Purpose − Previous research has shown that Swedish Small-and-Medium enterprises (SMEs) have a relatively low level of digital maturity when it comes to export, thus limiting growth potential in international markets. This study aims at investigating this phenomenon with a focus on e-commerce, as it is among the top digital channels that have a large impact on international expansion. Factors influencing the usage of e-commerce channels within internationalisation by Swedish SME fashion retailers will be investigated.  Design/methodology/approach −The overall methodology used in this study is qualitative with an abductive mode of reasoning. The study follows a case study approach using multiple cases with interviews as the primary data source. Based on literature review, thirteen factors are identified to have a certain influence on the usage of e-commerce within internationalisation. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with seven cases to examine the identified factors from literature and explore new factors if possible. Findings − The results present eleven critical factors including eight identified factors from the literature together with five newly discovered factors. They are Relative Advantage, Perceived Usefulness, Compatibility, Costs, Customer Reachability, Branding and Advertising, Time-efficiency, Technology Competence & Configuration, Organisation Size, Competitive Pressure, and Main Product Features. These critical factors have various effects depending on companies’ business operations and the degree of online internationalisation. The results further confirmed that the Uppsala Model is still applicable in the context of Swedish SME fashion retailers internationalising with e-commerce.  Value − This study has contributed to the existing research on e-commerce and internationalisation in terms of the influence on firms’ e-commerce usage within internationalisation in the post-adoption phase, and under the specific business context of Swedish small-and-medium sized fashion retailers. Based on the conclusion, practical implications are offered for similar companies in this industry

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I denna uppsats undersöks viktiga framgångsfaktorer vid internationell expansion på tillväxtmarknaderna i centrala Östeuropa. Expansionsprocesserna hos Cramo och Volvo Lastvagnar jämförs med utgångspunkt i ett teoretiskt ramverk där Uppsala-modellen står i centrum, kompletterad med grundläggande teoretiska förutsättningar avseende egna etableringar respektive företagsförvärv samt avseende tillväxtmarknader. Studien inriktar sig på huvud-kontorens perspektiv, och det empiriska underlaget består av intervjuer med de huvudansvariga cheferna inom Cramo och Volvo Lastvagnar. De viktiga framgångsfaktorer som analysen resulterar i är: Tidig etablering har inneburit klara fördelar för båda företagen. För ett uthyrningsföretag inom byggbranschen som Cramo har det varit viktigt att växa klustervis. För ett produktionsföretag inom transportbranschen som Volvo Lastvagnar har det varit viktigt att äga både försäljningskanaler och eftermarknadskanaler. Kontakter är generellt sett viktiga inom ett land. Varumärket och att synas är viktigt. Eget engagemang i och aktivt internaliserande av kunskap från det relevanta nätverket är nödvändigt.

Background: Family Businesses represent the highest proportion of businesses in the world (Lin, 2012). Globalisation offers new business opportunities for growth and in-ternational diversification. Generally the internationalisation of family businesses is a well-studied field in family business research (Kontinen & Ojala, 2009). Still, there are certain shortcomings when it comes to the specific area of corporate governance adapta-tion in family firms that open subsidiaries (Calabro & Mussolino, 2011). Hence, this paper analyses the proceedings of family firms that internationalise through a subsidi-ary. From a methodological standpoint, existing studies concerned with family business internationalisation focus on quantitative research approaches. The results of these in-clude some limitations, since they cannot account for questions such as how and why family firms proceed during diversification (Kontinen & Ojala, 2009). Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the rationale behind corporate gov-ernance structures in family businesses, focusing on the special case of internationalisa-tion through a subsidiary. Frame of Reference: A summary of recent research regarding the three main issues family businesses, internationalisation, and corporate governance will be given in the frame of reference. This theoretical background will serve as the basis for a solid analy-sis of our empirical data. Method: A qualitative approach with an extensive literature review and a case study based on in-depth interviews with employees of the company Väderstad-Verken AB was chosen in order to fulfil the purpose. Conclusion: The rationale behind corporate governance structures when setting up a subsidiary abroad is driven by the ambition to preserve a family firms’ stewardship ori-ented culture and its informal structures. The result of this is better collaboration, which serves the mission of the business.

