<p>This dissertation focuses on the topic of competitiveness of the Ningbo garment industry. The purpose is to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the Ningbo garment industry by applying different theories assessing its competitiveness. The theoretical framework discussion is based on a literature review about competitiveness and its assessment theories and relevant garment theories. We analyzed the case in a qualitative and a quantitative way. The Porter’s “diamond” model and the Tim Padmorre & Hervey Gibson’s GEM model are our theoretical frameworks. In the process of quantification in the analysis of the GEM model, the authors of this dissertation conducted questionnaires addressed to 22 specialists and 173 garment company’s managers in Ningbo. We came to the conclusion that the Ningbo garment industry has competitiveness at a national level. Since the documentary data are based on past material and the process of scoring is subjective, the results of this study are valid to some extent and may not entirely reflect its status quo. The paper concluded with the criticism of methodology and authors’ implications of how to improve the competitiveness of the Ningbo garment industry.</p>

<p>Cluster is a common phenomenon in developed countries. Horizontal clusters and vertical clusters are often seen in these countries. In the domestic retailing, a particular type of cluster—competitors’ cluster plays an important role in the past, nowadays and in the future. Though many researchers have investigated into clusters and talked a lot about the benefits firms could share by clustering together, few of them explained directly why the competitors of the same trade cluster together for competition. This dissertation tried to find explanatory factors that lead competitors to clusters by taking the electronics stores in Kristianstad as an example. Based on the cluster theory, the imitative behavior theory, Huff ’s model, the 4C theory, five underlying factors (the rivals, the costs, the traveling distance, the shopping area and the purchase volume) were put forward. Six propositions were set up to testify these five factors existing in formation of the cluster. A survey was conducted by using face-to-face interview on retailers and questionnaire on consumers. The results of the survey indicated that the propositions were valuable when it came to explain why the phenomenon of the competitors’ cluster emerged. The survey implied that when firms chose to locate the stores, from their own perspective, they wanted to constrain rivals and reduce costs by clustering. Meanwhile, firms also took the consumers’ attractiveness into their consideration. Shopping area and traveling distance were exact explanatory factors, which can reveal incentives of the retailing competitors’ cluster. The research will do help to the future retailing development in China and also can be helpful for the governments in China to plan the commerce distribution.</p>

<p>Since 2002, a new phenomenon has emerged that MNEs (Multinational Enterprises) have invested in China’s Water Industry (CWI), which belongs to the state-owned and monopolized industries with characteristics of low efficiency, low profitability, intensive investment, as well as price limitations. From the view of economic rational law, all capital has the economic nature to pursue the profit maximizing. However, this new phenomenon did not show this economic rationality of capital. It impels our motivation to make a research on the topic. Therefore, the aim of our dissertation is to answer the questions of why, where and how of FDI in China’s Water Industry. </p><p>Since few existing theories can answer our proposed questions, we adopt the SCP (Structure-Conduct-Performance) approach in Industrial Economics and OLI (Ownership-Location-Internalization) theorem in FDI theories as a deductive base to create a new applicable CIF (Country-Industry-Firm) model, which can be used to answer the questions of why, where and how of FDI in China’s Water Industry. </p><p>Then, we use a positivistic philosophy to try the newly created model with multiple research methods: a case study and a survey. We focus on a typical and empirical case: Vivendi Water in China. Consequently, we analyze the data in detail.</p><p>After the empirical research study, we conclude that the Country Factors, Industry Factors and Firm Factors are the main factors which facilitate FDI in China’s Water Industry. They also determine the preferred mode & locations of FDI in this particular field as well. </p>

<p>Intergovernmental fiscal transfer is a kind of transition of fiscal revenues between the central government and a local government; it plays an important role in leveling social disparities, furthermore, it further promotes the long-term development of a country’s economy. As a well-known social welfare state in the world, Sweden has a rich experience of social equalization. Our dissertation carries out a comparison between Sweden and China in respect of the intergovernmental fiscal transfer system, by means of case study. In addition, we conduct some research into related theories, such as the rationale of intergovernmental grants and the decentralization issue, to provide necessary support for our argument. In conducting our research we adopt an inductive approach. The case studies help us identify nine factors that impact the fiscal transfer system, along with the performances they respectively have in these two countries. We make a further investigation into their impacts and propose suggestions to improve China’s transfer system. As the result of our research, we finally develop a new model which may help push China’s intergovernmental fiscal transfer system towards the direction of equalization.</p>

<p>Brand strategy is a useful way to strengthen competitive competence of products. However, the researches on how to implement a successful brand strategy using public relations were rarely found in the existing literature. </p><p>The main purpose with my dissertation is to investigate the relationship between public relations and brand strategy. In addition, I hope the dissertation can give some suggestions to Chinese companies when they want to implement a brand strategy using public relations. </p><p>A combination of interview and questionnaire was used to find research questions. My sample is a famous enterprise named Lenovo Group in China. </p><p>The research indicated that public relations is a useful tool to implement brand strategy. Public relations plays an important role in the five stages of executing a brand strategy. </p>

