<p>This thesis attempts to investigate if national culture still is a factor to consider for large multinational organizations when choosing a supplier, or if the global business environment due to globalization has become so standardized and homogenous that the influence of national culture differences has diminished. Existing academic literature is divided regarding this matter; some studies indicate that the influence of national culture on business relations is subtle while other argues that national culture differences may be a source for potential barriers and problems and therefore still an important factor to consider. The issue of globalization has also divided researchers, some argue that globalization has made it possible for a homogenous business culture to emerge while other argue that globalization is a myth and ‘global companies’ are in reality regional. Empirical information was collected through interviews at head offices from four large Swedish multinational companies and questions were asked to determine the importance of national culture when choosing a supplier, the influence national culture has on organizational culture and to what extent a homogenous business culture has emerged. The study’s findings identified little evidence to support the idea that cultural difference is a significant factor to consider when conducting business relations. None or very little consideration to national cultural differences was paid when choosing a supplier. However, consideration was sometimes taken to organizational culture, which findings indicate is partly influenced by national culture. The interviewed organizations were of the opinion that at high management level a ‘global culture’ has emerged, and therefore the ‘way of doing business’ has become more uniform. The conclusion, which turned into more of a tendency indication, made from this thesis were that although national cultural differences still exist and probably will do so for some time, the influence it has on ‘business-to-business’ relations between multinational organizations at high management levels has diminished due to the emergence of a more homogenous global business culture.</p>

Intercultural negotiations are playing an increasing role in the globalisation nowadays. Business negotiators are now facing negotiations in which they have to meet people from all over the world because of the development of different market places. Sweden is particular case of this internationalization. Swedish negotiators have to use their skills with new collaborators. Their particularities are of relevance for any international negotiator who will have to negotiate with them.

Research Question: What are the factors making the enterprises in China and influencing their behavior and development? Aim of Thesis: The thesis was initiated because there are many young people want to have his/her own business in China. The authors aim to discover the key elements of making an enterprise in China and expect the research can help those entrepreneurs to find a most suitable way to start their own venture in China. Method: Semi‐structured interview is used in the qualitative perspective to evaluate the research. The primary data is collected in a qualitative manner by interview with the entrepreneurs of the case companies. Secondary data is collected from company material and web pages. Conclusion: In the study it was concluded that entrepreneurship, national culture and government policy are the major elements that affect the development and behavior of Chinese enterprises. And In China, unlike western world, government policy and national culture are regarded to be more important than entrepreneurship. It is a characteristic of an Asian socialism country.

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.

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Research Problem: To what extent the corporate culture of an international joint venture resembles the organizational and national culture of its parent firms? Purpose: The purpose of this research is to study and explain the organizational and national culture of the partner companies that are involved in the international joint venture and finds out the extent to which the corporate culture that is embedded in the joint venture possess a resemblance with its parent's culture. Method: Our research is qualitative in nature and is based upon the case study and the secondary information gathered during the research. We have also taken into account some primary information through conducting three semi-structured interviews from each of the company involved in the joint venture. All the information collected during the course of our research has been analyzed in such a manner that has eventually led us to a formidable conclusion. Conclusion: After the analysis of results, both from the interviews and the secondary information, we came to a conclusion that the corporate culture at the joint venture possess some similarities with the national and organizational cultures of its parent firms and this likeness depends upon the location of origin of the joint venture and the employees working in it.

