<p>Background: In today’s business environment it is important to find new customers. An action that has been widely used is to enter foreign</p><p>markets. Most firms are always seeking to maximize their profits,</p><p>which can be achieved if an entry into a foreign market is performed.</p><p>Due the European Union (EU), new economies open their</p><p>borders for international trade and foreign investments. In 2004 Poland received membership. Even though Poland may be a country</p><p>with potentials, there are aspects that the firm has to take into consideration in a potential market entry. Among these are market related and firm related factors.</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the important factors related to the firm and the market in order to present feasible entry mode(s) which ire can use in a potential entry into the Polish market.</p><p>Method: The authors have conducted a case study of ire Möbel AB. A qualitative method approach has been used to fulfill the purpose of the thesis. Semi-structured telephone interviews have been used for the empirical findings. The authors want to attain convincing and in</p><p>depth information in the field of interest, therefore three firm related interviews and three market related interviews have been</p><p>conducted to obtain valid and reliable empirical results.</p><p>Conclusion: The case study has led to conclusions on how ire could enter the polish market. ire’s needs and resources have been compared</p><p>to the Polish market factors and analyzed for pros and cons.</p><p>The mode that is currently used on ire’s other markets, exporting, is</p><p>working very well. Equity joint ventures have a three year tax relief</p><p>but are still considered a quite expensive mode of entry. Other entry</p><p>modes could be successful, but ire’s size and resources limits</p><p>the modes available. The thesis has come to the conclusion that</p><p>exporting and/or equity joint ventures are the modes of entry most</p><p>appropriate for ire.</p>

<p>Nowadays, China is one of the most focused countries in the world since it has a very high potential to overwhelm the world market. As a result, we can find lots of articles and discussion about the activities of internationalization and relocation of many inter-national firms (both MNEs and SMEs) in China. Those firms moved to China in order to either serve the huge Chinese domestic market or enjoy the cheap production costs to supply the global market. However, there is one phenomenon that is not new and seldom has researches discussing about it. This is the fact that there are also a lot of Chinese entrepreneurs who moved out of China and located in other countries. In this re-search, we study about some Chinese firms which set up their sales agencies in the sales offices and distribution clusters in four European countries which are Poland, Spain, Portugal and Italy. We focus our study on the internationalization process of those Chi-nese firms, the rationales and factors influencing the location-decision and clustering and the rationales of choosing the specific countries in Europe. However, we have our latent objective, which is to stimulate more discussion and research on this interesting phenomenon since there are few researches on it.</p><p>In our research, we find that there are similar patterns of internationalization process and location-decision of Chinese firms nevertheless the differences in background and types of business they have. They have some common rationales to undertake interna-tionalization, like to avoid fierce competition in the previous market, or to find new business opportunities and so on. Most of Chinese firms are still in the initial step of in-ternationalization process, and a very common way to fulfil their internationalization is by either the Chinese owners immigrating or registering a new firm in the host countries. The help from their friends and relatives who are often earlier arrivals in the host coun-tries and the strong connection with the suppliers in China are their competitive advan-tages. However, they have encountered some common problems, such as cultural issues, like language barriers and communication problems; lack of knowledge about local market and political issues. For localization or the way they choose their locations, we find some common locational factors, like market size, degree of competition, government policy (mainly on immigration policy), connectivity, safety, transaction costs and ethnic contacts. For the last section of our study, cluster, we find that the formation of cluster are based mainly on potential benefits of cluster, such as ability to attract more customers(market size), benefits from collaboration and information sharing, availabil-ity of specialized services and supporting firms. At last, we find a lot of interesting top-ics for future research.</p>

