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Distance from a partner can put a strain on romantic relationships, especially when one is surrounded by attractive alternatives, as is often the case when moving away to college. Long distance relationships are often associated with increased stress, less relationship stability, and lower levels of relationship satisfaction. Distance may also be associated with cheating on one's romantic partner. The few studies that have examined cheating behavior in college students have found an increase in cheating over a very short, non-representative interval of time when partners were separated (e.g. spring break) but did not control for important variables such as alcohol use or relationship satisfaction. We were interested in determining if these effects could be replicated over a longer, more representative period of time (a full college semester). We examined whether distance predicted cheating among college students in committed relationships while accounting for relationship satisfaction and binge drinking, variables likely to play a role in cheating behavior. Using a large, aggregated sample (N=1,333) of college students in exclusive dating relationships, 10% percent of respondents reported physical cheating, 15% reported emotional cheating, and 6% reported both. Being 11-200 miles from a romantic partner was associated with a 31% increased likelihood of physical cheating compared to those in the same city as their partner. However, being 200+ miles from a romantic partner was associated with a slight reduction in the likelihood of physical cheating. There were no significant difference in the rates of cheating between men and women in our sample; however, these effects were moderated by gender such that distance was only related to an increased likelihood of physical cheating for women. For emotional cheating, distance was associated with an increased likelihood of cheating for both men and women. These results suggest that there is a distance danger zone for college students. Being in the same town and being very far away are associated with less likelihood of physical or emotional cheating than being in a middle zone in which your partner is around 100 miles away. Perhaps because those who have chosen to continue a relationship while living across the country are very committed to their partner, whereas living within driving distance but not the same city creates conditions that make cheating more likely.

Crowdfunding is a growing form of start-up funding and is estimated to turn over 5.1 billion USD in the future (Teigland & Ingram, 2013). This may not be a big part of the global economy but still very important, because this capital helps start-up ventures to emerge and help them to evolve in a way they could not if it was not for crowdfunding. The findings of this paper deduces that nationality does not have an impact on the transactions decision of Swedish crowdfunders. Support for other hypothesis are also found, which could be helpful for future research about how crowdfunders transaction decisions is influenced.

International Relations theory has paid bare attention to the dynamics of results of crisis between powers operating in different regions. Existing literature shows that when a power is predominant in a region, major war is less likely to take place in that specific region. However, it is not clear whether the rule of predominant stability applies to situations where a major crisis arises between a local power and a geographically distant power. This project argues that two variables, Local Distribution of Power and Dyadic interregional Distribution of Power, determine the Result of Major interregional Crisis (war onset or peaceful resolution). Local Distribution of Power refers to distribution of power among local players and takes on two values: preponderance and non-preponderance. Dyadic interregional Distribution of Power refers to the power balance between the local power and the geographically outside power that confront each other in a major interregional crisis. It takes on three values: outside superiority, local-outside balance and local superiority. A large N analysis is used to test the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. And three longitudinal case studies are used to reveal the causal mechanism between the Dyadic interregional Distribution of Power and the Result of Major interregional Crisis. It is observed that when a major interregional crisis breaks out, a predominant local power distribution and power superiority of the outside power is more likely to end up in war, while a predominant local power distribution and a balanced dyadic interregional power distribution is more likely to lead to peaceful resolution of the crisis. In the former case, the complacent outside power tend to refuse to make concessions, while the local power, dominated by determination, opportunism and perceptions of local advantage, tends to opt for war. Other local players are also motivated to rely on the outside power to challenge the local power, which might entangle the outside power into war. In the latter case, the outside power, given its disadvantage of locality, tend to be cautious and refuse to be entangled by third parties into conflict, while the local power, being confident and aware of the high cost of a war, tend to be assertive but cautious, which contributes to peaceful resolution of the crisis.

