For my project I’ve chosen to create a Business Plan for a Crisis Management Consultancy company. To do this I’ve used a limited company and named it Navigator Ltd. In the preceding project I’ve explained all the essential steps needed to create a new company, as well as pointing out the importance of crisis management for various companies on the market. I’ve described the services in detail, compared the competing businesses in the field of crisis management, shown a view of the future and built a personnel infrastructure of the described company. I’ve created a realistic company strategy and planned budgets needed for a smooth start.

This master’s thesis deals with a business project concerning development of agricultural tourism along with farming business. In the first part of the work there are basic terms referring to agriculture, small family businesses and agricultural tourism defined. The following part of this thesis is the present situation analyses of a particular agricultural business. a business plan regarding a development of agricultural tourism in an agricultural business is designed on the basis of gained information further in practical part of the work.

Less than 30% of Black business owners successfully obtain small business loans to sustain their businesses longer than 5 years when compared to evidence that shows that more than 65% of White small business owners obtain small business loans to sustain their businesses longer than 5 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the experiences of 3 Black owners of small businesses who successfully obtained small business loans and maintained operations longer than 5 years in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina. The conceptual framework for this study was systems theory and contingency theory. The data collection process consisted of conducting face-to-face semistructured interviews with open-ended questions and a review of documents associated with the small business owners’ attempts to remain in business longer than 5 years. Data were analyzed using the modified van Kaam method, transcribing the interview recordings, and coding the data to identify relevant themes. Two primary themes emerged regarding successful strategies for obtaining small business loans: create an effective business plan, and research and prepare for the process of procuring a loan. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to provide Black owners of small businesses with strategies for obtaining small business loans and achieving sustainability of operations. Business success for Black owners of small businesses might contribute to the economic prosperity of the local communities.

Les micro-entreprises domestiques constituent une part importante, si ce n'est dominante, de toutes les économies en développement. C’est aussi le cas au Vietnam où le poids du secteur informel diminue peu malgré une croissance économique rapide. Les quatre chapitres de ce travail posent quatre questions fondamentales pour informer les politiques publiques. Leur originalité est d'adopter le point de vue des entreprises informelles elles-mêmes. Quels bénéfices y a-t-il à rejoindre le secteur formel (chapitre 1)? Quelle est la vulnérabilité de ces unités de production, dont le budget est souvent confondu avec celui du ménages, aux chocs de santé (chapitre 2) ? L’assurance santé permet-elle de réduire efficacement cette vulnérabilité (chapitre 3) ? Enfin, quelle est l’importance du mode de gestion de ces micro-entreprises (chapitre 4) ? Tous les chapitres s’appuient en premier lieu sur des données d’enquêtes quantitatives, de première ou seconde main. L’approche quantitative est complétée par des enquêtes qualitatives. Les résultats dressent le portrait d’un secteur dynamique, dont la persistance ne peut être ignorée, et suggèrent des mécanismes pour améliorer la productivité de ces entreprises qui opèrent dans des conditions largement précaires. / This PhD dissertation is built around four main chapters. Their topic shall sound familiar to policy makers, and to all empirical economists working on microenterprises, as they quesion the common mottos to deal with the informal sector: “formalize them”, “protect them”, and “train them”. Little of these recommendations rely on actual evidence, in particular regarding their effects for the firms themselves. Chapter one starts by questioning the relevance of formalization: what exactly do these production units have to gain from registration? The second chapter investigates the vulnerability of microenterprises to health problems: how much do they suffer from the consequences of health shocks within the household? The third chapter deals with the complementary question of the protection mechanisms, and questions the mitigating potential of health insurance. The fourth chapter finally deals with their managerial capital: do the business skills that are considered standard among larger firms have any meaning for informal micro enterprises?

