<p>This thesis focuses on the internationalization process of SMEs, the strategies and methods they use. The major aim of this research was to gain a better understanding of the process by comparing and analyzing three main internationalization process theories: the Uppsala model, network theory and international entrepreneurship theory. An essential part of this study consisted of gathering empirical data from SMEs that has already been internationalized as well as from some of those who intend to internationalize in the near future. Our findings show the application and usefulness of the three theories to these SMEs, especially their heavy reliance on network relationships. The findings also indicate that firms use a combination of variables from all three theories and some aspects of the much criticized Uppsala model are still significant in describing the internationalization process behavior of SMEs.</p>

<p>The pressures of increased foreign competition can persuade a company to expand its business into international markets. In most cases, the motive is a search for improved cost efficiency or looking for the chance to expand and achieve growth. Swedish firms often develop their international operations in small steps rather than by making large foreign production investments at single points in time. Typically firms start exporting to a country via an agent, later establish a sales subsidiary, and eventually, in some cases, begin production in the host country. Such process was called Uppsala Model or Internationalisation Stage Model. The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether Uppsala Internationalisation Model apply to transition market such as Poland. The year 1989 was an important turning point in the history of the Polish economy. After a long period of isolation to the Western world, Poland opened its boarders not only for visitors and tourists, but also for foreign companies. Many of them have invested in production in Poland during the transition period. One of the Swedish investors present in Poland almost from the beginning of the transition process is Scania. Scania holds fourth position in the world in manufacturing trucks and buses, and the second place in Europe in sales of heavy trucks. Poland as a transition market attracted Scania for many different reasons such as market size, geographical location and future growth perspectives. Company's activities confirmed the assumption that Internationalisation Stage Model can be applied to transition country and can explain MNE's initial steps in the unknown environment.</p>

<p>Background: The Uppsala and Network Models of Internationalization belong to the Nordic School and were created based on Swedish companies. Is that possible to apply these models to a Brazilian context? Brazilian companies are becoming more international and expanding to foreign markets, and this study is going to exam if the Nordic schools models can be used to explain the internationalization process of a Brazilian company. </p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to exam if the proposition, that states that the Uppsala and the Network Models combined can explain the internationalization process of a Brazilian company, is correct. </p><p>Method: To collect material for this thesis an interview with the case company was done and also secondary data was used from the company. </p><p>Results: It is possible to state that the combination of the two models is able to explain the internationalization process of the studies Brazilian company. It is also possible to state that where the Uppsala Models lacks explanation value, the Network Model can be applied.</p>

<p>Background: In recent years globalisation has become the recipe for companies to enter foreign market in order to increase sales. Today internationalisation strategy is not limited to large firms as small and medium size firms have taken the challenge to explore international market in order to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. In this thesis, I and my co-author intend to investigate the internationalisation process of two Swedish firms, Vaderstad AB and ContextVision AB.</p><p>Purpose: Our aim is to develop a model to provide a solid explanation of today’s Internationalization process. The model will be generated on the basis of studying three models, and the two Swedish firms’ Internationalization process. The model will also be inspired by Luostarinen&Welch (1988 in Kosonen, 1991) dimensions of internationalisation. We aim to suggest this model to firms which intend to begin internationalization process. </p><p>Result: Two Swedish firms in our thesis conduct different internationalization strategies when they go to international market. Based on the empirical evidence and previous researches it is possible to develop a new model that can provide a holistic view of a firm internationalisation process</p>

<p>In the beginning of the nineties there was a change in how the voluntary sector was perceived, and the significance of their work became reevaluated and more acknowledged. As a result, this sector gained a new and higher interest. The changes and downsizing in the welfare state with economic crises, due to political cutback, made the politicians look fore new solutions. One solution is to encourage cooperation between the public sector and the voluntary sector in order to handle the different needs of individuals.</p><p>Uppsala community and the voluntary sector are working closely together within a project called “God Livsmiljö”. The purpose of the project is to work for a better quality of life for elderly people and dysfunctional persons, as well as for the ones who are nursing family or someone close at home.</p><p>The aim of this paper is to investigate if the cooperation between the community in Uppsala and the voluntary sector contributes to the social welfare in Uppsala.</p><p>This essay is conducted through a qualitative case study. I have used a method based on interviews combined with four selected theories which explain the voluntary sector from different perspectives. My results show that the voluntary sector’s contribution to the welfare through the project is of importance. Furthermore, the work of the voluntary sector can be seen as complementary, more on a human level, to the service delivered by the community. There has proved to be no competition between the two sectors. This study shows that the emerging of a strong voluntary sector not mainly is an effect of downsizing of social welfare. There could also be an explanation to the voluntary sector as a reaction to the change of family structure in the modern society.</p>

