ABSTRACT   Date: [2023-05-30] Level:  Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr  Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University  Authors:  Naiymie Binta Arman   Miriam Lini       (00/02/27)    (02/05/06) Title:    Navigating the Challenges of International Business: An Analysis of     Factors Influencing the Exit of Multinational Corporations. Supervisor:    Edward Gillmore  Keywords:    Multinational Enterprises, Market Exit, Transaction Cost Theory,      Institutional Theory, Isomorphism, Legitimacy, Entry modes      (internationalization), Exit modes, Institutional distance, Institutional &     Infrastructural hassle factors  Research question:   What are the internal and external characteristics that drive market exit?  Purpose:    The aim of this study is to investigate the internal and external factors that contribute to the exit of MNEs from foreign markets, and to provide insights for firms operating in foreign markets. Problematization:   The scarcity of research on the predominant factors influencing the exit of     MNEs from established foreign markets highlights the need to understand effective strategies for minimizing financial losses and preserving reputation. Method:   Qualitative research paper; Thematic analysis using semi-structured interviews and secondary data.  Conclusion:    The researchers aimed to explore the factors driving market exit for     Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). They identified internal factors such as financial performance, lack of proper financial guidance, and inadequate resource allocation as key drivers for Company X's market exit. External factors included economic differences, high competition, and regulatory constraints in the Swedish market, leading to contract termination for     Company X.

When Namibia became independent in March 1990, the new government pledged to alleviate poverty, unemployment and to improve the living standards of the formerly disadvantaged groups in the country. Rural development was presented as one of the priorities because the majority of the people live in or still have strong ties to the rural areas. Rural housing and rural development consist of a number of components. Both have similar objectives, inter alia, the improvement of living standards. Development efforts are often impeded by an urban bias in government policies and projects. In the case of Namibia, certain areas do not even have a formulated policy to guide developments, especially in communal areas with a high population concentration. This study explores to what extent the government has realised rural development policies and in particular rural housing in Northern Namibia as a means to improve living standards. / Public Administration and Management / M.A. (Development Administration)

[pt] O objetivo da dissertação é contribuir para o avanço do conhecimento sobre a capacidade de inovação e os obstáculos à inovação enfrentados pelas empresas da Base Industrial da Defesa (BID), destacando-se o papel da Tecnologia Industrial Básica (TIB) no fortalecimento dessa capacidade. Particularmente, a dissertação procura responder como as empresas da BID percebem a importância das funções da TIB - metrologia, normalização, regulamentação técnica e avaliação da conformidade – em seus ciclos de inovação, na perspectiva de ressaltar os benefícios oriundos da consolidação da infraestrutura nacional de serviços tecnológicos de suporte à capacidade inovadora dessas empresas. A metodologia compreende: (i) revisão bibliográfica e documental sobre os temas centrais da dissertação; (ii) definição do objeto do estudo; seleção da fonte primária de dados – Pesquisa de Inovação (Pintec) do IBGE – e da grade de análise da pesquisa; (iii) elaboração do plano tabular para solicitação ao IBGE de tabulações especiais da Pintec 2011; (iv) análise e discussão dos resultados; e (v) formulação das conclusões da pesquisa e de sugestões para a próxima Pintec e estudos futuros. Destacam-se como resultados: (i) a identificação de itens da Pintec diretamente associados às funções da TIB; (ii) a análise da percepção das empresas da BID sobre a relevância das funções da TIB para a inovação; e (iii) a análise comparativa dos padrões de respostas das empresas da BID que implementaram inovações e das que não implementaram. / [en] The main aim of this dissertation is to contribute to the understanding of basic infrastructural technologies support to innovation activities by firms of defense industry in Brazil. Particularly, this work seeks to answer how defense firms perceive the importance of infrastructural technologies - metrology, standardization, technical regulation and conformity assessment - in their innovation cycles. The methodology comprises: (i) a literature survey to elaborate a theoretical outline to characterize the core subjects of the research: defense innovation system and defense products; sectorial systems of innovation; and infrastructural technologies; (ii) definition of the research scope; selection of the primary data source - the Brazilian Survey of Technological Innovation (Pintec), published by the Statistical Office (IBGE), and the research analytical framework; (iii) data collection and tabulation; (iv) main findings discussion; and (v) formulation of conclusions and suggestions for the next Pintec survey and for future research. The main results can be summarized as follows: (i) identification of PINTEC items directly associated with basic infrastructural technologies; (ii) identification and analysis of Brazilian defense firms perceptions about the relevance of basic infrastructural technologies in supporting their innovation strategies; and (iii) comparative analysis of patterns of response of innovative and non-innovative defense firms.

