- Basic Principles of Internationalization - Business expansion strategy

The internationalization of SMEs can be expected to gain further momentum because the world economy is becoming increasingly integrated with continuing declines in government-imposed barriers and continuing advances in technology. Meanwhile, more and more SMEs from developing countries start to increase their overseas business. The purpose of this thesis is to study or investigate how SMEs develop and implement their internationalization strategies. To be able to illuminate this question in more detail, essential factors will be looked upon in this paper. We choose the export business as a main entry mode due to SMEs general lack of resources. Generic strategies and marketing mix analysis will also be discussed in the paper in order to obtain essential factors which influence performance of SMEs from developing countries which internationalize their business.Only a qualitative study was carried out to help determine the purpose of the paper, where data was collected through a real case study which was an Exporting Company from a developing country. The primary data was collected through interviews via email with the company founder, accounting manager, manufacturing manager and sales managers, complemented with secondary data collected from internet sources.The empirical findings and analysis has brought to light some interesting conclusions. Export can be a smart choice for SMEs, because they lack of resources at the initial period. Whether the choice is direct export or indirect export, the driving force of SMEs from developing countries are their natural dispositions. Mixed generic strategy can help SMEs conquer disadvantages. While marketing mix theory can also help SMEs aim at niche markets more clearly.Thus, exporting as the most suitable entry mode for SMEs, while mixed generic strategies and marketing mix theory also should be taken into consideration. Therefore the success of internationalization process will be increased for SMEs from developing countries.

There is an upsurge of trend in studying the internationalization strategy (IS) of firms from China in international business (IB) research area. However studies which have done on Chinese firms in IB area are mostly focused on large state owned enterprises (SOEs), and there are few studies which have focused on the IS of Chinese privately owned  enterprises  (POEs).  This  study  used  the  framework  of  environment – internationalization  strategy – performance as  the theoretical support,  and  adopted  a case study method on a Chinese POE –Wonder Auto Technology Inc.. By analyzing the firm's ISs, the study results showed that Chinese POEs use export, foreign direct investment  (FDI),  and  strategic  alliance  as  their  ISs,  environmental  factors  from institution,  industry,  and  firm  level  could  influence  a  firm's  choices  of internationalization  strategies,  and  these  strategies  are  positive  related  to  the  firm's performance.

<p>This Bachelor thesis studies the internationalization strategy of a Finnish label stock company, UPM Raflatac, in China during the late 1990’s. The purpose of this descriptive study is to facilitate the understanding of companies’ internationalization processes. This was done by studying UPM Raflatac’s internationalization strategy’s connection to the internationalization theories of the Uppsala model and the eclectic paradigm. The findings were established by presenting an Internet based questionnaire for the employees of the company. The results showed that the company did not have a country specific strategy and that the resemblance to the reference material was therefore limited.</p>

This Bachelor thesis studies the internationalization strategy of a Finnish label stock company, UPM Raflatac, in China during the late 1990’s. The purpose of this descriptive study is to facilitate the understanding of companies’ internationalization processes. This was done by studying UPM Raflatac’s internationalization strategy’s connection to the internationalization theories of the Uppsala model and the eclectic paradigm. The findings were established by presenting an Internet based questionnaire for the employees of the company. The results showed that the company did not have a country specific strategy and that the resemblance to the reference material was therefore limited.

