<p>Emerging country markets are becoming increasingly important in the operations of multinational corporations. On May 1, 2004, the EU welcomed 10 new member states, including the three Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. As a result, many western multinational corporations have entered these new emerging markets. These countries have witnessed very fast growth and were lucrative to enter. The term “Baltic Tiger” is used to describe the economic boom of the Baltic States from 2000 to 2007. This term is adequate because during this time period the Baltic States had the highest growth rates in Europe. Swedish companies in particular started coming into the Baltic States in 1989 approximately. These companies were looking for and found low cost production. However, today with rising wages, low cost production is more difficult to find.</p><p>The purpose of our research is to investigate the current conditions and future predictions related to the external environment and high technology industries in the Baltic States. The investigation of the current state and future potential of the markets were analyzed from an institutional standpoint. We compared this to the institutional environment in Sweden and made predictions on the potential changes in these institutions. Given our analysis and evaluation of the most attractive market, we have devised an establishment and matching strategy for the case company. The case analysis is set against the background of a theoretical framework covering current literature over societal and organizational fields in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Our primary and secondary research was examined in the context of well known theoretical models and our own models and upon analysis; we come to a conclusion and make recommendations for companies interested in doing business in the Baltic States. Our research will be useful for companies curious about the potential and necessary considerations they must take in the Baltic markets in general and within the high technology sector specifically.</p>

Hållbarhet är ett aktuellt ämne i dagens samhälle och nämns ofta i mediesammanhang. Planeten är överbefolkad, människor svälter och levnadsstandarden skiljer sig markant mellan jordens kontinenter. Även jordens resurser används i större mån än vad planeten klarar av och detta leder i sin tur till att miljön blir lidande. Detta har bidragit till att samhället idag har höga krav på hur företag arbetar kring hållbarhet. Intressenternas krav har i sin tur lett till att upprättande av hållbarhets- redovisningar har blivit allt vanligare. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur hållbarhetsredovisningar utformas i tre olika branscher i Sverige och jämföra dessa för att urskilja eventuella likheter och olikheter som kan finnas. Vidare kommer även alternativa förklaringar till likheterna och olikheterna framföras. Branscherna som har studerats är hemelektronikbranschen, klädbranschen och livsmedels- branschen. För att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar har en djupgående analys av 15 företags hållbarhetsredovisningar gjorts. Sedan har dessa företag jämförts för att ha möjlighet att urskilja eventuella likheter och olikheter. Utifrån det empiriska materialet kan det utläsas att utformningen av de granskade rapporterna är olika till utseendet men att innehållet är relativt likt. Dock finns det ett fåtal skillnader i innehållet vilket kan bero på vilken miljö som respektive företag är aktiva i och vilka krav intressenterna har på ett företags hållbarhetsarbete. Likheter mellan branscherna och företagen kan förklaras med hjälp av legitimitetsteorin och den institutionella teorin. Företag vill uppnå legitimitet gentemot samhället i stort och det kan göras genom att efterlikna de företag som upprättar framgångsrika hållbarhetsrapporter. Studien är en kartläggning av hållbarhetsredovisningar i tre olika branscher där likheter och olikheter framhävs samt eventuella förklaringar till varför företag utformar sin hållbarhetsredovisning på de sätt de har gjort. / Sustainability is an up-to-date issue and it’s often mentioned in media. The planet is overpopulated, people are starving and the living conditions differ significantly between the continents. The resources of the earth are used to a greater extent than the planet is capable of. This has led to environmental problems and that the society has high demands of corporate social responsibility. Stakeholders’ requirements have led to the fact that the establishment of sustainability reports has become more common. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how sustainability reports are designed in three different industries in Sweden and compare them to distinguish any similarities or differences that may exist. Further, alternative explanations for the similarities and differences will be made. The industries that have been studied are the following: consumer electronics industry, clothing industry and food industry. In order to answer the study's purpose and questions, an in-depth analysis of 15 companies’ sustainability reports has been made. Then a comparison has been made between these companies and industries in order to determine if there are any similarities or differences. Based on the empirical material, the design of the reviewed reports is different in appearance but the content is relatively similar. However, there are also a few differences in the content and these may depend on the environment for which each company is active and what kind of requirements its stakeholders have on the company's sustainability work. Similarities between the industries and companies can be explained with the help of legitimacy theory and institutional theory. Companies want to achieve legitimacy towards the society and one way to do this is to imitate the companies that establish successful sustainability reports. The study is a mapping of sustainability reports in three different industries, highlighting similarities and differences, as well as possible reasons why companies design their sustainability report in the way they have done.