<p>This essay looks at the problem with the increasing water shortages in three different economic markets. This is done through the perspective of the sustainable water managing company EcoNova, who specializes in innovative water recycling technology for use in the residential development, commercial, marine, sports, tourism, mining and defence industries. Three countries were selected on a basis developed through the empirical findings, resulting in Brazil, China and Spain, where EcoNova’s systems could be successful. The empirical findings defined a number of criteria necessary for a successful market entry; these are demand and needs, financial capability, growth, competition, and psychic distance.</p><p> </p><p>A PESTEL analysis was employed to retain accurate information regarding the above mentioned criteria. Based on this information, an entry model was formulated with a conclusion that Spain should be entered first, followed by Brazil and lastly China.</p><p>Here follows highlights from each country’s market potentials.</p><p>Spanish water and wastewater rules are adjusted to the EU standards, which should simplify any expansion within the EU. It is not as hard for a foreign company in Spain to establish their presence in regards to legislative and cultural issues. Products must be certified to meet EU environmental standards, which is the only significant barrier to foreign investment in Spain. The need for specialized technology equipment for water management is an advantage for EcoNova.</p><p>Brazil is the largest economy in South America and gives an access to other nations that are members of the free-trade agreement Mercosur. There is a non-official “buy Brazilian” policy, which means that having a partnership with a domestic company is important for foreign companies in the wastewater market. The demand for wastewater equipment is high. There are two solutions available to the income disproportion; simplifying the product to lower the price, or introducing the product to the Brazilian Social Action and Sanitation Program, who provides economic resources to wastewater projects.</p><p>China has a huge market where water supply pricing policies promote wastewater reclamation. The Chinese government is launching extensive environmental protection projects and encourage foreign investors to seek opportunities. There is also an expanding market for smaller water and wastewater facilities in rural areas. Recycled water can be used even in areas that are connected to a municipal sewage. Legislation requires certain areas to construct water reuse system and there is a demand for small, decentralized systems. Close relationships are vital.</p><p>The Uppsala model, the network approach, and the rational approach have been used to define and compare EcoNova’s internationalization process. It became clear that no internationalization model really fits to EcoNova’s needs, as focus is on other factors. The findings of this research are that a water managing company base its internationalization on firstly the market needs and financial situation, secondly growth opportunities, thirdly the market competition, and finally the psychic distance. These factors have to be matched to the company’s resources, objectives and orientation, so that the perception is aligned with the reality and subsequently achieve a successful market entry.</p>

ABSTRACT Title: The Effect of Social Relationships on Company Internationalization Course: Master’s level Thesis (EFO705) in International Business and Entrepreneurship 10 Swedish credit points  (15 ECTS) Authors: Hanney Al-Qaisi &amp; Bhupesh Reddy Kurre Tutor: Leif Linnskog Problem: How did social relationships affect the internationalization of a German IVF centre to the UAE? Using this case example, the thesis will be focused on studying the different social factors that could have affected the internationalization process. Purpose: The aim of this thesis was to describe the way that a local company in Germany went through internationalization to become a successfulmultinational company. We wanted to find out if there were any social factors that influenced the company. In particular, we wanted to investigate whether there were any entrepreneurial activities or barriers that influenced the company’s internationalisation and why it chose to open its subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is far from Germany. Methods: This thesis is based on a qualitative methodology for gathering and analysis of the data around the internationalization of the German company.Qualitative methods are the best techniques for looking into social relationships and whether they have an effect on the internationalization process. Theories: Uppsala-Model; Network Theory; Social, Business &amp; Professional Relationships and International Entrepreneurship Target Group: This research provides knowledge and information to entrepreneurs businessowners, managers, general readers, and academics who would like to understand the influence of social relationships on internationalization.  Conclusion: Having searched through the published literature for relevant articles on the internationalization process, social relationships and entrepreneurial activities, we were able to inform our thesis with a theoretical framework for analyzing social relationships and internationalization. Social relationships do indeed have an influence on the internationalization process, and using our case example, it was possible to outline the patterns and nature of the influence. The theories (and patterns) are interlinked, and could be related in practical terms to the establishment of a satellite fertility centre in the UAE by a German head company.