Industrial computer is a niche industry. In the past, because of the certain level entry barrier, it is not a hot industry to be discussed. Now, Taiwan has more than a decade in technology products manufacturing experience, which contributes the industrial computer industry cluster. It is predictable that in 5-10 years, the industry is profitable for the reason that the application of the products and technology is more popular in daily life. Furthermore, the computer technology industry has changed to be R&D and technology innovation oriented from purely manufacturing and OEM, ODM. It comes with the result that there are more and more Taiwan International Procurement Office set up to be the communication contact between customers and manufacturers. However, recently for the effect of the phenomenon of Taiwanese manufacturer moving the factory to low labor cost countries, the advantage is not longer staying. Taiwan industrial computer manufacturers also get a lot of OEM/ODM orders. Many international system companies set up an procurement office in Taiwan for better communication. But the case company is not like the previous. It is a German added value distributor, who imports Taiwan industry computer parts and bare bone to sell locally. The reason for her to set up an international procurement office is to speed up the incoming material. The case company type, business model and procurement office values are different from the normal procurement office. This is why the study would like to understand case company¡¦s and her procurement office international purchasing strategy and competitive advantage, and observe how the company keeps the competitive advantage not t be threaten by manufacturer moving out. From the company background, the study find out industrial computer and Taiwan Procurement Office environment and opportunities, then it moves on analyzing company internationalization and procurement office setting up motivation. After knowing the reasons, the study concludes the international purchasing strategy. Finally, by having diamond model and SWOT analysis, then there is the competitive advantage. The result of the study is that the case company uses National Procurement, Proactive Strategy or Offensive Sourcing Strategy as her International Procurement strategy. The strategy is high involvement on internationalization and it helps to build up or strengthens the competitive advantage. Besides, mother company support is required because International Procurement Strategy has positive and direct connection with operation strategy. The reason for the case company to set up a Taiwan procurement office is in order to strengthen her differentiation strategy. Because Taiwan has better labor condition, near to suppliers and efficient logistic from industrial computer cluster, all make the obvious cost advantages. The suggestions for the case company are listed below: to be a know-how turntable supply chain or to go differentiation by having multi-function value added service to keep the advantage.

A expatriação é um processo corrente na condução dos negócios internacionais, auxiliando na interface e no alinhamento de políticas e práticas da Gestão de Recursos Humanos (GRH) com a estratégia empresarial, tendo, pois, importância na sua expansão global. A principal contribuição do presente estudo é explorar o processo de expatriação na perspectiva estratégica, destacando a importância de seu planejamento, a fim de contribuir para a consecução dos objetivos globais da organização. Defende-se que a internacionalização de uma empresa requer a presença de expatriados, sobretudo no início deste processo; estando a expatriação, portanto, relacionada com a maturidade da internacionalização da organização. Objetiva-se, portanto, analisar a influência da expatriação na estratégia de internacionalização de empresas portuguesas e brasileiras, por meio de um estudo de casos múltiplos. Ela se constitui em estudo qualitativo, no qual a coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de um roteiro semiestruturado, contemplando 30 entrevistas. Na análise de dados, foi utilizado o software Max-Qda (2007) para auxiliar a organização das categorias de análise, baseada na técnica de análise de conteúdo. As entrevistas e o referencial teórico foram a base para entender o desenvolvimento da GRH, possibilitando discorrer sobre cada etapa de amadurecimento da GRH, bem como identificar as principais políticas e práticas que fazem parte do processo de expatriação, o que também foi mapeado na concepção de três etapas relacionadas. Verificouse existirem diferenças no amadurecimento internacional e na gestão de expatriados das duas empresas investigadas, em função dos objetivos propostos para esse processo, sendo possível afirmar que, de modo geral, as empresas portuguesas pesquisadas estão mais internacionalizadas que as brasileiras estudadas. A empresa portuguesa Plástico entende que a expatriação já está incorporada em seu cotidiano, não sendo um processo glamouroso, fato presente na empresa brasileira Elétrica, na qual os expatriados são tratados como pessoas ‘escolhidas’ para representá-la. As configurações de empregados levantados no contexto internacional foram de temporário, expatriado, repatriado e impatriado, na empresa brasileira; e temporários/ equipe de apoio, expatriado e cidadão do mundo, na empresa portuguesa. Em ambas as empresas, a expatriação está atrelada ao amadurecimento internacional, mesmo que seja no início da internacionalização. Conforme houve o amadurecimento internacional da empresa portuguesa, os expatriados