Bakgrund: De senaste 60 åren har karaktäriserats av företags flytt till nya marknader. Sveriges integration med EU tillåter fri rörlighet av varor, tjänster och arbetskraft vilket har bidragit till att både stora och små företag har större valmöjligheter till vidare expansion. Svenska entreprenörer som startar sin verksamhet på marknader som är tydligt skilda från den egna till både avstånd och kultur blir en allt vanligare syn. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att identifiera de problem och viktiga faktorer att ta hänsyn till som uppstår vid en marknadsetablering i ett annat land för svenska entreprenörer. Vidare ämnar studien även undersöka varför svenska entreprenörer förflyttar alternativt startar sin verksamhet i utlandet. Slutsats och resultat: Viktiga faktorerna att ta hänsyn till för svenska entreprenörer som etablerar sig i Spanien verkar utifrån denna studie framförallt vara kulturskillnader, legala problem som uppkommer under etableringen samt vikten av relationer och nätverk vid affärsuppgörelser. Den primära anledningen till etablering i Spanien förefaller sig vara sociala skäl och inte de eventuella affärsmöjligheterna som finns. / Background: The last 60 years have been characterized by the moving of companies to foreign markets. The Swedish integration with the EU allows for free movement of goods, services and labor which has contributed to that both small -and big companies have more strategy options for further expansion. Swedish entrepreneurs that commence their business in foreign markets clearly separated from their own in terms of both distance and culture is becoming a more common sight. Aim: The aim of this study is to identify the problems and important factors to consider when Swedish entrepreneurs establish their companies in a foreign market. Furthermore the study intends to investigate why Swedish entrepreneurs move or start their company abroad. Conclusion and results: Important factors for Swedish entrepreneurs to consider when they establish their company in Spain seems, according to this study, particularly to be the differences in culture, legal problem and the importance of relations and network when doing business. The primary incentive for establishment in Spain appears to be social reasons rather than eventual business opportunities.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how and to what degree Swedish multinational companies (MNCs) adapt to local conditions when they establish subsidiaries in China, and if cultural differences play an important role in their operations. Background: The major challenge for MNCs establishing abroad is the configuration and integration of their country subsidiaries (Galbraith, 2000). Therefore, it is vital to understand how activities within an organization, such as structures, processes, reward systems, and people practices, should be designed in order for the company to be as efficient as possible (Weiss, 2007; Kesler & Kates, 2011). Swedish direct investments in China have increased significantly in the late 2000s, especially in the eastern regions, where a majority of about 650 Swedish companies in China are located (Swedish Trade Council, 2012a). Establishing across borders is a step towards future growth, but it is important to note that a cross-border expansion comes with many challenges (Galbraith, 2000). Method: This study uses a qualitative research method by investigating the experiences and practices of two Swedish multinational companies with operations in Shanghai, China. Information has been collected from eight respondents in the form of interviews and open-ended questionnaires. Conclusion: Swedish MNCs standardize their organization to a large extent when they establish subsidiaries in China, and culture has a slight influence on the practices of Swedish MNCs but does not play a major role for the business as a whole.

Antalet äldre invandrare i Sverige ökar och många bland den gruppen har kommit sent i livet. Språksvårigheter och kulturella skillnader gör det svårt för dem att få samma omsorg som majoritetsbefolkningen.Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur faktorer som språksvårigheter och kulturella skillnader påverka situationen för äldre invandrare och deras kontakter med äldreomsorgen. Kommunikationsteorier och relaterade definitioner av språk, kultur och kommunikation har använts för analysen.Denna studie är en litteraturstudie. Sammanlagt 18 artiklar med både kvantitativa och kvalitativa ansatser samt litteraturstudier ingår.Resultatet har presenterats i ett antal underrubriker. Centralt är att det finns ett klart samband mellan språk- och kulturella barriärer och sämre hälsa, upplevelse av vårdkvalitet och tillgång till formell och systematisk hjälp.Detta samband och tolkens roll i kommunikation och hur äldreomsorg borde utformas för att vara mer tillgänglig för äldre invandrare har diskuterats liksom vad kulturanpassad äldreomsorg kan innebära. Slutsatsen är att det finns luckor i kunskapsläget när det gäller studier som är baserade på de äldre invandrarnas subjektiva upplevelser, önskemål och krav. / The population of elder immigrants in Sweden is increasing and many older people among the group have come late in life. Language difficulties and cultural differences make it difficult for them to get the same care as the majority population. The purpose of this essay is to examine how factors such as language barriers and cultural differences affect the situation of older immigrants and their contacts with elder care.  Communication theories and related definitions of language, culture and communication have been used for the analysis.This study is a literature review. A total of 18 articles with both quantitative and qualitative approaches, and literature reviews are included.The results have been presented in a number of subheadings. A central issue was that there was a clear connection between language and cultural barriers and poor health, perceived quality of care and access to formal and systematic means.This connection and the interpreter's role in communication and how elder care should be designed to be more accessible to elderly immigrants has been discussed as well as what culturally congruent elderly care could include. The conclusion is that there is a lack of knowledge based on the subjective experiences, wishes and requirements of older immigrants' themselves.

In times of rapid economic development and internationalization of business, effective cross-cultural communication among managers remains a challenge. This thesis aims to research and analyze cross-cultural communication in business context based on qualitative case study of a small Swedish company and its international business partners. Previous research has focused on differences and similarities in people’s behaviour and ways of communication based on their cultural background. Through in-depth analysis and application of existing theories to the chosen case study company, the findings of this research demonstrated that although national culture does have an undeniable influence on people’s behaviour and their communication style, implications in communication between business partners of different cultural backgrounds often connected to an individual approach to cross-cultural communication. A great emphasis was placed on the language being one of the biggest communication challenges facing SMEs in international arena. Finally, misunderstandings occurring due to communication through technological devices were discussed.

