Internationalization of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the healthcare industryhas experienced rapid growth in the recent decade. Although research on understanding thisprocess and what drives it has been conducted, previous studies are limited in recognizing thefull influence of both domestic and foreign institutional environments. This study investigatesthe internationalization of four Swedish SMEs operating in healthcare markets through aninstitutional-based perspective, asking how and why SMEs internationalize and how theymanage different institutional environments. By analyzing the empirical case findings in thelight of a theoretical framework based on internationalization theory, institutional theory andinstitutional entrepreneurship we attempt to answer our research questions mentioned above.The thesis concludes that internationalizing SMEs experience a large range of barriers ofwhich most can be effectively overcome by cooperation and access to networks with keyopinion leaders. Findings on managing the institutional environment pointed to that thedomestic institutional environment can act as a driver for internationalization, while theability to influence and change foreign institutional environments were found to be nearimpossible for a single firm. However, our study shows that attempts at institutional changecan be achieved through cooperation together with other firms, organizations and mostimportantly influential networks with key opinion leaders. Internationalizing SMEs within thehealthcare industry might not be institutional entrepreneurs in its true sense; however theyhave the possibility of getting there.

The following project is a compilation of three separate articles all utilizing a database extracted from the UNUM/Provident Life Insurance Company, including all consecutive short-term disability (STD) claims filed with UNUM from January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1996 from claimants who were also insured for long-term disability (LTD) by UNUM. The resulting sample includes 77,297 claims.The results of these studies are part of a larger investigation that documented the Progression of Disability Benefits (PODB) phenomenon. PODB refers to the migration of workers with work-limiting disabilities through a system of economic benefits resulting in their placement onto Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Claimant and employer demographics were found to influence the PODB. The following articles study three unique ways in which the PODB measure can be informative.The first of the articles tracts the experience of 400 individuals with neurological impairments through the PODB, and compares them with a general disability population on key demographic characteristics. In general, it is found that persons with neurological conditions have greater progression on to advanced disability levels than other types of disabilities. Individual claimants are also younger and male.The second article explores the relationship of integrated disability management(IDM) practices with PODB. It proposes that while the efficacy of IDM programs has been measured by the bottom line, that PODB can be used as an additional tool to assess effectiveness of DM programs. It finds that employers with higher levels of IDM activity will experience a reduced PODB rating.The third and final article examines one industry, Healthcare. It studies how demographics can be used to predict claimant industry as well as PODB performance. Findings reveal that men were more likely to move on to advanced disability benefits while workers in the Healthcare industry were less likely to move on to advanced statuses than employees in other industries. Furthermore, disability type is the greatest predictor of PODB, followed by age for all but one category in which employment sector was the next predictor of PODB. This finding leads to questions regarding how the workplace may contribute to disability and the PODB.

Date: 09 – 06 – 2020                                     Level: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, 15 hp   Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University   Authors:         Abdullah Al-jadir       Mohamad Alnemesh                 1996-01-13                   1990-01-03   Title: Exploration of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the healthcare industry Supply Chain.   Tutor: Edward Gillmore   Keywords: Viruses, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Supply Chain, Healthcare, healthcare industry, Logistics, Stockholm.   Research question: To what extent does the global pandemic COVID-19 have an impact on the supply chain of the healthcare industry in Stockholm? Purpose: The purpose of the study is to discover how the healthcare industry is affected by a global pandemic through the supply chain in Stockholm.    Method: The study is based on a qualitative method involving secondary and primary data in order to fulfill the research’s purpose. Interviews were conducted with several personnel in the healthcare industry.   Conclusion: Concluded that Stockholm including the rest of the world is put in a critical condition due to unavailable medical tools and restrictions in the supply chain resulting in shortages.

In this edition, we take a closer look at compliance in the healthcare industry, and focus on questions arising from the fast-growing healthcare compliance system. Our first set of articles explicitly deals with that issue.

In this edition, we take a closer look at compliance in the healthcare industry, and focus on questions arising from the fast-growing healthcare compliance system. Our first setof articles explicitly deals with that issue.

The meaning of Corporate Governance is all values and principles guiding or regulating good and responsible business management. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities for managing compliance, risks and checks is the prerequisite for the latter. For that reason, a compliance management system was set up at the University Hospital Frankfurt in 2015.

This piece describes the journey of a student on a LawWithoutWalls ("LWOW") team that was charged with helping a large multinational defense firm, Lockheed Martin, solve this problem. This piece is not designed to teach the reader about supply chain management; instead, it will exemplify through a real-life experience how tough it is to teach people who are not compliance experts about the field’s complexities and, further, explore the difficulty in developing creative, practicable solutions to compliance problems.

German companies or German-based subsidiaries of international businesses may become subject of, or otherwise involved in, investigations by German or foreign regulatory or law enforcement authorities. In the context of such investigations, it is not unusual for the concerned company to face informal requests from German or foreign regulatory and law enforcement authorities for voluntary cooperation. Oftentimes, such requests focus on the transfer of electronic data for investigatory purposes, and such data typically relate, in whole or in part, to individuals (e.g. employees, suppliers and customers). In these and other cases, compliance of German companies or German-based subsidiaries with informal requests from regulatory and law enforcement authorities may itself entail a compliance risk or even constitute a breach by the corporate entity of the German data protection laws resulting in criminal prosecution, administrative sanctions, or damage claims and other actions by third party individuals. This article outlines the scope of application of the German Federal Data Protection Act, introduces the applicable statutory provisions, and discusses the relevant considerations in the context of an informal request by a regulatory or law enforcement authority for voluntary cooperation in the context of global investigations, in particular where a German-based entity faces requests from authorities abroad.

In light of the demanding requirements inherent to the operation of a university hospital, a multitude of compliance risks are entailed in the medical care, training, and research entail which such institutions are engaged in. If such risks materialize, the public will notice, which will substantially tarnish not only the public’s confidence in the proper functioning and the integrity of the impacted hospital, but ultimately, the whole German health care system. In examining the structural and requisite prevention protocols, three risk groups can be distinguished. The Düsseldorf University Hospital provides a leading example in the area of compliance management.

Conflicts of interest (COI) in healthcare have increasingly gained attention in the lay press as well as among healthcare professionals. COIs increase the risk of undue influence on professional decision making and may have far-reaching consequences in healthcare. Therefore, it is essential to develop strategies to deal with such risk situations in order to prevent negative outcomes for patients and the health care system. This article describes recent research on COIs in Germany as well as initiatives aiming at more transparency and better management of COIs in Germany.