The Victorian publishing industry has been frequently analysed, debated and discussed within the fields of book history, publishing history, media studies and literary studies, yet there is a gap within academic business research on the publishing industry from the approach of organisational studies, in particular from the perspective of new institutionalism. This research examines how the business practices of organisations in the British publishing industry - which I refer to as literary businesses - developed in the Victorian era, by exploring the formation of these practices in relation to wider societal influences. My research analyses how authors, publishers and literary agents instigated and reproduced business practices in the industry, examining why these practices became accepted and legitimised. This historically oriented research is constructed around primary and archival sources, in particular trade periodicals, personal letters and business documents.

Internationalization of firms has been an on-going process for many years, however, over the recent years, there has been radical changes in the business world, which has created a more competitive business environment for firms. This change in the business environment has not been an easy process nor is it anticipated to get any easier. International firms entering new markets are faced with different challenges, which could be embedded in the behaviour specific to the people living in these countries. Cultural distance is defined as complex and intangible and measured only at a single point in time. Cultural distance easy creates an “illusion” of symmetry where measures at the time of market entry might have changed by the time the performance is measured. Measuring only the cultural distance is not enough to fully understand the international behaviour and how business practices have adapted to the foreign market, to do so one need to understand the institutional distance in order to understand the behavioural patterns existing within the foreign market and adapt its business practices accordingly. There is no support for the perception of cultural and institutional distance between two institutional contexts to be symmetric; it is an illusion of symmetry. Therefore the purpose of this study is to describe and analyze how asymmetry in firms’ perception on cultural and institutional distance affect the extent of firms’ adaptation. This is by increase understanding on how firms from different institutional contexts perceive the distance between them and to what extent they adapt their business practices to the foreign market. In order to answer this purpose a qualitative research has been conducted where managers in three firms from Sweden and three firms from China has been interviewed on their perception of distance on the opposite market. The theoretical framework has included a presentation of the cultural distance, the institutional distance and adaptation of business practices.  This has been followed by a theoretical synthesis, which has been conducted based on the theoretical concepts. Furthermore, the empirical chapter presents the findings of each case company. In the analysis chapter, the theoretical framework has been analyzed together with the empirical data. Based on the analysis the authors have been able to conclude that asymmetry in firms’ perception on distance affects the extent of firm’s adaptation of business practices to the institutional context. It can be concluded that Swedish firms adapt business practices to less extent than Chinese firms and the reason behind it is the asymmetry in firms’ perception of distance. Swedish firms investing in the Chinese market is not faced with the same distance as a Chinese firm investing in the Swedish market, and thus they do not adapt to the same degree.

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abstract: Corporations work to reduce their negative impacts on the environment and society by adopting Sustainable business (SB) practices. Businesses create competitive advantages via practices such as waste minimization, green product design, compliance with regulations, and stakeholder relations. Normative models indicate that businesses should adopt similar sustainability practices, however, contingency theory suggests that effectiveness of practices depends on the context of the business. The literature highlights the importance of organizational culture as a moderating variable between SB practices and outcomes, however this link has not been empirically examined. This thesis presents the development and testing of a theoretical model, using configuration theory, that links SB practices, organizational culture, and financial performance. Published frameworks were utilized to identify SB practices in use, and the Competing Values Framework (CVF) to identify dimensions of culture. Data from 1021 Corporate Sustainability Reports from 212 companies worldwide was collected for computerized text analysis, which provided a measure of the occurrence of a specific SB practice and the four dimensions of the CVF. Hypotheses were analyzed using cluster, crosstab, and t-test statistical methods. The findings contribute significant insights to the Business and Sustainability field. Firstly, clustering of SB practice bundles identified organizations at various levels of SB practice awareness. The spectrum runs from a compliance level of awareness, to a set of organizations aware of the importance of culture change for sustainability. Top performing clusters demonstrated different priorities with regards to SB practices; these were in many cases, related to contextual factors, such as location or sector. This implies that these organizations undertook varying sustainability strategies, but all arrived at some successful level of sustainability. Another key finding was the association between the highest performing SB practice clusters and a culture dominated by Adhocracy values, corroborating theories presented in the literature, but were not empirically tested before. The results of this research offer insights into the use of text analysis to study SB practices and organizational culture. Further, this study presents a novel attempt at empirically testing the relationship between SB practices and culture, and tying this to financial performance. The goal is that this work serves as an initial step in redefining the way in which businesses adopt SB practices. A transformation of SB practice adoption will lead to major improvements in sustainability strategies, and subsequently drive change for improved corporate sustainability. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Sustainability 2017