[pt] A presente dissertação tem como objetivo geral realizar uma análise bibliométrica da produção científica do Programa de Pós-graduação em Metrologia (PósMQI) da PUC-Rio, abrangendo o período de 1999 a 2013. Nesta dissertação, utiliza-se a bibliometria para caracterizar aspectos da dinâmica da produção do conhecimento em uma área multidisciplinar. No contexto institucional no qual a pesquisa se insere, considera-se que seus resultados terão um grande potencial de aplicação no PósMQI e em outros programas de Pós-graduação da PUC-Rio e de instituições de ensino superior no Brasil. Quanto aos fins, a pesquisa pode ser considerada aplicada e descritiva. Quanto aos meios de investigação, a metodologia compreende: (i) pesquisa bibliográfica e documental; (ii) elaboração de um protocolo de coleta de dados baseado no Sistema de Avaliação da Pós-graduação da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes) e em indicadores bibliométricos complementares (co-word analysis); (iii) coleta de dados da produção científica do Programa no período 1999 - 2013; e (iv) tratamento, análise bibliométrica e discussões da avaliação da produção científica do Programa em foco. Destacam-se como resultados: (i) mapeamento das principais ferramentas e procedimentos bibliométricos, na perspectiva da escolha dos mais adequados para fins da análise pretendida; e (ii) características da produção científica do Programa, expressas por indicadores do Sistema de Avaliação da Pós-graduação implantado no Brasil pela Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes) e por indicadores bibliométricos complementares. / [en] The main aim of this dissertation is to develop a bibliometric analysis of the scientific output of the Postgraduate Program in Metrology of PUC-Rio (PósMQI), covering the period from 1999 to 2013. In this dissertation, bibliometrics is used to characterize aspects of the dynamics of knowledge production in a multidisciplinary field. Within the institutional context in which this research is situated, it is assumed that its results will have great potential for application in PósMQI itself, in other graduate programs at PUCRio, and also in other higher education institutions in Brazil. This research can be considered descriptive and applied and the methodology encompasses: (i) bibliographical and documental research; (ii) development of a protocol for data collection based on the main characteristics of scientific production indicators to be produced, according to Capes evaluation system and complementary indicators from co-word analysis; (iii) data collection related to the scientific output of Postgraduate Program in Metrology (1998-2013); and (iv) data treatment and bibliometric analysis of the scientific output of PósMQI. The main results can be summarized as follows: (i) mapping of the main bibliometric tools and procedures, within the perspective of choosing the most suitable for the research purposes; (ii) characteristics of scientific output of the focused Program, expressed by indicators which integrate the Evaluation System of PostGraduate Programs implemented by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes), and by complementary bibliometric indicators.

abstract: The phrase water-energy nexus is commonly used to describe the inherent and critical interdependencies between the electric power system and the water supply systems (WSS). The key interdependencies between the two systems are the power plant’s requirement of water for the cooling cycle and the water system’s need of electricity for pumping for water supply. While previous work has considered the dependency of WSS on the electrical power, this work incorporates into an optimization-simulation framework, consideration of the impact of short and long-term limited availability of water and/or electrical energy. This research focuses on the water supply system (WSS) facet of the multi-faceted optimization and control mechanism developed for an integrated water – energy nexus system under U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) project 029013-0010 CRISP Type 2 – Resilient cyber-enabled electric energy and water infrastructures modeling and control under extreme mega drought scenarios. A water supply system (WSS) conveys water from sources (such as lakes, rivers, dams etc.) to the treatment plants and then to users via the water distribution systems (WDS) and/or water supply canal systems (WSCS). Optimization-simulation methodologies are developed for the real-time operation of water supply systems (WSS) under critical conditions of limited electrical energy and/or water availability due to emergencies such as extreme drought conditions, electric grid failure, and other severe conditions including natural and manmade disasters. The coupling between WSS and the power system was done through alternatively exchanging data between the power system and WSS simulations via a program control overlay developed in python. A new methodology for WDS infrastructural-operational resilience (IOR) computation was developed as a part of this research to assess the real-time performance of the WDS under emergency conditions. The methodology combines operational resilience and component level infrastructural robustness to provide a comprehensive performance assessment tool. The optimization-simulation and resilience computation methodologies developed were tested for both hypothetical and real example WDS and WSCS, with results depicting improved resilience for operations of the WSS under normal and emergency conditions. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2019

Doctor Legum - LLD / This thesis examines the legal framework of Zimbabwe to determine if the laws and policies which are in place create opportunities for, or barriers to, economic development. Specifically, it examines the legal framework governing trade, investment and financial services. The thesis focuses on Zimbabwe as a case study and draws lessons from South Africa. It proceeds from the premise that despite the numerous attempts made at international, regional and domestic levels to increase economic development (such as through liberalisation of markets and access to international development finance), Zimbabwe has failed to attain 'developed country' status. The purpose of the thesis is to examine the causes of poor economic performance in Zimbabwe postindependence (post-1980).