Dans un contexte d’économie des connaissances, le brevet est utilisé de différentes manières par les pouvoirs publics et les inventeurs pour l’incitation à l’innovation, la protection et la diffusion des connaissances. Le but est de cette thèse de faire une analyse du système de brevet. Pour ce faire, nous proposons une nouvelle approche du brevet qui prend en compte, les spécificités sectorielles. Nous appelons ainsi cette approche, système sectoriel de brevets. Partant de l’analyse standard fondée sur le principe du « one size fits for all », nous élaborons une grille d’analyse qui tient compte de la nature des connaissances à protéger. Le processus d’apprentissage, la base de connaissances, les opportunités technologiques, la spécificité du savoir et les conditions générales d’appropriation, sont les constitutifs de la grille. Ils permettent de classer les technologies en deux types : technologies complexes et technologies discrètes. De cette classification, nous en déduisons les stratégies et les usages sectoriels de brevets. Nous montrons que, dans les technologies discrètes, cas de la pharmacie et des biotechnologies, les brevets protègent efficacement les inventeurs, et les stratégies de brevets dominantes sont de type fencing, evergreening. Tandis que, pour les technologies complexes, cas de l’électronique et des logiciels, le brevet est considéré comme étant peu efficace. De ce fait, il est complété par d’autres moyens de protection comme la complexité technologique, l’avance technologique, le secret, le copyright, pour lutter contre l’imitation, l’invention autour. Les stratégies de brevets font apparaître des phénomènes de type patent thicket. / In a context of knowledge economy, patents are used in different ways by the government and inventors the incentive for innovation, protection and dissemination of knowledge. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the patent system. To do this, we propose a new approach to the patent which takes into account sectoral specificities. We thus call this approach, sectoral system of patents. Starting from the standard analysis, based on the principle of "one size fits for all", we develop an analytical framework that takes into account the nature of knowledge to protect. The process of learning, knowledge base, technological opportunities, the specificity of knowledge and general conditions of appropriability, are the base of the model. They allow to classify the technologies into two types : complex technologies and discrete technologies. In this classification, we deduce strategies and sectoral uses of patents. We show that in discrete technologies, like the pharmaceutical industry and biotechnologies, patents effectively protect inventors and the dominants types of patent strategies are fencing and evergreening. While for complex technologies, electronics and software, the patent is considered inefficient. Thus, it is supplemented by other means of protection such as technological complexity, technological advance, the secret, copyright, to fight against copying the invention around. The patent strategies reveal phenomena such patent thicket, bulks.

近年來，大陸政經環境的逐漸改善，以及我政府兩岸政策的漸漸開放，使得「大陸投資」與「根留台灣」成為產業的熱門話題。 所以，是否大陸的環境適合所有產業的發展， 哪些產業適合外移？倘若廠商決定赴大陸投資，又該如何外移？這些問題都值得廠商再三思考。 因此，本研究之主旨， 希望藉由對電子業三個子產業的探討，以回答下列問題：1.電子業的競爭優勢有哪些， 相對大陸的優勢如何？個別產業之間是否有所不同？其深層的原因為何？ 2.競爭優勢如何影響產業的兩岸分工策略？個別產業間有何差異？3.電子業在兩岸分工過程中， 與政府政策的關係如何？個別產業間有何差異？本研究係採取探索性個案研究， 由現象中發現問題，經由理論與文獻的探討，建立適當的思考架構。 經由架構的建立，進一步由產業專家的深入訪談，發掘與問題相關的變數。 然後，將變數與問題經由理論的推演，探討出變數與變數之間，變數與問題之間的因果關係。 在深入分析文獻之後，發展出本研究的命題並加以說明。研究結論如下：1.不同的產業在不同的價值活動上， 有不同的相對優弱勢。 2.不同的產業，各價值活動對競爭優勢的貢獻不同，亦即，不同的產業有不同的關鍵活動。 3.不同的產業，應採取不同的兩岸分工策略，其策略目標在於發揮已掌握的關鍵優勢，或是補強未掌握的關鍵優勢。4.不同的產業，對政府政策的需求不同。 政府政策的目標，在於維持產業的關鍵優勢，或是扭轉產業的關鍵劣勢。 5.政府的兩岸政策與產業的競爭態勢，應是相互影響､相互改變的動態關係。