assumiram a configuração de expatriado permanente e de equipe de apoio, pois são expatriados prontos para iniciar uma operação de uma nova unidade. Para a empresa brasileira, o amadurecimento internacional ocorreu no aprendizado dos repatriados (de melhorar as políticas e práticas para reter esses empregados) e de receber impatriados. Em relação à internacionalização, a empresa Plástico tem uma perspectiva global com uma perspectiva metanacional, enquanto a empresa Elétrica apresenta uma estrutura de multinacional, almejando ser uma corporação global, com algumas áreas estruturadas globalmente. A expatriação tem caráter dinâmico, inclusive pela movimentação internacional que muda rapidamente, influenciando as empresas de maneira tão fluída que, por vezes, nem as próprias empresas percebem as próprias mudanças. A quantidade de expatriação, no conceito corrente – empregado enviado por uma empresa para viver e trabalhar em outro país por dois ou mais anos (CALIGIURI, 2000) –, diminui conforme a empresa amadurece internacionalmente. A literatura existente sobre esse tema é limitada e não contempla a dinamicidade do processo. No atual cenário global, aumenta o número de pessoas que nascem em determinado país e são criadas e alfabetizadas em outro, configurando uma nova geração de empregados: aqueles que já são formados por diversas culturas e não pertencem a um único país ou a uma única cultura; são cidadãos do mundo, antes mesmo de entrarem nas organizações, cabendo, pois, a essas organizações repensarem a concepção de expatriado. / Expatriation is a common process in the conduct of international business, assisting in the interface and alignment of policies and practices of Human Resource Management (HRM) with the business strategy, and therefore important in its global expansion. The main contribution of this study is to explore the expatriation process in a strategic perspective, emphasizing the importance of its planning in order to contribute to achieving the overall objectives of the organization. It is argued that the internationalization of a company requires the presence of expatriates, especially at the beginning of this process; hence, expatriation is related to the maturity of the organization's internationalization. The objective, therefore, is to analyze the influence of expatriation in the strategy of internationalization of Portuguese and Brazilian companies, from a comparative case study point of view. It is constituted by a qualitative study, in which data was collected through semi-structured interviews, totaling 30 people interviewed. Also, we used the software Max- Qda (2007) in the data analysis to assist in the organization of categories of analysis based on the content analysis technique. Finally, the interviews and the theoretical framework were the basis for understanding the development of HRM, being possible to explain each maturation stage of HRM and to raise the main policies and practices that are part of the expatriation process, which is also mapped in the design of three related steps. In few words, there are differences in the international maturity and the management of expatriates of both companies analyzed, largely because of the objectives of the latter process, being possible to say that, in general, the Portuguese companies analyzed are more internationalized than the Brazilian ones. The Portuguese company Plástico understands that expatriation is already incorporated into their daily lives and it is not a glamorous process. In other perspective, this process is glamorized in the Brazilian company Elétrica, in which expatriates are treated as 'chosen' people to represent it. The settings of employees raised in the international context were temporary employee, expatriate, repatriate and impatriate, concerning the Brazilian company; and temporary/support staff, expatriate and citizen of the world, concerning the Portuguese company. In both cases, expatriation is strongly linked to international maturation, even if it is in the beginning of the process. According to the progress of international maturation, expatriates took the configuration of permanent expatriate and support staff, since they were ready to start an operation of a new unit. For the Brazilian company, the international maturation occurred in the learning of returnees (to improve policies and practices to retain these employees) and receiving impatriates. Regarding the internationalization, Plástico has a global approach with meta-national perspective while, on the other hand, Elétrica has a multinational structure, aiming to be a global corporation with some areas globally structured. The expatriation has a dynamic character, partially because of the international movement rapidly changing, influencing companies in a fluid way that sometimes even the companies do not perceive their changes. The amount of expatriation, in the current concept - employee sent by a company to live and work in another country for two or more years (CALIGIURI, 2000) - decreases as the company internationally matures. The existing literature on this topic is limited and do not consider the dynamics of the process. In the current global scenario, the number of people born in a particular country and created or literate in another increases, setting a new generation of employees: those who are already formed by different cultures and do not belong to a single country or a single culture. These employees are citizens of the world even before entering the organizations, leaving these organizations to rethink the concept of expatriate.

