During the past decade, advances in information technology have facilitated the rapid international expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Cloud computing has enabled a new wave of firms to offer services on the web regardless of geographic distances. The aim of this study is to explore how cloud computing affect the external variables network and culture in the internationalization process of an SME. In order to explore the impact on these external variables, a qualitative case study is carried out on a business-to-business SME offering cloud services within small and open economies. The findings explain why closeness was important and why the cloud service firm was limited to a gradual internationalization process although the technology has the potential to break this pattern or accelerate it. The results from this study are valuable for scholars since the internationalization process of cloud service firms is an under-researched area. It is also useful for cloud service SMEs when making strategic decisions in the internationalization process.

We have all read about the rapid development of today’s business landscape as well as the increase in globalization. Companies are forced to operate in new ways in order to stay competitive. At the same time, globalization has opened up new business opportunities for companies. This has lead to the emergence of born global companies, which carry out rapid internationalization processes from an early stage, and challenge traditional internationalization models such as the Uppsala model. According to existing literature, there are several challenges with adopting a born global strategy, and international entrepreneurship orientation becomes an important aspect in order to succeed. Finding a balance between innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness is the key in order for born global companies to succeed in their internationalization process. This study investigates how international entrepreneurship orientation affects the internationalization process of born global companies in Sweden. I have, with the help of a qualitative study, looked into how Swedish SME born global companies in the ear-and headphone industry have managed to take on several international markets in their internationalization process and in what way international entrepreneurship orientation in combination with other factors have played a crucial role. / Vi har alla läst om den snabba utvecklingen av dagens affärslandskap samt den ökade globaliseringen. Företag tvingas idag att hitta nya sätt att arbeta på för att förbli konkurrenskraftiga. Globalisering har i sin tur skapat nya möjligheter för företag, vilket har lett till uppkomsten av born global-företag. Dessa företag karaktäriseras av att genomföra snabba internationaliseringsprocesser från ett tidigt skede och utmanar på så sätt mer traditionella modeller så som Uppsalamodellen. Enligt existerande litteratur finns det ett flertal utmaningar när det kommer till att ta sig an en born global-strategi och internationell entreprenörskapsorientering blir därmed en viktig aspekt för att lyckas. Att hitta en balans mellan innovativitet, proaktivitet och risktagande är nyckeln för att ett born globalföretag ska lyckas i sin internationaliseringsprocess. Den här studien undersöker hur internationell entreprenörskapsorientering påverkar internationaliseringsprocessen hos born global-företag i Sverige. Jag har med hjälp av en kvalitativ studie undersökt hur svenska SME born global-företag inom hörlursbranschen har lyckats ta sig an flera internationella marknader i deras internationaliseringsprocess och på vilket sätt internationell entreprenörskapsorientering i kombination med andra faktorer har haft en kritisk roll i processen.

