This thesis examines reactions of German manufacturing firms to emerging market competitors while operating in the institutional conditions of the Russian market. Although the literature on internationalization of emerging market firms is rapidly growing, research in the Russian institutional context remains scarce. At the same time, rivals from emerging economies already hold strong positions in this major market, especially in the mature manufacturing industries. Against this background, the theoretical framework of this dissertation stems from theories of industrial organization, strategic management, marketing, and international business. To address the novelty and complexity of this inquiry, the thesis adopts interpretivism paradigm, primary inductive logic, and qualitative research strategy. The study was conducted in two stages among 34 managers representing 28 German automotive and mobile machinery suppliers operating in Russia. The process of data collection and analysis was enhanced by combining key procedures of the grounded theory with several other common qualitative techniques. The analysis showed that despite hostile activities of emerging market firms, the German managers primarily focused on competition with rivals from other developed countries. The emerging market competitors were perceived as benefiting from cost-leadership strategy and local market proximity. Consequently, the managers frequently ignored their activities and considered that their firms were protected from competition by several entry barriers. Those companies, which responded to these competitors, mainly combined strategies of differentiation, localization, retreat, and a narrow set of tactical retaliations. This study also determined the direct and mostly deteriorative influence of the Russian institutional environment on the competitive advantage of the German companies. Furthermore, the longitudinal research design revealed a largely adverse impact, which the occurred institutional changes had on the competitiveness of the German firms. The findings provide a novel synthesis of competitive reactions to entrants from emerging markets. Moreover, this research is the first one to describe an aggregated impact of Russian institutional environment on the competitiveness of Western firms related to emerging market companies. In this way, it supports the institution-based view of strategy, and synthesizes a practically applicable decision framework for competitive reaction. Considering the importance of the Russian market and increasing competitiveness of emerging market firms, this thesis makes an important contribution to competition research in emerging economies.

Yes / Despite the growing research on the performance implications of technological and organizational innovation, our understanding of how they impact SMEs’ international performance is limited. Drawing from the dynamic capability and the institutional theories, this study argues that technological and organizational innovation has a synergistic effect on international performance and that this effect is contingent on unique domestic institutional factors. We test this model using structural equation modeling on a sample of 204 internationalized SMEs operating in Ghana. The findings from the analysis show that high levels of organizational and technological innovation jointly improve SMEs’ international performance. In addition, the results show that institutional environment specificity and institutional environment enforceability enhance the complementary effect of organizational and technological innovation on the international performance of SMEs. The theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed.

Background: Academic interest in emerging markets and their growth has been relevant due to their promised potential for foreign multinational companies. Internationalization is a fundamental differentiator for MNCs aiming to expand and grow in novel markets. The existing unequalness prevailing in emerging markets necessitates strategy adaptation to overcome the existing heterogeneity.  Research Problem: Despite the increasing relevance of emerging markets, research on both institutional environment and foreignness in structurally unequal markets is underdeveloped. Combining institutional theory with internationalization activities presented itself as a research area, with the focus on structurally unequal emerging markets being identified as a research gap. Research Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify the interconnectedness between institutions and foreignness under the theoretical lens of institutional theory. It aims to showcase the relevance of strategy adaptation and market awareness for continued success within the context of South Africa.   Research Question: How do internationalization activities affect the survival of foreign MNCs in structurally unequal emerging markets? Research Method:  The study follows qualitative, inductive research – based on a relativist ontology and social constructionist epistemology. Research is approached with an explorative multiple-case study, with data being purposefully collected through semi-structured interviews and company reports. Data was analyzed with the Gioia method. Conclusion: Our findings concentrate on the existence of institutional voids, with distance being an important factor. Foreignness is found to be an advantage for foreign MNCs, with isomorphic behavior to be absent. From this we abstract a framework which showcases the distance and foreignness under the driving factor of internationalization.