Submitted by Rosangela Silva (rosangela.silva3@unioeste.br) on 2018-08-14T17:44:03Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Gabriela Medeiros.pdf: 6515149 bytes, checksum: 7e73266c6f85d98e6c864ac4968df558 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T17:44:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Gabriela Medeiros.pdf: 6515149 bytes, checksum: 7e73266c6f85d98e6c864ac4968df558 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Diatoms are commonly used as bioindicators for water quality as they possess an intrinsic relationship with environmental conditions. The Cascavel River (24º57’21'’ S, 53º27’19'’ W) has headwaters primarily within an urban perimeter. Therefore, we evaluated the response of its diatom community relative to environmental changes with the aim of characterizing and comparing three lotic environments across the Cascavel microbasin from distinct landscapes and with distinct physical characteristics. In June of 2016, 10 substrates were collected for periphyton extraction in locations with different uses and soil purposes (conservation, urban, and agriculture respectively). One-hundred and nine intragenic taxa and 30 genera were found. Eunotia and Gomphonema presented elevated and representative richness at all stations, with totals of 14 and 11 respectively. Pinnularia and Navicula (12 and 8 taxa respectively) were significant indicator at the more upstream points; while Encyonema, Achnanthidium and Navicula (5, 5, and 6 taxa respectively) occurred primarily downstream. The sampling stations were quite distinct in their density, species richness, and physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. The PERMANOVA test showed a significant difference between the stations based on the species abundance matrix (F = 5.04, R² = 0.15, p = 0.001), revealing the differences between the sampling stations’ communities. Upstream points within the conservation area possessed greater Eunotia density, which prefers low total nitrogen concentrations and electrical conductivity, which in turn reflects a well-preserved environment. The points in the urbanized area were characterized by high light availability associated with elevated electrical conductivity and high nitrate concentration favoring, thus, the development of cosmopolitan species such as Gomphonema lagenula, Gomphonema exilissimum, and Fragilaria gracillis. The agricultural points exhibited elevated flow, a factor limiting the dispersion of species and favoring the development of species from the genera Achnanthidium and Fragilaria. The variables related to the distribution of the community across the microbasin were flow, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, nitrate, ammonia, and total coliforms, all of which distinguished the environments. Except for spatial self-correlation, there wasn’t a single environmental filtering explanation for the diatom community variation. The abiotic variables differentiated the environment in conjunction with the spatial variation, as along the river, physical characteristics such as depth, water volume, flow, solar incidence, concentration of solids, and temperature varied, directly interfering with the periphytic community’s primary production. / Diatomáceas são comumente utilizadas como bioindicadores da qualidade da água, uma vez que sua ocorrência possui intrínseca relação com as condições ambientais. O rio Cascavel (24º57’21'’ S e 53º27’19'’ W) tem grande parte de suas nascentes dentro do perímetro urbano. Assim, avaliamos a resposta da comunidade de diatomáceas em relação às alterações ambientais com o objetivo de caracterizar e comparar três ambientes lóticos com características físicas e de paisagem distintas, ao longo da microbacia rio Cascavel. Em junho de 2016, foram coletados 10 substratos para extração do perifíton em locais com diferentes usos e ocupação do solo (unidade de conservação, urbano e agrícolas respectivamente). Foram encontrados 109 taxa infragenéricos, e 30 gêneros. Eunotia e Gomphonema apresentam riqueza elevada e representativa em todas as estações, com um total de 14 e 11 taxa respectivamente. Pinnularia e Navicula (12 e 8 taxa respectivamente) foram significativamente indicadores do ponto mais a montante; enquanto Encyonema, Achnanthidium e Navicula (5, 5 e 6 táxons respectivamente) ocorrem principalmente em pontos a jusante. As estações de amostragem foram significativamente distintas quanto a densidade, riqueza de espécies e características físicas, químicas e biológicas. O teste de PERMANOVA mostrou diferença