En digital Born Global expanderar tidigt efter sitt grundande till nya internationella marknader, trots att en begränsning i erfarenhet och resurser finns i verksamheten. I en internationaliseringskontext varierar marknadsförutsättningarna sett till vilka externa hot eller möjligheter som ställer krav på lokal anpassning av verksamheten och affärsmodellen. Samtidigt agerar digitala Born Globals ofta i intensiva konkurrenslandskap, vilket ställer ytterligare krav på differentiering och utveckling. Affärsmodellsinnovation har möjlighet att bidra med ett resurseffektivt sätt att skapa hållbara konkurrensfördelar för en digital Born Global. Trots det finns ett begränsat antal studier som undersöker hur affärsmodellsinnovation sker inom de kontextuella förutsättningar som en digital Born Global möter i sin internationalisering. Den här studien syftar därför till att undersöka hur förutsättningarna för en digital Born Global i dess internationalisering påverkar dess affärsmodellsinnovation. Studien innefattar en litteraturstudie och en kvalitativ enfallsstudie. I litteraturstudien identifierades ett kunskapsgap mellan teori kring vilka förutsättningar en Born Global möter i sin internationalisering och hur affärsmodellsinnovation utformas inom denna kontext. Empiriska data erhölls från elva semistrukturerade intervjuer med personer som varit involverade i marknadsexpansioner på studiens valda fallföretag. Då empiriska data behandlat aktörer eller händelser utanför fallföretaget har triangulering av data skett med hjälp av externa källor. Studiens resultat visar på att en digital Born Global, på grund av intensiv konkurrens och en upplevd komplexitet i det digitala värdeerbjudandet, genomför affärsmodellsinnovation tidigt efter att marknadsinträden skett. Det skiljer sig från tidigare teorier som menar att innovation av affärsmodellen främst nyttjas i en senare, mer etablerad marknadsfas. Den upplevda komplexiteten som förhindrar kunder och externa nätverksrelationer att förstå värdet i det digitala värdeerbjudandet innebär även att affärsmodellsinnovation främst genomförs inkrementellt utifrån en central grund i affärsmodellen. Det möjliggörs av den skalbarhet som digitala företag ofta innehar. En digital Born Global har även möjlighet att expandera internationellt utan att etablera fysisk närvaro. Trots det påvisar studien att en fysisk närvaro enbart underlättar affärsmodellsinnovation som relaterar till leverantörsdelen av värdekedjan, men inte påverkar innovationer ut mot slutkund. Med en begränsad fysisk närvaro ökar beroendet av ett starkt lokalt nätverk, vilket även avspeglas i utformningen av affärsmodellsinnovationen. Utifrån studiens slutsatser rekommenderas en digital Born Global att genomföra affärsmodellsinnovation utifrån en tydlig definierad central grund av affärsmodellen som sedan byggs på med lokala marknadsanpassningar. Affärsmodellsinnovationen bör även främja utvecklingen av det lokala nätverket så att resurser inom det kan nyttjas.

The purpose of this research study is to explore how decision-makers at Born Global enterprises form their strategies during the pre-internationalisation phase. In this study the researcher has combined theories from two academic fields, namely the strategic management field and the international entrepreneurship field. The main theories inherent in the study are: the strategic lenses and the strategic schools of thought (theories that belong to the strategic management field) and Born Global (theory that belongs to the international entrepreneurship field). These recently mentioned theories has been combined, leading to a depiction of a general theoretical framework, illustrating for how the researcher has made use of the chosen theories in the study. In order to fulfil the study’s aim, the researcher has conducted a qualitative and multiple-case study, where seven different case companies (Algoryx Simulation AB, CodeMill AB, COS Systems AB, North Kingdom Design & Communication AB, Oryx Simulations AB, Prediktera AB and Xore AB) from a peripheral area of northern Sweden (Umeå and Skellefteå) have been investigated through semistructured interviews. After performing the seven interviews, the obtained empirical data has been analysed by using the analysis strategy theoretical propositions and the analytical technique of cross-case analysis. From this study, the researcher has found out that in the pre-internationalisation phase decision-makers at Born Global enterprises form their strategies in accordance with the configuration school, where these individuals alternates by different strategic making procedures along the process. This in turn implies that these individuals make use of a mixture of proactive and reactive strategy making procedures along the process, where the character of the strategy is determined by their respective applied procedures. Moreover, the research findings have showed that the selection of strategy making procedures is highly dependent on the company’s context. Additionally, the research findings indicated that legitimate key individuals such as the company’s founder/-s or entrepreneur/-s are highly involved and influential in the companies’ strategy-making process during the pre-internationalisation phase.

<p>Abstract The purpose of this thesis was to increase the understanding of two early internationalizing firms (Born Globals) brand building efforts. By performing case studies on these companies we wished to discover similarities and differences in their marketing efforts. The companies that we studied were CTEK Sweden AB, a battery charger manufacturer and POC Sweden AB, who designs advanced protective gear for the alpine ski market.</p><p>The theoretical framework was divided according to the four 4Ps (Product, Price, Promotion and Place) as previous studies had shown all four factors were important in the efforts of building a strong brand. Classical marketing mix theories have been augmented with theories on brand-building as well as international marketing to give further depth to the theory section.</p><p>Interviews were conducted with key people in each company, who we believed would have good insight into the strategies that these had pursued. After analyzing our empirical data, we drew the conclusion that the companies had many similar traits when it came to their brand-building efforts. The foundation for rapid brand building was laid by having an innovative product. A standardized promotion strategy was used by both companies in all target markets. The ability to disregard lucrative short-term gains in order to secure long-term benefits for the brands was also a common trait in the building of their brands.</p><p>Keywords: Brand-building, Branding Strategies, Born Globals, 4Ps</p>