Abstract Date: September, 2009 Title: Internationalization Process and Strategies of a Start-up Service Company, a case study of HeartMath Scandinavia AB Course: Business Administration Program: Master Thesis EFO704 Authors: Francis Oladele Oluduro, Ikechukwu Ifediora Okonkwo Supervisor: Nyström Sven-Åke Problem: What is HeartMath AB’s strategy in their internationalization process? Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to investigate the real life processes and strategies that companies adopt in going international and compare it to generic and taught internationalization models and theories. Method: Information was gathered from interviews, books and online data bases. Conclusions: From the analysis it was concluded that new business startups use the generic business models in the process of going international. In most instances they do this unknowingly. They combine two or more models in different ways to achieve their aim of going international. There were also instances when it is necessary for firms to combine two conflicting ideas to achieve what they want to achieve. Keywords: Internationalization, Uppsala Model, Born global/INV, Entry Mode, Strategy, isomorphism.

Date: 26 May 2008 Program: International Business and Entrepreneurship (IB&amp;E) Level: Master Thesis 10 Points (15 ETCS) Title: Internationalization process from entrepreneurial perspectives – a case study of TOA Group Authors: Thi Thanh Thuy Le - Email: tle07001@student.mdh.se Theerata Thornjaroensri - Email: tti07001@student.mdh.se Supervisor: Bengt Olsson Research Problem: How do entrepreneurs play a vital role in the internationalization process of TOA Group? Aim of the Thesis: The purpose of our research project is to present a perspective that includes the entrepreneurs in the analysis in order to have a comprehensive understanding about the internationalization process of TOA Group, a Thai-owned paint multinational company. Method: The nature of the research is qualitative. The deductive and a single case study approaches have been applied. Both secondary data and primary data are used to conduct the research. The semi-structure interview is used to get the primary data. Conclusion: The establishment chain pattern of the Uppsala Model is too deterministic and mainly on learning process at organizational level. This research project adopts three entrepreneurial perspectives with three entrepreneur types. The TOA case shows that entrepreneurial perspectives directly influence the firm’s internationalization. Key Words: Internationalization, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial perspective

Background: In today’s business environment it is important to find new customers. An action that has been widely used is to enter foreign markets. Most firms are always seeking to maximize their profits, which can be achieved if an entry into a foreign market is performed. Due the European Union (EU), new economies open their borders for international trade and foreign investments. In 2004 Poland received membership. Even though Poland may be a country with potentials, there are aspects that the firm has to take into consideration in a potential market entry. Among these are market related and firm related factors. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the important factors related to the firm and the market in order to present feasible entry mode(s) which ire can use in a potential entry into the Polish market. Method: The authors have conducted a case study of ire Möbel AB. A qualitative method approach has been used to fulfill the purpose of the thesis. Semi-structured telephone interviews have been used for the empirical findings. The authors want to attain convincing and in depth information in the field of interest, therefore three firm related interviews and three market related interviews have been conducted to obtain valid and reliable empirical results. Conclusion: The case study has led to conclusions on how ire could enter the polish market. ire’s needs and resources have been compared to the Polish market factors and analyzed for pros and cons. The mode that is currently used on ire’s other markets, exporting, is working very well. Equity joint ventures have a three year tax relief but are still considered a quite expensive mode of entry. Other entry modes could be successful, but ire’s size and resources limits the modes available. The thesis has come to the conclusion that exporting and/or equity joint ventures are the modes of entry most appropriate for ire.