significativa entre as estações com base na matriz de abundância das espécies (F = 5.04, R² = 0.15, p = 0.001), evidenciando a diferença entre as comunidades das estações de amostragem. Os pontos a montante dentro da unidade de conservação foram os com maior densidade de espécies de Eunotia, as quais que possuem preferência por baixas concentrações de nitrogênio total e condutividade elétrica, refletindo um ambiente mais preservado. Os pontos em área urbanizada caracterizaram-se por alta disponibilidade de luz associada à elevada condutividade elétrica e à alta concentração de nitrato favorecendo, portanto, o desenvolvimento de espécies cosmopolitas tais como Gomphonema lagenula, Gomphonema exilissimum e Fragilaria gracillis. Pontos em área agrícola exibiram vazão elevada, fator limitante para a dispersão das espécies, e favoreceram o desenvolvimento de espécies dos gêneros Achnanthidium e Fragilaria. As variáveis relacionadas com a distribuição da comunidade ao longo da microbacia foram vazão, oxigênio dissolvido, condutividade elétrica, nitrato, amônio e coliformes totais, distinguindo os ambientes. Exceto pela autocorrelação espacial, não houve uma explicação única de filtragem ambiental para a variação da comunidade de diatomáceas. As variáveis abióticas diferenciaram o ambiente em conjunto com a variação espacial, uma vez que ao longo do rio, características físicas como profundidade, volume de água, vazão, incidência solar, concentração de sólidos e temperatura alteram-se, interferindo diretamente na produção primária da comunidade perifítica.

Introdução: São Paulo é uma megacidade com ocupação espacial heterogênea e desigualdades em saúde. Objetivos: Verificar se há aglomerados de nascidos vivos em hospitais SUS e não SUS e estudar as distâncias entre as residências das mães até os hospitais de parto. Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo com nascidos vivos (NV) de mães residentes e ocorridos em oito hospitais (4 SUS e 4 não-SUS) de alta complexidade do município de SP, em 2008. As informações foram obtidas da base de dados das declarações de nascido vivo unificada SEADE/SES e as bases cartográficas do Centro de Estudos da Metrópole. Foi empregado estimador de intensidade de Kernel para identificar aglomerados espaciais. A distância teórica entre residências maternas até o hospital do parto foi obtida em linha reta. Resultados: Os NV estudados representaram 27,8 por cento do total do MSP. Os NV dos hospitais SUS formaram 3 aglomerados, situados em distritos periféricos. A distância média percorrida entre a residência materna e o hospital do parto foi de 9,2 km para os NV de hospitais SUS e de 9,9 km para os não-SUS. Verificou-se uma proporção maior de mães de alta escolaridade (12,8 vezes), com mais de 35 anos de idade (3,2 vezes), nascimentos com 7 ou mais consultas de pré-natal (1,5 vezes) entre os NV de hospitais não-SUS que nos hospitais SUS. Os NV de hospitais SUS apresentaram proporções de mães adolescentes (17,9 vezes), grandes multíparas (21 vezes) e partos por via vaginal (5,2 vezes) maior que nos não-SUS. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante da prevalência de baixo peso ao nascer e NV pré-termos. Discussão: Há uma associação entre a distribuição espacial dos nascimentos ocorridos em hospitais SUS e não-SUS. Os aglomerados de NV SUS situaram-se em distritos onde há condições de vida precárias e altas taxas de fecundidade. Os NV de hospitais não-SUS formaram um aglomerado na região central de alta renda e baixa fecundidade, seguindo padrão observado em outros estudos. As distâncias médias entre as residências maternas e hospitais de parto foram próximas nos dois tipos de rede. Os diferenciais das características maternas dos NV em hospitais SUS e não-SUS foram mais acentuados que aqueles encontrados em estudos realizados somente com técnicas de georrefenciamento, possivelmente devido aos hospitais não-SUS estudados atenderem a clientela de planos de saúde de alto poder aquisitivo. A ausência de diferença estatisticamente significante entre a prevalência de nascimentos pré-termo e de baixo peso ao nascer possivelmente se deve ao estudo ter sido realizado apenas em hospitais de alta complexidade. O diferencial encontrado na realização de consultas de pré-natal mostra o efeito positivo do SUS no acesso atenção pré-natal. Conclusão: Os aglomerados de nascimentos SUS e não-SUS mostram existir marcados diferenças quanto às características sociodemográficas. O SUS mostrou ter um efeito de positivo na promoção de maior equidade no acesso à atenção