Over the last two decades, Australian higher education has undergone dramatic changes in purpose and orientation. Changes in public funding arrangements and concomitant policy statements have contributed to the reconceptualisation of Australian higher education, and internationalisation has become a core goal for Australian universities. In light of these dynamics, this study examined understandings of internationalisation within two Australian universities. The study examined the ways in which internationalisation was understood by university staff working in either a teaching capacity and/or a managerial position. Situated within the broad field of critical sociology, the study drew on critical realism (Bhaskar, 1979, 1989), critical epistemology (Carspecken, 1996) and reflexive sociology (Bourdieu, 1972, 1990) to analyse how the universities and their staff positioned themselves in relation to the goal of internationalisation. Furthermore, the study examined how this goal served to reposition the institution and/or various forms of university work. The insights of critical social theory were used to examine the contested power relations associated with the growing importance attributed to the goal of internationalisation in Australian higher education. The significance of the study resides in its recognition of the ways in which academic and non-academic subcultures within the university contribute to the goal of internationalisation. Whereas previous research viewed divergence of understandings as weakening the commitment given to internationalisation as an institutional goal, this study has shown that such diversity stems from the differential encounters with and experiences of internationalisation. Moreover, in previous research, the pre-determined objectives for internationalisation resulted in the compartmentalisation of this goal, as in economic objectives and academic objectives. In contrast, this study focused on the dynamic and evolving nature of internationalisation in higher education. Consequently, the study's contribution lies in its explanation of the long term benefits to be derived from viewing internationalisation as a dynamic and generative phenomenon, rather than simply as a pre-determined goal. A case study approach was used in this research with two contrasting onshore Australian universities selected as the case sites. One institution had a reputation as an elite, research intensive university. The other was a post-Dawkins university with a strong vocational orientation. At each site, semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff from across the university's hierarchy. Interviewees included the Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Office of Internationalisation, the Chair of the Academic Board, the Director of the Teaching and Learning Support Unit, Faculty Deans, Heads of Departments, as well as departmental staff concerned with first year teaching. Departmental staff were drawn from two disciplinary areas, Australian History and Marketing. Interviews engaged participants in discussion about the processes by which internationalisation was enacted. Furthermore, university documents, such as the Strategic Plan, were analysed in terms of how the given institution constructed the need for internationalisation and the means by which this goal was to be achieved. The study found that internationalisation involves and promotes constant adaptability. The two institutions used whatever resources they had to develop and promote their international aspirations. The international visions of the institutions were influenced by both their historical and intended relationship with the broader higher education world. The elite, research intensive institution viewed internationalisation with becoming a university of international standing. This institution used its bureaucratic and hierarchical nature to advance its objectives for internationalisation. The vocationally oriented university had developed an internationalisation policy with a view to maximising the revenue to be derived from its diverse international activities and to gaining greater prestige within the higher education field. Staff involved with managerial and/or teaching work were found to develop their ideas about internationalisation through a combination of personal and professional experiences. The study confirmed the growing trend for academics to assume managerial roles in addition to their teaching and research. Consequently, accounts of internationalisation were not necessarily confined to a purely managerial or an academic perspective. Furthermore, the accounts of internationalisation differed between and within the two selected disciplines. On the one hand, specific disciplinary attributes could be seen by the academics interviewed as inherently international, even though they may not assist in realising institutional objectives for internationalisation. On the other, academics spoke of the perceived need for the frames of reference used in undergraduate education to be broadened, given the globalised nature of contemporary society and/or the increasing international enrolments. The study concluded that internationalisation is an important means by which the localised priorities of an institution, an academic department, and/or of individuals can engage with forms of global mobility. Moreover, the study argued the need for all staff and students in Australian higher education to see themselves as part of the processes of internationalisation. This latter point raises questions about the personal and professional attributes required of academics when working within internationalised Australian universities.