When Namibia became independent in March 1990, the new government pledged to alleviate poverty, unemployment and to improve the living standards of the formerly disadvantaged groups in the country. Rural development was presented as one of the priorities because the majority of the people live in or still have strong ties to the rural areas. Rural housing and rural development consist of a number of components. Both have similar objectives, inter alia, the improvement of living standards. Development efforts are often impeded by an urban bias in government policies and projects. In the case of Namibia, certain areas do not even have a formulated policy to guide developments, especially in communal areas with a high population concentration. This study explores to what extent the government has realised rural development policies and in particular rural housing in Northern Namibia as a means to improve living standards. / Public Administration and Management / M.A. (Development Administration)

[pt] O objetivo desta dissertação é contribuir para o avanço do conhecimento sobre a capacidade de inovação e os obstáculos à inovação enfrentados pelas empresas de serviços de tecnologia da informação, destacando-se o papel da Tecnologia Industrial Básica (TIB) no fortalecimento dessa capacidade. Particularmente, a dissertação busca responder como as empresas deste setor percebem a importância das funções da TIB - metrologia, normalização, regulamentação técnica e avaliação da conformidade - em seus ciclos de inovação, na perspectiva de destacar os benefícios oriundos da consolidação da infraestrutura nacional de serviços tecnológicos de suporte à capacidade inovadora dessas empresas. A metodologia compreende: (i) revisão bibliográfica e documental sobre os temas centrais da dissertação; (ii) definição do objeto do estudo e seleção da fonte primária de dados - Pesquisa de Inovação 2014 (Pintec 2014), do IBGE; (iii) elaboração do plano tabular para solicitação ao IBGE de tabulação especial da Pintec 2014; (iv) análise e discussão dos resultados; e (v) formulação das conclusões da pesquisa e de sugestões para a próxima edição da Pintec e estudos futuros. Destacam-se como resultados: (i) a identificação de itens da Pintec diretamente associados às funções da TIB; e (ii) a análise da percepção das empresas de serviços de tecnologia da informação sobre a relevância das funções da TIB em seus ciclos de inovação. / [en] The aim of this dissertation is to contribute to the advancement of knowledge about innovation capacity and obstacles to innovation faced by information technology service companies, with emphasis on the role of infrastructural technologies (Portuguese acronym, TIB) in strengthening this capacity. In particular, the dissertation seeks to answer how the companies in this sector perceive the importance of the TIB functions - metrology, standardization, technical regulation and conformity assessment - in their cycles of innovation, with a view to highlighting the benefits derived from the consolidation of the national infrastructure of technological services to support the innovative capacity of these companies. The methodology includes: (i) bibliographic and documentary review on the central themes of the dissertation; (ii) definition of the study object and selection of the primary source of data - IBGE s Innovation Research (Pintec 2014); (iii) preparation of the tabular plan for requesting a special tabulation of the Pintec 2014 to IBGE; (iv) analysis and discussion of the results; and (v) formulation of research findings and suggestions for the next edition of Pintec and future studies. The results are as follows: (i) the identification of Pintec 2014 items directly associated with the TIB functions; and (ii) the analysis of companies perception of information technology services on the relevance of TIB functions in their innovation cycles.

The main goal of this Diploma´s Thesis is to make a model for calculation of water and sewer rates for the company Vodovody a kanalizace Náchod, a.s. when sticking to the set criteria both from the side of VaK Náchod, a.s. and law regulations. Based on the theoretical part an analysis of customer sensitivity to the price changes using the data for last 20 years follows. Findings from the first two parts are used in risk analysis in next part. The created model calculates the water and sewer rates based on the information from the company accounting system in the way to generate sufficient financial resources to fulfill the renovation plan of infrastructural property plant and equipment and to transfer given amount to the company funds. In addition, the model monitors whether the legal condition of maximal allowable increase of profit per m3 is met. In the customer sensitivity to the price changes part the price elasticity of demand for water and sewer rates is calculated based on the data from 1995 to 2015. The assumption of inelastic demand is confirmed. Risk analysis part is deals with potential risk regarding the demand and prices. Potential impacts for the most significant risk are quantified. The analysis uses knowledge gained in the first two parts. It was confirmed that potential risks are exiting but do not have any significant impact on the going concern of VaK Náchod, a.s. The created model has been already used for the calculation of prices for the year 2017. Customer sensitivity analysis to the price changes and link to the potential risks is an additional information for VaK Náchod, a.s. which validates that nowadays, there are no significant threats which could affect the demand and water and sewer rates significantly.

Der Begriff Infrastruktur und die mit ihm beschriebenen materiellen, sozialen und kommunikativen Bedingungen des Zusammenlebens sind seit den 2000er Jahren verstärkt von verschiedenen Wissenschaften kritisch untersucht und seit kurzem auch zum Gegenstand künstlerisch-kuratorischer Arbeiten geworden. Die Veränderungen von und Verschiebungen in Infra-Strukturen - sichtbare und unsichtbare, von der globalisierten Ökonomie gesteuerte oder von unten, aus lokalen Communities betriebene - wurden in Fallstudien und strukturellen Analysen herausgearbeitet. Der Beitrag folgt dem Diskurs in den Bereichen Sozialwissenschaften/Anthropologie, Medienwissenschaften sowie Kunstwissenschaften/curatorial studies und untersucht die dort fokussierten Aspekte auf ihre Relevanz für ein aktualisiertes Verständnis von kultureller Infrastruktur. Auch hier: nicht verstanden als allein staatlich etablierte, geförderte und damit auch kontrollierte Infrastruktur, sondern um die Infra-Strukturen einer vielfältigen Praxis von unten, deren Bewegungen und daraus resultierenden neuen Formen des Institution-Werdens ergänzt.