This thesis attempts to investigate if national culture still is a factor to consider for large multinational organizations when choosing a supplier, or if the global business environment due to globalization has become so standardized and homogenous that the influence of national culture differences has diminished. Existing academic literature is divided regarding this matter; some studies indicate that the influence of national culture on business relations is subtle while other argues that national culture differences may be a source for potential barriers and problems and therefore still an important factor to consider. The issue of globalization has also divided researchers, some argue that globalization has made it possible for a homogenous business culture to emerge while other argue that globalization is a myth and ‘global companies’ are in reality regional. Empirical information was collected through interviews at head offices from four large Swedish multinational companies and questions were asked to determine the importance of national culture when choosing a supplier, the influence national culture has on organizational culture and to what extent a homogenous business culture has emerged. The study’s findings identified little evidence to support the idea that cultural difference is a significant factor to consider when conducting business relations. None or very little consideration to national cultural differences was paid when choosing a supplier. However, consideration was sometimes taken to organizational culture, which findings indicate is partly influenced by national culture. The interviewed organizations were of the opinion that at high management level a ‘global culture’ has emerged, and therefore the ‘way of doing business’ has become more uniform. The conclusion, which turned into more of a tendency indication, made from this thesis were that although national cultural differences still exist and probably will do so for some time, the influence it has on ‘business-to-business’ relations between multinational organizations at high management levels has diminished due to the emergence of a more homogenous global business culture.

The rapid proliferation of internet has turned the growth of e-commerce into a globalphenomenon including both, in the developed and developing countries. Several studies havebeen conducted in the perspective of consumer level e-commerce adoption for differentdeveloped countries. There felt a need to look into whether the same pattern of studies has anyimplication on other countries, especially the developing countries. This study aims at analyzingthe pattern of e-commerce adoption on consumer perspective and the factors that have greaterinfluence in the adoption of e-commerce by conducting a comparative study between Swedenand Pakistan. The factors of trust on online sellers, national culture, infrastructure involved in theoverall e-commerce activities and education level of consumers are found to have significantimpact on the adoption of e-commerce. Trust plays a pivotal role in e-commerce adoption due toa higher level of uncertainty followed by risk, invisibility of the parties involved in exchange andlack of control mechanism. Same is the case with the national culture whereby the propensity totrust on the online seller and risk taking are influenced to a great extent by different culturalorientation of consumers. Hofstede‘s (1980; 2001) frame work of cultural dimensions provide agood insight on national culture to draw their implication for the e-commerce adoption. Swedishculture appears to be more adaptive towards e-commerce than the Pakistani culture, due to itswider difference on the Hofstede‘s cultural dimension indices. Moreover Swedish customersexhibit more trust on suppliers‘ of online services and products. On the other hand, infrastructureand education are two important contextual factors that serve as support function to e-commerceactivities and complement each other such that without them e-commerce activities cannot beexecuted or flourished. Insufficient infrastructure and low education level are also the mainhurdles that refrain most of the consumers in Pakistan to make online purchases.

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze (1) how Vietnamese business culture resembles and differs from Unilever corporate culture, (2) what advantages and disadvantages are resulted from these similarities and differences, and (3) how the company made use of the advantages and overcome the disadvantages. This thesis also aims at (4) indicating some shortcomings in Unilever‟s adaptation strategy and providing some recommendations. This research work is qualitative in nature and is based upon a case study. Both primary and secondary data are used for the case analysis. Primary data are collected by semi-structured interviews. As a Western company entering Vietnam – an Eastern market, Unilever has encountered both challenges and benefits from the differences and similarities between its global core values and Vietnamese culture. With its global vision: “We have local roots with global scale”, the company made a number of changes to accommodate the differences and took advantage of the similarities. Its adaptation strategies not only build up a strong and appropriate culture but also act as a source of competitive advantage, which contributes to Unilever impressive success in theVietnamese market. However, there are still some shortcomings that need to be taken into consideration.

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of national culture on corporate greening with specific focus on motivations that drive companies to respond to environmental issues and strategies that companies develop in this regard. The existing literature indicates that the research on motivational and strategic aspects of corporate greening is limited from cultural perspective. Thus, a qualitative study of Swedish and Belarusian companies was conducted to illustrate what induces firms to go green and to describe what environmental strategies are implemented by them. The analysis of received empirical data was concentrated on aligning national culture features with the motivations for environmental initiatives and relevant elements of green strategies. The findings demonstrate the connection between national culture and environmental strategy through green motivations. Finally, some implications for further research as well as practitioners are presented.