A partly new train of thought has emerged during the last few years, which claims that national conditions are of importance for company strength in relation to international competitors. National competition has stood out as one of the most important explanatory factors, and is seen as the catalyst or motor in dynamic industrial environments. The demands and pressures that evolve from competition between geographically proximate companies stimulate the innovativeness within the industry. Thus, the question about why and how dynamics of competition develop and function has not been answered in existing research. The main purpose of this study is therefore to analyse the process of competition in industries with a high degree of geographical proximity between competitors, in order to improve the understanding of the character and dynamics of competition. A general review of literature dealing with competition at industry, strategic group, and organisation level was compiled. The review gave two dimensions by which four types of competition were possible to distinguish, degree of symmetry between competitores and degree of activity in competition. To obtain an understanding for the character and dynamics of competition, it is not enough to identify different types of competition. The process through which competition is formed over time also needs to be studied. Other theoretical approaches are therefore necessary. First, the companies' competitive actions should be understood from their experience and expectations of competition. Second, the specific competitive moves that are taken by individual companies are of importance for the competition. Third, competition has to be described as a process of interaction over time. A case-study approach has been used for the gathering of data. Case-studies have been conducted within three industries that differ from each other with regard to competition. Competition in the Frontloader industry has been driven by two companies equal in both size and relative strength. The competitors in the Lining industry are,on the other hand, dissimilar, both in respect to relative strength and to the orientation of their business. The third industry, that of Hoisters, is characterised by the domination by one company. Two major results have been reached in this study. First the concept climate of competition has been coined to analyse and describe the character of the four types of competition. The following four climates of competition emerge from the analysis; climate of rivalling competion, of co-existing competition, of evolutionary competition and climate of revolutionary competition. The climates of competition differ with regard to the functional and psychological distance between competitors, the possibility to survey competition, and the actors' acceptance of current rules-of-play and role distribution. The second result of the study is a greater understanding for the dynamics within competition. By analysing the character of and change in competition over time two partly different, but interwined forces, have been detected. Competition gives rise on the one hand to different kinds of learning processes, and on the other forces competitors to innovative and creative measures. / digitalisering@umu

The graduation thesis discusses the history of cycling Peace race since year 1968 to the present. The main purpose is to analyze the particular year of the race, which is held every year in the month of May. The thesis is divided into five main chapters. The first chapter is dedicated to the brief outline of cycling history in the world and the history of stage cycling races in Europe. The second part describes a brief outline of socio economic conditions in the countries of central and eastern Europe since 1968 to the present. The third chapter deals with a brief overview of the Peace Race since his inception in 1948. The following and also the main chapter is focused on the detailed description of the history of each year since 1968, the description of their stages, the individual tracks and the results of the races. The last chapter is devoted to a brief overview of the stage races, also known as the Race of Peace, which goes up to the present.

This diploma thesis deals with the subject of online marketing communication in the selected online reservation site. The presented thesis is based on the explanation of the theoretical concepts related to the practical part of the thesis. The main aim of this document is the description, evaluation and following analysis of online marketing communication of the chosen reservation site. The output of the analysis is the submission of proposals to improve existing activities of Booking.com in the Czech Republic. Among the main recommendations of this thesis are proposals on how to improve online marketing communication and sales strategy.

Firm and branch description, horizontal and vertical analysis of statements, financial rules, ratio indicators, Du Pont analysis, working capital, cash turnover, Eva, Altman, IN05, methods of rivals comparison.

The aim of this Master’s thesis is to analyze the performance of Air Bank a. s. in the period 2012 – 2017 using indicators typical for the banking sector. The results are compared with three selected competing banks. Then from publicly available information assesment is made for the two scenarios of the future development of Air Bank a. s. on the basis of the results of the economic evaluation. In the discussion part the scenarios are evaluated and then deducted the implications of Air Bank a. s. in case of fulfillment of the scenarios. The merger scenario is more advantageous in terms of economic and long-term competitiveness.

This thesis is focused on the analysis of competition between companies which are targeted on the rendition of services and selling goods for a telecommunication company (operator) called Telefónica O2 Czech Republic, a. s. Principal aim of this thesis was to establish the contemporary level of competitive strength of the chosen company, and propose how to improve it. In order for an objective examination, the wishes and needs of the customers were noted during questioning. According to the answers, the most important for end users is level of servicing and competence of shop assistants. The most important proposals for improvement are a greater knowledge of shop assistants in their field of expertise, reinforcement of service publicity, more visible use of the company{\crq}s logo and to safeguard the topicality of web pages.