隨著全球經濟成長日漸趨緩，市場競爭越來越激烈，許多企業在面臨前所未有的環境劇變時，選擇透過建立新事業的方式找到企業持續向上成長的動力引擎。然而在建立新事業的過程中，企業往往會面對自身現有核心能力不足或是資源匱乏的經營窘境，導致新事業發展並不順遂。因此許多企業在發展新事業的過程當中，選擇透過組織創新的方式以獲得發展新事業的相關核心能力。 本研究主軸為探討企業組織創新作為與企業組織創新後發展其新事業相關之核心能力變化此兩大構面。本研究先針對研究目的研擬出研究問題後，進行文獻回顧並推導出具有實證性的觀念架構。透過多重個案研究方法，選擇四間我國電子產業中致力於新事業發展的企業，以具有理論基礎的觀念架構為主軸，進行個案資料蒐集與訪談，透過深度訪談的方式了解四間個案公司在新事業建立的過程中，組織創新作為對於該企業之影響。 本研究所獲得之研究結論如下： 一、 組織創新能夠有效的協助企業新事業發展。 二、 企業全面性的組織與制度改革有助於其提昇新事業發展的彈性空間。 三、 企業在文化上的重新塑造，會對其發展新事業產生全方位性的影響。 四、 技術創新與管理創新作為對於新事業開發過程中的核心技術能力有明顯且正向的影響。 五、 企業藉由管理創新的作為，可以提昇其規劃與評估的能力。 六、 企業之文化、組織、制度與系統等多方面的交互創新，會對其創新能力與執行能力產生明顯的正向效果。 最後，本研究說明了研究結果對於學術上之貢獻，並且在最後對於實務上以及後續研究上提出建議。 / With the global economic growth rate slowing down, the market becomes more and more competitive. Many companies try to create new businesses to face the environmental change and to keep growing. However, these companies face a business predicament of lacking core competencies while establishing new business, thus, usually leading to unsuccessful expansions. Therefore, it is necessary for the companies to seriously take core competencies into consideration as they intend to develop new business through organizational innovations. This study aims to explore the issue of how industrial firms build up their core competencies as they develop new businesses through organizational innovations. A multi-case study approach is used and four companies from the electronics industry in Taiwan are selected as research subjects. The preliminary findings from the study are as follows: 1. Organizational innovations are shown to be conducive to new business development. 2. A reform of corporate managerial systems is indicated to be helpful for enhancing the flexibility of new business development. 3. A re-structure of corporate culture shows a significant impact on the positioning of new business development. 4. Both of technological innovations and administrative innovations indicate a positive relationship with the establishment of the core competencies during the process of new business development. 5. The industrial firms are shown to enhance their methodological competencies through administrative innovations. 6. A holistic innovation based on the culture, organization, institution and managerial systems indicates a positive relationship with the industrial firms’ innovative capabilities and implementation capabilities. Keywords: Organizational Innovation, Technological Innovation, Administrative Innovation, Core Competencies, New Business, the Electronics Industry

Univ., Mercator School of Management, Diss.--Duisburg Essen, 2008.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:50:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 6014.pdf: 1562726 bytes, checksum: c16172d33471b81b9165e918d346c9f4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-26 / In the electronics industry the companies owners of brands ( OEM ) are hiring outside manufacturing service providers ( EMS ) , and transfer to them major portions of their production. The EMSs have contributed to the OEMs in activities such as supply of components, engineering, manufacturing and distribution services. With the growth of this practice, the EMSs accumulate ever more capacity as providers of highly specialized commoditized electronic products, reducing costs and sharing risks across the electronic industry.The objective of this research was to scale the perception among EMSs, about the attributes of trust, mutuality and leadership, governance mechanisms as complementary to contract manufacturing in the consumer electronics industry considering the contributions of Ménard (2004) for the development of hybrid modes of governance. A field survey was carried out, being interviewed companies providing contract manufacturing headquartered in São Paulo. The analyzes show that allowed transactions providing electronic manufacturing are coordinated by complementary mechanisms to contracts through a governance model multiple hybrid formed by trust, mutuality and leadership. / Na indústria eletrônica as firmas proprietárias de marcas (OEM) estão contratando externamente de fornecedores de serviços de manufatura (EMS), parcelas importantes de sua produção. AS EMSs têm contribuindo com as OEMs em atividades como suprimento de componentes, engenharia, manufatura e serviços de distribuição. Com o crescimento dessa prática, as EMSs acumulam cada vez mais capacidade como provedoras altamente especializadas de produtos eletrônicos comoditizados, reduzindo custos e dividindo riscos em toda a indústria. O objetivo da presente pesquisa foi dimensionar a percepção existente entre EMSs, a respeito dos atributos de confiança, mutualismo e liderança, como mecanismos de governança complementares aos contratos de manufatura na indústria de bens eletrônicos de consumo considerando as contribuições de Ménard (2004) para o desenvolvimento dos modos de governança híbrida. Uma pesquisa de campo foi realizada, sendo entrevistadas empresas fornecedoras de manufatura contratada sediadas no Estado de São Paulo. As análises realizadas permitiram mostrar que as transações de fornecimento de manufatura eletrônica são coordenadas por mecanismos complementares aos contratos através de um modelo de governança híbrida múltipla formadas pela confiança, mutualismo e liderança.