Our master dissertation pursued the research question of what the internationalization process of a hybrid firm would look like. To do so, the authors performed an in-depth analysis of a Swedish SME which exhibited characteristics of a hybrid firm. These hybrid firms, as we have named them, use a mixed range of internationalization strategies. An abductive method of research was used in this thesis, as the authors took direction from previous literature and created their own new internationalization process model based on their findings. The main areas of this research focused on the drivers for internationalization and the barriers to internationalization, as well as the market selection and entry mode into foreign countries. This research found that the Swedish SME base their internationalization process on their human resources and the intuition of their management. These two key elements were the foundation for the new hybrid internationalization process model created by the authors.

This dissertation is a collection of essays (chapters) on behavioral economics. Behavioral economics—arguably one of the most influential innovations in economics over the last 20 years—is a research paradigm introducing psychologically more realistic assumptions into economics. A common theme throughout the dissertation is the focus on either biased beliefs, or heterogeneous preferences, or both. The first chapter serves as an introduction to some themes in behavioral economics and its implications for market outcomes in industrial organization settings. The next two chapters are theoretical papers on entrepreneurial and managerial overconfidence that can also be thought of as contributions to this newly emerging field of behavioral industrial organization. The last chapter is an empirical contribution on gender differences in preferences and economic behavior at a young age. / <p>Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2011</p>

This thesis identifies realistic export opportunities for South African products in the rest of the world and specifically in the rest of the African continent. The method chosen to achieve this goal is the Decision Support Model (DSM) developed by Cuyvers et al (1995) and Cuyvers (1997) that was specifically designed to assist export promotion institutions in planning and assessing their export promotion activities. This model is positioned into the international market selection literature and four main refinements to the DSM methodology are introduced to address the limitations of the model and to make it more applicable for the South African international trade conditions. The refined model is then applied to identify product–country combinations with the largest export potential for South Africa in the rest of the world and in the rest of the African continent specifically. The refinements to the DSM filtering process introduced in this study contribute to the effective use and application of the DSM results by South African exporters and more focused export promotion activities by South African export promotion organisations. The four refinements include (i) running the DSM on a HS 6–digit level, (ii) introducing a method to calculate the potential export value of each identified export opportunity in order to prioritise between the product–country combinations identified as realistic export opportunities, (iii) taking the production capacity of South Africa into consideration in order to identify export opportunities that can be pursued immediately due to the country's existing revealed comparative advantage in the production and exportation of these products and (iv) developing a market accessibility index per product–country combination from a South African point of view on a HS 6–digit level in order to make filter 3.2 (barriers to trade) of the DSM applicable for South African conditions. The results of the application of the refined DSM to identify export opportunities for South Africa in the rest of the world include the top 50 worldwide export opportunities. There are 17 countries in which the top 50 worldwide product–country combinations identified as export opportunities for South Africa are located. These include the United States, Japan, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Germany, Israel, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Singapore, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Brazil. Mineral products (coal, copper and aviation spirit); transportation products (1500 - 3000 cc automobile engines and diesel powered trucks); stone/glass (diamonds, platinum and rhodium) and metals (aluminium, iron/steel structures, nickel) are the product classifications within the top 50 worldwide product–country combinations that hold the largest worldwide export potential for South Africa. In terms of the product–country combinations with the highest export potential for South Africa in the rest of the African continent, there are 18 countries in which the top 50 product–country combinations for South Africa in the rest of the African continent are located. These include Nigeria, Namibia, Ghana, Morocco, Egypt, Zambia, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius, Tanzania, Senegal, Mozambique, Algeria, Malawi and Cote d'Ivoire. The products with the highest potential export values in the top 50 product–country combinations for South Africa in Africa include mineral products (aviation spirit, iron ore, sulphur and coal) and transportation products (1500 - 3000 cc automobile engines and diesel powered trucks weighing less than 5 tons). / Thesis (Ph.D. (International Trade))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

