Promoting economic diversity is important for states reliant on natural resources as the major source of economic development. Many of these states suffer from the Dutch disease leading to negative effects, which hinders economic diversification. One of the ways to reduce dependency on national resources is to encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows, which aids diversification by the transfer of technology, the creation of new employment opportunities, and the adoption of modern management practices. The Gulf Council Cooperation (GCC) countries recognised the necessity and benefits of FDI as an aid to economic diversification; it seems, however, that Kuwait is lagging behind in this endeavour. The government of Kuwait has engaged in a series of policy measures to induce Multinational Companies (MNCs) to invest in Kuwait, but the results, thus far, have been disappointing. The formal and informal institutions interact in a variety of ways. However, ineffective formal rules can create different outcomes; particularly, in the presence of strong informal institutions. In such a case, formal rules and procedures are not enforced systematically, that is, enabling actors who are involved in the policy process to ignore or violate them, which subsequently results in a failure to attract inward FDI to a host country. Thus, this study investigates the reasons behind this failure by examining the role of formal and informal institutions on FDI policy and on decisions on whether to grant FDI licences by means of using a New Institutional Economics (NIE) approach. The conceptual framework is used as a guide for an inquiry into the subject of study by constructing a category of intellectual scaffolding, which would provide a coherent structure (Schlager, 2007). The conceptual framework in this study systematically organises the investigation into how a MNC examines a potential investment location by dividing the host country assessments into four distinct 'stages'. When systematically conducted, the respective approach is grounded in the existing literature, which provides theories regarding the behaviour of MNCs in relation to their decision-making processes for considering locations for their FDI projects. The research questions derived from the conceptual framework are answered using a mixed methods research approach that uses three sets of data survey, semi-structured interviews, and secondary data. Firstly, the findings show that almost that all MNCs in the Gulf region have a limited awareness regarding investment opportunities in Kuwait, FDI laws and regulations. Secondly, the findings reveal a number of attractive and unattractive locations, and institutional factors of Kuwait. Finally, it is discovered that the high rejection rate of FDI applications is linked to unsuccessful policy implementation, which is a result of interaction of both formal and informal institutions in Kuwait. Subsequently, the results are utilised to make a number of recommendations for government policy makers, administrators, and for MNCs regarding how to improve FDI inflows into Kuwait. The results are also used to contribute towards the international business literature concerning the institution based view of FDI, and for government policy connected to attracting FDI.

The primary goal of the current study is to develop a more advanced model of information-seeking behaviors. For achieving this goal, it paid attention to two social phenomena characterizing contemporary society: informationalization and globalization. First, focusing on these two influential phenomena, this study investigated how individual-level factors—information overload, information ambiguity, and goal orientations—affected information-seeking behaviors among employees in a multinational corporation. Next, in addition to these individual predictors of information-seeking behaviors, this study explored the effects of two team-level factors—team task interdependence and team tenure—on the relationships between the main predictors and information-seeking behaviors. Last, paying more attention to the multicultural context, this study investigated how these employees in a multinational corporation seek task and feedback information from two culturally different sources: American direct advisors and Korean expatriates. In order to more thoroughly investigate the roles of the cultural backgrounds of information sources, this study explored how American employees perceived the cultural backgrounds of the two culturally different sources and how such perceptions influenced those employees’ information-seeking behaviors. / text

The research topic for this thesis is the transfer of best practice from a MNC to a subsidiary during the pre-implementation phase of an ERP system. A lot is written about best practice transfer but there is a call for more research on how the implementation is perceived from a subsidiary perspective. This study wishes to contribute to the literature in the intersection between knowledge transfer and legitimacy within MNCs. In order to do so, this thesis was conducted through a qualitative case study and data was mainly collected through semi-structured interviews. Based on the literature review five factors were identified that can affect the best practice transfer Furthermore, the potential effect of legitimacy related to the knowledge transfer was investigated. The thesis resulted in the classification of indirect and direct factors that affect the transfer of best practices in an MNC and their impact on knowledge implementation and the increase of internal legitimacy for a subsidiary. Moreover, a relationship between knowledge and legitimacy was observed. An interesting finding that calls for more research was the facilitating effects of internal audits on the knowledge transfer.