Purpose – The purpose of the research is to explain how and why the internal and external influences faced by family-run wineries affect their CSR practices and communication through institutional theory and stakeholder theory. Methodology – Ten wineries were analyzed in winemaking regions in Hungary and the US, of which nine semi-structured interviews were undertaken with family members and employees.  The research available implies that family-run businesses within the wine industry are regulated by institutionalism (Brundin & Wigren-Kristoferson, 2013). Therefore, institutional theory is applied to the analysis of the data. The lens of institutional theory uses three pillars, regulatory, normative, and cultural cognitive to identify the external and internal influences on these businesses.  Thematic analysis was utilized to code and analyze the data. In addition, the content of each interviewed winery is examined using thematic analysis. Thematic analysis is also applied to content provided on each winery’s website to back up the data. Findings –In Hungary, the use of sustainable production methods in wineries is part of the winemakers’ personal value system. In the US, wineries have a fierce commitment to the land. In recent years they have worked hard to communicate their sustainability practices. Winegrowers have incorporated modern and old-school practices addressing sustainability issues to meet the expectations of all stakeholders. Through institutional theory, it has been demonstrated that numerous drivers are influencing family-run wineries to implement environmental and social sustainability practices. However, there is a significant difference between these CSR practices and the need to communicate them between Hungary and the US. There is a significant difference between the communication methods of Hungarian and US wineries. In Hungary, there is little communication of sustainability practices, although there is movement towards more communication about sustainability practices since the introduction of the web and social media. The experience, in general, was that instead of communication, the emphasis is put more on living and working according to the principles of sustainability – whether it is environmental, social, or economic. In the US, the communication of CSR is used as a marketing tool to engage and educate their stakeholders, mainly through social media. Research implications –The implications of our research contribute to the knowledge of corporate social responsibility and how institutional influences affect social and environmental responsibility within family-run wineries by bringing the wine industry, family businesses, and CSR together under the analysis of institutional theory. The findings in this paper should be looked upon by family wineries as a resource related to the current communication of social responsibility in the wine industry. Research limitations – A limitation of this research is the lack of personal meetings with interviewees. Due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, the possibility of conducting the interviews face-to-face was not an option. The researchers were challenged to obtain more personal information about the familial, organizational structure without conducting multiple interviews, building trust and rapport.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how digital activism is conducted on Twitter, particularly in relation to the dialogues and demands for Europe’s green economic recovery plan from COVID-19. It seeks to analyse the communication made using #GreenRecovery on Twitter by various actors over the period of May to June 2020, guided by the theory of public sphere and social movement and literature on digital activism, hashtag activism, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Political Activity (CPA) using a qualitative and quantitative content analysis.By analysing the frequency patterns of tweets and by uncovering the different types of communication, this paper sheds light on the users involved as well as the issue frames and mobilisation strategies that were visible in the #GreenRecovery discourse . Results of this study demonstrate that #GreenRecovery is used by varying actors on Twitter such as individuals, social movements, businesses and others. Furthermore, the hashtag has been used to raise awareness, communicate particular information, mobilize action and also employ assertion as dominant digital spectator activity. Tweets with #GreenRecovery was primarily framed towards the need for a redesign of the economy, indicating demands for changes in policies by targeting accounts of political actors from the EU Commission. It is further implied that during the discourse, #GreenRecovery acted as a structural signifier as a response to the leaked proposal of the Recovery Plan demonstrating that it has the potential to create hashtag communities.

The advancement of digital technology has created a pathway for digital start-ups to flourish very rapidly. However, these companies are facing resilient challenges and barriers during their scaling. Scaling is an important stage for ventures to grow their revenue at an exponential rate while keeping operating costs low. Nevertheless, there are several research papers that reflect the challenges and obstacles that hinder the scaling of digital startups. There are a limited number of scientific studies conducted in the context of developing countries. Therefore, this study aims at investigating the key potential contributing factors in northern Ethiopia (Tigrai). In this study, qualitative exploratory research is considered as a suitable and appropriate method to generate contextual understanding. The outcome of the study shows that the most noticeable themes impeding digital startups scaling are market challenges, lack of financing, lack of support from incubators, poor digital infrastructure, digital culture, and regulatory issues. Based on the findings this research critically suggests key applicable recommendations to overcome those challenges.

