<p>The objective of this thesis is to find factors that can be helpful for Swedish companies that are thinking about entering the Kurdish market. The Kurdish market is a new and growing market in a region that is in its development phase. The Kurdish region has an area of 88 000 km2 and is located in northern Iraq and the languages spoken in the region are mainly Kurdish and Arabic. Since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003 the region has made an effort to attract foreign investors to the region. The efforts include laws designed to make it easier for investors to establish themselves on the Kurdish market. We thought it would be interesting to examine the Kurdish market to find out important factors that might be of interest for Swedish firms. In a globalized economy it is important to internationalize in order to meet the competition that comes from a globalized economy. So what factors could constitute an obstacle for a successful internationalization to the Kurdish market?</p><p>Through contact with representatives from Kurdistan regional government (KRG) we have managed to interview four Swedish firms that already have established themselves on the market. We have used a semi-structured interview technique to conduct the interviews. To get a perspective on how the internationalization process progress, we have gathered information about the process. This information resulted in an interview guide that covered the aspects of internationalization and was a useful tool for us during the interviews.</p><p>As a result from our investigation we conclude that the Kurdish market is a promising market if your company is active in the right field of business, though there are some issues that one has to be aware of and it is important to handle these correctly for a successful business on the market. Through our analysis we have contributed with some new aspects that are specific for the Kurdish market and may also be of importance on other markets as well.</p>

<p>This thesis focuses on the internationalization process of SMEs, the strategies and methods they use. The major aim of this research was to gain a better understanding of the process by comparing and analyzing three main internationalization process theories: the Uppsala model, network theory and international entrepreneurship theory. An essential part of this study consisted of gathering empirical data from SMEs that has already been internationalized as well as from some of those who intend to internationalize in the near future. Our findings show the application and usefulness of the three theories to these SMEs, especially their heavy reliance on network relationships. The findings also indicate that firms use a combination of variables from all three theories and some aspects of the much criticized Uppsala model are still significant in describing the internationalization process behavior of SMEs.</p>

<p>Background: The Uppsala and Network Models of Internationalization belong to the Nordic School and were created based on Swedish companies. Is that possible to apply these models to a Brazilian context? Brazilian companies are becoming more international and expanding to foreign markets, and this study is going to exam if the Nordic schools models can be used to explain the internationalization process of a Brazilian company. </p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to exam if the proposition, that states that the Uppsala and the Network Models combined can explain the internationalization process of a Brazilian company, is correct. </p><p>Method: To collect material for this thesis an interview with the case company was done and also secondary data was used from the company. </p><p>Results: It is possible to state that the combination of the two models is able to explain the internationalization process of the studies Brazilian company. It is also possible to state that where the Uppsala Models lacks explanation value, the Network Model can be applied.</p>

<p>Background: In recent years globalisation has become the recipe for companies to enter foreign market in order to increase sales. Today internationalisation strategy is not limited to large firms as small and medium size firms have taken the challenge to explore international market in order to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. In this thesis, I and my co-author intend to investigate the internationalisation process of two Swedish firms, Vaderstad AB and ContextVision AB.</p><p>Purpose: Our aim is to develop a model to provide a solid explanation of today’s Internationalization process. The model will be generated on the basis of studying three models, and the two Swedish firms’ Internationalization process. The model will also be inspired by Luostarinen&Welch (1988 in Kosonen, 1991) dimensions of internationalisation. We aim to suggest this model to firms which intend to begin internationalization process. </p><p>Result: Two Swedish firms in our thesis conduct different internationalization strategies when they go to international market. Based on the empirical evidence and previous researches it is possible to develop a new model that can provide a holistic view of a firm internationalisation process</p>