The process by which a firm internationalizes has long been a topic of discussion in academia. Several models, hypotheses, and theories have been created to explain how a company expands and sells its products to a new market. However, each industry and pathway to internationalization has yet to be explored. The arms trade industry is a highly complex and controversial field as it carries with it numerous political and defense implications. The purpose of this study is to analyze the internal strategies and processes by which an MNE within the arms industry performs a successful internationalization. Furthermore, it will challenge current internationalization theory and literature by providing new insight into this process. Hence, it is essential to explore the internal strategies, networks, and factors involved to enhance our understanding and contribute new methods to the scientific community. The study followed an abductive approach with a qualitative method has been performed through a single case study analysis. Semi-structured interviews with C-suite executives are conducted to collect data from Armscor Global Defense. There were several findings from this thesis. Some of our conclusions were that personal relationships are more important than distance when internationalizing. Another conclusion for the defense sector is that companies should not rely on governmental relationships. Companies in the defense sector also invest a lot of time and money in physical meetings, despite the possibility of virtual meetings.

El objetivo de la presente investigación es analizar cada una de las 4 dimensiones del modelo Uppsala, “reconocimiento de oportunidades”, “posición de la red de contactos”, “aprendizaje, creación y construcción de la confianza” y “decisiones de relación de compromiso”, las cuales son empleadas por las agro exportadoras hacia Estados Unidos de palta Hass en Ica. Hallando así, diferentes variables dentro de estas dimensiones que se emplean para lograr la internacionalización del agro exportador iqueño. El enfoque de la investigación es mixto, se comenzó con un análisis cualitativo donde se usó como herramienta la entrevista a profundidad, realizada a 6 expertos para poder validar las variables más destacadas dentro las 4 dimensiones establecidas en Uppsala. Luego se realizó el análisis cuantitativo, en donde la herramienta que se empleó fue una encuesta aplicada a las 10 empresas agro exportadoras de palta Hass iqueñas pertenecientes a la población total de la investigación. Analizamos los resultados aplicando el modelo de análisis factorial, el cual nos ayudó a hallar perfiles de las agro exportadoras por cada dimensión. Los resultados obtenidos concluyen que las dimensiones “reconocimiento de oportunidades” y “aprendizaje, creación y construcción de la confianza” del modelo Uppsala son las más influyentes en la internacionalización de la palta Hass de agro exportadoras iqueñas. Asimismo, se concluyó que los factores “estudio de mercado en el país de destino”, “clientes fidelizados”, “empaque perfecto”, “tener mayores ganancias” fueron los que impactaron más en la decisión de estas agro exportadoras para internacionalizar la palta Hass hacia un mercado tan competitivo como es Estados Unidos. / The objective of this research is to analyze each of the 4 dimensions of the Uppsala model, "recognition of opportunities", "position of the network of contacts", "learning, creation and construction of trust" and "decisions of commitment relationship ", Which are used by agricultural exporters to the United States of Hass avocado in Ica. Thus, finding different variables within these dimensions that are used to achieve the internationalization of Ica's agricultural exporter. The research approach is mixed, it began with a qualitative analysis where the in-depth interview was used as a tool, carried out with 6 experts to be able to validate the most outstanding variables within the 4 dimensions established in Uppsala. Then the quantitative analysis was carried out, where the tool that was used was a survey applied to the 10 agro-exporting companies of Hass avocado belonging to the total population of the investigation. We analyzed the results by applying the factor analysis model, which helped us find profiles of agricultural exporters for each dimension. The results obtained conclude that the dimensions "recognition of opportunities" and "learning, creation and construction of trust" of the Uppsala model are the most influential in the internationalization of the Hass avocado from agro-exporters from Ica. Likewise, it was concluded that the factors "market study in the destination country", "loyal customers", "perfect packaging", "having higher profits" were the ones that had the greatest impact on the decision of these agro-exporters to internationalize Hass avocado towards a market as competitive as the United States. / Tesis

