Around the world, countries are moving towards a market economy in order to integrate the global marketplace. Telecommunications are among the industries concerned the most in this trend, as governments are significantly reducing their involvement in this industry through liberalization and/or partial or complete privatization of their national telecommunications corporations. For Burkina Faso it is no different, as ONATEL, the national telecommunications company in Burkina Faso, has been caught in this trend. Since December 1998, the government of Burkina Faso initiated a reform of its telecommunications sector with the overall goal to achieve the liberalization of telecommunications services, and accomplish a mixed ownership of ONATEL. The objective of this study is to review the ongoing privatization of ONATEL based on an analysis of general practices regarding economic reforms applied elsewhere, and then make recommendations for both the government of Burkina Faso and ONATEL, for a successful implementation of the process and the national telecommunication policies. We accomplish this objective through four research questions. The first one correlates privatization and economic development with the aim to see how the divesture of ONATEL can foster the telecommunications development in Burkina Faso. The second one emphasizes the government chosen strategy to privatize ONATEL, allowing for a review of alternative privatization methods and the rationale behind the government’s option. The third research questions deals with ONATEL’s strategies to sustain its development amongst an environment of increased competition. This question facilitates an assessment of the firm’s preparation for competition and allows for the formulation of some recommendations in such regard. The last research question touches on the privatization process of Chunghwa Telecom, the once, state-owned Telecommunications Company in Taiwan. This final aspect of the research helps to extract effective lessons that can be applicable for the government of Burkina Faso and ONATEL, by analyzing and understanding the privatization experience in Chunghwa Telecom’s methods and formulations of business strategies, for their own privatization.

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The value and scope of telecom services have increased substantially in the decade from the mid 1990s. The telecom companies have offered not only telephone services but also data exchanges for example streaming services. Therefore, they now offer telecom services as packaging into which layered services are integrated. The number of actors involved in the market has increased due to the expansion of business areas, while rapidly changing technological trends have altered R&D methods. The thesis shows that the adoption of the marketing concept and the development of complex inter-firm technology based relationships underpin the creation and management of new telecom services. The relationships have originated from an exchange of technological knowledge and specialized skills. This research uses the NTT-centred collaboration system in Japan, which features relational exchanges and high mutual dependence. This case shows that inter-firm relationships greatly contributed in the development of technological resources in two ways; collecting advantageous technologies from others and mediating in the introduction of new technologies. In addition, developments in technology resulted in an expanded domain of applicability. Consequently, not only the market structure was changed but also the relationship between marketing and R&D changed. With increasing integration of the market, the number of related firms increased as firms concentrated on specific technologies, with additional firms having superior competitive advantages in each layered business area. The case in the thesis also shows mechanisms of changing inter-firm relationships under dynamic business circumstances; indirect exchanges occurred when inter-firm relationships changed. Inter-firm relationships are changed, keeping existing but adding new relationships. The study also indicates a new direction to study service marketing. As the new trend of service development in ICT industry develops so the integration abilities and the management of inter-firm relationships in supply-sides become more focused. The thesis points to the importance of these upstream activities (coordinating inter-firm relationships in a service-oriented approach) and advocates the presence of a facilitator who can bridge both upstream and downstream activities. The results should contribute to both marketing and technology management in academia as well as business practices in R&D management.

Background: Now-a-days, the forces of globalization derive firms to go to international market. When a firm thinks to expand its business outside of the home market, it needs to explore the form of operation through which it will enter into the foreign market. International entry mode research deals with this matter. (Brouthers et.al.2007). Selection of an optimal entry mode strategy is very important because it is very difficult to change or correct and have a long-term impact on the firm’s foreign operation (Pedersen, Petersen, & Benito, 2002). Actually, it is very difficult for a firm to serve in the market on a permanent basis without a well formulated entry strategy. (Pehrsson A. 2008). Market entry mode strategies are influenced by both firm and country level factors and a firm must take into consideration these factors in choosing an appropriate entry mode. Purpose: The basic purpose is to gain a deep knowledge about the critical factors in selecting an optimal international market entry mode strategy to enter into an emerging market. The minor purpose is to justify the suitability of the target market. Methodology: Due to the dependency on subjective interpretation of text or other visual material and small sample was used to investigate the specific phenomena, qualitative method has been practised in this research process. Secondary data has been mainly collected from e-sources, and primary data has been collected through phone interview with the three foreign mobile telecom companies in Bangladesh. Findings: Bangladesh mobile telecommunication market is still attractive for the foreign entrants and the optimal entry mode strategy is joint venture to enter into the moderately attractive industry. Implications: The study has showed that international entry mode strategy is affected by various organizational, economical, Institutional, and sociological factors (categorized as country and firm level factors). This research has also provided relevant information to the potential foreign firms about which country and firm level factors should consider in formulating a well entry mode strategy in perspective of an emerging market.

