ABSTRACT Date:       June 4th, 2010 Title:       The Marketing Entry Strategies of Sandvik Mining in Serbia and Macedonia Course:    Business Administration Program: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration Authors:  Enock Ofori-Mensah, Sarkaut Karimi & Magdi Elhadi Supervisor: Prafulla Acharya Examiner:  Ole Liljefors Introduction:  Sandvik AB was founded in 1862 by Göran Fredrik Göransson who is the first person in the world to use the Bessemer method in steel industry. Sandvik Group is considered to be a world-leading company which produces high-technology products and has achieved a global business status in more than 130 countries throughout the world. The company sales as at 2009 was 72 billion SEK and boost of 44 000 employees. As a result of the close integration of the production, administration and distribution systems, approximately 70% of the Sandvik Group’s sales are delivered to customers within a week from order. To ensure maximum customer value, R&D at Sandvik involves leading state-of-the-art technology, dynamic patent activities and extensive added value. During the last few years, couples of companies have been finding it difficult to gain a competitive position in foreign markets due to the intense competition from suppliers and competitors and also their failure to conform their marketing strategies to the countries they enter and as a result fail drastically. Companies face a lot of dilemma on which entry mode strategies to adopt when entering new foreign markets. Some pay much attention to their resources whilst others also evaluate the total cost involved in entering the market against the level of profit they will achieve in that markets. For these reasons, the main aim of this research work is to try to identify and describe some of the entry strategies models companies should consider in their internationalization process. Problem: How has Sandvik Mining Industry entered into Serbia and Macedonia? Sub questions; -          What difficulties had Sandvik faced in implementing their entry strategies in these two countries? -           How and whether participants/interviewees perceive the entry strategies as successful or not? Purpose: The main objective of this research is to identify, describe and analyze the Marketing entry strategies of Sandvik Mining in Serbia and Macedonia. Method: In this research work, both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used but most of this research work was based on qualitative research method. The qualitative research was in the form of primary data based on interviews, questionnaire and personal contacts with the sales/marketing manager, Mr. Johan Dotzauer. On the quantitative method, we used secondary data such as Journals, books and the financial information of Sandvik Mining to analyze Sandvik Mining international process as well as in evaluating the success of their internationalization process in Serbia and Macedonia markets.           Conclusions: In conclusion of this work, we found out that the exclusiveness and the technicality of Sandvik´s products and their thirst for having a strong competitive advantage drives them more and more towards the resource based theory and also partially the network approach in their foreign market entry process. That’s Sandvik Mining adopted two or more entry strategies in its internationalization Process to Serbia and Macedonia Markets. In addition, Sandvik competitive advantage over its rivals Caterpillar and Atlas was due to its resources in the form of infrastructure, hi-tech products and high scaled sales force team. The success of Sandvik Mining entries to Serbia and Macedonia as at now cannot be concluded as successful by us. This is due to the unavailability of the 2010 financial statements for these two markets. Keywords: Resource Based Theory, Uppsala Internationalization Model, Network Approach and Eclectic/Transaction Cost Approach. / Market entry strategies

India-the ancient civilized nation of BRICs is rising gradually with its unlimited amazing potential and explosive force. According to the GDP computation from the World Bank 2005 report, Indian¡¦s economical scale amounts to 692 billion US dollars. This has ranked India the 10th biggest economy in the world. Toward the international enterprises, India is filled with the infinite business opportunities and has already become the spotlight in the global economy. In the past, Taiwan enterprises often put their focus on mainland China, and directly neglected this emerging market, India. On the contrary, the enterprises from Europe, America, Japan, Korea, and even China have entered India and also planned their layout positively one after another. However, Taiwan enterprise¡¦s footsteps are relatively slower. Although the economic interaction between Taiwan and India is not as much as other countries, India government has recognized that Taiwanese enterprises had played a great catalytic and accelerated role in the economic development process of mainland China. Moreover, the technical advantages and the market experiences from Taiwanese economy development are corresponding to the necessity of the economic development of India nowadays. Therefore, the cooperation between Taiwanese enterprises and India could achieve the complementary effect and the mutual benefit in India economy development. Also, Taiwan government has already established a Taiwan-India Cooperation Council in 2006.This platform would be an integrator for the bilateral interactions between India and Taiwan. Right now, under Taiwan government and NGO assistances, Taiwanese enterprises could fully elaborate the core competitions, the technical advantage and market experiences, and contend for the international stage. This research is based on exploring the study of international trade theories, international investment theories and international market entry strategies, then matching with the observation and the business visit of current India market. The following points of view are the conclusion from this research: 1. Further understanding of the economic development of India market. 2. Further understanding of the development of India states and industries. 3. Finding out the business opportunities for Taiwanese enterprises during India¡¦s economy development. 4. Finding out the available entry strategies for Taiwanese enterprises in India markets. Key words: Taiwanese enterprises, India market, entry strategies.

