The purpose of this thesis is to see how home networks and relationships are involved in the internationalization process of INVs. Therefore we will investigate how INVs are affected and use their home networks/relationships and to reach this purpose we have formulated two research questions:  What roles do relationships and networks on the home market have for Swedish INVs internationalization?  How do Swedish INVs use domestic relationships and their home network when internationalizing? The theoretical framework thus includes INV theory in order to categorize the case companies, networks and relations theory to see if different types of INVs respond differently to their different types of networks and international entrepreneurship theory as a higher theoretical lens to analyse the entrepreneurial behaviour. The methodology is qualitative and has an abductive approach, combined with a multiple case study on six companies which fall under the INV category. We have divided the gathered empirical data and analysed the cases where empirical data will be interpreted with the theoretical framework. The study’s conclusion indicates that INVs use their home networks/relationships as door openers to foreign markets. We then present the theoretical gap we found within the field of research and the theoretical contribution we found as well as suggestions for further research and managerial implications for practicing managers.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how emerging market firms enter more advanced markets. The aim is to identify the main challenges that the firms experience and discover how the companies operate to manage these challenges. In order to reach our purpose the thesis has implied a qualitative method as well as a multiple-case study and the empirical data of the thesis have conducted semi- structured interviews.   The literature review is divided into two main parts, whereas the first part is Entry modes which include the following theories: Choice of Entry mode, Barriers to internationalization, the Uppsala Internationalization Model and the Network Model. The second part is cultural differences and consists of the following theories: Levels of culture, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Trompenaars cross cultural studies.   In the analysis we have connected our empirical findings with the theories mentioned above. The analysis consists of a discussion between the literature review and the empirical data in order to research their consistent and to find a common pattern. The conclusion reveals that emerging market firms enter more advanced market differently depending on factors such as the purpose with the entry and previous contacts in the advanced market. The main challenges are connected to the cultural aspects, which are managed differently by the companies.

Syfte: Studien syftar till att undersöka internationaliseringsprocessen hos svenska sjukvårds-och omsorgsföretag som tillhandahåller sjukvårdstjänster. Dessutom kommer studien att undersöka svårigheter, möjligheter och framtidsutsikter i samband med sjukvårds-och omsorgsföretagens internationalisering. Metod: Denna studie har genomförts genom tillämpningen av en kvalitativ metod och en deduktiv ansats. Informationen hämtad från studiens primärdata och sekundärdata har varit grunden för undersökningens analys och slutsats. Slutsats: Företagens internationaliseringsprocess har sett olika ut beroende på företagens struktur och hur de arbetar med sjukvård och omsorg vilket lett till olika val av strategi. Svårigheterna har varit i form av skillnader i lagar, regler, kultur och olika sjukvårdssystem som finns i olika länder. Den största möjligheten från en internationalisering har varit förvärv av ny kunskap och kunskapsutbytet mellan länder. Framtidsutsikterna för sjukvårdsföretagen innefattar stora möjligheter i samband med utvecklingen runtom i världen som ökar efterfrågan på effektiva sjukvårdslösningar.

In particular in Germany and Austria, but also in other countries, extensive theoretical and analytical research has been published on the potential tax effects in case IAS/IFRS were used as the basis for corporate taxation. Very few quantitative papers exist. This motivated us to conduct a study that quantifies the actual effects of a potential decisiveness of IAS/IFRS for the national tax base - without further questioning the usefulness of an IAS/IFRS relevance. Our paper extends existing research substantially. The research question of our paper deals with the measurement of differences in discounted tax burden in different scenarios, by simulation. Our sample comprises original data of 61 Austrian companies. The median of the difference between book values of IAS/IFRS single accounts and tax accounts for specific balance sheet items is determined. We then apply the result on the items of a typical corporate account derived from an Austrian database. As a result, depending on the term of items, we can calculate the discounted tax effects for different scenarios. It must be underlined that such highly confidential and detailed tax data is usually not available to researchers. The main preliminary finding of our empirical survey is that only in few cases we find essential differences between IAS/IFRS and tax accounts. Our evidence suggests that no dramatic change in the tax base has to be expected. Our study provides not only new empirical evidence but also a basis for further research on a possible common consolidated corporate tax base from an academic perspective. (author's abstract) / Series: Working Papers / Institut für Revisions-, Treuhand- und Rechnungswesen