International emerging markets, being a matter of interest for Multinational Corporations (MNCs), is regularly researched by scholars for better future understanding. In this regard Resource Base View (RBV) and Resource Management theories are regularly matched and further developed. However, this research paper takes the boundaries from emerging markets to consolidating yet dynamic high-tech markets where research efforts could not be traced to adequate level. This paper has taken theories of RBV, RBV on International Business(IB) and Resource Management. It compared its validation with empirical evidences derived from case study of two mobile telecom MNCs cases which started operating in Pakistan when industry was emerging but soon entered in consolidation stage as high-tech industries are dynamic in nature. An extended evaluation was made by analyzing impact of environmental dynamic factors on these specific MNCs in light of 'Resource Management Process & Distinctions' which lead us to the following findings: Possessing good resource base is essential for MNCs during international ventures but the resource as core capabilities may not develop into competitive advantage if these resources are not structured, bundled and leveraged adequately as per industry dynamism, especially when industry is moving into consolidation phase. It is also learnt that MNCs may advantage from its head quarter's past set of experience. Yet at the same time subsidiary's locally controlled customization also benefits over all resource management process. Empirical findings of these cases gives us a good reason to consider 'shareholder's long-term vision/intensions' as well, being an important element in sustenance or success of such high tech MNCs. The research work opens further arenas for future studies such as comparison of conclusion and their generalization with other industries in same country or same industry in other countries with similar environmental dynamics.

Submitted by Andre Mota (yukioamota@gmail.com) on 2017-02-21T16:06:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Mestrado_Andre_Mota.pdf: 1337040 bytes, checksum: 4c2829d2966277996dab6bf0098f763d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Renata de Souza Nascimento (renata.souza@fgv.br) on 2017-02-21T16:24:39Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Mestrado_Andre_Mota.pdf: 1337040 bytes, checksum: 4c2829d2966277996dab6bf0098f763d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-21T19:08:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Mestrado_Andre_Mota.pdf: 1337040 bytes, checksum: 4c2829d2966277996dab6bf0098f763d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-27 / Using panel data of Brazilian Telecom customers, the present study seeks to understand the relationship between the client and his expenses when new payment tools are included. From a sample of 127 clients who accepted a proposal for automatic debit service registration, we identified that part of these clients would have to look for the bank to sign up for the tool, as certain banks do not grant the telephony company this competency. With this information, we estimate a model of differences in differences to assess the effect of having your account in automatic debit in several variables, such as: voice consumption, data consumption, invoiced amount, amount paid and delay. The results of the study suggest that delays are reduced, and invoice and payment amounts increase due to the automatic debit service. / Utilizando dados em painel de clientes de uma Telecom brasileira, o presente estudo busca compreender a relação do consumidor com seus gastos quando novas ferramentas de pagamento são incluídas. A partir de uma de amostra de 127 clientes que aceitaram uma proposta de cadastramento de serviço em débito automático, identificamos que uma parte destes clientes precisariam procurar o banco para a realização do cadastro, pois determinados bancos não concedem à empresa de telefonia tal alçada. Com esta informação, estimamos um modelo de diferenças em diferenças para estimar o efeito de ter sua conta em débito automático em diversas variáveis, como: consumo de voz, consumo de dados, valor faturado, valor pago e atraso. Os resultados do estudo sugerem que os atrasos são reduzidos, e os valores de fatura e pagamento aumentam devido ao serviço de débito automático.