Notre recherche porte, pour l’essentiel, sur les entreprises familiales de taille intermédiaire (E.T.I.), du territoire breton. Dans le cadre de la sociologie des Professions nous avons rencontré plusieurs dirigeants d’entreprises, comprenant entre 250 à 5 000 salariés. Nous avons observé, ainsi, ce qui permet à ce concept dit d’« entreprise », à l’instar des « Mittelstand » en Allemagne, de mieux comprendre les facteurs clés de succès, fondés, notamment, sur la priorité absolue donnée au capital humain, à l’innovation, et au développement à l’international, et ce, tout en conservant un très fort ancrage « territorial ». Ainsi, nous avons interrogé des dirigeants, sur le territoire de la Bretagne historique comme « laboratoire social », pour mieux cerner le profil sociologique du chef d’entreprise familial dans les secteurs suivants : agro-alimentaire, restauration, santé, immobilier, textile, chaussure et transport. A partir de problématiques socio-économiques mais aussi sociologiques touchant le monde du travail et de l’emploi, il s’agissait aussi, d’appréhender la compétition mondiale, en particulier, dans le champ du travail : notre thèse poursuit, en fait, l’objectif d’éclairer un certain nombre de métamorphoses en rappelant, comme l’ont déjà dit de nombreux sociologues du travail, de l’organisation et des professions, que « le chômage est la cause causante de l’exclusion sociale / Our research is devoted mainly to family-owned medium-sized enterprises (MSEs) in Brittany. Working from the perspective of the sociology of professions, we met several heads of companies with between 250 and 5,000 employees. In doing so, we observed how this so-called “enterprise” concept, similar to that of “Mittelstands” in Germany, offers a better understanding of the key factors of success, based notably on human capital, innovation, and international growth beingabsolute priorities, with the business also retaining strong local roots. We interviewed company heads in the historical territory of Brittany, taken as a “social laboratory”, to acquire a better grasp of the sociological profile of family business leaders working in the following sectors: the food industry; food services; health; real estate; textiles; footwear; and transport. Taking as a starting-point various social, economic, and sociological issues affecting the world of work and employment, we also sought to shed light on global competition, in particular in the field of labour: this thesis aims to provide insights into a certain number of transformations, bearing in mind the assertion by a great many occupational sociologists that “unemployment is the root cause of social exclusion”

Acteurs majeurs du tissu économique, les petites et moyennes entreprises (PME) font l’objet d’une attention croissante de la part des économistes depuis plusieurs années. Pour financer leur développement, ces entreprises privilégient le recours à l’endettement bancaire. Or ce mode de financement est générateur d'un risque de crédit, principalement lié à la probabilité de défaillance de l’entreprise. La question de l’évaluation du risque de crédit des entreprises est généralement abordée de manière indifférenciée. Cependant il est possible que les PME internationalisées présentent des caractéristiques spécifiques relatives à leur ouverture sur les marchés internationaux. Nous procédons à une analyse des déterminants du risque de défaillance des PME d’une part, et d'autre part, des risques auxquels elles sont confrontées dans leur processus d’internationalisation. A travers des estimations économétriques sur données de panel, nous montrons notamment que l’augmentation de l’intensité des exportations des PME françaises réduit leur probabilité de défaillance. Une PME internationalisée présente alors un risque de crédit moins important qu'une PME purement domestique. Nous montrons ensuite que cette information doit être intégrée dans la modélisation du risque de crédit, réalisée sur la base de variables financières. Celle-ci est plus performante (dans le sens d'un meilleur pouvoir prédictif)lorsque l’on estime la probabilité de défaillance à l’aide de modèles distincts pour les PME internationalisées et les PME domestiques. Selon ces résultats, l'internationalisation est un facteur important qui devrait être considéré dans la recherche future sur le risque de crédit des PME. / Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) dominate the French business environment making a significant contribution to the national economy. Unsurprisingly, an extensive set of empirical studies explores critical issues that affect SMEs including factors that can reduce the credit risk associated with bank debt. Despite that internationalisation has a number of key characteristics that can influence credit risk, the nexus between internationalisation and credit risks remains underexplored. This thesis aims to address this knowledge gap by examining this nexus for a panel of French SMEs. To do so, the thesis estimates the effect of export intensity of French SMEs on their default probability. Key findings illustrate that internationalisation plays a critical role in decreasing the credit risk. Motivated by these results, the thesis assesses the relationship between internationalisation and modelling credit risk through evaluating the effect of several financial variables on default probability of domestic and international SMEs, separately. Interestingly, the findings reveal that modelling the credit risk of SMEs could be improved by considering domestic and international SMEs separately. According to these findings, internationalisation is one of the most important factors that should be considered in future research in relation to SMEs.