<p>This thesis combines theories from cross-cultural psychology with literature on group faultlines to understand cultural barriers to communication and cooperation experienced in multinational emergency management teams. The aim is to investigate whether the faultline concept is a viable theoretical vocabulary for addressing cultural differences in communication and cooperation (in the domain of emergency management). Culture is defined as a relatively organized system of shared meanings which influences people’s cognition, values, behaviors, and so on. Group faultlines are hypothetical dividing lines that may split a team into homogeneous subgroups based on demographic characteristics. Three papers are included in the thesis, all of which investigate various aspects of group behavior in relation to emergency management. Results suggest that faultlines can be formed not only by demographic characteristics, but also by culturally-driven behavior. The results presented in the papers and in this thesis are meant to supply emergency management personnel with general knowledge of cultural differences and ideas for future ‘cultural awareness’ training. The thesis contributes to the scientific community by taking cross-cultural research into the applied domain so that its findings can be made relevant to people in multinational organizations.</p>

The importance of customer experience in the banking sector is steadily increasing due to product similarity, competition and the global expansion. Additionally, in the twenty-first century, the focus has shifted from a service-based to an experience-based economy where senses, feelings, impressions, perceptions and emotional connections have become central. The global expansion in the banking sector has created a need for cross-cultural studies of customer experience, because of the increase of success when the service delivery is in tune with the cultural differences of customers. Despite the scarcity of cross-cultural studies, the few existing studies have shown significant results. The purpose of this study is hence to compare the perceived customer experience in the banking sector in Sweden and the United States. These two countries are culturally different on the masculinity versus femininity dimension explained by Hofstede in the universally acknowledged study on cross-cultural dimensions. The study has a positivistic, deductive, cross-sectional approach. A questionnaire survey is used based on the three most critical factors affecting customer experience: convenience, employees and servicescape. The findings are significant, showing how culture is affecting customer experience. Swedish respondents have a more positive perception of the total customer experience despite scoring lower on the critical factors than their American counterparts. This can be linked to the high degree of femininity in Sweden, meaning that Swedish customers are putting emphasis on balance, care for others and the quality of life, rather than being materialistic, goal-oriented and competitive. The original value of this dissertation is a better understanding of the impact of cultural differences in customer experience in banks in two culturally different countries: Sweden and the United States.

This thesis combines theories from cross-cultural psychology with literature on group faultlines to understand cultural barriers to communication and cooperation experienced in multinational emergency management teams. The aim is to investigate whether the faultline concept is a viable theoretical vocabulary for addressing cultural differences in communication and cooperation (in the domain of emergency management). Culture is defined as a relatively organized system of shared meanings which influences people’s cognition, values, behaviors, and so on. Group faultlines are hypothetical dividing lines that may split a team into homogeneous subgroups based on demographic characteristics. Three papers are included in the thesis, all of which investigate various aspects of group behavior in relation to emergency management. Results suggest that faultlines can be formed not only by demographic characteristics, but also by culturally-driven behavior. The results presented in the papers and in this thesis are meant to supply emergency management personnel with general knowledge of cultural differences and ideas for future ‘cultural awareness’ training. The thesis contributes to the scientific community by taking cross-cultural research into the applied domain so that its findings can be made relevant to people in multinational organizations.

Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.

The Self-Determination Theory (SDT) claims that autonomous motivation is a basic psychological need for all humans across cultures. When this need is met, individuals are predicted to experience well-being. However, it has been argued that autonomous motivation is not a basic need in the Chinese culture due to their philosophical background. Furthermore, commonly used instruments to measure well-being have been criticised for not measuring low arousal positive affect such as “harmony” or “peace of mind” which have been argued to more accurately target well-being for the Chinese population. The aim of this thesis is to give an overview of the psychological and cognitive neuroscientific research relating to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, well-being and the associated cultural controversy. Additionally, a questionnaire-based study is reported which examine motivation type and well-being of 183 university students in China and in Sweden through self-reported data. The results support the SDT by showing that intrinsic motivation is correlated to well-being for both samples. Furthermore, the Swedish students experienced higher well-being compared to the Chinese students measured by the traditional “western” instruments. However, the Swedish and the Chinese students reported very similar peace of mind. This indicates that the commonly used instruments might not target well-being accurately universally. Limitations of the study and directions of future research is suggested in the discussion.

The stress response that is triggered in an organism when facing a stressor is crucial to maintain stability and health. However, exposure to a severe or a chronic stressor can be maladaptive and cause several impairments in the body, such as cardiovascular diseases, atrophy of the brain, and psychopathologies mainly characterized by anxiety and depression. Resilience or vulnerability to stress is mediated through different biopsychosocial factors, one of which is the use of coping strategies. Different types of coping strategies have been linked to either adaptive or maladaptive outcomes, and are an important factor to consider regarding stress resilience. Cultural differences in symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, and coping strategies were assessed through self-report measurements in the form of two questionnaires. 75 Swedes and 67 Sri Lankans between the age of 18-50 took part in the study. The most significant findings of this study suggest that 1) Sri Lankans experience more symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression compared to Swedes, 2) dysfunctional coping is correlated with higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in both Sweden and Sri Lanka, 3) higher levels of stress predicts higher levels of anxiety and depression in both Sweden and Sri Lanka, and 4) both countries tend to favor problem-focused coping over emotion-focused and dysfunctional coping. A discussion regarding the current findings, including limitations of the study is provided, as well as directions for future research.