Business schools have been under scrutiny over the last few years with regard to the type of manager leaders that they produce. This is because the business sector has suffered significantly, both financially and in terms of global reputation due to the unethical conduct of those in management and leadership of the organisations. The scandals that rocked the world in recent times, from business entities such as Enron and Tiger Brands provide examples of the unethical behaviour in the day–to–day running of business and further bring forth the essential need for an in–depth study in the behaviour of the manager–leaders. These manager–leaders are said to be graduates from business schools around the world. Researchers and business schools have started to put emphasis on the importance of ethical behaviour in manager–leaders. Business schools in particular have introduced and included business law and ethics as one of the modules in the curriculum of the MBA program so as to inculcate the ethical conduct in the present and emerging manager–leaders in organisations. Therefore, this study is based on the evaluation of the ethical behaviour of the MBA students at a selected business school in South Africa. The subjects of this study (MBA students) were subjected to questionnaires that prompted their convictions with regard to ethical behaviour at personal (individual) level and on company level as well. The results of the study indicated that the MBA students at this selected business school are ethical in behaviour at both individual and company levels, hence complied with principles that are guidelines in the renowned King reports. However, a comparative study with other business schools will be necessary so as to measure the relative ethical behaviour of the MBA students at other business schools. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Business schools have been under scrutiny over the last few years with regard to the type of manager leaders that they produce. This is because the business sector has suffered significantly, both financially and in terms of global reputation due to the unethical conduct of those in management and leadership of the organisations. The scandals that rocked the world in recent times, from business entities such as Enron and Tiger Brands provide examples of the unethical behaviour in the day–to–day running of business and further bring forth the essential need for an in–depth study in the behaviour of the manager–leaders. These manager–leaders are said to be graduates from business schools around the world. Researchers and business schools have started to put emphasis on the importance of ethical behaviour in manager–leaders. Business schools in particular have introduced and included business law and ethics as one of the modules in the curriculum of the MBA program so as to inculcate the ethical conduct in the present and emerging manager–leaders in organisations. Therefore, this study is based on the evaluation of the ethical behaviour of the MBA students at a selected business school in South Africa. The subjects of this study (MBA students) were subjected to questionnaires that prompted their convictions with regard to ethical behaviour at personal (individual) level and on company level as well. The results of the study indicated that the MBA students at this selected business school are ethical in behaviour at both individual and company levels, hence complied with principles that are guidelines in the renowned King reports. However, a comparative study with other business schools will be necessary so as to measure the relative ethical behaviour of the MBA students at other business schools. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

This study deals with cultural differences, intercultural misunderstandings, and coping strategies in the context of two specific cultures: German and Taiwanese. Using content analysis of in-depth interviews conducted with 31 German and Taiwanese co-workers in Taiwan (superiors-subordinates and peers), this study attempts to accomplish two goals: (a) Analyze which intercultural misunderstandings are commonly encountered by German and Taiwanese co-workers in their work relationships and examine the nature of these misunderstandings; (b) Explore how German and Taiwanese co-workers cope with these intercultural misunderstandings and determine whether there are cultural differences in coping responses used by Germans and Taiwanese. The coding and content analysis revealed intercultural misunderstandings and conflicts in four areas: Language and Communication, Business Practices: Quality / Thoroughness vs. Speed / Flexibility, Conflict Management: Dealing with Problems and Mistakes, and Leadership and Management Styles: Roles of Managers and Employees. Regarding coping strategies, this study found that Taiwanese co-workers used more emotion-focused coping strategies, in particular acceptance (passive-adaptive coping) and seeking emotional support, whereas Germans used more problem-focused and avoidance coping. The ultimate purpose of this study is to increase awareness of possible problem areas and coping responses and help German and Taiwanese co-workers to collaborate and communicate more effectively. For example, the data provided in this study can be used for designing culture-specific intercultural training modules for the German-Taiwanese business context.