La thèse a pour objectif de contribuer à l’étude des processus d’internationalisationscientifique à travers l’étude du cas spécifique de la science politique sur la période1945-2010. Elle s’appuie, pour ce faire, sur une comparaison franco-britannique et surun cadre théorique inspiré de travaux de sociologie des sciences et de sociologiepolitique. Articulé autour de la notion de champ, ce cadre constitue la base d’uneanalyse en trois temps. Le premier consiste en une sociohistoire comparée de deuxorganisations transnationales de science politique – l’Association Internationale deScience Politique (AISP) et le European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). Ledeuxième repose sur une analyse comparée de trois instances de consécration éditoriales– la Revue Française de Science Politique, Political Studies et le European Journal ofPolitical Research. Le troisième est une analyse comparée des carrières internationalesde politistes français et britanniques, sur la base de récits de vie. Les apports de ces troisterrains amènent à conclure, d’une part, à l’émergence progressive d’un champinternational partiellement autonome des espaces nationaux mais dont les règles du jeusont en partie liées aux rapports de force en vigueur dans le champ américain. Ilspermettent aussi, d’autre part, de mettre en évidence une structuration du processusd’internationalisation des champs nationaux par les phénomènes de décentralisation,d’autonomisation et de spécialisation qui modifient, au fil du temps, leur physionomie. / This work aims at contributing to the study of scientific internationalisation processesthrough a study of the specific case of political science from 1945 to 2010. This is doneon the basis of a comparison between France and Britain and a theoretical frameworkrevolving mainly around the concept of field and drawn from the sociology of scienceand political sociology. The demonstration is divided into three main parts. The first oneis a comparative historical sociology of two transnational political science organisations– the International Political Science Association (IPSA) and the European Consortiumfor Political Research (ECPR). The second is based on a comparative study of threepolitical science journals – the Revue Française de Science Politique, Political Studiesand the European Journal of Political Research. The third lies on a comparativeanalysis of British and French political scientists’ international careers, using materialdrawn from life-history interviews. The combined analysis of these three different typesof data leads us to conclude that an international field of political science hasprogressively emerged and that this field, while partially autonomous from nationaldevelopments, has its structures and rules partly linked to those of the American field. Asecond conclusion is the strong impact of decentralisation, autonomisation andspecialisation processes on the conditions and forms of the internationalisation ofnational fields.