Este trabalho aborda a dinâmica do movimento em favor da responsabilidade social corporativa, avaliando a efetividade do Balanço Social, a partir do modelo apresentado pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas, como instrumento de divulgação e mensuração das políticas de Responsabilidade Social em organizações brasileiras. Utilizando a pesquisa bibliográfica como eixo central de pesquisa, apresenta o cenário por onde transitam as organizações em busca de práticas que as tornem reconhecidas como organizações responsáveis. / This job approaches the dynamics of the movement in favor of the corporative social responsibility, evaluating the effectiveness of the Social Rocking, from the model presented for the Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analyses, as instrument of disclosing and spreading of the politics of Social Responsibility in Brazilian organizations. Using the bibliographical research as central axle of research, it presents the scene for where transit the organizations in search of practical that they become them recognized as responsible organizations.

nÃo hà / O setor da telefonia mÃvel no Brasil tem crescido muito nas Ãltimas dÃcadas. O paÃs passou do perÃodo em que o governo detinha o monopÃlio estatal para o da privatizaÃÃo do setor. A telefonia mÃvel comeÃou a se expandir em 1988 e jà acumulava, no fim de 2012, 260 milhÃes de linhas aproximadamente. Quatro grandes operadoras dominam o mercado brasileiro: Vivo, Claro, Tim e Oi. A Vivo à a lÃder no Ãmbito nacional. No Estado do CearÃ, foi a Ãltima a comeÃar a operar. Para analisar o impacto causado pelo ingresso da Vivo no mercado cearense, adotou-se o modelo de Cournot, que relaciona Ãndice de Lerner com concentraÃÃo do mercado e elasticidade. Para calcular a evoluÃÃo da concentraÃÃo desse mercado, usou-se o Ãndice de Herfindahl-Hirschman (HHI) e, para avaliar o poder de mercado, trabalhou-se com o Ãndice de Lerner. A fim de tentar isolar o efeito do impacto causado pelo ingresso da Vivo, realizou-se um contrafactual. O poder de mercado, apÃs a entrada da Vivo, reduziu 10,69% , enquanto que no contrafactual, o qual simula o mercado sem a Vivo, a reduÃÃo foi apenas de 5,19%. O impacto econÃmico calculado entre a diferenÃa do mercado real e do contrafactual foi de 5,5%. Realizou-se o mesmo trabalho para o Estado do PiauÃ, a fim de confrontar-se o resultado com outra Ãrea de atuaÃÃo da operadora. O impacto econÃmico produzido foi de 22,27%. Isso mostra o efeito positivo causado pelo ingresso da Vivo nesses dois mercados analisados. / The Brazilian cell phone industry becomes increasingly successful in the late decades. Indeed, in Brazil the government is not the state-owned telecommunication monopoly. With the prominent introduction of the service into the ceareanse market in 1988, it has lured over 260 million telephone lines by late 2012. The four BrazilianÂs dominant telecommunications companies are Vivo, Claro, Tim and Oi. Vivo is the national leader, though it operates in Ceara only recently. Vivo has tightened its grasp on the local phone market, as in consequence one intends to assess its results by means of Cournot model, which is related with the Lerner index. This one puts much greater emphasis on the market concentration and elasticity. To calculate the evolution in the remaining market, the Herfindahl-Hirschman index is applied, and to evaluate the market consistence, one considered Lerner index. Besides, we take a contrafactual test in which Vivo advantages are considered in isolation. Rather, the market force, after VivoÂs introduction, down from 10,69 per cent, while in face of contrafactual test, i.e, without Vivo, accounted for only 5,19 per cent. From the economics viewpoint, the difference between the real market and contrafactual was 5,5 per cent. The same research was done bearing in mind Piaui state, in order to compare how the company operated in another area. The economics gains was 22,27 per cent. This just shows the valuable gains issued from VivoÂs introduction in the two states.