The creative industry is a relatively new sector of the economy that grows rapidly and possesses huge potential. Multinational corporations have achieved a certain stage of development being highly globalized, vertically integrated and efficient. However, the problem of defining appropriate strategies and adjusting management approaches to industry's specifics arises. Therefore, the goal of this Diploma thesis is to analyze cultural industry market and to explain differences in business strategy between classical and cultural companies. In this academic work, the great part of attention will be devoted to a number of peculiarities. Among them firstly, the way of managing creative labor force that significantly differs from other industries. Secondly, risk management and level of intellectual property rights protection may either incentivize or discourage further development of creative products. The last but not the least, brand awareness exerts a significant impact on company's performance, therefore, analysis on this issue will be provided.

Background and objectives: In 2006 Shinya Yamanaka successfully reprogrammed mouse fibroblasts back to an embryonic stem cell-like state (called induced pluripotent cells, iPS cells) using retrovirus to introduce four genes that encode critical transcription factor proteins (Oct4, Sox2, KLF4, and c-Myc). This ability to reprogram has promising future applications in clinical and biomedical research for study of diseases, development of candidate drugs and to support therapeutic treatments in regenerative medicine. However, the clinical applications have to meet GMP requirements without the risk of insertional mutagenesis associated with retrovirus. Chromatin modifying agents are widely used in many protocols to generate iPS cells and culture of blood CD34+ cells with chromatin-modifying agents can lead to an increase in marrow repopulating cells and in the case of valproic acid increased erythroid cell colony formation. We undertook research to help understand what effects these reagents have on mobilised peripheral blood (mPB) CD34+ cells and optimised the expansion medium protocol to facilitate reprogramming work. This project aims to utilize peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNC), one of the most easily accessible tissues to generate iPS cells using an efficient non-viral, feeder cell free methodology, with the ultimate goal of moving this methodology towards clinical use. Materials and Methods: G-CSF mobilised peripheral blood, buffy coat, cord blood and fetal liver were obtained from patients and donors under informed consent and ethics committee approval. Haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells CD34+ or CD133+) isolated by magnetic separation were flow cytometry sorted into CD34+/CD133+, CD34+/CD133-, and CD34-/CD133+ sub-populations and their lineage potential were assessed in colony forming unit assays. The effect of epigenetic modifiers valproic acid and 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine used singly or in combination with each other and with IL3 on phenotype and lineage potential of cultured CD34+ cells from mobilised peripheral blood were assessed by flow cytometry and colony-forming unit assays. Prior to reprogramming mononuclear cells from peripheral blood or CD34+ cells from blood were expanded in culture medium supplemented with stem cell factor (SCF), Fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) and Interleukin- 3 (IL-3) for several days. Actively proliferating cells were reprogrammed by electroporation using episomal vectors with an oriP/EBNA-1 backbone to deliver five reprogramming genes, Oct4, Sox2, Lin28, L-Myc, and Klf4. Electroporated cells were seeded onto matrigel coated plates immediately after transfection or were reseeded after three days’ culture. Subsequently, cells were cultured in specific medium on different days. When iPS colonies appeared, they were picked and cultured as for ES cells. Once established, iPS cell lines were immunophenotyped using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence and their potential to differentiate into the three germ layers was assessed in vitro. Results and Conclusion: The largest subpopulation of CD34+ cells was CD34+/CD133+ population which was essentially committed to myeloid colony production, while much smaller CD34+/CD133- subpopulation had a greater capacity to generate erythroid colonies. Optimised cytokine cocktail for expansion of CD34+ cells included IL-3, important in improving expansion and maintaining functionality of CD34+ cells. The optimised cytokine cocktail comprised 100 ng/ml SCF, 10 ng/ml Flt3L, and 20 ng/ml IL-3, which maintained CD34+ cells and MNC in an active proliferating state. In addition, valproic acid and IL3 were found to act synergistically, to increase the numbers of CD34+/CD36+ positive cells. However, we found that an apparent increase in red cell colony formation actually resulted from a decrease in white cell colonies, so no overall increase in red cell colonies was seen when equivalent numbers of CD34+ cells were plated. Proliferating MNC maintained in optimised cytokine cocktail were amenable to electroporation for the effective delivery of episomal transcription factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, L-Myc, and Lin28) within a backbone of oriP/EBNA-1. We successfully developed an efficient and simple method for reprogramming MNC from fresh or frozen samples to generate induced pluripotent cells using episomal vectors in a feeder-free system without any requirement for small molecules and the highest reprogramming efficiency is 0.033% (65 colonies from 2 ◊ 105 seeding MNC). The cytokine cocktail and reprogramming methods work better in CD34+ cells from cord blood or fetal liver, and we obtained 148 iPS colonies from 105 seeding cells (0.148%) at most. In addition, fibroblasts from adult and fetal liver can be successfully reprogrammed using the same reprogramming method. The use of episomal vectors with an oriP/EBNA-1 backbone to deliver reprogramming genes, and efficient electroporation were the most important factors in efficiency of the reprogramming process. In addition, it is pivotal to initiate transfection when cells are actively proliferating. The iPS cell lines we generated maintained the successful expression of ES markers including Oct4, Nanog, SSEA3. SSEA4, TRA-1-60 and TRA-1-81, and had the capacity to successfully differentiate into cell types of ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm layers in vitro.

