Gradually, Swedish SMEs are expanding into emerging markets in order to seize superior opportunities of growth. Within these internationalization efforts, identifying and selecting the most promising foreign target markets is regarded to be a critical success factor. The external business environment, the attractiveness of the targeted market segment in terms of the competitive situation, and the match between the customers’ needs and a company’s resources and capabilities are major factors which determine the prospects of success of establishing business in an emerging market. By applying an abductive research approach, the authors conducted a holistic single-case study of a typical case for Swedish SMEs internationalizing into emerging markets. Through that, the authors were able to answer the research questions of the paper. A theoretical framework was synthesized, combining latest research on emerging country markets with classical models. The framework guided the authors through the entire research process. Several propelling, as well as hampering factors for the case company’s prospects of success in the targeted market segment were identified. Based on the analysis of the empirical findings, the authors found that there are clear opportunities for the case company to increase its business. This conclusion is due to a weak threat of competitors in a broader context, which were regarded to not being able to satisfy the customers’ needs of key importance sufficiently. Competitors in a narrower context were regarded to not have a significant competitive advantage compared with the case company.

When adjusted to sovereign entities, the structural credit risk model assumes a negative (positive) relationship between sovereign CDS spreads and stock prices (volatilities). In theory both markets are supposed to incorporate new information simultaneously. Discrepancies from the theoretical relationship can be exploited by capital structure arbitrageurs. In our thesis we study the intertemporal relationship between sovereign CDS and stock index markets in East Asia during the period of 2007 – 2011. We detect a negative (by and large positive) relationship between the Asian CDS spreads and stock indexes (volatilities). Across the whole region the sovereign CDS market dominates the price discovery process. However, 4 out of 7 Asian countries (Japan, Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines) demonstrate a feedback effect. The stock markets of countries with higher credit spreads (Indonesia, the Philippines and Korea) appear to react more severely at heightened variance in the CDS market. When considered separately for turbulent vs. calm periods, we find that the lead-lag relationship between the Asian sovereign CDS and stock markets is not stable. Apart from that, both markets become more interrelated during periods of increased volatility. The dependency of Asian CDS spreads and stock indexes on the “fear index” detected in the frames of robustness check implies an integration of both markets into the global one. Therefore, while seeking for arbitrage opportunities in the respective Asian markets one should also take into account possible influences of broader global factors.

<p>This project &quot / An application of multiple regression in exchange rate arrangement&quot / focused on the processes followed by different countries when choosing an exchange rate regime for currency stabilization. It analyses the consequences faced by emerging markets as a result of changes in volatility of developed countries&rsquo / currencies (American Dollar, Japanese Yen, EURO, British Pound and the Canadian Dollar).</p>

Univ., Diss.--Vallendar, 2004.

Although researchers during the last 5 years have been doing a lot of study onemerging market innovations, and of which Frugal Innovation had its special place. They haveparticularly concentrated on this innovation type on how it re-emerged in the emergingcountries especially India and China and gave it new theoretical definition and a framework.Although this frugal innovation usage is constrained only to the firms located in those emergingmarkets and this innovation has not seen much application in the western smaller firms. In thisresearch our main idea is to develop a theoretical model on frugal innovation for the westernsmaller firms, where currently not much emphasis is given by the previous researchers in thiscontext. To achieve this we have been involved in an action research with a company lookingto enter an emerging market by using frugal innovation strategy for their product development.The output of this research is a theoretical framework model which is sequential and includesall the stages that a firm has to follow as part of a frugal innovation strategy having not muchknowledge of the emerging markets or its customers and who had to rely on external partnersin developing countries to successfully develop frugal innovations. We have also identifiedchallenges firms face in this context and listed out alternatives at each level of the strategy,finally concluded by listing out the future scope of research on frugal innovation in thisparticular area.

As a result of three decades of rapid economic development, China has become the world’s second largest economy and the second biggest market for luxury consumer products (Chevalier & Lu, 2009; Degen, 2009). The most populous nation in the world is also a leading sports power with strong yet mythical potentials in its sports business market (Chadwick, 2008). This thesis studies the area where luxury consumption and sports business intersect in the market by examining the phenomenon of sports celebrity endorsement of luxury brands and how such endorsements lead to the intentions and decisions by Chinese consumers to purchase the endorsed brands. Employing a mixed-method approach by using qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys, this study adopts a methodological triangulation research design, which involves semi-structured interviews with brand managers and professionals to explore their knowledge and experiences, questionnaire surveys of consumers to understand their demographic characteristics and luxury consumption motives and considerations, and confirmative structured interviews with consumers to ensure the reliability of the research and expand the findings. Research data analysis generated three major findings. Firstly, the purchasing intentions and decisions of the consumers are the result of the synchronised functioning of a triad of social, personal, and commercial factors that define both the endorsers and the consumers. Secondly, the characteristics of the sports celebrity endorsers in terms of their attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise have positive relationships with the represented brand equity, which in turn has a positive relationship with the consumers’ intentions and decisions to purchase the endorsed products. Thirdly, Chinese consumers demonstrate a weak and conditional preference for local sports celebrities to endorse international luxury brands. These research findings explain why it is more difficult for luxury brand owners to sell to the consumers than to impress or interest them, particularly in the context of the Chinese market. This is a pioneering academic study, intended to provide insights into how consumers in China respond to sports celebrity endorsement of luxury brands. It 2 provides an academic understanding of a knowledge gap between the studies of luxury business and sports marketing. It may benefit the strategists and practitioners of luxury brands by providing an empirical understanding of Chinese consumers and their decision-making processes under the influences of sports celebrity endorsements, so they can develop marketing communication strategies more effectively in the emerging market.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / This project "An application of multiple regression in exchange rate arrangement" focused on the processes followed by different countries when choosing an exchange rate regime for currency stabilization. It analyses the consequences faced by emerging markets as a result of changes in volatility of developed countries&rsquo; currencies (American Dollar, Japanese Yen, EURO, British Pound and the Canadian Dollar). / South Africa