Microfinance is a development tool used to reduce poverty among extremely poor households. Impoverished households can access lines of credit through microfinance institutions (MFIs), in order to create a new business, smooth household consumption, fund medical emergencies, etc. Many authors postulate that MFIs are drifting from a welfarist to an institutionalist approach to lending. Using MIXMarket data on specific MFIs in 118 countries between 1995 and 2011, the average loan balance of these organizations will be regressed against measure of outreach and sustainability of these institutions by charter type through a series of four, fixed effects models. The main research question is: given that a positive, overall shift in average loan balance indicates an institutionalist shift in mission, how does this impact microfinance institutions and the demographics they target on the intensive and extensive margins? These analyses will test the theory that MFIs with larger average loan balances serve households closer to the subsistence poverty level, a manifestation of mission drift toward the institutionalist philosophy of lending. The phenomenon of mission drift directly impacts the outcomes of microfinance institutions and the target demographic of the organization. The results of this study indicate that the mission of these organizations is drifting toward the institutionalist philosophy of lending. With this general result, mission drift can be observed within both the internal and external margins of the microfinance industry, which influences the chosen target market, profit generated, and structure of MFIs, as determined by the mission of the organization.

Como a qualidade das instituições influencia a escolha estratégica para a proteção do direito de propriedade sobre a terra no Brasil? Na maior parte dos países, o Estado é o guardião do direito de propriedade sobre a terra porque usufrui vantagens no exercício da atividade e proporciona ganhos para a sociedade. Contudo, fragilidades institucionais atenuam a eficácia da proteção legal, levando a tentativas de captura de direitos imperfeitamente protegidos e fomentando ações de proteção pelos seus detentores, log criando cenário favorável a disputas. Dada a existência de fragilidades na definição e proteção dos direitos de propriedade sobre a terra no Brasil, este estudo analisa a relação entre o ambiente institucional e o emprego de arranjos privados para satisfazer a necessidade dos possuidores de direitos. Ele está dividido em quatro partes. A primeira, apresenta a evolução da teoria sobre a Análise Econômica dos Direitos de Propriedade e como foi incorporada à literatura de análise estratégica. Discute sob a ótica teórica as consequências de haver deficiência na proteção de direitos de propriedade pelo Estado. A segunda parte apresenta como os direitos de propriedade sobre a terra no Brasil foram formados e o ambiente institucional em nível nacional e internacional. Em seguida, caracteriza o setor de florestas plantadas e as disputas por terras a ele associadas. A quarta parte discute as estratégias privadas para suprir a debilidade do Estado na proteção de direitos, e é composta por um modelo teórico e por três estudos de caso de empresas brasileiras do setor de florestas plantadas. O modelo teórico relaciona a qualidade das instituições, o emprego de múltiplos mecanismos de proteção, o custo de transação para proteção de atributos alocados em domínio público e a importância dos mecanismos privados para a proteção dos direitos de propriedade. A última parte apresenta os resultados. O estudo empírico conclui que a qualidade das instituições (i) fundamenta a escolha estratégica e a adaptação organizacional para proteção de direitos de propriedade; (ii) determina o custo de transação para proteção do direito de propriedade através dos mecanismos formais; e, com destaque, (iii) determina a importância dos mecanismos privados para a proteção dos direitos de propriedade sobre a terra. / How does the quality of institutions influence the strategic choice for the protection of land property rights in Brazil? In most countries, the state is the steward of the property right over land because it enjoys advantages in the exercise of the activity and provides gains for society. However, institutional fragilities reduce the effectiveness of legal protection, leading to attempts to capture imperfectly protected rights, and promoting the adoption of protective measures on the part of their holders, thus creating a favorable scenario for disputes. Given the existence of vulnerabilities in the definition and protection of land rights in Brazil, this study analyzes the relationship between the institutional environment and the use of private arrangements to meet the needs of right holders. It is divided into four parts. The first one presents the evolution of the theory on Economic Analysis of Property Rights and how it was incorporated in the literature of strategic analysis. It discusses from a theoretical perspective the consequences of there being deficiencies in the protection of property rights by the State. The second part shows how land property rights in Brazil were formed and the institutional environment both at national and international levels. Next, it characterizes the plantation forests sector and disputes over land associated with it. The fourth part discusses private strategies to address the vulnerability of the state in protecting rights. It is composed of a theoretical model and three case studies of Brazilian planted forest based companies. The theoretical model addresses the quality of institutions, the use of multiple protection mechanisms, the transaction cost for protection of attributes allocated in public domain and the importance of private mechanisms for the protection of property rights. The last part presents the results. The empirical study concludes that the quality of the institutions (i) supports the strategic choice and the organizational adaptation for the protection of property rights; (ii) determines the transaction cost of protecting property rights through formal mechanisms; and, especially, (iii) determines the importance of private mechanisms for the protection of land property rights.

