, although studies on the relations of the innovation capability of a company and business performance pop up quite frequently, they still lack conclusiveness. In order to deepen the understanding on those relations and unveil practical recommendations for managers, this study aimed at describing (1) the relations between innovation capability and internationalization degree and (2) the relations between innovation capability and business performance of companies operating in Brazil. Literature review encompasses concepts on innovation drivers, internationalization, and business performance as well as the relations of (1) innovation and internationalization, and (2) innovation and business performance. As innovation capability is not directly measureable, the conceptual model included a proposal of a construct of innovation capability as a weighted contribution of a set of innovation drivers. The conceptual model provided the foundations for the questionnaire and therefore, the whole field research, which included the delivery of questionnaires to students of graduate programs of three Business schools in Brazil. 528 questionnaires were filled out and they represented 386 different companies. Methodological procedures included a quantitative analysis that encompassed (1) descriptive statistics for demographics, (2) the non-parametric Wilcoxon test for mean comparison, (3) exploratory factor analysis for variable reduction, (3) cluster analysis to identify the association of importance and practice of drivers, and (4) multiple linear regression to identify descriptors of internationalization degree and business performance. Idea generation, people, leadership, and intellectual capital are considered the most important innovation drivers as opposed to funding and portfolio management. Regarding practice, although there was no evidence to distinguish most practiced drivers, structure, time, and reward system were considered the less practiced. When considering importance and practice at the same time, five clusters of drivers were depicted: (1) the most practiced, (2) the most important, (3) the least important, (4) the least practiced, and (5) not the most, not the least. Although drivers of cluster (2) are considered the most important, they are not the most practiced. As a result, in general terms, drivers pertaining to this cluster-- people, intellectual capital, generation, conversion, and leadership--should be prioritized while implementing innovation initiatives. Next, while identifying descriptors, funding and diffusion drivers explain 10.6% and innovation capability explains 6.8% of internationalization degree. Findings on the identification of descriptors of business performance are more promising: diffusion, values, strategic alliances, and technologies drivers explain 41.8% of the business performance variability while innovation capability explains 28.1%. Although literature has highlighted the importance of all innovation drivers, the results of this study provide managers with a prioritization when implementing innovation initiatives within their companies, depending on whatever internationalization or business performance output are pursued. / inovação e internacionalização são recorrentemente tidas como estratégias importantes para empresas crescerem e se sobressaírem no mercado em constante mudança. A literatura já se aprofundou na discussão desses dois temas, de forma separada e em conjunto. Por outro lado, artigos sobre as relações entre competências organizacionais para inovar e grau de internacionalização ainda são raros e, portanto, o tema merece ser mais explorado. Além disso, embora estudos sobre as relações entre competências organizacionais para inovar e desempenho organizacional apareçam com frequência, muitos não são conclusivos. De maneira a se aprofundar nos estudos dessas relações e propor recomendações práticas para gestores, este estudo pretende descrever: (1) as relações entre competências organizacionais para inovar e grau de internacionalização e (2) as relações entre competências organizacionais para inovar e desempenho organizacional de empresas que atuam no Brasil. A revisão da literatura incluiu conceitos de impulsionadores da inovação (innovation drivers), internacionalização, desempenho organizacional, assim como as relações entre (1) inovação e internacionalização e (2) inovação e desempenho organizacional. Já que o conceito de competências organizacionais para inovar não é mensurável diretamente, o modelo conceitual deste trabalho incluiu uma proposta de competências organizacionais para inovar como uma contribuição ponderada de um conjunto de impulsionadores da inovação. Tal modelo conceitual serviu de base para a elaboração do questionário e, portanto, para a pesquisa de campo: preenchimento do questionário por alunos de pós-graduação de três escolas de negócios no Brasil. 528 questionários foram preenchidos, representando 386 empresas diferentes. Os procedimentos metodológicos incluem análises quantitativas, como (1) estatística descritiva para parte demográfica de respondentes e empresas, (2) teste não-paramétrico de Wilcoxon para comparação de médias, (3) análise fatorial exploratória para redução do número de variáveis, (4) análise de agrupamentos para identificação da associação entre importância e prática dos impulsionadores para inovar e (5) regressão linear múltipla para identificação de descritores do grau de internacionalização e de desempenho organizacional. Geração de ideias, pessoas, liderança e capital intelectual são consideradas pelos respondentes como os impulsionadores para inovar mais importantes. Em relação à prática, não houve evidências para distinguir os impulsionadores: estrutura organizacional, tempo e sistema de remuneração foram considerados os impulsionadores menos praticados. Considerando importância e prática dos impulsionadores ao mesmo tempo, cinco agrupamentos de impulsionadores são apresentados: (1) os mais praticados, (2) os mais importantes, (3) os menos importante, (4) os menos praticados e (5) nem os mais e nem os menos. O agrupamento 2 de impulsionadores para inovar são considerados os mais importantes, mas não são considerados os mais praticados. Portanto, de maneira geral, impulsionadores desse agrupamento (pessoas, capital intelectual, geração de ideias, conversão e liderança) devem ser priorizados quando da implantação de iniciativas para inovar. A seguir, na identificação de descritores, os impulsionadores de financiamento e de difusão explicam 10,6% e a competência organizacional para inovar explica 6,8% da variação do grau de internacionalização. Já os achados na identificação de descritores do desempenho organizacional são mais promissores: impulsionadores de difusão, valores, alianças estratégicas e tecnologias explicam 41,8% da variação do desempenho organizacional enquanto que a competência organizacional para inovar explica 28,1%. Ainda que a literatura ressalte a importância de todos os impulsionadores para inovar, os resultados deste estudo fornecem sugestões de priorização quando gestores estão considerando implantar iniciativas de inovação em suas empresas, dependendo do resultado que se pretende alcançar: internacionalização ou desempenho organizacional.