Nowadays, China is one of the most focused countries in the world since it has a very high potential to overwhelm the world market. As a result, we can find lots of articles and discussion about the activities of internationalization and relocation of many inter-national firms (both MNEs and SMEs) in China. Those firms moved to China in order to either serve the huge Chinese domestic market or enjoy the cheap production costs to supply the global market. However, there is one phenomenon that is not new and seldom has researches discussing about it. This is the fact that there are also a lot of Chinese entrepreneurs who moved out of China and located in other countries. In this re-search, we study about some Chinese firms which set up their sales agencies in the sales offices and distribution clusters in four European countries which are Poland, Spain, Portugal and Italy. We focus our study on the internationalization process of those Chi-nese firms, the rationales and factors influencing the location-decision and clustering and the rationales of choosing the specific countries in Europe. However, we have our latent objective, which is to stimulate more discussion and research on this interesting phenomenon since there are few researches on it. In our research, we find that there are similar patterns of internationalization process and location-decision of Chinese firms nevertheless the differences in background and types of business they have. They have some common rationales to undertake interna-tionalization, like to avoid fierce competition in the previous market, or to find new business opportunities and so on. Most of Chinese firms are still in the initial step of in-ternationalization process, and a very common way to fulfil their internationalization is by either the Chinese owners immigrating or registering a new firm in the host countries. The help from their friends and relatives who are often earlier arrivals in the host coun-tries and the strong connection with the suppliers in China are their competitive advan-tages. However, they have encountered some common problems, such as cultural issues, like language barriers and communication problems; lack of knowledge about local market and political issues. For localization or the way they choose their locations, we find some common locational factors, like market size, degree of competition, government policy (mainly on immigration policy), connectivity, safety, transaction costs and ethnic contacts. For the last section of our study, cluster, we find that the formation of cluster are based mainly on potential benefits of cluster, such as ability to attract more customers(market size), benefits from collaboration and information sharing, availabil-ity of specialized services and supporting firms. At last, we find a lot of interesting top-ics for future research.

Executive summary In a world where the Internet and good communications accelerates the globalization, having connections across borders becomes a competitive advantage. The easy access to a constant stream of information is making the opportunities countless, adding to the equation that the Internet and supplementary techniques such as different types of software are still very young, the opportunities will keep on emerge. At the moment there are still great gaps in terms of technology between countries, which enables fast growing companies such as Lintner to fill a niche and gain new market shares due to their technological lead and managerial practices. But how should they enter the new markets and reach the new costumers? This research has put the emphasis on creating a guiding discussion on how an international expansion strategy could be formulated. We have found that organizations can lower the risk and increase their profit potential by combining several strategies, that they start by expanding with a low-risk strategy and then increase the investments on the market to enable higher profitability. The benefits with this approach is that a small computer software company can take advantage from the simplicity and low needs for capital and then gradually increase the investment as they get market knowledge and a solid customer base. They need to work around challenges such as cultural differences by allowing the due diligence to take time and the targeted company to become familiar with the intentions of the collaboration. It is important that the organization prepares itself for the internationalization; this is done by the creation of slack resources. The strategy they choose must be formulated and incorporated in the overall business strategy. To successfully describe the alternatives to expansion currently available to Lintner, an extensive literature review has been conducted. But to fully understand the surrounding environment and the challenges with international expansion, we have conducted several interviews within Lintner, but also with three organizations that have previously found themselves where Lintner is today. The findings from these interviews were interpreted and placed in context to Lintner’s and to companies in their specific situation. This has been done in order for us to create a meaningful contribution to Lintner’s future growth.

Abstract The process of internationalization of firms has in the past been seen as something that is costly and time-consuming. For those reasons, companies took long before they started expanding internationally, growing strong in domestic markets first. However, now there are companies being started, that right from the outset start producing and selling on international markets. Companies that behave this way are a rather new phenomenon and are known as Born Globals. The purpose of our thesis was to increase the understanding of factors that are important for explaining Born Globals rapid internationalization, and also how these factors have affected the process. Most of the research done on Born Globals has been of high-tech companies. However, the phenomenon is not limited to them. Therefore we researched one high-tech company and one low-tech to see if there are similarities in the driving forces behind their rapid internationalization. Four factors have been addressed repeatedly when trying to explain Born Global’s behavior: Globalization, Industry, Entrepreneur and Networks. These factors were used as a theoretical framework for our thesis. However, our findings point out that to gain a deeper understanding, the interdependent relationship between the variables should also be taken into consideration. After gathering empirical data through interviews with key people in each company, our findings point out that access to complimentary resources and a possibility to control them efficiently was important in explaining both companies rapid internationalization. By focusing on the core competencies of the company and outsourcing other value-adding functions, companies are able to internationalize rapidly even with scarce resources. Access to resources through networks, as well as entrepreneurial ambition helped speed up this process. Keywords: Born Globals, Rapid Internationalization