Purpose:   The purpose of this thesis is to describe and to understand how a company within Swedish fashion industry, namely Frank Dandy, enters foreign mar-kets. Background:   The Swedish fashion industry, defined as SMEs who have produced world-wide recognized brands created by designers and visionaries, has got a lot of coverage in media recently for its success abroad. Theories concerning in-ternationalization have previously not been applied to examine the latest development in the Swedish fashion industry or companies within it, such as Frank Dandy. A gap exists because previous studies have generalized re-tailers, textile industry, fashion houses, distributors and so on as fashion in-dustry. When in reality there is a big difference between these units, and what media refer to as the Swedish fashion industry. Method:   For this study, a qualitative method has been chosen and the abductive ap-proach of systematic combing has been applied when creating a case study concerning Frank Dandy’s internationalization process. The abductive ap-proach enables the authors to successively modify their framework as new empirical findings arise and thus match it with the best theory suited to give insight to how Frank Dandy enters foreign markets. Conclusion:   The purpose of this study has been fulfilled and the authors can conclude that Frank Dandy enters foreign markets through agents and distributors, as predicted by the Uppsala model. However, distributors are preferred over agents since they put less strain on the organization and finally that distribu-tors and agents are handpicked from an extensive international network.

The internationalization process is usually viewed from an outward- perspective ininternational business literature. In this thesis the focus is put on an outward-inwardinterrelationship perspective. An extensive literature review from literature in internationalbusiness literature, entrepreneurial literature as well as international marketing literature wasconducted in order to extract key variables that affect the process of internationalization of thefirm. The key variables that were examined were: Business Contacts, InternationalExperience, Perceived International Opportunity and Perceived International Uncertainty.A qualitative interview with semi-structured questions was conducted in order to construct amodel that should be used as the basis for a quantitative study of an inward-driveninternationalization process, in order to generalize. The results were in line with thepropositions based on the relationships between the variables. In other words, the constructedmodel and the developed questionnaire were of use when examining the relationship betweenthe variables and seem to be of value when applied to an inward oriented context. Thevariable International Experience received the highest score and seemed to reflect animportant contribution for the internationalization process. Nevertheless, further quantitativeresearch is asked for, in order to support the results and be able to generalize.

Today’s globalized economy puts considerable pressure on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as they are forced to compete in a world where business is often conducted over nations’ borders. This globalization has also led to the creation of free trade areas such as the European Union, where most traditional barriers to trade have been removed. Despite this there still seems to be several, more invisible, barriers that hampers business between member states. We therefore intend to examine how companies in two member states – Lithuania and Sweden – have been affected by such invisible barriers and how they are trying to cope with them. This research has been conducted using following theoretical foundation; Invisible barriers, knowledge, the Uppsala model, psychic distance and networks. Our empirical data have been gathered by holding semi structured interviews with 7 SMEs, this data have then been analyzed with the help of our theoretical foundation. We have found substantial evidence pointing towards the importance of psychic distance and lack of knowledge when explaining the barriers still in existence. Furthermore we have also discovered the duality of knowledge and networks which can be both barriers in themselves as well as ways for companies to work their way around previously mentioned barriers.

Small to medium sized firms in the fashion industry are internationalizing early, which forces them to go through internal changes as they adapt to international operations and develop into larger organizations. This place demands on how such growth is managed and how resources are used within SMEs. Based on the scarce research on SMEs’ internal change process during internationalization and the lack of empirical evidence, the purpose of the study is to investigate the internal change process that takes place in SMEs when they expand and grow through internationalization. By conducting multiple case studies across three Swedish fashion SMEs and collecting data through semi-structured interviews, the purpose is to build a conceptual model explaining the internal change process. Findings revealed that internal change is a constant process of acquiring and combining resources in order to make necessary internal changes that support continued internationalization. The study also reveals the characteristics of SMEs as being inexperienced and having limited resources, and also speed of internationalization, highly affect how the internal change process develops.

The healthcare service sector has recently entered the global arena and many nations sectors has opened up for private initiatives, which is explained by the rapid development and structural changes within the industry. However, regardless of considerable interest in the area among academics, very little has been concluded in terms of investigating internationalization of healthcare related services. The purpose of this study is to contribute with an enriched understanding regarding how Swedish medical service SMEs internationalize and what factors influence how - and in what way - the process unfolds. A conceptual model is developed, extending the theoretical discussion by integrating established SME and entrepreneurship literature with extant IB literature relevant for political salient industries. Conducting an exploratory multiple case study, rich empirical data is collected and analyzed in the light of the conceptual model. The research findings indicate that knowledge, networks, and institutional factors influence how the internationalization process of medical service SMEs unfolds to a large extent. The research contributes by concluding that the nature of the service as well as the home market institutional context constitute pivotal influential factors on the firms’ internationalization process and are added to the refined conceptual framework.

The widespread and rapid internationalization of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the healthcare sector is outpacing our efforts to understand the motives behind this phenomenon and the processes that propel it. This paper investigates the internationalization processes of Swedish SMEs that operate in the international healthcare markets. Based on interviews from five SMEs, the study seeks to understand why these SMEs internationalize, and how and in what way this internationalization process unfolds. By developing a conceptual model based on previous literature for SME internationalization, knowledge and networks, and the regulatory environment in which the SMEs operate, the findings are analyzed in the context of the healthcare industry. The research concludes that product approval regulations have a small influence on the internationalization process; instead establishing relationships with local key opinion leaders to create awareness and legitimacy was essential to successfully enter a new foreign market. A further key finding identified was that each market is characterized by different national praxis and contrasting views on patient treatment methods, which was recognized as a challenge among the case firms.