Corporate entrepreneurship has different strategies as referred to by researchers. An entrepreneurial orientation is one of these strategies. In the overall corporate entrepreneurial process, entrepreneurial orientation is referred to as entrepreneurial intensity. Corporate entrepreneurship is a process where organisations think differently to overcome barriers to improve the performance of the organisation. Entrepreneurial orientation is a process of decision making to develop new innovative products, services or processes to intensify the organisation’s performance. The South African banking system is supported with a well-managed regulated framework and is favourable in the global environment. South Africa is the financial gateway to the rest of Africa and the environment is highly competitive. During the last twenty years the banking industry went through exciting changes and turmoil when refering to the financial of 2008 crisis. Retail banks need to think differently and small competitors are more prominent than ever before. The lower end of the market created fierce competition between the retail banks in South Africa. The reason for this study is to focus on entrepreneurial orientations from a customer’s perspective. Customer perspective is critical for the survival of an organisation and banks are no different. Based on the literature, entrepreneurial orientation is the level of intensity of corporate entrepreneurship visible in the organisation. The results obtained in the empirical study enabled recommendations that can provide retail banks with useful information from a customer’s perspective that can assist retail banks in general. Recommendations found in the study include; retail banks need to reinvest in their own systems to mine useful information to assist customers, be more open to autonomy approaches and redesign job descriptions, re-look calculated risk areas that will have no influence on credit processes, regulate innovations better and involve the customer and be more unique to create a better customer experience. / MBA (Master of Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Corporate entrepreneurship has different strategies as referred to by researchers. An entrepreneurial orientation is one of these strategies. In the overall corporate entrepreneurial process, entrepreneurial orientation is referred to as entrepreneurial intensity. Corporate entrepreneurship is a process where organisations think differently to overcome barriers to improve the performance of the organisation. Entrepreneurial orientation is a process of decision making to develop new innovative products, services or processes to intensify the organisation’s performance. The South African banking system is supported with a well-managed regulated framework and is favourable in the global environment. South Africa is the financial gateway to the rest of Africa and the environment is highly competitive. During the last twenty years the banking industry went through exciting changes and turmoil when refering to the financial of 2008 crisis. Retail banks need to think differently and small competitors are more prominent than ever before. The lower end of the market created fierce competition between the retail banks in South Africa. The reason for this study is to focus on entrepreneurial orientations from a customer’s perspective. Customer perspective is critical for the survival of an organisation and banks are no different. Based on the literature, entrepreneurial orientation is the level of intensity of corporate entrepreneurship visible in the organisation. The results obtained in the empirical study enabled recommendations that can provide retail banks with useful information from a customer’s perspective that can assist retail banks in general. Recommendations found in the study include; retail banks need to reinvest in their own systems to mine useful information to assist customers, be more open to autonomy approaches and redesign job descriptions, re-look calculated risk areas that will have no influence on credit processes, regulate innovations better and involve the customer and be more unique to create a better customer experience. / MBA (Master of Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