<p>Aim:The overall aim of this study was to obtain more knowledge on the implementation of health care marketing in Sweden, using Uppsala University Hospital (UUH) as a case study. Additionally, based on the results of this case study, the aim was also to give concrete suggestions on how to enable increased focus on the formulation and implementation of health care marketing management strategies. This gives the study a slightly normative approach and aim, since the line is not drawn at description and analysis but also advocate guidelines for the enabling of market orientation.</p><p>Method: The chosen methodology of the study was qualitative, as the study sought to explore, interpret and gain a deeper knowledge of the research area.  Three different strategies of primary data collection were used; (1) interviews with key hospital managers, (2) a survey sent to all heads of clinical departments (68 departments) and (3) the study of selected UUH internal documents and UUH internal material related to the subject. The massive data was consolidated, reported and analyzed as separate parts and as well as an overview analysis from a health care marketing management theoretical framework.</p><p>Results & Conclusions:The study showed that UUH, despite the fact that they produce an annual revenue from health care services sales of approx 1,5 billion SEK, lacks almost every aspect of the tools and abilities necessary to function on a competitive marketplace. This included a non-marketing based planning process, the absence of a marketing organizational unit, no marketing research abilities etc. There were also facts pointing at severe flaws in the accounting systems, uncertainties of the legality of the current marketing activities and no marketing-stimulating incentive-systems in place. Besides these hard facts, the conservative, non-market oriented, organizational culture was deemed to make an attempted marketing adaption very hard to implement. The interviews provided valuable data for the structure and analysis. The survey had a very low response-rate, which didn´t provide any valuable data per se, but was interpreted to support the analysis of the organizational flaws in regard to marketing orientation. The internal document study also resulted in support of this analysis and increased the validity. Based on the analysis, a suggestion for a “road map” to successfully market-adapt Swedish health care was presented.</p><p>Suggestions for future research:Health care marketing most likely constitute its own area of research which also is specific for Sweden, which gives infinite opportunities for further studies. The implementation of marketing strategies in health care is an area that really needs to be further studied, therefore a suggestion for future research is to try and find out just how to enable implementation of a marketing-orientation in an organization which never had one. Another suggestion for further research could be the study of how economic incentive systems and other means of co-worker stimulation influence the production of health care services.</p><p>Contribution of the thesis:We believe that this study will strengthen the marketing understanding for UUH personnel at both managerial as well as all other organizational levels that are interested in the subject. We also believe that politicians, both locally and nationally, will benefit from practical knowledge regarding health care marketing mechanisms currently in place. Though conducted as a case study at one hospital, we deem that the analysis and suggestions are applicable for many other health care providers acting on the Swedish health care services marketplace, possibly contributing to the development of Swedish health care.</p>

<p>Svenska Lantchips is a Swedish SME sized snack manufacturer. Being a small, medium sized, family-owned business with branches throughout the world, they make an interesting company for a case study. The case study I have conducted focuses on the internationalisation process of this family owned company – how they, despite their size, find ways to keep up an unique business structure, designed for internationalisation.The aim of this essay is to compare Svenska Lantchips’ internationalisation process with traditional internationalisation theories and see if these are compatible with this company. The theories used are The Uppsala Model, The Network Model, and The Born Global Theory, with The Born Global Theory representing the younger generation of models.After undertaking an in-depth interview with Michael Hansen, business developer at Svenska Lantchips, I collated a substantial amount of material, which I have used as the basis of this essay. Theories of storytelling have been used to interpret the information I got from Michael Hansen. Michael Hansen was chosen not only for his role as a business developer, but he is also the co-founder of the company, together with his wife, and brother in law. Previous research was studied to get information about attitudes within this research field today. The result from this thesis is that Svenska Lantchips have forged their own distinctive route out on the global market. Despite being a relatively small, family-owned company, with a low dependency on sophisticated technologies, they have managed to expand and internationalise at an impressive rate. By opening factories on foreign markets, sometimes even before exporting to them, they have produced a unique competitive advantage. Their internationalisation process at times more closely resembles that of a high-tech, innovative company, than a small, family-owned firm. The driving force behind them is their personal determination, and the philosophy that the world is one big market; they refuse to see cultural and geographical differences as an obstacle.</p>