Background:             Internationalisation for businesses has been researched for decades and has been well understood. However, new types of organisations have emerged in the digital age, disrupting the organisational landscape. One of these disruptive organisations is born digitals (BD), which have become more prominent in recent years. Some of the biggest companies today are BDs, including Google and Spotify. However, how they internationalise and their processes look is not well understood. Because of this, it is of interest to understand how these organisations internationalise as they have been such a disruptive force in the international market.  Purpose:                       The purpose of the study is to investigate the internationalisation process of a BD firm, to recognise what internal and external factors influence their decision-making and whether specific strategies are being used. It aims to utilise prior internationalisation theories to provide a further understanding of these organisations and the way they work. The goal of the study is also to provide a framework that BDs can use to internationalise successfully.  Method:                         This study implemented a qualitative research design with an inductive approach and a single case study for the research design. The case company works with search engine optimisation (SEO) within the online service providers (OSP) industry. It included interviews with six employees from the company, with a total of nine interviews. The interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner to create flexibility in the interview design.   Conclusion:                  The key points of the study results were the following: (i) several internal and external factors and how they influenced BDs' internationalisation were identified, and which factors had a more significant impact on their processes. (ii) It was identified that they do not plan for specific internationalisation strategies, however, it was seen that they do develop strategies, although done unconsciously. (iii) This resulted in the development of a new framework that aims to provide insights into the process BDs undergo when internationalising.

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate how Start-Ups from Switzerland pattern their expansion to foreign markets and how prevalent traditional internationalization models are among Start-Ups. In order to conduct the research, the term Start-Up has been defined in comparison to other forms of enterprises. The first part of the literature review has been conducted regarding key concepts within the field of international business such as psychic distance or the choice of the right entry mode. The second part of the literature review has been conducted regarding relevant traditional internationalization theories as well as the international entrepreneurship theory, as counterpart to traditional internationalization theories. The theories have resulted in a conceptual framework that reveals the relations between the different theories. The thesis is built on a qualitative approach on the basis of a multiple case study by means of three interviews with Swiss Start-Ups. Further the thesis has followed a deductive approach to first build a profound knowledge about the internationalization process of Start-Ups. The authors of this thesis consider a good pre understanding of the research area as relevant to observe a pattern from the empirical observations. In the analysis chapter the differences and similarities between the theory and the empirical findings were discussed. The structure of both chapters, empirical findings and analysis, are structured in accordance with the conceptual framework. On the basis of the analysis, the conclusion chapter presents the responses of three research questions. Further the final chapter consists of theoretical and practical implications and recommendations as well as limitations and ends with proposals for a further research.

This research aims towards gaining a deeper understanding in how a manager’s previous experience influence which foreign entry mode chosen by a Swedish SME, where the manager acts as the decision-maker. Interviews were held with managers from different Swedish firms in order to collect empirical data that thereafter were analysed. In order to get a deeper understanding as to how the experience influenced the choice of entry mode, a qualitative research were implicated. The theory is based upon a conceptual framework where the managers previous experience is divided into educational background, international experience and position tenure. Furthermore, the conceptual framework includes the Uppsala Model, which the thesis is based upon, and entry modes as this is where focus lays. From the conceptual framework, the empirical findings and analysis is structured as a combined chapter. Based on the theory, empirical findings and analysis, a conclusion is presented, with the aim of answering the research question and also to fill the research gap regarding how a manager’s previous experience influence the choice of entry mode for Swedish SMEs. That a manager’s previous experience influenced was understood, however, that international experience influenced the choice to a higher extent is presented. An additional main implication is how the manager could be placed in line with the Uppsala Model, where the choice of entry modes can vary and incrementally shift to another entry mode as a manager gain experiential knowledge.

Background: The Swedish fashion market today quickly becomes too small, even for the new companies, and they are quick to take the step abroad and launch their internationalisation process. With a focus on the four Swed-ish fashion companies Filippa K, Acne Jeans, Nudie Jeans and Whyred, we have analysed how these representatives of the industry have interna-tionalised themselves. The companies have chosen different ways to promote their brand and how to control the perceived image of the brand. As there is a lack of earlier in-depth studies into this particular question of the Swedish Fashion industry, we have set out to investigate how this is done. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to look at the internationalisation process of Swedish fashion companies, with a focus on the growth and the penetra-tion of the international markets in order to determine the key success factors for successful international expansion. We will also investigate to what extent branding, country of origin (COO) and psychic distance to geographical markets has an influence on the internationalisation process and its success. Method: We used a qualitative approach and conducted a case study consisting of four Swedish fashion companies. The data have been collected through interviews and secondary sources. The information has been put into dif-ferent models for internationalisation, branding and key success factors. Conclusion: We have interpreted the collected data together with the theories used, thereafter drawn the conclusions that the key Success factors that have taken these firms so far and have been important in the building of the successful brands/companies, are in fact to a large degree COO, rela-tions in the Swedish fashion Industry and the creation of superior prod-ucts. The companies have both similar and specific factors for their suc-cess on the international market.