The “stage model” is a criticized but well-used segmentation method for categorizing firms into different export development stages based on their perceived export barriers. However increasing presence of born global firms and lagging exports, particularly in the Swedish tech industry, require an updated segmentation tool. Export intensity, export experience and psychic distance to foreign customers are identified as alternative indicators of a firm’s perceived export barriers. The extent to which these variables can predict perceived export barriers of firms is tested. Collected data from 30 Swedish SMEs consisting of both born globals and traditional exporters within the tech field suggest that none of the three variables is a sufficient indicator of perceived export barriers on its own. Instead, each variable explains different export barriers to different degrees. The results indicate that each SME chooses its unique path of export development, making it difficult to establish a standardized stage model for modern SMEs.

The emergence of digitalization and globalization has given birth to firms who cater to a global customer base and source resources from around the world at the click of a button. Nevertheless, as companies continue to innovate how they communicate, govern and internationalize, much of the research is built on a world before the emergence of the digitalized and globalized society we live in today. Finding a lucrative market is a crucial source of competitive advantage but if modern opportunities and challenges are disregarded, it could lead to grave economic downfalls. This paper investigates what factors modern technology firms take into account when evaluating potential location choice. This question further investigates how the nature of technology companies influence location choice. A qualitative study was conducted, five semi-structured interviews with five companies were conducted with each interview lasting on average 47 minutes.Three general findings were deducted from these interviews. Firstly, internal factors to the firm are still very much relevant to tech companies. Determinants such as top managements' experiential learning and networks, industry characteristics and the nature of the customer relationship. The second finding was that country-specific determinants were of less importance. There was no evidence showing that determinants such as natural resources were a factor. It was also shown that psychic and geographic distances were of less importance while human capital are of higher importance. Lastly factors which have lowered the barriers to enter a foreign location were found. These include the emergence of the gig economy and better communication technologies allowing for companies to govern distant offices from a centralized headquarter. These findings have been compiled by the authors into a new model of location choice factors for technology companies

Digital services have immeasurably transformed the world economy, and so people’s lives, over the past two decades. One industry where digitalization has been slower is the financial services. Nevertheless, this has changed in the past years with the emergence of fintech companies disrupting the traditional banks and payment solutions. Several studies have researched the internationalization process of digital born globals across different industries. However, due to how recent and emerging the fintech industry is, the area is understudied. To gain insight on the internationalization process of digital born globals within the fintech industry this study was based on an empirical multiple-case study including 4 fintech companies from Sweden and Finland. The main finding of this study is that fintech firms do not expand like other digital born globals but instead follow a more traditional, incremental internationalization process. We also observed that fintech companies used an online entry strategy initially allowing a fast entry process. In some cases, they also established offline presence. Overall, we hope to contribute to theory by giving insight on which factors that cause fintech companies to expand, how the internationalization process looks, how external partnerships might influence, and which challenges they might face.