<p>Bakgrund: Avståndet mellan länder har försvunnit och världen har blivit mer homogen i och med globaliseringen. Många studier och praktiska exempel visar på att det fortfarande finns betydande skillnader i sättet att göra affärer, liksom i sättet att leda och organisera verksamhet i olika länder. Företag konfronteras därmed med många viktiga frågor i samband med ett internationaliseringsbeslut. Marknadsinformation spelar en central roll för företags utlandsetablering då kunskap om kunder, konkurrenter, intressenter samt om den institutionella och kulturella miljön ger företag starka konkurrensfördelar på marknaden. Allt fler företag inser vikten av att bevaka och analysera förändringar i omvärlden för att kunna ta väl underbyggda beslut under internationalisering. Marknadsinformation är en strategisk resurs och ett betydande konkurrensvapen. Det saknas dock fortfarande allmängiltiga teorier för företags internationaliseringsprocess och hur tillägnande av lämplig kunskap och marknadsinformation ska gå till. Marknadsinformationens positiva betydelse för ett företags internationalisering kan därför sägas vara en självklarhet snarare än ett väl kartlagt faktum.</p><p>Syfte: är att analysera vilken betydelse små- och medelstora företag tilldelar marknadsinformation under internationalisering.</p><p>Metod: En fallstudieliknandeliknande ansats har genomförts på tre svenska små- och medelstora modeföretag.</p><p>Resultat och slutsats: Företagen i vår studie har följt en processlärande internationalisering, enligt Uppsala skolans antagande, som inneburit att kunskap och erfarenhet på den utländska marknaden förvärvats stegvis och att tillgång till betydande information avgjort etableringsstrategin samt företagens internationella framgångar.</p>

<p>Increasing globalization and decreasing trade barriers have created opportunities for Swedish companies to establish their activities in India. The aim with this dissertation is to explore if Swedish SMEs in the service sector follow the process suggested by the Uppsala Internationalization Model when establishing their activities in India.</p><p>In order to find out if Swedish SMEs in the service sector follow the process suggested by the Uppsala Internationalization Model, a multiple case study was conducted, adopting a qualitative approach. Three Swedish SMEs in the IT industry, that have successfully established their activities on the Indian market, were interviewed.</p><p>The results indicate that none of the companies in this study followed the internationalization process suggested by the Establishment Chain and the Psychic Distance. However, the examined companies in this study internationalized as suggested by the Basic Mechanism of Internationalization.</p><p>There is limited research on the internationalization processes of Swedish SMEs in the service sector when entering the Indian market. Subsequently, this study has contributed theoretically to exploring what factors are of importance for Swedish SMEs in the service sector when entering India. Furthermore, it has possibly contributed to the initial step of further research within the field of SMEs internationalization processes, should further research be conducted involving various internationalization models. In addition, this study has contributed by strengthening the existing research regarding the Uppsala Internationalization Model.</p><p>A suggestion to future research is to explore various existing internationalization models and to investigate what aspects of each model is applicable to Swedish SMEs.</p>

<p>Det som motiverar en människa behöver inte motivera en annan, det finns många olika faktorer som påverkar en människas motivation. I denna uppsats undersöktes vad som motiverade teknologer och naturvetare vid Uppsala universitet att engagera sig ideellt inom Uppsala teknolog- och naturvetarkår. Teorin som har använts är inre och yttre motivation, samt fyra behovsteorier; Maslows behovspyramid, Herzbergs tvåfaktorsteori, McClellands behovsteori och Alderfers ERG-teori. Utifrån denna teori togs 13 stycken nyckelord fram till en analysmodell, vilken sedan låg till grund för påståendena i enkäten. Metoden som användes i undersökningen var kvantitativ och resultatet visade att inre motivation hade mycket större påverkan än yttre motivation för ideellt engagemang. Studenterna engagerade sig främst för att; arbetet de utförde var roligt och stimulerande, de fick utvecklas som människor och de ville utvidga sitt sociala umgänge.</p>