L’internazionalizzazione di un curriculum accademico è un processo globale volto al miglioramento complessivo della qualità dei curricula attraverso l’aggiunta di una dimensione interculturale e internazionale. L’internazionalizzazione del curriculum è riconosciuta come un processo altamente contestualizzato che viene accolto e interpretato in modo diverso a seconda delle discipline accademiche o dagli ambiti territoriali. Precedenti ricerche comunicano che si tratta di un processo in cui il personale accademico svolge un ruolo critico e il loro continuo impegno è necessario alla sua riuscita. Sono state individuate molte sfide nel reclutamento del personale addetto all’internazionalizzazione dei programmi di studio. Negli ultimi anni, l’internazionalizzazione dell’educazione superiore è divenuta una priorità strategica per i politici e la leadership istituzionale in Israele. Le risorse sono state dirette allo sviluppo di strategie istituzionali per l’internazionalizzazione, con l’obiettivo di aumentare la mobilità degli studenti e del personale, e migliorare la qualità dell’insegnamento e della ricerca. L’internazionalizzazione del curriculum è vista come parte integrante di questa tendenza. Sebbene in Israele vi siano ricerche sul processo di istituzionalizzazione dell’istruzione superiore, in questo campo esistono pochi studi sul processo di internazionalizzazione del curriculum. L’obiettivo di questo studio è quello di esplorare il processo di internazionalizzazione del curriculum in tre dipartimenti accademici in un’università israeliana e registrare l’impegno del personale accademico in questo processo, prestando particolare attenzione alle loro risposte, motivazioni, interpretazioni e attuazioni. Lo studio utilizza, come lente teorica, il quadro concettuale di Leask (2015) per l’internazionalizzazione del curriculum, in cui il processo di internazionalizzazione è posizionato all’interno di un ambiente estremamente complesso e influenzato da molteplici strati di contesto. La ricerca adotta un approccio partecipativo con un disegno di ricerca qualitativa, costruito intorno a tre casi di studio. Quest’ultimi sono triangolati utilizzando tre canali di dati: interviste approfondite, analisi di programmi dei corsi, canali informali. Un totale di 17 partecipanti provenienti da tre dipartimenti accademici sono stati intervistati e le trascrizioni delle interviste sono state analizzate tematicamente. Inoltre, 15 programmi dei corsi sono stati sottoposti ad analisi documentale, utilizzando gli Indicatori dell’Internazionalizzazione del Curriculum, strumento sviluppato come parte dello studio. I risultati della ricerca dimostrano che l’internazionalizzazione del curriculum funge da catalizzatore per la progettazione di programmi di studio per individui e team accademici in un istituto di istruzione superiore in Israele. Lo studio segnala che gli accademici sono motivati ad avviare il processo anche nel caso in cui non vi sia una necessità evidente, come la presenza di studenti internazionali nel campus. Inoltre, questo lavoro mostra modalità contestualizzate di coinvolgimento nell’internazionalizzazione del curriculum in tutte le discipline, sostenendo ed estendendo le ricerche precedenti in questo settore. Nella fattispecie, lo studio offre importanti spunti di riflessione sul processo di internazionalizzazione del curriculum, suggerisce miglioramenti al quadro di Leask (2015), e formula diverse raccomandazioni pratiche che sono rilevanti per il singolo ambito dell’istruzione superiore in Israele, ma che potrebbero estendersi anche oltre. / Internationalising an academic curriculum is a comprehensive process directed towards the overall improvement of curricula quality through the addition of intercultural and international dimensions. Internationalisation of the curriculum is recognised as a highly contextualised process which is received and interpreted in many different ways across academic disciplines and regional settings. Previous research also reports that it is a process where academic staff play a critical role and their continuous engagement with it is necessary. Many challenges in recruiting staff to engage in internationalisation of the curriculum have been raised. Internationalisation of higher education has become a strategic priority of policy makers and institutional leadership in Israel in the past few years. Resources are directed towards the development of institutional strategies for internationalisation, with the goal of increasing student and staff mobility and raising the quality of teaching and research. Internationalisation of the curriculum is seen as an integral part of this trend. Although there is research on the process of internationalisation in higher education in Israel, little research exists on the process of internationalisation of the curriculum in this space. The objective of this study is to explore the process of internationalisation of the curriculum in one Israeli college across three academic departments and record the engagement of academic staff in it focusing on responses, motivations, interpretations and enactment. The study uses Leask’s (2015) conceptual framework for internationalisation of the curriculum as a theoretical lens, where the process of internationalisation of the curriculum is positioned within a super complex environment and impacted by multiple layers of context. The research assumes a participatory action research approach with a qualitative research design, constructed around three case studies. The case studies are triangulated using three data channels: in-depth interviews, analysis of syllabi documents and insider, informal channels. A total of 17 participants from three academic departments were interviewed and interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis. In addition, 15 syllabi documents were subjected to document analysis, using the Internationalisation of the Curriculum Indicators tool which was developed as part of this study. The results of the research demonstrate the role of internationalisation of the curriculum as a catalyst for curriculum design for academic individuals and teams in one higher education institution in Israel. It shows that academics are motivated to embark on the process even in a case when there is no obvious need such as the presence of international students on campus. In addition, it shows contextualised modes of engagement with internationalisation of the curriculum across the disciplines, supporting and extending previous research in this area. Specifically, the study offers important insights into the process of internationalisation of the curriculum and suggests enhancements to Leask's (2015) framework and makes several practical recommendations which are relevant for the unique space of Israeli higher education and possibly beyond.

International student mobility has increased significantly, and Sweden is no exception. However, this increase brings challenges, not least when it comes to perceptions of quality in higher education among international students. The purpose of the present study is to gain increased knowledge about how students on English-speaking master's programs at a Swedish university experience the quality of their education, as well as to gain a better understanding of what the students initially expected from the education and their experiences so far. By using a qualitative method, involving a survey (n= 90) and semi-structured interviews (n= 16) conducted in the period of October to December 2023, the expectations and perceptions of international master students are examined. The results show that students’ original expectations are often high, characterized by an expectation of high educational quality and good future career opportunities. However, many experience challenges related to linguistic and cultural adaptation, which affects their perception of the quality of education. Furthermore, the study shows that a considerable portion of international students particularly value practical elements within the education, and they express a strong desire for the course content to be more clearly linked to concrete professional skills useful in future career ambitions. The discussion highlights the need for improved support structures and adapted educational strategies to enhance the academic and social experiences of international students. The study contributes to an increased understanding of the complexity of the internationalization process and its impact on educational quality, which is important for policy development and quality assurance in higher education.

