Följande flerfallsstudie syftar till att empiriskt undersöka hur entreprenörer i Born Globals, det vill säga företag med en global vision och närvaro från grundandet, använder sina nätverk för att bli internationella. Tre fallstudier görs på olika Born Global-företag där entreprenörernas användning av nätverk i internationaliseringsprocessen undersöks genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Fallstudierna analyseras först individuellt med hjälp av Johanson och Vahlnes internationaliseringsprocessmodell (2009) och sedan tillsammans i en jämförande analys för att dra fallgemensamma slutsatser. Resultatet visar att entreprenörerna använder sina existerande nätverk som ett verktyg för att genomföra en snabb internationaliseringsstrategi, genom att dra nytta av de kunskaper och resurser som finns inom nätverken. Nätverk fungerar både som en länk till indirekta relationer och som ett hjälpmedel för att minska det psykiska avståndet till internationella marknader. Således utnyttjas företagets nätverksposition för att identifiera affärsmöjligheter och för att lära sig, vilket möjliggör en verksamhetsförändring som driver internationaliseringen framåt.

<p>There is an ongoing process where the free market within the European Union is expanding, partly through the incorporation of new member states, partly through the signing of association agreements with nearby countries and regions. When trade barriers are removed in different ways more companies consider an internationalization of the company. However, the procedure of the internationalization of companies is a rather new and unexplored area in the context of research. The focus of this study is therefore to examine how a few companies situated in Sweden, has proceeded while searching for knowledge during the internationalization process. Data has been collected through interviews that have been balanced with information from Internet and other sources. The tools that has been used to analyze is first and foremost the Uppsala model of the internationalization process, but common principles, emerged from studies at Södertörns Högskola, Stockholm, and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, has also been used. During the study the importance of personal contacts has come to light as well as the lack of research of the strategies of immigrant enterprises.</p>

There is an ongoing process where the free market within the European Union is expanding, partly through the incorporation of new member states, partly through the signing of association agreements with nearby countries and regions. When trade barriers are removed in different ways more companies consider an internationalization of the company. However, the procedure of the internationalization of companies is a rather new and unexplored area in the context of research. The focus of this study is therefore to examine how a few companies situated in Sweden, has proceeded while searching for knowledge during the internationalization process. Data has been collected through interviews that have been balanced with information from Internet and other sources. The tools that has been used to analyze is first and foremost the Uppsala model of the internationalization process, but common principles, emerged from studies at Södertörns Högskola, Stockholm, and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, has also been used. During the study the importance of personal contacts has come to light as well as the lack of research of the strategies of immigrant enterprises.