This thesis identifies realistic export opportunities for South African products in the rest of the world and specifically in the rest of the African continent. The method chosen to achieve this goal is the Decision Support Model (DSM) developed by Cuyvers et al (1995) and Cuyvers (1997) that was specifically designed to assist export promotion institutions in planning and assessing their export promotion activities. This model is positioned into the international market selection literature and four main refinements to the DSM methodology are introduced to address the limitations of the model and to make it more applicable for the South African international trade conditions. The refined model is then applied to identify product–country combinations with the largest export potential for South Africa in the rest of the world and in the rest of the African continent specifically. The refinements to the DSM filtering process introduced in this study contribute to the effective use and application of the DSM results by South African exporters and more focused export promotion activities by South African export promotion organisations. The four refinements include (i) running the DSM on a HS 6–digit level, (ii) introducing a method to calculate the potential export value of each identified export opportunity in order to prioritise between the product–country combinations identified as realistic export opportunities, (iii) taking the production capacity of South Africa into consideration in order to identify export opportunities that can be pursued immediately due to the country's existing revealed comparative advantage in the production and exportation of these products and (iv) developing a market accessibility index per product–country combination from a South African point of view on a HS 6–digit level in order to make filter 3.2 (barriers to trade) of the DSM applicable for South African conditions. The results of the application of the refined DSM to identify export opportunities for South Africa in the rest of the world include the top 50 worldwide export opportunities. There are 17 countries in which the top 50 worldwide product–country combinations identified as export opportunities for South Africa are located. These include the United States, Japan, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Germany, Israel, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Singapore, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Brazil. Mineral products (coal, copper and aviation spirit); transportation products (1500 - 3000 cc automobile engines and diesel powered trucks); stone/glass (diamonds, platinum and rhodium) and metals (aluminium, iron/steel structures, nickel) are the product classifications within the top 50 worldwide product–country combinations that hold the largest worldwide export potential for South Africa. In terms of the product–country combinations with the highest export potential for South Africa in the rest of the African continent, there are 18 countries in which the top 50 product–country combinations for South Africa in the rest of the African continent are located. These include Nigeria, Namibia, Ghana, Morocco, Egypt, Zambia, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius, Tanzania, Senegal, Mozambique, Algeria, Malawi and Cote d'Ivoire. The products with the highest potential export values in the top 50 product–country combinations for South Africa in Africa include mineral products (aviation spirit, iron ore, sulphur and coal) and transportation products (1500 - 3000 cc automobile engines and diesel powered trucks weighing less than 5 tons). / Thesis (Ph.D. (International Trade))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

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Submitted by Maria Alejandra Calvache (alecalvache16@hotmail.com) on 2016-02-04T22:23:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 THESIS FINAL VERSION REVISED.pdf: 805774 bytes, checksum: e5b313a6f2ef9f8dd9654ad4e4641fa6 (MD5) / Rejected by Ana Luiza Holme (ana.holme@fgv.br), reason: Maria Alejandra, The number of the pages should count from the first page but only appear in the introduction Ex: Introcution page 10. Best. Ana Luiza 3799-3492 on 2016-02-05T11:34:43Z (GMT) / Submitted by Maria Alejandra Calvache (alecalvache16@hotmail.com) on 2016-02-05T17:18:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 THESIS FINAL VERSION REVISED.pdf: 806138 bytes, checksum: 8149af036255fcd333f46d724d7df774 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Luiza Holme (ana.holme@fgv.br) on 2016-02-05T17:20:19Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 THESIS FINAL VERSION REVISED.pdf: 806138 bytes, checksum: 8149af036255fcd333f46d724d7df774 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-11T10:27:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 THESIS FINAL VERSION REVISED.pdf: 806138 bytes, checksum: 8149af036255fcd333f46d724d7df774 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-01-08 / The 'Born Global' phenomenon refers to companies that regard the global market as their natural context and that start their internationalization process very early after inception. Traditional theories like the Uppsala model no longer can explain this process. Therefore, other theories have been emerging, such as the network perspective. There are some studies related to this field, mainly performed in developed countries with small markets and open economies. However, very few studies have been done in developing economies. Moreover, there are limited researches regarding the choice of entry mode and market selection of born global firms. Consequently, this study pretends to describe the main factors influencing the choice of entry mode and market selection of born global companies from developing economies. The focus of the research is the software industry and a multiple case study was performed to three companies in Ecuador. The methodology included in-depth interviews to founders as well as collection of secondary data. Drawing from empirical evidence, it was found that the main factors influencing entry mode choice are financial constraints, expected revenues, internationalization speed, niche markets and previous business experience of founders. On the other hand, market selection is influenced by similarities in language and culture, niche markets and network relations. / O fenômeno 'Born global' refere-se a empresas que consideram o mercado global como seu contexto natural e que iniciam seu processo de internacionalização muito cedo após sua criação. As teorias tradicionais como o modelo de Uppsala não conseguem explicar este processo. Portanto, outras teorias têm surgido, como a perspectiva de redes. Existem alguns estudos relacionados a esta área, principalmente realizados em países desenvolvidos com pequenos mercados e economias abertas. No entanto, poucos estudos têm sido feitos em economias em desenvolvimento. Além disso, o número de pesquisas quanto à escolha do modo de entrada e seleção de mercados das empresas 'born global' é bastante limitado. Consequentemente, este estudo pretende descrever os principais fatores que influenciam a escolha do modo de entrada e seleção de mercados das empresas, de economias em desenvolvimento, nascidas globais. O foco da pesquisa é a indústria de software e um estudo de casos múltiplo foi realizado com três empresas no Equador. A metodologia incluiu entrevistas com fundadores, bem como a coleta de dados secundários. Com base na evidência empírica, verificou-se que os principais fatores que influenciam a escolha do modo de entrada são as restrições financeiras, as receitas esperadas, a velocidade de internacionalização, mercados nicho e a experiência empresarial anterior dos fundadores. Por outro lado, a seleção de mercado é influenciada por semelhanças de língua e cultura, mercados nicho e relações em rede.