<p>Background: As a consequence of the increasing globalization, more trade co-operation etc., swedish companies get to an ever increasing extent internationalized. Whereas some time ago it was mainly the big, established companies going abroad, today just as many small and medium sized swedish companies sell and produce goods abroad. During the past few years, there has been a tendency for research in the field of international business to focus manly on high-technology, so called knowledge-intensive companies. However, an important proportion of international companies in Sweden are part of the traditional manufacturing business. Research in the field concerning differences between different companies from different businesses is limited. Are there any differences in the way companies internationalize between the two categories? What are the differences? </p><p>Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate if there are any differencies in the way swedish small and mediumsize companies internationalize, how these differencies look like, and the factors that influence the companies choice of entry modes. Problem In what way do swedish companies internationalize? Which entry modes do they choose? What factors affects the choice of entry modes? Are there any differencies in the answers of the questions above between traditional manufacturing companies and high-technology companies. </p><p>Practical procedure: The paper is based upon an approach similar to a casestudy, using interviews with the CEO or head of the export departement as datacollection-method. The method of selection we used is based upon our own criteria regarding number of employees, turnover and other firm-specific data. We then selected four swedish international companies located in Linköping and Mjölby, of which two were high-technology companies and two were traditional manufacturing companies. </p><p>Result: The study shows that companies in their early stages of the internationalization process drop a step-by-step approach to geographical and cultural close markets in order to internationalize. The two high-technology companies had a higher speed in their internationalization process compared with the two traditional manufacturing companies. Market potential was the main explanatory factor for all companies regarding choice of entry mode. Compared with the traditional manufacturing companies, the two high-technology companies were more organized in their international business affairs, anlayzing to a greater extent different alternative approaches. These companies also to a greater extend give priority to the participation in different internatioanl networks, marketpresence and the development of specific competencies. The two high-technology companies used more resource-demanding entry modes, whereas the two traditional manufacturing companies still to a greater extend rely on easy and cheap entry modes.</p>

<p>To find an appropriate balance between centralization and localization is a key factor for a successful international company. From a company perspective, this thesis tries to figure out if the different aspects such as organizational culture, national culture and industry sector determine the standardization or adaptation of companies' websites and which website features are affected. The internationalization typology of Barlett and Ghoshal has been used to classify 12 companies from 3 industry sector according to their international strategy. Then their websites in United States, Germany and Taiwan will be analysed to compare if the internationalization types among their websites correspond to the expected. The results show that the three aspects impact the appearence of their websites.</p>

<p>This thesis is an effort to analyze the importance of business network partners for successful participation in trade shows for small firms to grow more in international markets. This study would be helpful to demonstrate the value of trade shows. Trade shows provide the opportunities to introduce new products, expand network connection, and enhancing firm’s corporate image. To participate in any trade show may be a very lucrative process, but there are many challenges and tasks which are to be met to get the maximum share of international market. </p><p>To analyse the effectiveness of business network for successful participation in trade shows, I have included one case study of trade shows, named Beauty World 2009, held at Frankfurt Germany. In this show, among the firms from all over the world, 16 small companies manufacturing beauty instruments, companies from my home city, namely Sialkot, Pakistan, also participated. Their experiences, participation, views and observation will also be used to analyze the importance of trade show for creating new business networks through this show.</p><p>This research indicates the effectiveness of network member providing support to small and growing firms for successful participation in trade shows. With the help of these network members, trade shows can be used as exclusive platforms to introduce new firms, as well as products, to potential consumers. In general, we can indicate that existing network partners, if mobilized accordingly, have the ability to reduce the overall cost incurred at trade shows.</p>

<p>The relevance of global economy are being enhanced day by day, organizational internationalization is becoming more and more important nowadays. Many companies have stated their internationalization process, but not all of them are successful. Thus, the main purpose and aim of this study is to research the relationship between the internal management of organization and firm internationalization process, and find out the most important internal factors (entrepreneur, corporate culture, organizational human resource management) which could push organization to identify the internationalization opportunity and to operate the internationalization process. In this paper, authors construct an original theoretical framework, and chooses Huawei Company as a real example to examine the theoretical results which are concluded from the existing studies.</p>