In1987, the Government released the law about restricting people to cotact between Taiwan and China, and the trade between Taiwan and China became more and more important. With the trend of economic community in globe and the industrial environment in Taiwan changed, the Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) should think about them how to keep advantages in global competition. Internationalization is the best choice that can help Taiwanese enterprises promote their competitive position in the world. China is a developing market and a lot advantages, such as rich resources and cheaper labors. Above all, China has become the major location of Taiwanese firm¡¦s foreign direct investment. Compared with the process of MNEs located in North America/European Unit (developed countries, DC), the international process of Taiwan¡¦s MNEs is very different with in other countries. This is interested topic to investigate the entry strategies of Taiwanese firm¡¦s FDI in China. Focused on China, this thesis try to find out the model of entry mode and entry timing. The two basic types of entry mode are wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) and joint venture (JV). This study also defined the FDI timing of 1993 is the intermediary to differentiate early entrant from latter entrant. The study collects 48 effective cases from electronics and non-electronics industries. The analytical technique used in this research includes descriptive statistics, factor analysis, cluster analysis, bivariate correlations, Multivariate Analysis Covariate of Variance (MANCOVA) and logistic regression. The study finds that the strategic roles of the MNEs have significant influences on the choice of entry mode. With different strategic motivations, the type of entry mode and the timing of entry are also difference. The relationship between entry mode and entry timing is not significant. In the view of global logistic management, Taiwan¡¦s MNEs will be an early entrant in China.

nternational market entry strategies gained increasing importance due to globalisation. Companies became multinationals. Therefore, new challenges arose due to different market and customer requirements. One topic, which gained importance in B2B context, is customer value. Customer value can be defined as the perceived benefits a company delivers its customers in comparison to the perceived expenses. Nevertheless, no uniform definition exist. In addition to that, if there is a direct connection between B2B customer value and international market entry strategies have not been investigated yet. Therefore, this thesisprojectdeals with the influence of B2B customer value on international market entry strategies. To determine the link, following research question guides this thesis: How does B2B customer value influence international market entry strategies in Northern Europe?The research isnot only focused on Northern Europe but also on the data centre segment. The investigated countries are Norway, Ireland, UK and Finland. These countries are highly interesting for the commission partnerdue to market developments and mega trends. Furthermore, the commission partneris represented by local subsidiaries in the four countries of interest. In order to answer the research question, deep insights are generated via semi-structured interviews. Three customer groups are investigated: Data centre operator as well as owner, constructors including panel builder and system integrators as well as design consultants. The interviews are conducted either face-to-face or if necessary via telephone in the four countries of interest. The interviews include questions about B2B relationships, brand and marketing.If culture influences B2B customer value is investigated indirectly bythe questions on B2B relationship.Market intelligence questions are added in order to create a deeper understanding of the market.Furthermore, these insights also help to interpret the answers of customers. Due to the interviews, a picture of the B2B customer value in Northern Europe is created. Northern European customers value reliable suppliers who can offer quality products as well as solutions. In addition to that, the importance of global brands andmarketing of competences is determined. Due to combining the findings with the cultural dimensions of Hofstede, it is concluded that customer value differs between other countries.Hence, customer value influences international market strategies, as different customer value require distinct international market entry strategies.

Since 1994, South Africa has undergone comprehensive political and economic changes in a positive direction, however, the country’s business environment still constitutes of corruption and inequity. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how South Africa’s business environment affects Swedish SMEs establishment in the country. The methodology chosen for this research was a qualitative multiple case study with an abductive approach. The theoretical framework was established based on various theories related to business environment, internationalization and risk management, these theories was interlinked into a conceptual framework. In the empirical chapter, the primary data gathered from four cases was presented and thereafter analyzed together with the conceptual framework. The research concludes that the South African business environment affects the Swedish SMEs business activities in the country differently, depending on the firm’s size. The last decade’s political changes have generated in a more cautious approach among Swedish SME and their establishment in the country. Lastly, limitations of the research and recommendations for further research is outlined.