A expatriação é um processo corrente na condução dos negócios internacionais, auxiliando na interface e no alinhamento de políticas e práticas da Gestão de Recursos Humanos (GRH) com a estratégia empresarial, tendo, pois, importância na sua expansão global. A principal contribuição do presente estudo é explorar o processo de expatriação na perspectiva estratégica, destacando a importância de seu planejamento, a fim de contribuir para a consecução dos objetivos globais da organização. Defende-se que a internacionalização de uma empresa requer a presença de expatriados, sobretudo no início deste processo; estando a expatriação, portanto, relacionada com a maturidade da internacionalização da organização. Objetiva-se, portanto, analisar a influência da expatriação na estratégia de internacionalização de empresas portuguesas e brasileiras, por meio de um estudo de casos múltiplos. Ela se constitui em estudo qualitativo, no qual a coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de um roteiro semiestruturado, contemplando 30 entrevistas. Na análise de dados, foi utilizado o software Max-Qda (2007) para auxiliar a organização das categorias de análise, baseada na técnica de análise de conteúdo. As entrevistas e o referencial teórico foram a base para entender o desenvolvimento da GRH, possibilitando discorrer sobre cada etapa de amadurecimento da GRH, bem como identificar as principais políticas e práticas que fazem parte do processo de expatriação, o que também foi mapeado na concepção de três etapas relacionadas. Verificouse existirem diferenças no amadurecimento internacional e na gestão de expatriados das duas empresas investigadas, em função dos objetivos propostos para esse processo, sendo possível afirmar que, de modo geral, as empresas portuguesas pesquisadas estão mais internacionalizadas que as brasileiras estudadas. A empresa portuguesa Plástico entende que a expatriação já está incorporada em seu cotidiano, não sendo um processo glamouroso, fato presente na empresa brasileira Elétrica, na qual os expatriados são tratados como pessoas ‘escolhidas’ para representá-la. As configurações de empregados levantados no contexto internacional foram de temporário, expatriado, repatriado e impatriado, na empresa brasileira; e temporários/ equipe de apoio, expatriado e cidadão do mundo, na empresa portuguesa. Em ambas as empresas, a expatriação está atrelada ao amadurecimento internacional, mesmo que seja no início da internacionalização. Conforme houve o amadurecimento internacional da empresa portuguesa, os expatriados assumiram a configuração de expatriado permanente e de equipe de apoio, pois são expatriados prontos para iniciar uma operação de uma nova unidade. Para a empresa brasileira, o amadurecimento internacional ocorreu no aprendizado dos repatriados (de melhorar as políticas e práticas para reter esses empregados) e de receber impatriados. Em relação à internacionalização, a empresa Plástico tem uma perspectiva global com uma perspectiva metanacional, enquanto a empresa Elétrica apresenta uma estrutura de multinacional, almejando ser uma corporação global, com algumas áreas estruturadas globalmente. A expatriação tem caráter dinâmico, inclusive pela movimentação internacional que muda rapidamente, influenciando as empresas de maneira tão fluída que, por vezes, nem as próprias empresas percebem as próprias mudanças. A quantidade de expatriação, no conceito corrente – empregado enviado por uma empresa para viver e trabalhar em outro país por dois ou mais anos (CALIGIURI, 2000) –, diminui conforme a empresa amadurece internacionalmente. A literatura existente sobre esse tema é limitada e não contempla a dinamicidade do processo. No atual cenário global, aumenta o número de pessoas que nascem em determinado país e são criadas e alfabetizadas em outro, configurando uma nova geração de empregados: aqueles que já são formados por diversas culturas e não pertencem a um único país ou a uma única cultura; são cidadãos do mundo, antes mesmo de entrarem nas organizações, cabendo, pois, a essas organizações repensarem a concepção de expatriado. / Expatriation is a common process in the conduct of international business, assisting in the interface and alignment of policies and practices of Human Resource Management (HRM) with the business strategy, and therefore important in its global expansion. The main contribution of this study is to explore the expatriation process in a strategic perspective, emphasizing the importance of its planning in order to contribute to achieving the overall objectives of the organization. It is argued that the internationalization of a company requires the presence of expatriates, especially at the beginning of this process; hence, expatriation is related to the maturity of the organization's internationalization. The objective, therefore, is to analyze the influence of expatriation in the strategy of internationalization of Portuguese and Brazilian companies, from a comparative case study point of view. It is constituted by a qualitative study, in which data was collected through semi-structured interviews, totaling 30 people interviewed. Also, we used the software Max- Qda (2007) in the data analysis to assist in the organization of categories of analysis based on the content analysis technique. Finally, the interviews and the theoretical framework were the basis for understanding the development of HRM, being possible to explain each maturation stage of HRM and to raise the main policies and practices that are part of the expatriation process, which is also mapped in the design of three