The purpose of this study is to examine how the internationalization process in small firms impacts their resource base renewal. The relationships between organizational learning, dynamic capabilities, operational capabilities and resources are empirically examined to determine the impact of internationalization on changes to the firm’s resource base. The empirical analysis follows a multiple case study research methodology and is based on in depth case studies of four internationalized professional service firms in Ontario. Cases include born-global and born-again global firms, exemplifying both location-based and knowledge-based services. The study finds evidence supporting the relationships between internationalization, organizational learning and planned change via dynamic capabilities, as well as internationalization, organizational learning and ad hoc problem solving. Findings also suggest that the firms’ repetitive use of ad hoc problem solving when faced with similar situations leads to the creation of dynamic capabilities. This research adds to the existing body of literature on services, international entrepreneurship and strategy by responding to a call for empirical examination of organizational learning within the RBV and DC constructs. Furthermore, it also applies a novel theoretical framework with which to examine the impact of small firm internationalization and their strategic renewal. By doing so, this thesis extends the RBV and DC perspectives to small service firms. Findings demonstrate a need to further continue this research path to gain greater understanding of the change processes that occur during the evolution of the firm’s resource base, as pertains to small knowledge-intensive service firms.

It is generally well understood that venture capital (VC) is an important and significant source of financing for small firms. Questions revolving around the increased likelihood of a firm backed by Venture Capitalists (VCs) to be export oriented have yet to be fully explored. Responding to this research gap, a sample of Canadian VC backed firms is used to compare the performance of Canadian VC firms in terms of facilitating internationalization among their portfolio companies. The particular reference of this study is Export Development Canada (EDC), a crown corporation mandated to promote export among Canadian firms. This research finds that EDC as a VC investor and export-oriented consultant has no association with the increased probability of exporting. Also, stage of the investment does not show any relationship with internationalization. These results run contrary to previous speculation that syndication of VCs increases the probability of internationalization among portfolio firms.

Internationalization of post secondary institutions has been suggested as one of the most critical undertakings of higher education today. Despite growing interest in this phenomenon as an institutional initiative, relatively few studies consider internationalization from the perspective of faculty members whom some have identified as key catalysts of the internationalization process. Using a phenomenological research approach to examine the experience of five faculty members actively engaged in the internationalization process of their Canadian university I seek to understand how participants define internationalization, what motivates them to engage in this process and how the institutional and individual efforts to internationalize influence each other. I compare faculty motivations with institutional positions through an analysis of strategic institutional documents using de Wit’s (2002) internationalization rationale categories. Results suggest that institutional internationalization might be more effective in engaging faculty members when faculty perspectives and priorities are considered in the development of institutional strategies.

Background: In recent studies a lot of attention is drawn to the connection between networking and entrepreneurship. Many scholars consider successful business and networking inseparable. Taking into consideration the topicality of the two notions discussed above the authors of this thesis decided to conduct the research dedicated to these phenomena in the field that interests them most – in the field of Swedish fashion. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to gain a deeper insight into entrepreneur’s experiences to point out the role of entrepreneurial networking in the process of internationalization of a micro-sized Swedish fashion company and to contribute to the research in this field by telling its unique story. Method: To achieve the purpose of the research a narrative ethnographic research was conducted. This research strategy was chosen because it suits the purpose best by giving an opportunity to get fresh insights into the field of entrepreneurial networking from the point of view of the entrepreneur. The data collected has a narrative nature therefore narrative analysis is used to present it. The methods of gathering the data are face-to-face interview and documents. Conclusion: we can define the most important role of entrepreneurial networking on the internationalization process of Odeur as an effective accelerator and a tool to fulfil the knowledge and expertise gaps in certain areas through other actors in the network.

Trust is a crucial element in business relationships. The early internationalization of a firm is interesting as a context for studying trust-building processes for several reasons. The internationalization is related to risks just as trust is. New business relationships are opened up, situations in which trust is a critical element. But internationalization is also connected to circumstances wherein trust-building is particularly challenging to achieve.   This dissertation increases understanding of the process of trust-building in a firm’s early internationalization. It represents a view where trust is not an irrational act but a manageable act of faith in people, relationships, and social institutions. The communication of trustworthiness is argued to be one of the critical empirical problems in the early stages of starting up a relationship with a party on a new market. To manage this communication an ability to communicate must be fine-tuned along the way. Trust-facilitators in the form of organizations and individuals can also strategically be used to strengthen the trust-building process.   By following three Swedish high-tech SMEs along their way into the Japanese market, lessons have been learnt on how actors have provided a more or less beneficial environment for trust-building to take place and in this way actively affected the building of trust. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2008

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Political Science, 2008. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-164).