The purpose of this study is to examine how the learning process of four Swedish firms in the emerging market Angola works. Theoretical framework developed identified different theory streams such as; experiential learning, networks and incremental steps derived from internationalization theory. These theories we believed would explain the learning process in a market characterized by growth and risk factors. We have interviewed managers operating in Angola at four Swedish MNC‟s, in which we identified patterns of learning between the firms. Having analyzed elements from empirical and theoretical framework it can be clearly seen that firms learn through experiential learning and networks. These two factors can take different pattern forms as it depend on the MNC‟s industry and the firms experience from previous activities in Angola and nearby countries i.e. incremental steps. Added to the developed framework are previous experience and the institutions in the market. These five elements are interrelated, however, firms can learn about the market in a more effective way by understanding the institutional factors that are present.

En möbel som har ett tydligt program, en tydlig funktion kan vara begränsande. I min metod har jag utgått ifrån en möbel och förbisett dess program för att vidga mitt sökfält när jag har gjort om den. Jag har sett begreppen funktion, upplevd funktion och materiell funktion som värden som går att höja eller sänka. Möbelns nätverk av komponenter har tillåtits bli instabilt för en stund, för att sedan se till helheten och göra nätverket stabilt åter igen - programmet får komma tillbaka men med en ny gestaltning.

The interest in further expansion of wind power has increased significantly during the last decades, as it is an environmentally and financially competitive energy source. Wind power is an important part of achieving energy goals and climate commitments in several countries, not least in Sweden. The localisation of the wind turbines has, however, appeared to be controversial and local resistance occurs more frequently as the energy source expands. This creates a complex environmental conflict where various actors struggle to obtain differing goal settings. Such a situation occurred in Ödeshög municipality, when wind power entrepreneurs expressed their interests in establish wind turbines in forest and transition areas of the municipality. This thesis aims to emphasise how wind power expansion became such a controversial environmental conflict in Ödeshög. To be able to do this, the conflict is analysed from an Actor-Network Theory perspective. This theoretical framework has been used with the ambition to describe how the involved actors strategically have acted to possibly influence the outcome of the conflict. The situation in Ödeshög have much to say about how these conflicts occur and by learning from this situation several similar conflicts may be avoided.

Despite interest in the influence of religion on economic activity by early economists like Adam Smith, modern economists have done little research on the subject. In light of the apparent religious fervour in many parts of the global economy, economists' seeming lack of interest in studying how religious cultures enhance or retard the globalization of economic activity is especially surprising. In general, trade theories have given less weight towards the reason for trade explanation on demand side. As a contrary to H-O theory Linder had proposed a theoretically sound and empirically consistent trade theory with a new claim for the reasons why countries trade on the demand side. To fill this gap, I use international survey data on religiosity for a broad panel of countries trading with US to investigate the effects of church attendance and religious beliefs on trade. The beliefs are, in turn, the principal output of the religion sector, and the believer alignment to a specific denomination measures the inputs to this sector. Hence, I used an extended gravity model of international trade to control for a variety of factors that determine trade, and I used two regression methods, OLS and WLS, to exploit the model to its fullest. I find that the sharing of same religious cultures by people in different countries has a significantly positive influence on bilateral trade, all other things being equal. These results accord with a perspective in which religious beliefs influence individual traits that enhance trade and economic performance in general. And my attempt to magnify religion as a means to trade is only a derivation of Linder’s overlapping demand theory.

No description available.