This thesis examines the spiritual development of students participating in international study programs. A baseline questionnaire was administered to 64 students traveling to Kenya, Ecuador and Jordan for four to six weeks during the summer of 2010. Fifteen students were then selected to participate in pre-travel and post-travel interviews. Using Fowler’s (1981) theory of faith development, students’ international experiences were analysed for dissonance and new beginnings as an extension of their pre-travel spiritual journeys. Students’ observations and perceptions of their host country’s religion are shown to be filtered through their program curriculum. While the majority of student participants in this study did not adhere to any formal system of beliefs, the narratives of some students suggest that their academic field of study and a related passion to help the world provide a unifying narrative for their ultimate environment.

This thesis examines the spiritual development of students participating in international study programs. A baseline questionnaire was administered to 64 students traveling to Kenya, Ecuador and Jordan for four to six weeks during the summer of 2010. Fifteen students were then selected to participate in pre-travel and post-travel interviews. Using Fowler’s (1981) theory of faith development, students’ international experiences were analysed for dissonance and new beginnings as an extension of their pre-travel spiritual journeys. Students’ observations and perceptions of their host country’s religion are shown to be filtered through their program curriculum. While the majority of student participants in this study did not adhere to any formal system of beliefs, the narratives of some students suggest that their academic field of study and a related passion to help the world provide a unifying narrative for their ultimate environment.

Abstract This research explores the problems of resource allocation during the process of internationalization by small and medium-sized manufacturing firms. The literature largely portrays a positive view of internationalization with respect to increased firm performance or growth. However, particularly for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises(SMEs), growth through internationalization increases uncertainty and may jeopardize firm performance and even threaten survival of the firm. The literature indicates that some SMEs fail during the process of expanding to foreign markets (Brewer 1981;Ramaswamy 1992; Mudambi and Zahra 2007). Many of these failures are due, in part,to the challenges of allocating limited resources during and after internationalization(Chen and Hsu 2009). Given the challenge of internationalizing, this research examines the influence of resource allocation on firm performance with the aim of providing recommendations on how entrepreneurs can make better resource allocation decisions that in turn may lead to improved performance. To address the problem of allocation of limited resources during and after internationalization, theoretical propositions are developed based on modern portfolio-theory (Markowitz 1952; 1959; 1991) that explains the risk-return tradeoffs with regards to resource allocation to domestic, U.S., and foreign markets and possible effects on firm performance. This research applies a multiple case-study approach based on critical realism, a qualitative philosophical research paradigm. Data collection is through in-depth interviews with executives of twenty-two small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms located in Canada. Within-case and cross-case analyses findings are used to confirm or modify the propositions, resulting in a descriptive model that best explains resource allocation decisions and the effects on performance. The findings indicate that resource allocations to domestic, U.S., and foreign markets have different contributions to overall firm performance. However, the way in which resource allocation trade-offs are decided between these markets is largely dependent on the firms or owners/manager’s disposition to risks and returns. Findings from this research also show that decisions by firm managers to allocate resources to a particular market depend on their assessment or anticipation of risks and the potential mitigation strategies that are required in order to maximize returns. This, consequently, determines the firm’s performance during the process of internationalization. This research contributes to the literature in international entrepreneurship, management of technology, and decision analysis. While there is an extensive body of literature that focuses on the output of internationalization (i.e., where, when, and how firms export their products), few studies have specifically examined the inputs that make this happen (one of these being the allocation of resources). Rugman et al. (2008) examines the resource allocation decision between domestic and foreign markets for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) and the impact on firm performance. No known study has specifically explored resource allocation decisions between domestic, U.S., and foreign markets for SMEs and the influence on firm performance. This research fills the identified gap by making a significant theoretical contribution to this field by adopting portfolio theory to the challenge of allocating resources between domestic and foreign markets.

Aim: The aim of this research is to explore how the process variables adaptation/standardization, trust and networks are utilized when handling the service characteristics heterogeneity and intangibility when services are introduced in new culture, in this case in Hong Kong. Method: The method chosen for the study was case study and primary qualitative data collection was made through semi-structured interviews with seven key persons at Elekta. Result and Conclusions: Results from this work indicate that networks, trust and adaptation/standardization are important variables for handling heterogeneity and intangibility in survives. It also shows that adaptation and standardization needs to be carefully balanced to achieve the optimum effect. The study show that the process model do have a basis for use in identifying how the adaptation/standardization, trust and networks might be utilized to reach a successful balance during service entry in a new culture, partly through the use of Hofstede’s 5 cultural dimensions together with time as a new variable. Suggestions for future research: For future research service introductions in other cultures need to be studied, both by Elekta as well as other service companies outside the MedTech Area. As a further expansion and for future generalization of the model, reversed studies should also be made where foreign companies entry into Sweden is studied. The possibilities of integrating culture closer into the process model also need to be explored as well as the inclusion of the time dimension in the relationship process. Contribution of the thesis: The thesis contributes to academic research in that it expands on the current state of theory and integrates Hofstede’s 5 cultural dimensions closer to existing models as well as including the time variable of relationship development. On a managerial perspective it provides the basis for a tool to show how, in practice, managers might act when introducing their business in a new culture. Finally it has a social dimension in that further research into a narrow field, increases the overall understanding of intercultural mechanisms.