In times of scarce resources, frugal innovation can be a driving engine for growth and market success, as it is a practical concept established in developing countries. Nonetheless, the available literature also emphasizes a potential importance for Western countries. Accordingly, our thesis and research add to the lack of literature that connects frugal innovation to developed countries and its specific underlying conditions. The review of available literature and further discussions led to the following research questions: 1. What is the current application status of frugal innovation in Germany? 2. What characteristics should frugal innovations have to serve the BoP in the context of the German market? A preliminary theoretical framework was created from the relevant literature streams stressing the fragmented nature of frugal innovation. As the concept and research addressing this issue are in a nascent stage, one unifying definition was not found. For the course of this thesis, the definition of frugal innovation was therefore chosen to be "thrifty, modest and affordable innovations, valuable for BoP customers”. One major derivation from the literature review is that frugal innovation can be of major importance in developed countries, not only for customers for getting access to certain products, but also for companies addressing untapped markets. The empirical investigation and explorative data collection was undertaken within the market context of Germany based on eight companies from different industry backgrounds. Therefore, interviews were held with representatives of companies that offer frugal products (thereafter also including services) according to the definition from above. Within the scope of the grounded theory analyzation techniques, the interviews supported our aim to gain rich and meaningful data to extend the substantive theory about the concept of frugal innovation. Our study results (based on our eight interviews) prove the existence of frugal products in the German market, while the term and the concept have previously been unknown. Even though frugal innovations were still to be confirmed, they were not labeled as such to connect them to the concept. The study also indicates the existence of a bottom of a pyramid in Germany, despite its original connection to emerging market population. Our findings resulted in a revised framework that connects relevant fragments to a logical comprehension of the concept of frugal innovation. Finally, characteristics for frugal products and requirements could be validated and improved to be economically successful in developed market contexts. The major contribution of our thesis is its general investigation of a rather unknown concept and its presence in other markets than originally laid down. The thorough literature review, the creation and revision of the framework and our study results will serve as a fruitful ground for further exploration of this innovation type.

This thesis investigates whether the phenomenon of companies that seek to disrupt markets through innovation play a role in the rise of coworking spaces. The city of Cape Town in South Africa was selected as the location for this study due to an increase in the establishment of coworking spaces and the appearance of the aforementioned phenomenon. The premise for this thesis is based on the demands for commercial real estate, which has changed as a result of the implementation of new technologies and the sharing economy. This change is argued to have altered the way companies utilise working environments which, in turn, amended the requirements of these companies. The study seeks to establish whether coworking spaces serve as adequate supply to these demands or whether the increase in the establishment of coworking spaces is unaffiliated. Grounded theory was used as the research method in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven respondents that were all active founders of coworking spaces at the time of the study. Additional documentary evidence was collected in cases where it was available. An analysis of the responses indicates that there is a strong relationship correlation between the rise of disruptive innovation and the increase in available coworking spaces. This relationship correlation was based on the value that flexibility, affordability and community facilitation held for companies that associate with disruptive innovation. These companies were mainly start-ups, skunkworks teams, research and development departments and other forms of companies that primarily work within the industry of technology. Limitations to the study included that additional documentary evidence was limited due to poor record-keeping of active memberships by coworking space operators, in addition to restrictions that were placed on accessing company information such as revenue statements. The research findings provide academic support and market-related evidence to developers and investors within the real estate sector that could enable them to make more informed decisions relating to the supply of coworking spaces. Moreover, the findings shed light on the general views shared by the founders of the coworking spaces. These views should provide insight to those interested in the industry, and more specifically within the Cape Town region.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) can effectively bridge the cultural gap between their home market operations and internationalized operations in advanced markets like Sweden, particularly with regards to adapting recruitment strategies to secure top talent in the new business context. The authors aim to expand the existing ‘springboard framework’ for internationalization by multinational enterprises originating in emerging market countries which are increasingly reshaping the global competitive landscape. The study interviewed seven managers with extensive experience working in both advanced and emerging markets, and five top talent from two of the highest ranked Swedish business schools. The study found that for EMNEs cultural distance is a secondary consideration when expanding to advanced markets and their main focus is showcasing their value proposition to clients, customers, and top talent alike. From the experience of the executives interviewed for this thesis, top talent prioritizes organizational and managerial values that a company imbibes and the career progression that it provides over remunerations. This was confirmed by the top talent we interviewed who repeatedly spoke about how important career opportunities and organizational values were for them. The findings from our thesis contribute to expanding the field of cross- cultural management theory by supplying a qualitative study of EMNE adaptation for internationalization. They also contribute to the recruitment literature by demonstrating how EMNEs have to adapt their HRM systems to the local environments in order to gain the attention of and acquire the local top talent.