Nowadays, corporations run their business on dynamic markets with really harsh competition. If they want to survive, they need to manage their business effectively and increase corporate performance. Management is today highly supported by information and communication technologies that develop and bring new solutions and technologies continuously. One of these new solutions is Corporate Performance Management based on Business Intelligence technologies that enables complex and integrated view of business performance and its management. This thesis is devoted to this new developing approach in IS/ICT. Readers will become familiar with its basic principles, advantages, particular components and process of implementation. After this more theoretical part, follows the practical issue - realization of this solution for an existing organization in order to get expected results and effects. The solution is designed for a company that provides consulting and software development in Business Intelligence technologies. According to the cycle of CPM, firstly, a Performance Management method is chosen, after that the corporate strategy and concrete KPIs as they enhance the goals and strategy achievement. Afterwards data sources are identified and optimized as needed. On these data sources, all the visualization tools for Performance management are developed. In this case we are talking about interactive scorecards and dashboards. After this phase, the solution is ready for the developers to create it in the concrete application. In this case the Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007.

This master thesis is focused on the issue of financial performance of Farmet a.s., primarily using a benchmarking method. The first part of the paper consists of theoretical foundations to the given issue. Furthermore, the characterization of the chosen company and its strategic analysis follow. The main part of the thesis is focused on an execution of benchmarking – a comparison of the selected company with three competitors. Finally, the achieved outcomes and recommendations for the company are stated in conclusion.

The main aim of the thesis is to analyze the performance of the company providing economic services. The first part summarizes the basic information used to evaluate the performance of the company. Next part deals with comparison with competition and evaluation of profitability of selected orders by calculation method Activity-Based Costing. The final part proposes changes in cost management.

The diploma thesis is focused on evaluation of the performance of the company ALBIXON a. s. using the EFQM Excellence Model. The theoretical part of the thesis presents primary tools of economic and financial evaluation of companies, inluding the already mentioned EFQM model. The analytical part of the thesis describes the current situation of selected company and the evalution is performed through the START model questionnaire, which is based on the principles of the EFQM model. The final part of the thesis contains recommendations to increase the company’s performance and achieve a consistently high level of business excelence.

The Master’s thesis deals with the business performance assessment of DSB EURO, s. r. o. company by Balanced Scorecard method. The concept of the Balanced Scorecard method and its implementation is described in the theoretical part. The practical part is based on the theory described in the thesis and evaluates current situation of the company by financial and non-financial measures. The concept of the implementation into chosen company is designed from the analysis results. The final part is aimed on the risk summarization and concept contribution.

The diploma thesis is focused on the evaluation of the costing system at the Agricultural Co-operative based in Sloupnice. The aim of this work is to develop a calculation of winter wheat which would fully meet the needs of the company´s management in evaluating the effectiveness of the cost spent on growing it. The proposal part then presents options worked out to address the problem areas found in analysing the current situation.