<p>French SMEs within the medical technology industry follow an internationalization pattern which cannot completely be explained by traditional internationalization models. Going abroad is not a strategy to overcome challenges inherent to the medical technology industry. Instead, it is the positive consequence of their merge with internationalized firms, or an opportunity offered by their network.</p>

<p>Syfte: Noggrann undersökning vad som ligger bakom detta samarbete, motiven, vilket inte framgås av de öppna källorna. Hur man har tänkt långsiktigt, kommer denna trend att hålla i sig och i så fall hur kommer det utvecklas med bl.a. utlands expansion. Jag har en egen hypotes att det eventuellt är en konspiration bakom det hela. Och även undersöka varför en del banker avstår från sådana verksamheter/allianser.</p><p>Metod: Data har samlats in genom de öppna källor, bankerna och försäkringsbolagens hemsidor, pressmedelanden från en rad olika tidningar för att få försöka få en bild hur den aktuella bilden ser ut. Den empiriska delen är gjord av intervjuer av korrespondenter på ledande personer från Handelsbanken, Swedbank, Folksam och Danske Bank. Därefter har jag kopplat vad som har sagts i empirin med relevanta teorier.</p><p>Resultat & slutsats: Motiven för samarbete och verksamhet är ganska enkla. Det är rena strategiska beslut om konkurrens och marknadsandelar. Det är två olika modeller som man går efter för att följa trenden, ena är egen verksamhet som Handelsbanken och den andra är samarbete som Swedbank och Folksam. Banker som inte har gått in i trenden som Danske Bank inte tycker att försäkringsverksamhet är någon naturlig del av den ordinarie bankverksamheten.</p><p>Förslag till fortsattforskning: Banker med inte någon verksamhet, varför exakt man inte har det, några särkskilda motiv. Och jämföra med hur det ser ut i andra länder och framför allt varför det ser ut så. Vad kommer att hända om en utomlands expansion sker? Hur kommer det att utvecklas?</p><p>Uppsatsens bidrag: En utomlands expansion är viktig i samband med försäkringsverksamheten. Framförallt hur man kan lyckas med bägge verksamheter. Generellt så tror jag att både banker och försäkringsbolag kommer att ha nytta av studien.</p> / <p>Aim: An accurate investigation about what is behind this cooperation, the motives which is not clear from the open sources. How have one thought in the long term, will this trend hold on and in that case how will it develop with, for example an expansion to oversees. I have a hypothesis that there is a possible conspiracy behind this. And also investigate why some banks choose to not be apart of these activity/alliances.</p><p>Method: The data has be collected from the open sources, the banks and insurance com-panies homepages, press, and a number of various news papers to get an current picture. The empirical part has been made by interviews from the correspondents from leading people in Handelsbanken, Swedbank, Folksam and Danske Bank. And thereafter have I connected this data to relevant theories.</p><p>Result & Conclusions: The motives behind this activity and cooperation are pretty sim-ple. It is pure strategic decisions whom have been made about competition and market shares. There are two different models that the banks follow to because of the trend. One is an own activity like Handelsbanken, and the other is a cooperation like Swedbank and Folksam. Danske Bank who has not been apart of the activity as yet, don’t think that the insurance activity is an obvious part of the ordinary bank activity.</p><p>Suggestions for future research: Banks who does not have any insurance activity, why exactly don’t they have it, is there any specific reason and then compare to how it is in other countries, why it is in a certain way, and if has shown a positive or negative effect. What will happen if an expansion takes place abroad and how will it develop?</p><p>Contribution of the thesis: An expansion abroad is important in relation to the insurance activity, and how to succeed with the both activity. I think both a bank and insurance company will have a benefit of this study. Here the author will discuss how the thesis has contributed to new knowledge for different interested parties. By contribution it is meant the expected usability of the conducted thesis.</p>