In this age of globalization, or more specifically, partial globalization, the significance of cultural shifts in various parts of the world, is considerable. In consideration of cultural convergence and divergence, it must be investigated whether or not cultures are gaining more similarities and less differences (convergence) due to globalization and whether or not standard business practices will emerge as a result. An adaptation of the Dorfman and Howell (1988) survey was used to provide a better understanding and comparison of the special conditions that characterize business practices of Jamaicans living in Jamaica, and Jamaicans living in the U.S.A. or whose behavior have been impacted by the U.S. culture. The results indicate that there are no significant differences in the areas of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and paternalism which suggest strength of the Jamaican culture. However there was some evidence of crossvergence or possibly divergence as there was a significant difference in individualism between the native Jamaican and the global Jamaican. The apparent shift in individualism, which is in alignment with Hofstede's (1986) belief that as a result of westernization and teaching in a multinational classroom a shift in individualism is possible, needs to be further investigated in light of the relatively small sample size used in the study. There was no difference between the native male Jamaican and the global male Jamaican in all the five cultural dimensions. This research provides students, managers, business leaders and entrepreneurs with information that can help business practices, through the better understanding of cultural orientation of the NATIVE Jamaican (Jamaicans living in Jamaica) and the GLOBAL Jamaican (Jamaicans living in the U.S.A. for an extended period or who have been exposed to the U.S. culture for an extended period of time, leading to improved business and economic performance. The researcher suggests further research utilizing a larger sample size to investigate not only how demographic factors such as gender, age, and educational level affect cultural orientation but also to explore the effects of economic ties, family ties, cable television and internet usage on the cultural orientation among the native and global Jamaican and whether convergence, crossvergence and divergence occurs. Also, it is worth undertaking a study of the observed shift in greater individualism for the global Jamaican to discover whether the change is of any permanence and the contributing factors to the differences to these values.

Zimbabwe's entrepreneur owners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) comprise approximately 94% of business owners but contribute only 50% of the country's gross domestic product. Entrepreneur owners play an important role in strengthening Zimbabwe's economy because they create approximately 60% to 80% of employment opportunities. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies owners of SME in Zimbabwe use to sustain their businesses. The population consisted of 5 owners of SMEs who have successfully implemented the strategies to sustain their businesses for over 5 years. The general systems theory was the conceptual framework of the study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and review of company financial documents. Member checking and methodological triangulation were used to enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings of the study. The data analysis process was conducted using Yin's 5-phases of qualitative data analysis. Four themes emerged from data analysis, including passion and dedication, quality of products and services, customer satisfaction, and employing staff with the right skills. The results of the study could lead to positive social change for SMEs and the communities by helping owners of SME to create growth strategies, increase revenues for the country, and create long-term employment opportunities for the communities. The findings from the study could catalyze positive social change by improving workforce capabilities, creating awareness of the success of entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe, and increasing the interest of financial institutions in lending to SMEs.

Background: Sustainability has become one of the main factors driving business innovation and resulted in a green transition, which has slowed down in recent years, and to accelerate the green transition again, major barriers need to be removed. The gender imbalance in sustainable entrepreneurship could be a barrier to the acceleration of the green transition since women entrepreneurs showcase what the green transition represents, yet there are fewer women in entrepreneurship compared to men. Despite there being fewer women in entrepreneurship, several studies have found that women are more inclined toward sustainability, compared to men, when it comes to the practices of sustainable entrepreneurship. However, no studies state how or why this is.  Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is therefore to bridge that knowledge gap by investigating the potential ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind women's entrepreneurial sustainability. Moreover, the purpose of the findings is to create a new theory that offers new insights and a unique understanding regarding women's entrepreneurial sustainability implementation and motivation.   Research Question: How do women entrepreneurs incorporate sustainable business practices and why are they motivated to do so?  Method:  A inductive qualitative single case study on eleven women entrepreneurs. The data collection was through semi-structured interviews. Followed by a Gioia’s grounded theory analysis to create a theoretical model to answer the research question.  Conclusion: Women entrepreneurs are motivated through various intrinsic and extrinsic motivations where they use their decision authority as the approach to implementing their sustainable business practices.