<p>Purposes: </p><p>The aim of this dissertation is to find an applicable theoretical framework that could describe the factors affecting the operations of the established FDIs rather than the factors influencing the FDIs’ location decisions. The theoretical framework is also expected to be applicable in evaluating the investment environment for a specific area. </p><p>Research questions: </p><p>Can Dunning’s OLI theory and Porter’s Diamond theory be applicable to explain the factors that affect the established FDI operations in an EPZ? </p><p>Can the factors relating to the location decision of FDI activities be used to construct our research framework?</p><p>What conclusions can we draw through our research?</p><p>Theoretical framework: </p><p>Based on Dunning’s OLI theory and Porter’s Diamond theory, as well as some empirical studies’ results, we have established a factor hierarchy, in which six principal factors are presented at the first level of the factor hierarchy, and the six principal factors are further decomposed into 25 sub-factors at the second level of that hierarchy. A questionnaire was designed according to the theoretical framework, and a survey was conducted in the NETD.</p><p>Results: The collected data from the survey was analyzed through the AHP approach. We have calculated a composite weight to each factor and put all the factors in order based on the weight that each factor has got. The finding in our study suggests that the NETD should further upgrade its working efficiency in order to create a more sustainable advantage. Also, our result further confirm that the government can play a significant role in creating competitive advantages in the age that the natural endowment becomes less important.</p>

<p>Nowadays having a global brand is essential in the business world and it is a goal for some Chinese apparel companies to pursue. The main purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the different views on the importance of the key factors influencing global brand building among the European customers, Chinese clothing companies and European apparel enterprises, and also to give some suggestions to Chinese apparel companies that have the intention to build strong brands in the European market. </p><p>A deductive approached was used. A new model, named Customer-Based Brand Factors Model, was based on the existing models and a successful case—Esprit. The newly created model consists of nine factors that influence the global brand construction and it applies Bernstein’s spiderweb model as a basic structure. </p><p>In order to investigate the different views on the key factors, a survey was conducted. The questionnaires were designed for three groups—European customers, Chinese apparel companies and European apparel companies. Based on analyses of data collected from the survey, an explanatory analysis was given about the different views on the factors. Hopefully, this paper will give Chinese apparel companies some insight into how to build their brands in the European market. </p>

<p>Advocated by the New Public Management movement, performance management has been increasingly adopted in local government agencies, aiming to improve government performance and accountability. The purposes of this dissertation are trying to investigate the current practice of performance management and its effectiveness, and find out whether there are differences between Sweden and China, and between different agency levels in terms of performance management and government performance. According to theoretical review, we combine two performance management models into a new one with four stages, and establish a three-dimensional government performance model based on the Balanced Scorecard, with which questionnaires are designed. The results, carried out mainly in China, show that to a large extent the models are consistent with the theory. Nevertheless, a new stage of performance management, named as performance appraisal, emerges combining performance measurement with parts of performance report. It is found that the four stages of performance management are received different attentions in local government agencies. The results also display that two stages of performance management (performance improvement and performance standard-set) have strong causal relations with government performance. Meanwhile, there are significant differences between three agency levels in terms of some performance management stages and one performance dimension, according to the results. As far as the two nations are concerned, Sweden is much better than China at all the four stages of performance management, but only much better at one performance dimension—learning and growth—than China.</p>

<p>Syftet med studien är att förklara en möjlig rotationsplikts inverkan på revisionskvaliteten i Sverige. I dagsläget finns inget krav på revisorsrotation i Sverige, men däremot påverkas svenska bolag av regler som stiftas i andra länder. Dessutom har EU-kommissionen övervägt att införa en ny regel som skall tvinga börsnoterade företag att med jämna mellanrum byta revisor eller revisionsbyrå. </p><p>Vi har i vår förklaring till ett möjligt rotationskravs effekter på revisionskvaliteten valt att utifrån agentteorin och stewardshipteorin utforma våra hypoteser. Genom att se revisorn som en nyttomaximerande agent kan vi använda agentteorin som en introduktion till den del av teorin som talar för en obligatorisk rotationsplikt. Stewardshipteorin däremot definierar situationer där stewarden inte enbart motiveras av individuella mål utan även ser till intressenternas bästa. Vår teoretiska utgångspunkt har baserats på dessa teorier för att skapa två ytterligheter i ämnet.</p><p>Eftersom det inte har funnits krav på rotation i Sverige har vi, för att kunna uppnå syftet med denna uppsats, sökt efter situationer som kan likställas med rotation, rotationsliknande händelser. Vi har menat att det närmaste obligatorisk rotation vi kan komma är när en revisor lämnar ett uppdrag på grund av pension eller övergång till annat yrke.</p><p>Vi kan inte påvisa att rotation skulle medföra varken en förbättring eller en försämring av revisionskvaliteten. Detta konstaterande skall inte ses som ett misslyckande. Tvärtom så är resultatet det mest troliga då man ser till att teorin pekar i två olika riktningar. </p>

<p>There is a lack of applicable model for understanding stability affected by combination of incentive and direct control for an economic regulation within mixed-forms. The research on stability of an economic regulation has mostly been focused on incentive or direct control in a U-form or M-form dominated organization. Therefore, the purpose of this study has been to discover a universal model for explaining stability affected by combination theory, leading to high mixed-form organizations performance.</p><p>This dissertation illustrates the relative theories bound to the research topic and moves one step forward into hierarchies, the U-form dominated and M-form dominated mixed forms. And this dissertation puts forward a hypothesis on how to lead an economic regulation to more stable. The suggested theory was empirically tested in a case study and received strong support. The conclusion of the conducted research is that an economic regulation governed by an M-form dominated organization with stronger incentive and less direct control is more stable than a U-form dominated organization with weaker incentive and more direct control.</p>