This diploma thesis is dealing with integration of employees in multicultural environment. It defines terms related to the subject: culture, company culture, working group, intercultural communication and intercultural integration. It contains analysis of real multicultural environment, represented by one team of IBM office in Brno. In the end, this thesis offers some improvements for better efficiency of intercultural integration in this team.

The resource ‘curse’ is premised on an inverse relationship between mineral wealth and economic growth. The declamation pertaining to the reasons for, and exceptions to, the resource ‘curse’ remains inconclusive. MNCs are cited amongst the reasons for the resource ‘curse’, particularly in developing economies. However, Africa (and the role of MNCs) remains underrepresented in resource ‘curse’ literature. In light of this, the study’s aim is to determine how MNCs in Mozambique’s gas sector could be considered a causal channel of the resource ‘curse’, as the contest for relatively untapped natural gas reserves in Mozambique is intensifying. An exploratory case study is provided, where Phase I consisted of 11 qualitative interviews with 14 oil and gas experts while Phase II analysed secondary data in the form of public documents and audio-visual materials, intended to supplement and verify the interview data. The results reveal that MNCs (i) promote and prioritize their CSR initiatives to mask their inability (or unwillingness) to adhere to local content directives and (ii) leverage the diplomatic relationships of their home country government to supersede the host country’s sovereignty. Moreover, the Mozambican government’s cultural practices exacerbated the prospects of a resource ‘curse’ outcome. The study concludes that the MNC, in the case of Africa, in particular Mozambique and Angola, is indeed a channel of the resource ‘curse’. / Mini Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MPhil (International Business) / Unrestricted

Organisationskultur är ett centralt tema för forskning inom organisationsteori där det är uppenbart att kulturella dimensionen påverkar alla aspekter av en organisation. Denna dimension präglar det sätt människor i ett företag tänker, värderar samt reagerar på ideér, åsikter och föreställningar som till sin natur är kulturella (Alvesson, 2015).        Syftet med denna undersökning var att få en ökad förståelse kring ett multinationellt företags organisationskultur inom digitalkameraindustrin, genom att jämföra två kontor belägna i olika länder. Det ena kontoret beläget i Storbritannien och det andra i Sverige. Detta görs genom en komparativ undersökning för att kunna belysa potentiella likheter samt skillnader som kan finnas hos ett multinationellt företag där individers kulturella normer och värderingar kan forma organisationskulturens landskap. I studien genomfördes flertalet semistrukturerade intervjuer med individer som hade en ledarskapsposition i företaget. Intervjuerna speglade deras syn på organisationskulturen inom respektive kontor.   Resultatet från studien har påvisat både skillnader samt likheter kring organisationskulturen inom respektive kontor. I studien kom det fram att båda kontoren hade liknande praktiker kring uppdelning av arbete och gemensamma åsikter gällande synen på, samt behandlingen av medarbetare. Det som skilde deras organisationskultur åt var tonen i kommunikationen samt relationen mellan underordnade och överordnade. Det svenska kontoret hade en plattare hierarki och en informell kommunikation, medan det brittiska kontoret skiljde sig åt ur den aspekten till en viss grad. / Organizational culture is a central theme within the field of organizational theory and it is essential to note that the cultural dimension affects all aspects of an organization. It informs the way individuals within a company think, value and react to ideas, opinions and notions that are in their essence cultural (Alvesson, 2015).   The purpose of the study was to gain an increased understanding of a multinational corporation’s organizational culture within the digital camera industry, by comparing two offices located in different countries. One in the United Kingdom and the other in Sweden. This was achieved through a comparative study in order to shine a light on potential similarities and differences that might exist within a multinational corporation, where an individual’s cultural norms and values may shape the landscape of the organizational culture. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a number of people with a leadership position within the company to gain insight on the culture within their respective offices.   The result showed both commonalities and differences between the two offices regarding the organizational culture. Both offices shared practices regarding the distribution of work and held similar views on the treatment of coworkers. A prominent difference between the office's culture was the tone of communication and relationship between superiors and subordinates. The swedish office had quite a flat hierarchy and an informal style of communication compared to the british office, which leaned in the opposite direction to a degree.