A presente tese investiga como o Ambiente Institucional influencia o modo de governança de direitos de propriedade e a estratégia das firmas. O estudo divide-se em duas partes. A primeira parte empreende uma investigação teórica que se constitui em três etapas. Primeiro, examina-se o modelo de direitos de propriedade de Barzel (1994, 1997, 2003). Segundo, analisa-se uma abordagem de estratégia competitiva baseada em direitos de propriedade (Property Rights Perspective; Foss e Foss, 2001). Especificamente, argumenta-se que tal abordagem representa uma extensão do modelo de Barzel e demonstra-se que os conceitos introduzidos na etapa anterior possibilitam uma formulação mais geral da Property Rights Perspective, conduzindo a uma definição de estratégia competitiva que concilia as noções de strategizing e economizing (Williamson, 1991). A terceira etapa, por fim, examina particularmente o estabelecimento de estratégias de proteção de direitos de propriedade. Um modelo heurístico baseado em Williamson (1996) é proposto e com base nele três formas básicas de proteção são definidas em função da qualidade do Ambiente Institucional: estratégia centrada no sistema legal, no estabelecimento de mecanismos privados e no abandono de atributos valiosos. A segunda parte da pesquisa busca evidências empíricas que suportem o modelo teórico. O estudo examina três casos de proteção de direitos de propriedade sobre a tecnologia transgênica em sementes de soja: EUA, Brasil e Argentina. Cada um dos casos representa, respectivamente, uma forma de proteção de direitos como definido pelo modelo heurístico. A pesquisa examina também evidências econométricas que consolidam a análise empírica. De forma geral, o presente estudo desenvolve uma abordagem para o exame da apropriação de valor, colocando-se na interface entre a Economia de Direitos de Propriedade, o estudo da Estratégia e a análise do Ambiente Institucional. / The current thesis investigates how the Institutional Environment influences the mode of governance of property rights and the strategy of firms. The study is divided into two parts. The first part undertakes a theoretical investigation consisting of three steps. In the first step, the author examines the model of property rights developed by Barzel (1994, 1997, 2003). In the second step, an approach to competitive strategy based on property rights (Property Rights Perspective, Foss and Foss, 2001) is analyzed. Specifically, the author states that this approach represents an extension of Barzels model and demonstrates that the concepts introduced in the previous step allow a more general formulation of the Property Rights Perspective, leading to a definition of competitive strategy that reconciles the notions of strategizing and economizing (Williamson, 1991). The last step examines particularly the establishment of strategies for protection of property rights. A heuristic model based on Williamson (1996) is proposed and three strategies for protection of property rights are defined in terms of the quality of the Institutional Environment: strategy based on the legal system, on the establishment of private mechanisms, and on the abandon of valuable attributes. The second part of the research seeks empirical evidence to support the theoretical model. The study examines three cases of protection of property rights on genetically modified (GM) technology in soybean seeds: the US, Brazil, and Argentina. Each case represents, respectively, a strategy as defined by the heuristic model. The research also examines econometric evidence that consolidate the empirical analysis. Overall, the current study develops an approach for examining the appropriation of value, placing itself in the interface between the Property Rights Economics, the study of Strategy, and the assessment of the Institutional Environment.

Presented work analyzes the business environment of the Republic of Argentina. It focuses on the economic, political and legislative, cultural and social, and institutional environment. It evaluates the mutual commercial relations between the Czech and Argentinian Republic and suggests possible business opportunities for their commercial exchange.