O objetivo desta tese é analisar a relação dos fatores do ambiente externo da empresa no país de origem, fatores organizacionais e fatores do empreendedor pelos quais algumas empresas de base tecnológica (EBTs) se internacionalizam de maneira acelerada desde sua fundação ou poucos anos após sua fundação. Cerca de 1000 EBTs foram aleatoriamente convidadas para responder o questionário. Ao final da coleta de dados a primeira base de dados gerada continha 214 respostas, das quais 85 foram obtidas de empresas com algum tipo de negócio no exterior, 39,7%. Destes, 54 questionários foram considerados válidos para esta pesquisa. Os resultados mostram que os fatores externos à empresa influenciam mais na internacionalização das EBTs em relação aos fatores internos. Assim, o habitat de localização, as parcerias, as políticas governamentais e a integração na cadeia de valor explicam de maneira significativa o processo de internacionalização das EBTs brasileiras. Porém, é a integração em cadeias produtivas globais o fator que melhor discrimina a internacionalização das EBTs born globals. Em relação aos fatores do empreendedor, as habilidades gerenciais internacionais do empreendedor também apareceram como importantes no processo acelerado de entrada no exterior das EBTs. Além disso, a tese apresenta uma taxonomia resultante de uma análise de clusters. Foram identificados três clusters: EBTs Born globals puxadas por cadeias globais, EBTs Born globals incentivadas por habitats de inovação e EBTs internacionalizadas não born globals. Portanto, esta pesquisa contribui para a discussão do processo de internacionalização acelerada das EBTs, contribuindo para suprir a lacuna da importância dos fatores externos, internos e do empreendedor no processo de internacionalização dessas empresas e apresentando uma taxonomia baseada em dados de born globals em mercados emergentes. / The objective of this thesis is to analyze the relation of factors external to the firm in the country of origin, organizational factors and entrepreneurial factors through which some technology-based firms (TBFs) internationalize in an accelerated manner since their foundation or a few years after their foundation. Approximately 1,000 TBFs were randomly invited to answer a questionnaire. At the end of data collection, the first database generated held 214 answers, of which 85 were obtained from firms which had some kind of business abroad (39.7%). Of those, 54 questionnaires were considered valid for this research. The results show that factors external to the firms influence more in the internationalization process of the TBFs in relation to internal factors. Therefore, location, partnerships, government policies and integration in the value chain significantly explain the internationalization process of Brazilian TBFs. However, integration in the value chain is the factor that best discriminates the internationalization of born global TBFs. In relation to entrepreneurial factors, international managing skills of the entrepreneur are also important to the accelerated internationalization process of the TBFs. Moreover, a taxonomy resulting of the analysis of clusters is presented in the thesis. Three clusters were identified: born-global TBFs generated by global chains, born-global TBFs motivated by innovation habitats and internationalized non-born global TBFs. Therefore, this paper contributes to the discussion of the accelerated internationalization process of TBFs, filling the gap regarding the importance of external, internal and entrepreneurial factors in the internationalization process of these firms and presenting a taxonomy based on data from born globals in emerging markets.

<p>I den här uppsatsen har vi valt att studera Born Globals vilket är företag som snabbt och i ett tidigt skede expanderar till internationella marknader. Syftet med uppsatsen är att analysera och kritiskt granska i vilken utsträckning Born Globals kan ses som en företeelse med nya och alternativa drivkrafter och förklarande faktorer i relation till mer traditionella internationaliseringsmodeller. För att uppnå syftet har vi valt huvudproblemet, i vilken utsträckning Born Globals internationella expansion skiljer sig från den process de traditionella internationaliseringsmodellerna beskriver, och för att besvara det har vi tillämpat en kvalitativ forskningsmetod.</p><p>Den teoretiska referensramen innefattar en deskription av traditionella modeller för internationalisering samt en redogörelse för Born Globals internationella expansion. Avsnittet om Born Globals innefattar också interna förklarade faktorer och externa drivkrafter som möjliggör företagens tidiga och snabba internationalisering. Den empiriska studien presenteras företagsvis och behandlar respektive företags internationalisering och globala inriktning samt respektive entreprenörs roll och externa drivkrafters betydelse för internationalisering. </p><p>Följande genomförs en analys som grundar sig i den teoretiska referensramen och den empiriska studien. I analysen diskuteras Born Globals internationaliseringsbeteende som visat sig bygga på grundarens och individers kunskap från erfarenhet och relationer, beteendet karaktäriseras av att företagen internationaliserar direkt till avlägsna marknader. Vidare analyseras interna förklarade faktorer och externa drivkrafter till Born Globals beteende.</p><p>I slutsatsen konstateras att Born Globals internationaliseringsbeteende främst kan förklaras genom en kombination av Uppsala- och Nätverksmodellen då det är tydligt att Born Globals internationaliserar inkrementellt likt de traditionella modellerna beskriver att företag gör men kunskap för Born Globals erhålls genom individerna inom företagen. Det har visat sig att ett antal externa drivkrafter har betydelse för Born Globals internationalisering vilka inte tas hänsyn till i de traditionella internationaliseringsmodellerna vilka således inte fullt ut kan förklara Born Globals beteende. Därav konstateras att ett behov att revidera de traditionella modellerna föreligger så att de externa drivkrafter som format dagens samhällsbild inkluderas.</p><p>Avslutningsvis presenteras förslag till fortsatt forskning angående Born Globals internationalisering och rekommendationer för företag som verkar eller ämnar verka på en global marknad.</p>