Date May 31, 2011 Course Name: Masters Thesis in Marketing, 4FE02E, 15 hp, Spring 2011 LinnaeusUniversity,Växjö,Sweden Program Masters in Marketing Authors: Rubaiyat Raihan 840812 Shah Azeem 761210 Tutor: Engelbert Weiss Examiner: Sarah Philipson Title of the Paper: The specificities of market entry strategies into a developing country Problem Statement: “What are the specificities of market entry strategies into a developing country?” Purpose: To understand the market entry strategy of high tech product like energy efficiency light for the developing country taking into consideration the aspects discussed under problem discussion. Delimitation: In our thesis paper, we are only discussed about the energy saving industry and more specific the light manufactures. Also, our paper is discussed only about the market entry strategies and entry barrier, not to measure the effect of it. Methodology: The project is based on primary data retrieved in connection with the theoretical framework. A qualitative approach of research and questionnaire has been considered to reach the desirable result. Conclusion: After investigating the factors of energy efficiency light industry, we can conclude that it will be a good idea for a company to expand their business in developing country as the industry and the countries have a lot of potential to offer. An Investment entry mode (Joint Venture) has been suggested. Suggestion for Further Research: This research was focused on market entry strategy and entry barriers of energy efficiency light manufacturer, not the effect of entry barriers. Therefore, the next step should be to make in order to examine the effect of the barriers discussed in this research. Key Words: International market entry strategies, energy efficiency light industry, entry modes and entry barriers.

China’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has greatly enhanced global interest in investment in the Chinese media market, where demand for digital content is growing rapidly. The East Asian region is positioned as a growth area in many forms of digital content and digital service industries. China is attempting to catch up and take its place as a production centre to offset challenges from neighbouring countries. Meanwhile, Taiwan is seeking to use China both as an export market and as a production site for its digital content. This research investigates entry strategies of Taiwanese digital content firms into the Chinese market. By examining the strategies of a sample of Taiwan-based companies, this study also explores the evolution of their market strategies. However, the focus is on how distinctive business practices such as guanxi are important to Taiwanese business and to relations with Mainland China. This research examines how entrepreneurs manage the characteristics of digital content products and in turn how digital content entrepreneurs adapt to changing market circumstances. This project selected five Taiwan-based digital content companies that have business operations in China: Wang Film, Artkey, CnYES, Somode and iPartment. The study involved a field trip, undertaken between November 2006 and March 2007 to Shanghai and Taiwan to conduct interviews and to gather documentation and archival reports. Six senior managers and nine experts were interviewed. Data were analysed according to Miller’s firm-level entrepreneurship theory, foreign direct investment theory, Life Cycle Model and guanxi philosophy. Most studies of SMEs have focused on free market (capitalist) environments. In contrast, this thesis examines how Taiwanese digital content firms’ strategies apply in the Chinese market. I identified three main types of business strategy: cost-reduction, innovation and quality-enhancement; and four categories of functional strategies: product, marketing, resource acquisition and organizational restructuring. In this study, I introduce the concept of ‘entrepreneurial guanxi’, special relationships that imply mutual obligation, assurance and understanding to secure and exchange favors in entrepreneurial activities. While guanxi is a feature of many studies of business in Pan-Chinese society, it plays an important mediating role in digital content industries. In this thesis, I integrate the ‘Life Cycle Model’ with the dynamic concept of strategy. I outline the significant differences in the evolution of strategy between two types of digital content companies: off-line firms (Wang Film and Artkey) and web-based firms (CnYES, Somode and iPartment). Off-line digital content firms tended to adopt ‘resource acquisition strategies’ in their initial stages and ‘marketing strategies’ in second and subsequent stages. In contrast, web-based digital content companies mainly adopted product and marketing strategies in the early stages, and would adopt innovative approaches towards product and marketing strategies in the whole process of their business development. Some web-based digital content companies also adopted organizational restructuring strategies in the final stage. Finally, I propose the ‘Taxonomy Matrix of Entrepreneurial Strategies’ to emphasise the two dimensions of this matrix: innovation, and the firm’s resource acquisition for entrepreneurial strategy. This matrix is divided into four cells: Effective, Bounded, Conservative, and Impoverished.

Due to an increase of internationalization Swedish SMEs are faced with more issues regarding ethical dilemmas when entering foreign markets than they have been in the past. The ethical dilemmas, such as bribery and corruption, affect companies’ entry strategies in regards of moral standards and becomes an issue for markets that are characterised as being unstable. A common denominator for unstable markets is political instability which usually leads to an increase of ethical dilemmas. This thesis provides a deeper understanding to how Swedish SMEs enter politically unstable markets and how CSR can be used as a tool to identify and avoid ethical dilemmas. To enable this study a qualitative research was conducted to analyse the process of already established Swedish SMEs in politically unstable markets. By doing so, practical and theoretical implications could be identified, subsequently contributing Swedish SMEs with valuable information on how to enter politically unstable markets.   The outcome of this study suggests ethical dilemmas affect Swedish SMEs’ entry to politically unstable markets. In a market where ethical dilemmas are prominent SMEs ought to do a thorough risk analysis before entering the market and also select the mode of entry. This study concludes a trade based entry mode is most suitable for Swedish SMEs when entering politically unstable markets since local contact is crucial since it reduces the risks of entering the market. Furthermore, during the course of the study it became evident that CSR can be used as a moral framework to identify and avoid ethical dilemmas in politically unstable markets. CSR strategies provide moral and ethical guidelines for Swedish SMEs and thereby affect the selection process of markets and business partners. The findings of this thesis suggest there is a linkage between business ethics, CSR and entry strategies. Therefore, the research is valuable for Swedish SMEs who seek to enter politically unstable markets.