Durante as décadas de 50 e 60, muitas empresas norte-americanas iniciaram um processo intenso de diversificação. Este processo atingiu seu ponto máximo com mais uma onda de fusões do final da década de 60 e que culminou com o surgimento de conglomerados corporativos gigantes. Nos últimos 15 anos, a tendência tem se revertido como mostra os recentes estudos de COMMENT e JARREL (1994), BERGER e OFEK (1995) e LIEBESKIND e OPLER (1993), que documentam o retorno à especialização. Este movimento em direção à especialização aparentemente resultou da visão de que diversificação de empresas não-correlacionadas diminui o valor da empresa. Argumentos teóricos sugerem que a diversificação tem tanto efeito de aumentar o valor da empresa como de diminuir. Os benefícios potenciais de se operar diferentes linhas de negócio como se fossem uma única empresa incluem maior eficiência operacional, menor possibilidade de perder projetos com valor presente líquido positivo, maior capacidade de alavancagem financeira e menores impostos. Os custos potenciais da diversificação incluem o uso de recursos em projetos que diminuem o valor da empresa, subsídios entre unidades de negócios que permitem unidades com baixo desempenho se aproveitarem dos recursos gerados por unidades com alto desempenho e conflito de interesse entre os executivos das unidades de negócio e da corporação. Não há predições claras sobre o efeito global da diversificação no valor da empresa. Foram utilizados dados de unidades de negócio para estimar o efeito da diversificação no valor das empresas no setor de telecomunicações da economia norte-americana. Comparou-se a soma das unidades de negócio diversificadas com valores imputados pelo modelo com os seus valores reais dentro das corporações a que pertencem. As empresas diversificadas tiveram seus valores em média, durante o período de 1990-99, entre 0,2% e 6,4% acima dos valores imputados pelo modelo. O trabalho está dividido da seguinte forma: o capítulo 1 apresenta o problema de pesquisa, mostrando sua origem e importância; o capítulo 2 revisa a fundamentação teórica e detalha alguns resultados de estudos anteriores sobre os efeitos da diversificação; capítulo 3 descreve a amostra utilizada e o modelo de pesquisa aplicado; o capítulo 4 mostra os efeitos da diversificação nas empresas do setor de telecomunicações do mercado norte-americano entre os anos de 1990 e 1999; o capítulo 5 apresenta as considerações finais com sugestões de novos estudos sobre este assunto. / During the 1950s and ´60s many US corporations undertook massive diversification programs. This process reached its climax with the merger wave of the late 1960s and the accompanying rise to prominence of huge conglomerate firms. In the last 15 years the trends has reversed, with studies by COMMENT and JARREL (1994), BERGER and OFEK (1995) and LIEBESK and OPLER (1993) documenting a return to specialization. This push toward focus apparently resulted from the view that unrelated diversification decreases firm value. Theoretical arguments suggest that diversification has both value-enhancing and value-reducing effects. The potential benefits of operating different lines of business within one firm include greater operating efficiency, less incentive to forego positive net present value projects, greater debt capacity, and lower taxes. The potential costs of diversification include the use of increased discretionary resources to undertake value-decreasing investments, cross subsidies that allow poor segments to drain resources from better-performing segments, and misalignment of incentives between central and divisional managers. There is no clear prediction about the overall value effect of diversification. In this study, it was used segment-level data to estimate the valuation effect of diversification on US Telecom companies. It was compared the sum of imputed stand-alone values of the segments of diversified companies to the actual values of those companies. It was documented that diversified firms have values that average, during 1990-99, 0,3% to 6,4% above the sum of the imputed values of their segments. Chapter 1 describes the main goal of this study and its genesis. Chapter 2 reviews the related literature and details the predicting resulting from prior theoretical work. Chapter 3 describes the sample and explains the empirical approach. Chapter 4 assesses the overall value effect of diversification using imputed segment values and a comparison of profitability between diversified and single-segment firms. Finally, Chapter 5 describes the final considerations about the diversification’s effect on firm value.

Telecom base stations are a critical part of society's information infrastructure. To ensure high quality base station software, automated testing is an important part of development. Ericsson measures the quality of automated tests with statement coverage, counting the number of statements executed by a test suite. Alone, however, statement coverage does not guarantee test quality. Mutation testing is a technique to improve test quality by injecting faults and verifying that test suites detect them. This thesis investigates whether mutation testing is a viable way to increase the reliability of test suites for base station software at Ericsson. Using the open-source mutation testing tool MiLu, we describe a practical method of using mutation testing that is viable for daily development. We also describe how mutation testing reveals a numbers of potential errors in the production code that current test suites miss even though they have very good statement coverage.