Disertacijoje nagrinėjamas institucinės aplinkos poveikis ekonomikai, taip pat atsižvelgiant į tarptautinės prekybos ir geografinius veiksnius. Paminėti veiksniai mokslinėje literatūroje įvardijami kaip „gilieji“ ekonomikos augimo ir plėtros veiksniai, lemiantys tiesioginius augimo veiksnius: investicijas, žmogiškąjį kapitalą, technologijas. Pagrindinis tyrimo objektas yra institucinės aplinkos poveikis šalių ekonomikai. Pagrindinis disertacijos tikslas – remiantis teoriniais teiginiais bei empiriniais tyrimais pagrįsti institucinės aplinkos poveikį šalių ekonomikai, atlikti poveikio vertinimą ir palyginimą skirtingos institucinės aplinkos šalių grupėse. Pagrindiniai darbo uždaviniai: atskleisti institucijų funkcijas ir pasireiškiantį poveikį ekonomikai; susisteminti empirinių institucijų poveikio ekonomikai tyrimų rezultatus, išskirti pagrindinius diskusinius klausimus, atskleisti taikytų tyrimo metodikų trūkumus; sudaryti institucinės aplinkos poveikio ekonomikai vertinimo modelį ir jį patikrinti skirtingos institucinės aplinkos šalių grupėse. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, trys skyriai, rezultatų apibendrinimas, naudotos literatūros ir autorės publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašai ir 16 priedų. Įvadiniame skyriuje aptariama tiriamoji problema, darbo aktualumas, tyrimų objektas, formuluojamas darbo tikslas bei uždaviniai, aprašoma tyrimų metodika, darbo mokslinis naujumas, darbo rezultatų praktinė reikšmė, ginamieji teiginiai. Įvado pabaigoje pristatomos disertacijos tema... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The dissertation investigates the impact of institutional environment on economics, considering the impact of international trade and geography factors as well. Aforementioned factors are called “deep determinants” of economic development, as they influence proximate determinants of economic growth – investments, human capital, and technology. The main object of research is the impact of institutional environment on countries’ economics. The primary aim is to reason the impact of institutional environment on economics by means of analysis of theoretical and empirical studies and to evaluate and compare this impact between countries where institutional environment is different. The major tasks: to explain the function of institutions and its impact on economics; to summarize the results of empirical studies on the impact of institutions on economics, to highlight the main debatable questions, to reveal the main shortcomings of the applied methodology; to create a model for the evaluation of the impact of institutional environment on economics and to test it in groups of countries where institutional environment is different. The dissertation consists of three parts including Introduction, 3 chapters, Conclusions, References and 16 Annexes. The introduction reveals the investigated problem, importance of the thesis and the object of research and describes the purpose and tasks of the paper, research methodology, scientific novelty, the practical significance of the results and... [to full text]

The dissertation investigates the impact of institutional environment on economics, considering the impact of international trade and geography factors as well. Aforementioned factors are called “deep determinants” of economic development, as they influence proximate determinants of economic growth – investments, human capital, and technology. The main object of research is the impact of institutional environment on countries’ economics. The primary aim is to reason the impact of institutional environment on economics by means of analysis of theoretical and empirical studies and to evaluate and compare this impact between countries where institutional environment is different. The major tasks: to explain the function of institutions and its impact on economics; to summarize the results of empirical studies on the impact of institutions on economics, to highlight the main debatable questions, to reveal the main shortcomings of the applied methodology; to create a model for the evaluation of the impact of institutional environment on economics and to test it in groups of countries where institutional environment is different. The dissertation consists of three parts including Introduction, 3 chapters, Conclusions, References and 16 Annexes. The introduction reveals the investigated problem, importance of the thesis and the object of research and describes the purpose and tasks of the paper, research methodology, scientific novelty, the practical significance of the results and... [to full text] / Disertacijoje nagrinėjamas institucinės aplinkos poveikis ekonomikai, taip pat atsižvelgiant į tarptautinės prekybos ir geografinius veiksnius. Paminėti veiksniai mokslinėje literatūroje įvardijami kaip „gilieji“ ekonomikos augimo ir plėtros veiksniai, lemiantys tiesioginius augimo veiksnius: investicijas, žmogiškąjį kapitalą, technologijas. Pagrindinis tyrimo objektas yra institucinės aplinkos poveikis šalių ekonomikai. Pagrindinis disertacijos tikslas – remiantis teoriniais teiginiais bei empiriniais tyrimais pagrįsti institucinės aplinkos poveikį šalių ekonomikai, atlikti poveikio vertinimą ir palyginimą skirtingos institucinės aplinkos šalių grupėse. Pagrindiniai darbo uždaviniai: atskleisti institucijų funkcijas ir pasireiškiantį poveikį ekonomikai; susisteminti empirinių institucijų poveikio ekonomikai tyrimų rezultatus, išskirti pagrindinius diskusinius klausimus, atskleisti taikytų tyrimo metodikų trūkumus; sudaryti institucinės aplinkos poveikio ekonomikai vertinimo modelį ir jį patikrinti skirtingos institucinės aplinkos šalių grupėse. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, trys skyriai, rezultatų apibendrinimas, naudotos literatūros ir autorės publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašai ir 16 priedų. Įvadiniame skyriuje aptariama tiriamoji problema, darbo aktualumas, tyrimų objektas, formuluojamas darbo tikslas bei uždaviniai, aprašoma tyrimų metodika, darbo mokslinis naujumas, darbo rezultatų praktinė reikšmė, ginamieji teiginiai. Įvado pabaigoje pristatomos disertacijos tema... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