related steps. In few words, there are differences in the international maturity and the management of expatriates of both companies analyzed, largely because of the objectives of the latter process, being possible to say that, in general, the Portuguese companies analyzed are more internationalized than the Brazilian ones. The Portuguese company Plástico understands that expatriation is already incorporated into their daily lives and it is not a glamorous process. In other perspective, this process is glamorized in the Brazilian company Elétrica, in which expatriates are treated as 'chosen' people to represent it. The settings of employees raised in the international context were temporary employee, expatriate, repatriate and impatriate, concerning the Brazilian company; and temporary/support staff, expatriate and citizen of the world, concerning the Portuguese company. In both cases, expatriation is strongly linked to international maturation, even if it is in the beginning of the process. According to the progress of international maturation, expatriates took the configuration of permanent expatriate and support staff, since they were ready to start an operation of a new unit. For the Brazilian company, the international maturation occurred in the learning of returnees (to improve policies and practices to retain these employees) and receiving impatriates. Regarding the internationalization, Plástico has a global approach with meta-national perspective while, on the other hand, Elétrica has a multinational structure, aiming to be a global corporation with some areas globally structured. The expatriation has a dynamic character, partially because of the international movement rapidly changing, influencing companies in a fluid way that sometimes even the companies do not perceive their changes. The amount of expatriation, in the current concept - employee sent by a company to live and work in another country for two or more years (CALIGIURI, 2000) - decreases as the company internationally matures. The existing literature on this topic is limited and do not consider the dynamics of the process. In the current global scenario, the number of people born in a particular country and created or literate in another increases, setting a new generation of employees: those who are already formed by different cultures and do not belong to a single country or a single culture. These employees are citizens of the world even before entering the organizations, leaving these organizations to rethink the concept of expatriate.

A expatriação é um processo corrente na condução dos negócios internacionais, auxiliando na interface e no alinhamento de políticas e práticas da Gestão de Recursos Humanos (GRH) com a estratégia empresarial, tendo, pois, importância na sua expansão global. A principal contribuição do presente estudo é explorar o processo de expatriação na perspectiva estratégica, destacando a importância de seu planejamento, a fim de contribuir para a consecução dos objetivos globais da organização. Defende-se que a internacionalização de uma empresa requer a presença de expatriados, sobretudo no início deste processo; estando a expatriação, portanto, relacionada com a maturidade da internacionalização da organização. Objetiva-se, portanto, analisar a influência da expatriação na estratégia de internacionalização de empresas portuguesas e brasileiras, por meio de um estudo de casos múltiplos. Ela se constitui em estudo qualitativo, no qual a coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de um roteiro semiestruturado, contemplando 30 entrevistas. Na análise de dados, foi utilizado o software Max-Qda (2007) para auxiliar a organização das categorias de análise, baseada na técnica de análise de conteúdo. As entrevistas e o referencial teórico foram a base para entender o desenvolvimento da GRH, possibilitando discorrer sobre cada etapa de amadurecimento da GRH, bem como identificar as principais políticas e práticas que fazem parte do processo de expatriação, o que também foi mapeado na concepção de três etapas relacionadas. Verificouse existirem diferenças no amadurecimento internacional e na gestão de expatriados das duas empresas investigadas, em função dos objetivos propostos para esse processo, sendo possível afirmar que, de modo geral, as empresas portuguesas pesquisadas estão mais internacionalizadas que as brasileiras estudadas. A empresa portuguesa Plástico entende que a expatriação já está incorporada em seu cotidiano, não sendo um processo glamouroso, fato presente na empresa brasileira Elétrica, na qual os expatriados são tratados como pessoas ‘escolhidas’ para representá-la. As configurações de empregados levantados no contexto internacional foram de temporário, expatriado, repatriado e impatriado, na empresa brasileira; e temporários/ equipe de apoio, expatriado e cidadão do mundo, na empresa portuguesa. Em ambas as empresas, a expatriação está atrelada ao amadurecimento internacional, mesmo que seja no início da internacionalização. Conforme houve o amadurecimento internacional da empresa portuguesa, os expatriados assumiram a configuração de expatriado permanente e de equipe de apoio, pois são expatriados prontos para iniciar uma operação de uma nova unidade. Para a empresa brasileira, o amadurecimento internacional ocorreu no aprendizado dos repatriados (de melhorar as políticas e práticas para reter esses empregados) e de receber impatriados. Em relação à internacionalização, a empresa Plástico tem uma perspectiva global com uma perspectiva metanacional, enquanto a empresa Elétrica apresenta uma estrutura