Abstract Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Board Logistics Division¡¦s response strategies to Taiwan¡¦s entry into the World Trade Organization -from an integrated view of resource-base, resource-dependence, and network theories. The three theories including resource-base, resource-dependence, and network stress how companies obtain competitive advantage from inside to outside of the company. The synergy coming from integrating all three theories should further strengthen a corporation¡¦s competitiveness. After Taiwan¡¦s entry into the World Trade Organization, the tobacco and wine industry in Taiwan have faced fierce competition from new competitors. This poses both as a threat and as an opportunity for Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Board¡¦s Logistics Division. Through the analysis of the aforementioned three theories, this paper hopes to gain insight into how much competitive edge the Board has in terms of its advantages and disadvantages, its interdependence and relationship within the tobacco and wine industry as well as with other industries. Thus this paper hopes to combine and integrate the Division¡¦s external and internal resources and then make response strategies and policy suggestions accordingly. The results of this research include: 1. Products, price, distribution and sales channels, assets, and the competence of Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Board Logistics Division were all greatly affected by Taiwan¡¦s entry into the WTO. 2. Both assets and competences are considered as the company¡¦s internal resources. Advantages should be further made use of where disadvantages should be taken care of. 3. The Board¡¦s Logistics Division is currently most closely related to the tobacco and brewage factories under the same company. However, this relationship will be looser in the future due to the competition and the struggle to survive both entities face. On the other hand, the Logistics Division¡¦s relationship with transport companies, retailers, hypermarkets, convenience stores will be closer through investment, franchise, or partnerships. Its relationship with private sector manufacturers, domestic and oversea agents, cross-industry suppliers, distributors will also become much closer. 4. The Board¡¦s dependence on factories under the same company will decrease from highly dependent to a much lower degree ; its dependence on private sector manufacturers and domestic and oversea agents (who imports products from overseas after entry into the WTO) will grow from nil to highly dependent (dependence on importers already importing products before entry into WTO will decrease from an already meager degree to much less); dependence on cross-industry suppliers and distributors will become higher from a previously low degree; dependence on transport companies, retailers, hypermarkets and convenience stores will also become much higher from an already close relationship. 5. The Logistics Division should, after Taiwan¡¦s entry into the WTO, start from developing its internal advantages and disadvantages and search for ways to establish external links, as well as reducing its dependence on external sources. The three essential elements including resource-base, resource-dependence, and networks should be integrated through complement of resources, natural production, and increased interdependence. This and together with other strategies including diversification, strategic alliances, cooperating within the industry and across industries both domestically and internationally, should all be taken into account in the drawing up of response strategies in order to create competitive advantage for the Division. In view of these findings, this paper proceeds to make the following recommendations: 1. Increase retailer margins and encourage a more diversified range of promotional tactics. 2. Develop high-value products and improve package design. 3. Leverage existing advantages in distribution and sales channels and engage in the agency, distribution, and diversification into non-tobacco and nonalcoholic products. 4. Cut down distribution and sales channels and strengthen direct sales channels. 5. Intensify logistics and distributional functions. 6. Strengthen employees¡¦ professional knowledge and competence and improve information systems. 7. Accelerate the expansion of overseas markets, especially mainland China. 8. Speed up the company¡¦s privatization process. Based on an integrated view of resource-base, resource-dependence, and network theories, this paper presents a brief overview of how Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Board¡¦s Logistics Division¡¦s relationships with other companies in the same industry as well as cross-industry alliances had been affected post Taiwan¡¦s WTO entry. In view of these changes that have taken place, this paper also proceeds to make a few suggestions with regard to how the Logistics Division could respond to the challenges it now faces. Key Words¡G WTO¡AResource-base¡AResource-dependence¡ANetwork Theory¡AIntegrate

Univ., Diss.--Göteborg, 2005. / Literaturverz. S. [289] - 313.

Thesis (M.A.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

This paper analyzes a contentious road-building project by elucidating the different values involved and articulated in the decision-making process, delineating the various networks of institutions, individuals, organizations and materials formed around these values, and describing the outcome of the conflict as a function of the interactions between and among these networks. The project in question is the South Lawrence Trafficway, a section of Kansas Highway 10 (K-10) intended to route traffic south around the City of Lawrence, as opposed to its current alignment through the local streets of the city. This particular project has been contested for decades, primarily because of the historical, cultural and environmental values placed on the land through which the road is routed, known as the Wakarusa Wetlands, Baker Wetlands, or Haskell/Baker Wetlands. The analysis focuses on moments of value articulation- critical points during the conflict during which actors and networks of actors express their values with the intent of affecting the outcome of the decision. This paper’s analysis of the conflict draws on Henrik Ernstson’s framework for studying environmental justice and ecological complexity in urban landscapes, along with research on place meaning and desired outcomes for land-use decisions and natural resources planning efforts. The report will examine the decision-making process behind the proposal and approval of the South Lawrence Trafficway, taking into consideration the various institutional and individual actors (and networks of actors) involved, the positions, motivations and strategies of these actors, and the documents used in arguments for either side (maps, documents, court decisions, reports, etc.). The paper begins with an introduction, which includes a condensed summary and chronology of the South Lawrence Trafficway project. Literature review and research design sections follow. The next chapter discusses the actors, networks, values and materials involved in the conflict, as well as the legislative and institutional context within which the conflict occurs. The paper concludes with a summary of findings, and the proposal of future research questions. / text

This dissertation applies a mixed-methods model across three cases of climate risk in order to examine the rhetorical dynamics of uncertainties. I argue that a rhetorical approach to uncertainties can effectively scaffold civic agency in risk communication by translating conflicting interests and creating sites of public participation. By tracing the networks of scientists and their artifacts through cases of climate risk, I demonstrate how the performances of scientific ethos and their material-discursive technologies facilitate the personalization of risk as a form of scientific prudence, and thus a channel to feasible political action. I support these claims through a rhetorical model of translation, which hybridizes methods from discourse analysis and Actor-Network Theory (ANT) in order assemble a data-driven and corpus-based approach to rhetorical analysis. From this rhetorical perspective uncertainties expand on our notions of risk because they reveal associations between scientific inquiries, probability assessments, and the facilitation of political dialogues. In each case, the particular insight of the model reveals a range of rhetorical potentials in climate risk that can be confronted through uncertainties.