En el 2020, se presentó la pandemia global a causa de la COVID-19, lo cual significó uno de los mayores desafíos para las economías globales incluidas las empresas familiares. Bajo ese contexto, muchas empresas familiares a nivel global se enfrentaron al desafío de aprender a reinventarse o desaparecer en el proceso. Aquellas empresas familiares que no supieron adaptarse a este entorno cambiante fueron desapareciendo. Por su naturaleza, las empresas familiares tienden a ser más complejas pues, además de lidiar con los desafíos comunes del negocio, deben hacer frente a las demandas y los intereses de la familia propietaria. Sin embargo, también han demostrado ser organizaciones más longevas que aquellas empresas no familiares, dado que sus ventajas competitivas se relacionan directamente con su capacidad para la continuidad del negocio familiar, que les permite afrontar los estadios de crisis con éxito. Lo anterior debido a que este tipo de empresas basan su supervivencia a través de múltiples generaciones en el tiempo y su riqueza socioemocional. El presente trabajo comparte cinco prácticas de gobierno corporativo clave que adoptan las empresas familiares para superar los entornos de crisis: (i) La estructura de los órganos de gobierno; (ii) La independencia del directorio; (iii) La actividad del directorio; (iv) El tamaño del directorio; y (v) La dualidad del CEO. Esto les permite desarrollar sus ventajas competitivas para mantenerse activas en entornos de crisis y adaptarse con éxito. Todo ello basado en sus fuentes de aprendizajes pasados, su riqueza socioemocional y el destacado aporte del gobierno corporativo, para mantener alineado las estrategias de negocio con los intereses de la familia. / In 2020, the global pandemic caused by Covid-19 was one of the greatest challenges for global economies, including family businesses. In this context, many global family businesses faced the challenge of knowing how to reinvent themselves or disappear in the process. Those family businesses that are not able to adapt to this changing ecosystem will disappear. By their nature, family businesses tend to be more complex because, in addition to dealing with common business challenges, they have to cope with the demands and interests of the family that owns them. However, they have also proven to be long-lived organizations, since their competitive advantages are directly related to their capacity for continuity of the family business, which allows them to successfully face the stages of crisis. For this type of companies base their survival through multiple generations over time and their socioemotional wealth. This paper shares five key actions, based on corporate governance structures, that family businesses adopt to overcome crisis environments: (i) Governance body structure; (ii) Board independence; (iii) Board activity; (iv) Board size; and (v) CEO duality. This allows them to develop their competitive advantages to remain active in crisis environments and adapt successfully. All this is based on their sources of past learning, their socio-emotional wealth and the outstanding contribution of corporate governance to keep business strategies aligned with family interests. / Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional

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The internationalization process is a well-researched and explored topic. However, many older models do not consider digitization as a phenomenon. Nor is any further consideration given to the smaller companies. The aim of this study is to investigate how small businesses feel that they are affected by digitalization during an internationalization process. In order to find an answer to this, a qualitative study has been done where a total of three people have been interviewed from three different companies. Based on these interviews, an analysis has been made which has then been analyzed in the context of the theoretical background. Theories used in the study to be able to fulfill the aim includes theories about Mental distance, Liability of Foreignness, Liability of Outsidership and other theories about growth, internationalization and digitalization. The conclusion drawn is that digitalization has simplified the internationalization process, mainly through progress in how knowledge can be collected and shared over greater distances. Digitalization has facilitated contact with the contact network through simpler and alternative contact channels. / Internationaliseringsprocessen är ett välundersökt och utforskat ämne. Många äldre modeller beaktar dock inte digitaliseringen som fenomen. Man tar inte heller någon vidare hänsyn till de mindre bolagen. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur småföretag upplever att de påverkas av digitalisering under en internationaliseringsprocess. För att kunna besvara detta har en kvalitativ studie gjorts där totalt tre personer har intervjuats från tre olika företag. Utifrån dessa intervjuer har analyser gjorts som sedan har analyserats i kontexten av den teoretiska bakgrunden. Teorier som använts i studien för att kunna uppfylla syftet är bland annat teorier om Psykiskt avstånd, Liability of Foreignness, Liability of Outsidership samt andra teorier kring tillväxt, internationalisering och digitalisering.  Slutsatsen som dras är att digitaliseringen har förenklat internationaliseringsprocessen främst genom framsteg i hur kunskap kan insamlas men även delas över större avstånd. Digitaliseringen har underlättat kontakten med kontaktnätet genom enklare och alternativa kontaktkanaler.