de multinacional, almejando ser uma corporação global, com algumas áreas estruturadas globalmente. A expatriação tem caráter dinâmico, inclusive pela movimentação internacional que muda rapidamente, influenciando as empresas de maneira tão fluída que, por vezes, nem as próprias empresas percebem as próprias mudanças. A quantidade de expatriação, no conceito corrente – empregado enviado por uma empresa para viver e trabalhar em outro país por dois ou mais anos (CALIGIURI, 2000) –, diminui conforme a empresa amadurece internacionalmente. A literatura existente sobre esse tema é limitada e não contempla a dinamicidade do processo. No atual cenário global, aumenta o número de pessoas que nascem em determinado país e são criadas e alfabetizadas em outro, configurando uma nova geração de empregados: aqueles que já são formados por diversas culturas e não pertencem a um único país ou a uma única cultura; são cidadãos do mundo, antes mesmo de entrarem nas organizações, cabendo, pois, a essas organizações repensarem a concepção de expatriado. / Expatriation is a common process in the conduct of international business, assisting in the interface and alignment of policies and practices of Human Resource Management (HRM) with the business strategy, and therefore important in its global expansion. The main contribution of this study is to explore the expatriation process in a strategic perspective, emphasizing the importance of its planning in order to contribute to achieving the overall objectives of the organization. It is argued that the internationalization of a company requires the presence of expatriates, especially at the beginning of this process; hence, expatriation is related to the maturity of the organization's internationalization. The objective, therefore, is to analyze the influence of expatriation in the strategy of internationalization of Portuguese and Brazilian companies, from a comparative case study point of view. It is constituted by a qualitative study, in which data was collected through semi-structured interviews, totaling 30 people interviewed. Also, we used the software Max- Qda (2007) in the data analysis to assist in the organization of categories of analysis based on the content analysis technique. Finally, the interviews and the theoretical framework were the basis for understanding the development of HRM, being possible to explain each maturation stage of HRM and to raise the main policies and practices that are part of the expatriation process, which is also mapped in the design of three related steps. In few words, there are differences in the international maturity and the management of expatriates of both companies analyzed, largely because of the objectives of the latter process, being possible to say that, in general, the Portuguese companies analyzed are more internationalized than the Brazilian ones. The Portuguese company Plástico understands that expatriation is already incorporated into their daily lives and it is not a glamorous process. In other perspective, this process is glamorized in the Brazilian company Elétrica, in which expatriates are treated as 'chosen' people to represent it. The settings of employees raised in the international context were temporary employee, expatriate, repatriate and impatriate, concerning the Brazilian company; and temporary/support staff, expatriate and citizen of the world, concerning the Portuguese company. In both cases, expatriation is strongly linked to international maturation, even if it is in the beginning of the process. According to the progress of international maturation, expatriates took the configuration of permanent expatriate and support staff, since they were ready to start an operation of a new unit. For the Brazilian company, the international maturation occurred in the learning of returnees (to improve policies and practices to retain these employees) and receiving impatriates. Regarding the internationalization, Plástico has a global approach with meta-national perspective while, on the other hand, Elétrica has a multinational structure, aiming to be a global corporation with some areas globally structured. The expatriation has a dynamic character, partially because of the international movement rapidly changing, influencing companies in a fluid way that sometimes even the companies do not perceive their changes. The amount of expatriation, in the current concept - employee sent by a company to live and work in another country for two or more years (CALIGIURI, 2000) - decreases as the company internationally matures. The existing literature on this topic is limited and do not consider the dynamics of the process. In the current global scenario, the number of people born in a particular country and created or literate in another increases, setting a new generation of employees: those who are already formed by different cultures and do not belong to a single country or a single culture. These employees are citizens of the world even before entering the organizations, leaving these organizations to rethink the concept of expatriate.

The thesis attempts to analyze the international business strategy of the company C&A and its search of growth opportunities for the context of Bulgaria. The study relates to international business issues and successively provides a comprehensive overview of potential in the retail industry in Bulgaria as well as critical analysis on the interest of the company to internationalize its activity on the market. The thesis brings sufficient baseline whether to enter the market and how to be successful there.