pré-natal e ao parto. / Sao Paulo is a megacity of heterogeneous spatial occupation and inequalities in health. Objectives: To determine whether there are clusters of live births (LBs) in hospitals of Unified Systems (SUS) and in others (non-SUS) and study the distances between the residences of the mothers concerned and the respective hospitals. Methods: A study was conducted a study of LBs of resident mothers which had occurred in eight hospitals (4 of the SUS and 4 others, not of the SUS) of hight complexity in the municipality of SP, in 2008. The information was obtained from the unified SEADE/SES database of the declarations of LBs and the cartographic bases from the Metropolitan Study Center (Centro de Estudos da Metrópole). Kernel\'s intensity estimator was employed to identify spatial clusters. The theorithical distance between the maternal residences and the respective maternity hospitals was taken as that given by a straight line between the two. Results: The LBs studied accounted for 27.8 per cent of the total of the municipality. The LBs of the SUS hospitals formed 3 clusters, all situated on the outlying districis. The average distance travelled from the maternal residence to the maternity hospital was 9.2 Km for the LBs of the SUS hospitals and 9.9 Km for the non-SUS ones. Higher proportions of mothers with a hight level of schooling (12.8 times), of more than 35 years of age (3.2times) and of births with 7 or more pre-natal medical visits (1.5 times) were found among the LBs of the non-SUS hospitals than among those of the SUS hospitals. The LBs of the SUS hospitals presented higher proportions of adolescent mothers (17.9 times), multiparous mothers (21 times) and vaginal deliveries (5.2 times) than those of the non-SUS ones. There was no statistically significant difference between the respective prevalences of low birth weight and pre-term LBs. Discussion: There is an association between the spatial distribution of the deliveries which occurred in the SUS and the non-SUS hospitals. The clusters of the SUS LBs where situated in districts characterized by precarious living conditions and high fertility rates. The LBs of the non-SUS hospitals formed a cluster in the central region, of high income and low fertility, in agreement with the pattern observed in other studies. The average distances between the maternal residences and the hospitals were near the two types of network. The differentials of the maternal characteristics of the LBs in SUS and non-SUS hospitals were more accentuated than those found in studies with georeferencing techniques alone, possibly as a result of the non-SUS hospitals studied attending to a clientele of high acquisitive power, with health insurance plans. The lack of any statistically significant difference between the prevalence of pre-term births and low birth weight is possibly due to this study\'s having been performed in hospitals of high complexity. The difference found in the frequency of pre-natal visits shows the positive effect of the SUS in terms of access to pre-natal attendance. Conclusion: The clusters of SUS and non-SUS showed there marked differences in sociodemographic characteristics. SUS has shown a positive effect in the promotion of greater equity in terms of access to pre-natal care and child birth

Introdução: São Paulo é uma megacidade com ocupação espacial heterogênea e desigualdades em saúde. Objetivos: Verificar se há aglomerados de nascidos vivos em hospitais SUS e não SUS e estudar as distâncias entre as residências das mães até os hospitais de parto. Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo com nascidos vivos (NV) de mães residentes e ocorridos em oito hospitais (4 SUS e 4 não-SUS) de alta complexidade do município de SP, em 2008. As informações foram obtidas da base de dados das declarações de nascido vivo unificada SEADE/SES e as bases cartográficas do Centro de Estudos da Metrópole. Foi empregado estimador de intensidade de Kernel para identificar aglomerados espaciais. A distância teórica entre residências maternas até o hospital do parto foi obtida em linha reta. Resultados: Os NV estudados representaram 27,8 por cento do total do MSP. Os NV dos hospitais SUS formaram 3 aglomerados, situados em distritos periféricos. A distância média percorrida entre a residência materna e o hospital do parto foi de 9,2 km para os NV de hospitais SUS e de 9,9 km para os não-SUS. Verificou-se uma proporção maior de mães de alta escolaridade (12,8 vezes), com mais de 35 anos de idade (3,2 vezes), nascimentos com 7 ou mais consultas de pré-natal (1,5 vezes) entre os NV de hospitais não-SUS que nos hospitais SUS. Os NV de hospitais SUS apresentaram proporções de mães adolescentes (17,9 vezes), grandes multíparas (21 vezes) e partos por via vaginal (5,2 vezes) maior que nos não-SUS. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante da prevalência de baixo peso ao nascer e NV pré-termos. Discussão: Há uma associação entre a distribuição espacial dos nascimentos ocorridos em hospitais SUS e não-SUS. Os aglomerados de NV SUS situaram-se em distritos onde há condições de vida precárias e altas taxas de fecundidade. Os NV de hospitais não-SUS formaram um aglomerado na região central de alta renda e baixa fecundidade, seguindo padrão observado em outros estudos. As distâncias médias entre as residências maternas e hospitais de parto foram próximas nos dois tipos de rede. Os diferenciais das características maternas dos NV em hospitais SUS e não-SUS foram mais acentuados que aqueles encontrados em estudos realizados somente com técnicas de georrefenciamento, possivelmente devido aos hospitais não-SUS estudados atenderem a clientela de planos de saúde de alto poder aquisitivo. A ausência de diferença estatisticamente significante entre a prevalência de nascimentos pré-termo e de baixo peso ao nascer possivelmente se deve ao estudo ter sido realizado apenas em hospitais de alta complexidade. O diferencial encontrado na realização de consultas de pré-natal mostra o efeito positivo do SUS no acesso atenção pré-natal. Conclusão: Os aglomerados de nascimentos SUS e não-SUS mostram existir marcados diferenças quanto às características sociodemográficas. O SUS mostrou ter um efeito de positivo na promoção de maior equidade no acesso à atenção pré-natal e ao parto. / Sao Paulo is a megacity of heterogeneous spatial occupation and inequalities in health. Objectives: To determine whether there are clusters of live births (LBs) in hospitals of Unified Systems (SUS) and in others (non-SUS) and study the distances between the residences of the mothers concerned and the respective hospitals. Methods: A study was conducted a study of LBs of resident mothers which had occurred in eight hospitals (4 of the SUS and 4 others, not of the SUS) of hight complexity in the municipality of SP, in 2008. The information was obtained from the unified SEADE/SES database of the declarations of LBs and the cartographic bases from the Metropolitan Study Center (Centro de Estudos da Metrópole). Kernel\'s intensity estimator was employed to identify spatial clusters. The theorithical distance between the maternal residences and the respective maternity hospitals was taken as that given by a straight line between the two. Results: The LBs studied accounted for 27.8 per cent of the total of the municipality. The LBs of the SUS hospitals formed 3 clusters, all situated on the outlying districis. The average distance travelled from the maternal residence to the maternity hospital was 9.2 Km for the LBs of the SUS hospitals and 9.9 Km for the non-SUS ones. Higher proportions of mothers with a hight level of schooling (12.8 times), of more than 35 years of age (3.2times) and of births with 7 or more pre-natal medical visits (1.5 times) were found among the LBs of the non-SUS hospitals than among those of the SUS hospitals. The LBs of the SUS hospitals presented higher proportions of adolescent mothers (17.9 times), multiparous mothers (21 times) and vaginal deliveries (5.2 times) than those of the non-SUS ones. There was no statistically significant difference between the respective prevalences of low birth weight and pre-term LBs. Discussion: There is an association between the spatial distribution of the deliveries which occurred in the SUS and the non-SUS hospitals. The clusters of the SUS LBs where situated in districts characterized by precarious living conditions and high fertility rates. The LBs of the non-SUS hospitals formed a cluster in the central region, of high income and low fertility, in agreement with the pattern observed in other studies. The average distances between the maternal residences and the hospitals were near the two types of network. The differentials of the maternal characteristics of the LBs in SUS and non-SUS hospitals were more accentuated than those found in studies with georeferencing techniques alone, possibly as a result of the non-SUS hospitals studied attending to a clientele of high acquisitive power, with health insurance plans. The lack of any statistically significant difference between the prevalence of pre-term births and low birth weight is possibly due to this study\'s having been performed in hospitals of high complexity. The difference found in the frequency of pre-natal visits shows the positive effect of the SUS in terms of access to pre-natal attendance. Conclusion: The clusters of SUS and non-SUS showed there marked differences in sociodemographic characteristics. SUS has shown a positive effect in the promotion of greater equity in terms of access to pre-natal care and child birth

Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka vad kommunikationsbrister kan bero på och hur en organisation kan gå tillväga för att lösa problem som uppstår på grund av dem. Med detta som grund har studien utformat rekommendationer för hur förvärvsorganisationer kan arbeta med den interna kommunikationen och på så sätt överkomma och förebygga brister i kommunikationen. Metod: En fallstudie utifrån en deduktiv forskningsprocess användes genom att ställa upp påståenden utifrån teorin som prövades på empirin. Datainsamlingen skedde genom kvalitativa intervjuer och en kvantitativ enkät. Slutsats: Brister som uppstår i kommunikationen har en verkan på hela organisationens finansiella och prestationsmässiga resultat. Genom att lägga beslag på kommunikationen kan en förvärvsorganisation bli mer framgångsrik. / Purpose: The purpose was to examine the reasons for inadequacies and how an organization can solve problems that arise due to them. Based on this the study has formulated recommendations for how acquisition organizations can overcome and prevent the inadequacies through internal communication. Method: A case study was based on a deductive research process. The empirical data was tested through the use of propositions derived from theory. Data was collected through qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey. Conclusion: Inadequacies that arise through communication have an impact on the financial results and performance, of the organization as a whole. By engaging in communication an acquisition organization could become more successful.

The doctoral thesis examines Queensland's music industry in terms of concepts derived from cluster and network theories in the context of literature discussing creative industries. To this end, the thesis is conceived as one case study incorporating quantitative surveys, convergent interviews and document analyses as its units of investigation. This is necessary because it is the industry as a whole that is the object of theorizing (in terms of Porter and network theory). The 357 firms surveyed represent the creative content producers, distributors and suppliers that comprise Queensland's music industry. The sample for the survey was randomly selected from a universe of 10977 individuals and/or organisations involved in the following sectors of Queensland's music business: music publishing, record companies and distributors, recorded music retailing, other performing arts/music and theatre productions, music composition, and music performance. The data was analysed to understand and describe the nature of firms in the industry and investigate cluster and network dynamics in the operation of the industry. Twenty convergent interviews were also undertaken to further elaborate the qualitative dimensions of cluster and network dynamics in the industry, with particular attention to understanding how the factor input conditions of Porter's cluster model work in practice in the industry, as well as elucidating network effects not adequately addressed by Porter's theory. Policy and industry documents relating to Queensland's music industry were used to contextualise the findings. The conclusions articulate how Queensland's music industry operates as a cluster, and how innovation and creativity are facilitated. The thesis finds Porter's model insufficient to describe some key aspects of this industry's operation. Face-to-face communication, trust and informal networks combine explicit and tacit knowledge to bring about innovation. Thus the industry should be conceived of as a cluster of networks. Furthermore, the findings problematise the notion of distance in cluster and network theories. Traditionally, distance has been conceived in geographic terms; the findings suggest that in the music industry, distance must be understood as cognitive and cultural as well as geographic. The findings provide a detailed set of theoretical modifications to cluster and network theories. Implications are discussed for industry development and policy in Queensland's music industry.