Syfte – Att skapa förståelse för hur internationell marknad framgångsrikt kan väljas för internetföretag genom att beskriva och identifiera tillvägagångssätt för val av internationell marknad. Metod – Kvalitativ fallstudie där elva semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes på olika internetföretag som valt internationell marknad. Resultat - Två olika strategier för att välja internationell marknad identifierades. 1) hagelböss-strategi som innebär mindre analys men att fler länder testas än i 2) prickskytt-strategi. De tre parametrarna 1) befolkningsmängd, 2) betalsystem och 3) psykologiskt avstånd är dominerande i en hagelböss-strategi.  I en prickskytt-strategi dominerar elva olika parametrar utöver de tre som kan studeras vid en hagelböss-strategi. Tre kostnadsdrivare identifierades som kan förklara när företag kan använda de olika strategierna, där hagelböss-strategin kan användas vid lägre internationaliseringskostnader och prickskytt-strategin när internationaliseringskostnaderna är högre. Teoretiska implikationer – Studien bidrar till att öka förståelsen kring hur internetföretag kan välja internationell marknad där mycket av tidigare forskning vidareutvecklats och andra delar bekräftats. Ett avgörande och viktigt tillägg till tidigare forskning är de i resultatet genererade strategierna som kan bidra till att internetföretag mer framgångsrikt välja kan internationell marknad. Dessutom utvecklas kunskap om vilka parametrar som kan vara centrala för hur internetföretag kan välja internationell marknad och hur dessa kan tillämpas. Praktiska implikationer - För internetföretag ökar studien förståelse för när de olika strategierna kan användas där kostnaderna för internationalisering kan avgöra vilken strategi som är fördelaktig att använda för att välja internationell marknad. Dessutom presenteras parametrar som kan studeras vid val av internationell marknad för de båda strategierna där varje företag kan basera dessa parametrar på sina egna egenskaper. / Purpose - To create an understanding of how international markets can be successfully selected for internet companies by describing and identifying approaches for selecting international markets. Method - Qualitative case study where eleven semi structured interviews were conducted on various internet companies that have previously selected international market. Results - Two different strategies for selecting international markets were identified. 1) shotgun strategy that involves less analysis but testing of more countries than 2) sniper strategy. The three parameters 1) population, 2) payment systems and 3) psychological distance are dominant in a shotgun strategy. In a sniper strategy, eleven different parameters dominate in addition to the three that can be studied when using a shotgun strategy. Three cost drivers were identified that can explain when companies can use the different strategies, where the shotgun strategy can be used when having lower internationalization costs and the sniper strategy when internationalization costs are higher. Theoretical implications - The study helps to increase the understanding of how internet companies can select an international market where much of previous research has been further developed and other parts confirmed. A crucial and important addition to previous research are the result-generated strategies that can help internet companies more successfully select international market. In addition, knowledge is extended regarding which parameters can be central to how internet companies can select international market and how these parameters can be applied. Practical implications - For internet companies, the study increases the understanding of when the different strategies can be used, where costs for internationalization can determine which strategy is beneficial to use in selecting international market. In addition, parameters that can be studied in selecting the international market for the two strategies are presented, where each company can choose among these parameters based on their own characteristics.

The thesis comprises of three principal parts. The first part summarizes theoretical backround in the field of international markets expansion. It describes strategic management process as well as individual forms of international martets entry. The second part analyzes ČEZ Group strategy. The individual chapters assess recent activities of the company in domestic and international markets. The third part is dedicated to the analysis of a concrete business case, i.e. Turkey.

Social enterprises are hybrid organizations that tackle societal challenges by using conventional business models. Being hybrid organizations means that social enterprises pursue dual objectives: social (developmental) and financial. By taking performance, subsidization and internationalization perspectives, this thesis contributes to understanding the hybridity of social enterprises and how this hybridity drives their general operations and key decisions such as foreign market selection and targeting strategy. / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The internationalization strategies of multinational corporations (MNCs) in emerging frontier markets in Africa (EFMA) have become a subject of growing interest due to the region's dynamic economic landscape and untapped potential. This study aims to identify the factors affecting MNCs' market selection and mode of entry into EFMA. Drawing from an extensive literature review, a conceptual framework was developed to guide the analysis. Empirical insights were gathered through case studies and institutional reports of diverse MNCs operating in EFMA. The results show a nuanced interaction between variables that affect MNCs' choices. Market potential emerges as the main factor influencing market choice, driven by a growing customer base and demand for products and services. The choice of market and the means of entrance are both influenced by the availability of resources, particularly raw materials and natural resources. A favorable regulatory environment that ensures transparency, consistency, and adherence to international standards is then shown to play a pivotal role. Results showcased that political stability, cultural adequacy, and social responsibility are crucial in mitigating risks and fostering sustainable relationships within EFMA. Findings also revealed that operational efficiency is significantly impacted by the quality of the infrastructure, which includes telecommunications, energy supply, and transportation. MNCs adopt diverse entry modes, such as joint ventures, acquisitions, and greenfield investments, tailored to specific market contexts. The research underscores the importance of a nuanced approach to navigating EFMA's challenges and opportunities that feed their motives. As a synthesis of academic literature and real-world insights, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted factors that MNCs consider when entering and operating in EFMA markets. The resulting findings provide useful information to practitioners, legislators, and scholars who are trying to understand the complexity of doing business internationally in emerging frontier markets in Africa.