O marco inicial da proposta de estudo é o Protocolo de Defesa da Concorrência no Mercosul Protocolo de Fortaleza, de 17/12/1996, que apesar de ter sido ratificado por alguns Estados-Parte do Mercosul, e no Brasil tendo sido ratificado por meio do Decreto nº 3.602, de 18/9/2000, pouquíssimo avanço foi identificado em muitos anos de vigência, seja por divergências políticas, seja por dificuldades de implantação, e ainda, por questões de conjuntura, em função de crises econômicas mundiais. A busca por formas de equilíbrio nas relações econômicas ao redor do globo, e seus impactos regionais na América Latina, é constante nos fóruns e organizações internacionais, inclusive envolvendo a repressão ao abuso do poder econômico e a defesa da concorrência, considerando esta um elemento importante para o desenvolvimento dos países da região. O estudo verificou a importância para análises que envolvem temas concorrenciais, por ser efetivamente a sua base e o ponto de partida, a questão da delimitação do mercado relevante. A pesquisa tratou de verificar a centralidade do tema na análise antitruste e a relevância do debate do direito da concorrência para a integração regional, focando especificamente o Mercosul e sua forma de regulação. A integração regional é um processo importante em face das desigualdades mundiais, e pode contribuir para uma melhor eficiência de negociações multilaterais em escala mundial, tornando, assim, útil e necessário o controle internacional do comércio, de forma a buscar o equilíbrio nas relações econômicas com o auxílio da defesa da concorrência. A relevância do tema é destacada pela transposição de fronteiras pelas atividades empresariais, levando também ao transbordamento dos limites de atuação dos órgãos nacionais competentes. Isto coloca a análise antitruste em interessante perspectiva, pois no âmbito nacional, a legislação e a atuação dos agentes está restrita às fronteiras dos países, mas na esfera de atuação do bloco econômico regional, a aplicação desta base normativa em função da extraterritorialidade pode e é muitas vezes questionada, no caso de ausência de regulação específica e/ou norma que autorize a cooperação internacional, advinda de uma instituição supranacional, não obstante a hipótese de reconhecimento e aplicação das normas editadas pelo Mercosul como sendo de Direito Comunitário. Assim, pretende-se demonstrar a importância do tema da regulação em matéria antitruste, focando a questão da definição do mercado relevante, especialmente em um bloco econômico regional como o Mercosul. / The initial mark of the proposed study here is Protocolo de Defesa da Concorrência no Mercosul Protocolo de Fortaleza (\"Competitor\'s Defense Protocol in Mercosul-Protocol of Fortaleza), as of Dec 17th, 1996, that despite being ratified by some States in Mercosul, and being validated in Brazil through Decret number 3.602 as of Sep 18th, 2000, very small advance has been identified in many years, for political reasons or difficulties in implementation, or also, for combination of factors of global economic crisis reasons. The search for a balance in economic relations around the Globe, and its regional impacts in Latin America, is common in foruns and international organizations, inclusively with repression to economic power abuse and the defense of the competition, considering this, an important element for the development of the region. In our study, we verify the importance for analysis involving competitors, because it is a starting point, the question of the relevant market limits. The search has verified how central this theme is in the anti-trust analysis and relevance of the debate about rights in competition for regional integration, focusing on Mercosul and its form of regulation. The regional integration is an important process in face of the global economic differences, and may contribute to a better efficiency of multilateral negotiation in global scale, becoming useful and necessary the international business control, in order to balance economic relations with competitors support. The relevance of the theme is revealed through frontiers transposition and business activities, leading to trespassing limits of international regulators. This statement puts the antitrust analysis in perspective, since national wide, the legislation and the agents reaction is restricted to the frontiers of the country, but on the sphere of the regional economic group, this legislation outside the territory may be and it is indeed usually, questioned, in case of the lack of specific regulation or norm, authorizing international cooperation from supra national institution, not disconsidering the hypothesis of recognition and application of norms edited by Mercosul as Common Law. This way, we intend to demonstrate the importance of the regulation theme in the anti trust scenario, focusing the question of a relevant market definition, specially in a regional economic group such as Mercosul.

AbstractCourse: 4FE02E, Graduation WorkLinnaeus University, School of Business and Economics, June, 3, 2013.Level: MasterAuthors: Elizabeth Atem TabetandoSupervisor: DR Anders PehrssonExaminer: DR Sarah PhilipsonTitle: Micro Environmental Factors’ Influence on the International Marketing Strategy of Swedish Companies in Norway.Background: Author is interested in studying how micro environmental factors affect international marketing strategy of Swedish companies in Norway.Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate customers’ and competitors’ influence on value adding activities of Swedish companies in Norway.Research questions: RQ: What influence do customers and competitors play in value-adding activity of a firm in a foreign market?Research Method: Empirical findings through live and internet-based interviews with top managers of three companies.Findings: The findings contribute to the understanding of theoretical principles that explained how firms face more intense customer service and competitors’ pressures than before. The organization’s response can have the potential either to restore customer satisfaction and reinforce loyalty in order to compete successfully or inflict more lasting damage on the organization’s image. It shows that customers always evaluate service encounters’ outcome, procedure, and interaction. This provides managers with useful information on how important these complexities are for value-adding in foreign markets.Conclusion: A firm’s cooperation with customers in product, production operations and customer services has a positive influence on product development, product quality and growth of the business. A firm that response to competitors’ has a competitive advantage. / <p>no</p> / .