Background: SMEs represent 97% of Swedish companies that have an increase in the Swedish export by 16% in 2017. Furthermore, Sweden is eager to support its companies to lead the service revolution abroad. This expansion creates the need for overcoming international risks of inconstant psychic distance in terms of culture, economy and geography. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the psychic distance and its influence on internationalization. Method: The current study was based on qualitative research to fulfill the purpose, to answer its three research questions and to fit its time frame using semi-structured interviews of a multiple case study with Swedish SMEs within the service industry. The interviews took place with top managers who have broad knowledge and experiences related to this study. Conclusion: Psychic distance is changing in terms of culture, economy and geography as all SMEs have been exposed to its distances differently. A further outcome shows the relevance of business practices, theoretical methods, and models, although none of the interviewed SMEs have used any of these models. This result might show how those models could have solved various issues the interviewees faced. Cultural distance is a permanent distance that exists in all markets. However, economic distance constitutes a challenging factor to face economic costs and institutional differences but simultaneously gaining profits abroad could certify to meet this challenge. Geographic distance is mostly not considered an issue in the service industry. The psychic distance may decrease within the service industry due to international managerial skills and technology. Managerial Contribution: It is hoped that this study will assist SMEs to gain a clear idea about overcoming the psychic distance during internationalization, for instance, by learning from outcomes of the study from meta-analysis or by using relevant theories and models. / Bakgrund: Små och medelstora företag (SMF) representerar 97% av alla svenska företag. Den svenska exportsektorn har även sett en ökning med 16% under 2017. Sverige är dessutom väldigt angeläget om att stödja företagen genom att leda revolutionen inom servicesektorn utomlands. Denna expansion skapar behovet av att minimera de internationella riskerna associerade med psykiskt avstånd gällande kultur, ekonomi och geografi. Syfte: Syftet för denna studie är att undersöka det psykiska avståndet och dess påverkan på internationalisering. Metod: Denna studie använder sig av en kvalitativ metod för att uppfylla sitt syfte, svara på dess tre frågeställningarna och vara inom tidsramen för denna uppsats. En flerfalsstudie har genomförts genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med svenska SMF inom servicesektorn. Intervjuerna genomfördes med chefer som har breda kunskaper och erfarenheter relaterade till denna studie. Konklusion: Det psykiska avståndet gällande kultur, ekonomi och geografi förändras eftersom alla SMF har varit utsatta för dessa avstånden på olika sätt. Ett ytterligare resultat visar relevansen av affärsmetoder, teoretiska metoder och modeller, även om ingen av de intervjuade SMF har använt sig av dessa modeller. Resultatet visar hur dessa modeller kan ha löst olika problem som de intervjuade cheferna har stått inför. Det kulturella avståndet är ett permanent avstånd som existerar i alla marknader. Ekonomiskt avstånd däremot är en utmanade faktor eftersom man måste kombinera ekonomiska kostnader och institutionella skillnader, men genom att samtidigt göra vinst utomlands kan man överkomma denna utmaning. Geografiskt avstånd anses för det mesta inte som ett hinder inom servicesektorn. Det psykiska avståndet inom servicesektorn kan minskas med hjälp av internationella ledaregenskaper och teknologi. Praktiskt bidrag: Denna studie hoppas kunna hjälpa SMF med att få en tydlig uppfattning om hur man kan överkomma det psykiska avståndet under dess internationalisering, till exempel, genom att lära sig av resultaten från denna studiens metaanalys eller genom att använda sig av relevanta teorier och modeller.