The four IT service firms of this thesis set out to interact and collaborate between their offices in Sweden and in India, some more intensely and frequently than others. In the process of their internationalisation, these small service firms find ways, or go through a process of learning how to collaborate in an international setting. The qualitative exploration of the process of learning is inspired by ‘communities of practice’, and in this thesis the focus is on ways in which individuals of firms through social participation learn to collaborate across distance, and develop a common way of working together in an international setting. This includes making use of technological objects as well as individuals acting as brokers bridging distance, and it is played out in physical as well as social proximity. This thesis aims at continuing the vibrant discussion in economic geography where proximity is seen as more than ‘being there’ in a physical sense. In this discussion, the understanding of proximity is related to social aspects and can be seen as a metaphor of closeness. Hence, more emphasis is put on the role and experiences, including intention and sense of passion, of individuals. In this thesis, this experience of closeness is empirically explored through a longitudinal study in Sweden and in India. This includes trying to operationalise social proximity by exploring the experience of social proximity amongst the individuals of the case firms. More precisely, social proximity is conceptualised as individuals experiencing ‘shared social familiarity’. This thesis combines a discussion on proximities with literature on processes of learning. This is in order to present a more thorough understanding of how social proximity can develop over time and, furthermore, in what way social proximity matters for service firms working in an international setting. / Formas project: "Swedish Cities in 'the Spaces of Flows': National, European and Global Networks"

Globalisation has changed the higher education landscape dramatically in the past 20 years, especially for business schools. Accordingly, universities have had to adopt different internationalisation strategies in order to cope with this shifting context of globalisation and its many ramifications. In this thesis, a phenomenological approach has been adopted to examine how one French business school, ESC Clermont, has implemented internationalisation. Through this methodological approach the nature and processes of internationalisation have been examined using the lived experiences of participants at the school. The research shows how institutional engagement, strategic management, happenstance and a specific organisational structure shaped the internationalisation processes. An internal culture of openness and a commitment to language learning also contributed to furthering the internationalisation agenda. The findings show how the interaction between structure and agent were crucial in the school’s internationalisation process. This research also demonstrated that individual initiatives only happen within a favourable context which is created essentially by the culture and driven by the leadership. This study has also demonstrated the need for integrative strategic management of the organisational processes and the faculty. An important finding of this research is that internationalisation is a complex process that requires constant interaction between the people in the institution and the changing environment. The thesis presents a framework to assist in understanding the dynamics between the various dimensions of strategy, operations and faculty management in the internationalisation process. These dynamics are complex and require sensitive, on-going strategic management and open policies to ensure that the faculty members buy into the internationalisation activities. Finally, this study has enabled the researcher to reflect on his own role in the internationalisation process.

Malgré le fort engagement d'une majorité d'universités canadiennes dans le processus d'internationalisation, les interactions entre les étudiants issus de différentes cultures mobilisent peu les milieux de formation par rapport au recrutement à l'étranger. Pourtant, la littérature scientifique suggère que ces interactions sont associées à de multiples bénéfices éducatifs. Répondant au peu de connaissance scientifique au sujet de la diversité ethnoculturelle en milieu universitaire au Québec, la présente étude vise à décrire, d'une part, la fréquence et la qualité des interactions entre des étudiants internationaux, immigrants et québécois d'une Université hors métropole. D'autre part, nous décrirons comment ces étudiants perçoivent le climat de leur université en nous basant sur des analyses statistiques (263, sujets) et de contenu (une quinzaine d'entrevues). Nous discuterons enfin des liens qui peuvent exister entre le climat institutionnel et les interactions interculturelles entre étudiants et nous émettrons des recommandations visant l'amélioration des relations intergroupes sur le campus.

Title: Internationalisation of Swedish computer gaming companies - The role of knowledge in a digital era Authors: Elin Jakobsson & Fredrik Döring Supervisor: Cecilia Pahlberg Research question: How do Swedish computer gaming companies internationalise in regards to pursuit and absorption of knowledge? Purpose: The aim is to investigate how computer gaming companies find, internalise and use knowledge leading to internationalisation. This in turn will further be explained by embracing the role of digitisation for the above mentioned processes. This will enrich the field of study about international business where little research has been conducted by putting focus on the expansive industry and its digital product. At the same time the practical viewpoint is to highlight how these companies work around knowledge to become international. Method: An exploratory, qualitative research approach was undertaken. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of how Swedish computer gaming companies internationalise with special focus on absorptive capacity. A conceptual framework forms the basis for analysis consisting of internationalisation theory, absorptive capacity and digitisation. Conclusions: The findings show that Swedish computer gaming companies internationalise in a reversed order. They do not act according to the Uppsala model, rather they chose what market to focus on after a game is released due to the digitised environment in this industry. This highly competitive and knowledge intensive industry requires game developers to find specific niches in which they can gain a competitive advantage.