This study informs on the ways in which Swedish multinational companies (MNCs) operating in Russia perceive and respond to the corruption they face whilst operating there, coming from a home country with a low level of corruption, Sweden, in relation to Russia, a country with a high level of corruption. The study uses a qualitative research method, conducting semi-structured interviews with six senior executives from Swedish MNCs that have, or are currently working in Russia for the Swedish firm. The study informs on the forms and processes of corruption in Russia, and informs on not only how this impacts the operations of Swedish firms operating there, but also the measures they take to respond to this. The results indicate that corruption is widespread in Russia. Swedish MNCs saw bribery, state sector operations, and subcontractors as some of the areas where corruption was particularly prevalent. Swedish MNCs perceive corruption in Russia as inevitable and a liability of foreignness, permeating many aspects of operations in Russia. An overarching theme throughout the interviews and analysis was the notion of Swedish firms in Russia trying to find a mid-ground by balancing the demands of the HQ with the demands of the Russian business environment. Additionally, Swedish MNCs saw education, personnel policy, regulations and networking as some of the key areas for responding to corruption. The study contributes to existing knowledge of corruption, and specifically corruption in Russia, and contributes not only knowledge of Swedish firms operating in Russia, but of firms originating from countries with a low level of corruption operating in countries with a high level of corruption in general.

In today’s world, change is faster than ever with rapid technological development and increasing global competition. The effects of globalization have led to more intense international competition when competitors originate from different parts of the world. Thanks to the use of new information technology, transparency has increased and made it possible for customers to compare products and prices between suppliers and prices in different markets and also buy cross-border. This puts pressure on companies to differentiate and develop their competitive advantage. Pricing could be such an advantage. Organizations need to develop pricing strategies well adapted to meet these external changes and remain profitable. Value-based pricing strategy has proven to help companies to move away from discussions about pricing and instead focus on the unique value the company’s offerings can provide the customers. This is also the pricing strategy that creates the best opportunities to maximize the profit in every sales situation. Therefore, this study has investigated how OEMs work with value-based pricing strategy and pricing processes in the context of globalization and ICT.   This has been done by conducting a case study at the company Atlas Copco in Sickla, Sweden, that is market leader within sustainable production solutions. The case study consisted of interviews with, and a questionnaire sent out to, managers at Atlas Copco, Industrial Technique, General Industry, involved in the pricing process.   The results indicate that Atlas Copco strive to work with value-based pricing and are somewhat taken into consideration global trends affecting pricing and working internally with factors affecting pricing. Furthermore, the findings suggest that in order to use value-based pricing in the context of globalization, the company should state and implement a clear pricing strategy, decentralize pricing authority, provide the sales organizations with guidelines, training and communication platforms and work to move away from commodities.   The findings of this study have implication both in a theoretical and industrial aspect. From the theoretical aspect, the findings contributes to the existing research about value-based pricing, a research area which is usually fragmented and mostly describes what value-based pricing is, not how it is used, especially not in a global context. This study contributes with a case showing how OEMs are working with value-based pricing, taking into consideration both global trends and internal factors. From the industrial aspect, the results from this study give OEMs competitive advantage through following the findings about what internal and external factors to consider when working with their pricing strategy.