Entering a new market is one of the most important strategic decisions a company makes, and being an external player can make it possible to reveal opportunities not apparent to the industry players. The key is to not take industry structures for granted, but to think outside the box when formulating the entering strategy. This study rests on the assumption that there are factors in industries that are more path dependent than others, hence they are rigid and difficult to change. These factors could eventually prevent the industry from evolving even though new technology and processes are available. By first identifying factors strongly governed by path dependency and then delving deeper to understand the reason why they have not changed, this study argue that new business opportunities can evolve. The approach developed in this paper is particularly beneficial when the product or service is not yet developed and the company has many different resources, enabling a more diversified product portfolio, in which opportunities can be prioritized against the company resources. This enables matching a product or service to the industry rather than pushing it out on the market. In this report the path dependency approach is applied on the banana market, which has features governed by path dependency, and the entering company is a subsidiary to an established company and thereby has multiple resources as well as products and services. Since the subsidiary chose to proceed with the strategy formulated by using the path dependency approach the findings from the case study show that the approach can be useful when entering a new market. The report concludes that the concept of path dependency is ambiguous and subjective but could be useful when formulating an entry strategy into a new market. However, further research is needed to evaluate the application of the approach and the path dependency approach should primarily be seen as a complement to existing market entry strategies.

ABSTRACT This master thesis examined the impact of digitalization on the speed of internationalization and explores the various foreign market entry options for a company that would like to expand from a developed market to an emerging market as part of its internationalization.  The case study analyzed in this paper is Arctic Space Technologies, a unique satellite operator company offering an all-in-one solution for sustainable satellite data handling and processing. The firm’s founders have a niche market (satellite operators) and have established business in Sweden and would like to enter an emerging market (South Africa). The firm can be classified under the high-tech industry and the study obtained valuable information that could be useful to other similar firms. The nature of technology for adoption is easily transferable for such firms regardless of geographical location. Digitalization is instrumental in facilitating earlier and faster internationalization through digitalized knowledge, network creation and decision-making processes (Coviello et al., 2017). The digitalization of new foreign market development helps such firms to efficiently identify new market opportunities in global markets and with this approach, they save resources while developing the most attractive markets (Neubert, 2018a). Qualitative research was applied through a company case study, where primary interviews and a survey were used to collect data. A case study was employed to further understand and practically apply adaptations a firm can make to increase its chances of success in a foreign market environment. The researcher also obtained information from desktop and literature review. The study findings suggested that business networking, business models, culture and geographical distance, market size are key factors that influence the choice of foreign market entry mode for a high-tech firm internationalization process from a developed market to an emerging market. In addition, the main challenges faced by born-global firm in entering an emerging market includes, lack of financial resources, management transitions and lack of proper market information for the internationalization process. The firm may need to identify information related to the market size, competitors, financial costs and entry barriers of the emerging market.  The study insight was that despite the born global firms’ nature of technology enabling faster adoption in terms of digitalization being instrumental in facilitating their internationalization process through the digitalized knowledge, network creation and decision-making processes, they still face the challenges of entry into unfamiliar emerging markets. The researcher identified the institutional voids faced, liability of foreignness and noted that it would be crucial for the firm to conduct a proper environmental analysis. This may include political and legal forces, economic forces, social-cultural forces and technological forces.  Arctic Space Technologies may need to create relevant business networks and the study identified that the ideal foreign market entry mode would be Joint venture/Partnership.  Since the South African government is keen on foreign investors/entrepreneurs entering into their market through partnership with a local business entity. The firm could establish a good network with South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and other space firms in the country. SANSA is keen on fostering international partnerships to enable unlock opportunities for the national space sector.   Further studies could investigate the time frames for high-tech firms internationalization processes. Further research is needed to analyze connections between software firms’ business models and selected entry modes by using a quantitative research method. The study could also be extended to other emerging countries in Africa and new business opportunities in the global markets for high-tech firms especially with the changing dynamics of international business in the wake of the current pandemic.