O etanol tem desempenhado importante papel na economia brasileira deixando de ser visto apenas como um subproduto do açúcar e passando a ser encarado como uma solução alternativa e permanente ao problema de abastecimento de combustível em sua origem relacionado ao risco da insuficiência das reservas petrolíferas, à necessidade de utilização de fontes energéticas renováveis, bem como, dos conflitos armados em torno de sua posse. Neste cenário, Brasil e Estados Unidos despontam como os dois principais players do mercado de etanol correspondendo a aproximadamente 90% da produção mundial. Apesar de obterem o mesmo produto final, Brasil e Estados Unidos possuem variáveis institucionais significativas que afetam o desempenho econômico da atividade. A análise do efeito das instituições sobre o desempenho econômico dos países tem ganhando destaque nos estudos de economia realizados no Brasil nos últimos anos. Sob o ponto de vista institucionalista, o desempenho econômico surge como consequência de uma determinada configuração institucional, em que o aspecto histórico é relevante, uma vez que esse reflete, direta ou indiretamente, o tipo de postura a ser tomada pelos agentes nas esferas econômica, política, social e inovativa. Nessas condições, o presente estudo tem por objetivo analisar as características institucionais verificadas no mercado do etanol brasileiro e estadunidense e as respectivas influências no desempenho econômico dessa atividade. Sendo assim, ficaram evidentes grandes discrepâncias nas características institucionais entre os dois países, o Brasil com um produto oriundo da cana-de-açúcar, produz dois tipos de etanol: o hidratado e o anidro, além do açúcar que é proveniente da mesma matéria-prima, entretanto, a cana-de-açúcar não afeta diretamente outras cadeias produtivas. O etanol brasileiro, se comparado ao estadunidense, possui um menor custo de produção, uma menor emissão de gases, com mais disponibilidade de terras para plantio, contudo, sem um marco regulatório claro para o setor, já os Estados Unidos com um produto vindo do milho e que devido a sua crescente utilização para a produção de etanol afeta diretamente outras cadeias produtivas, possui regras claras, assim como, metas de produção de curto, médio e longo prazo, além de subsídios diretos ao setor. Fatos que, entre outros, afetam diretamente o desempenho do setor de etanol em ambos os países. / Ethanol has played an important role in the Brazilian economy is no longer seen solely as a byproduct of sugar and going on to be seen as a workaround and permanent to fuel supply problem in its origin related to the risk of insufficient oil reserves, the need for use of renewable energy sources, as well as armed conflicts surrounding his possession. In this scenario, Brazil and United States emerge as the two main players of ethanol market corresponding to approximately 90% of world production. Despite obtaining the same final product, Brazil and United States have significant institutional variables that affect the economic performance of the activity. The analysis of the effect of institutions on the economic performance of the countries has notability in the studies of Economics held in Brazil in recent years. From the point of view on my institutionalist's hat, the economic performance arises as a consequence of a particular institutional setting in which the historical aspect is relevant, since this reflects, directly or indirectly, the kind of attitude to be taken by the actors in economic, political, social and innovative. Under these conditions, the present study aims to analyse the institutional characteristics of market verified Brazilian ethanol and American and their influences on the economic performance of this activity. So were obvious institutional characteristics large discrepancies between the two countries, Brazil with a product come from sugar cane, produces two types of ethanol: hydrous and anhydrous, besides sugar that is coming from the same raw material, however, sugarcane does not affect directly other productive chains. Brazilian ethanol, if compared to the United States, has a lower cost of production, lower emissions, more availability of land for planting, however, without a clear regulatory framework for the sector, as the United States with a product coming from maize and that due to its increasing use for ethanol production directly affects other productive chains, have clear rules, as well as production goals, short-, mediumand long-term, as well as direct subsidies to the industry. Facts, among others, directly affect the performance of the ethanol industry in both countries.