Real estate development (RED) businesses are critical to closing the housing deficit gap in Nigeria. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that successful business managers used to improve and sustain their business performance in Nigeria. The 7FE business process management framework was the conceptual framework used. Primary research data were collected through semistructured interviews held with a purposive population sample of 5 business managers who successfully improved and sustained their business performance in the Nigeria real estate sector. Secondary data were collected from company and public documents and extant literature. Data were analyzed using computer-aided data analysis software and methodological triangulation. Ten emergent themes were identified: business strategy; commitment to quality and building trust; industry and market research; training and knowledge acquisition; innovation and reward systems; operational effectiveness and project portfolio management; minimizing costs and financial leverage; marketing, promotions, and strategic partnerships; measuring business performance and assessing strategic success; and change management and documenting lessons learned. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to increase the number of sustainable RED businesses in Nigeria, providing more employment, housing for more people, offering better living conditions, improving quality of life, and contributing to both local and national economies.

The use of social media is constantly increasing and digitalization is becoming a bigger and bigger part of both individuals' and companies' daily life. In turn, customers' expectations of companies working within the social media environment are increasing in phase with digitalization. In order for companies to stay relevant in the market, mastering digitalization is becoming a requirement, especially within the marketing context. This includes marketing between business-to-business (B2B). Additionally, small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent the majority of company size in Sweden and are therefore a major contributory addition to the economy. Therefore we found it of high interest to research how SME B2B marketing companies adapt to the development of digitalization and the increased use of social media in order to remain relevant in the market. Furthermore, since previous research has focused on barriers to the adoption of social media within these types of companies, we find it of value to further investigate how business performance is influenced by social media use. The business performance is moreover researched regarding how the most common tool for social media, lead generation, is appropriate within the SME B2B marketing context. The purpose of this study is to examine how social media usage influences business performance in Swedish small-to-medium-sized B2B marketing firms, in the context of lead generation. We want to contribute knowledge regarding how these kinds of companies should use social media in order to further be able to grow their business performance. This, since B2B companies have been seen as slow adaptors to social media as well as due to the fact that society is frequently becoming more digitized. To get a deeper understanding of how SME B2B marketing companies use social media as well as how they have experienced an influence on their business performance due to social media, eight independent participants within this business context have been interviewed through semi-structured interviews. A qualitative method was selected for this thesis, as well as an inductive research approach, which contributed to knowledge regarding how B2B marketing companies use social media in a business context as well as how they have experienced an influence on business performance. Based on the findings from this research, we came up with four sections that are of value for companies to consider when implementing social media in order to increase business performance. The first section demonstrates goals set for social media, which need to be set in order to further create matching strategies on how to achieve these goals. This leads us to the second step, use, which describes how companies use social media in order to achieve their goals. The third section is business performance, which demonstrates how business performance is influenced by social media use. Lastly, lead generation further demonstrates how it is possible to understand the influence on business performance coming from the use of social media. This last step of the model shows that using lead generation when understanding business performance from social media is more appropriate in some contexts than others. This study contributes with new theoretical knowledge on how the use of social media influences a small-to-medium-sized business-to-business marketing firm, as well as how lead generation is considered appropriate when understanding the company's business performance. In addition, based on our findings, practical recommendations have been suggested for small-to-medium-sized enterprises within B2B marketing.

Yes / This paper focuses on the application and exploitation of Big Data to create competitive advantage. It presents a framework of application areas and how they help the understanding of targeting and scoping specific areas for sustainable improvement. Empirical evidence demonstrates the application of Big Data in practice and tests the framework. An exploratory approach is adopted to the secondary research which examines vendors’ offerings. The empirical research used the case study method. The findings indicate that there is opportunity to create sustainable competitive advantage through the application of big data. However there are social, technological and human consequences that are only now beginning to emerge which need to be addressed if true long-term advantage is to be achieved. The research develops a framework and tests it only in 2 dimensions. This should be expanded. The vendor analysis limitations lie within the nature of the information available and the difficulties in mitigating against bias. The suggested framework can help academics and managers to identify areas of opportunity to do so, setting new levels of performance and new agendas for business. This work contributes to service operations management, building on Kranzberg (1986) and the impact of technology and on Fosso Wamba et al. (2015) by developing a systems application framework to further understanding of big data from a practical perspective to extend their research taxonomy insights. Our case studies demonstrate how the use of BD enhances operational performance.