A lot of theories have been propounded that has made great contribution to the enterprise internationalization and entry strategy. However, no acceptable conclusion has been made on how firms internationalized and what is factors influenced firms choose their strategy. This development necessitates further study on the firms internationalization and entry strategy. Hence the research was explorative in nature and adductive approach was comprehensive adopted with interview. Further more, the firms have been using various approaches in entering their target market. Some prefer to consolidate their position at home and concentrated their efforts on exporting, while other took aggressive steps and invested directly in the foreign market. Thus, the study examined the entry strategy of firms, and the factors that influence the choice. This was aimed to gain deeper insight on how firms enter the target market. From the findings, it was revealed that, Huawei had adopted partnership, establishment of owned subsidiaries and make high technology co-operation in the world, while the company resorted to strategic alliance and joint venture after the China economic reformed till present moment. Moreover, we found that the owner and management exerted their influence on strategic direction of the firm, but the choice of entry strategy was mostly influenced by firm vision, business offering, resources and capacity, while market conditions acted as exogenous factors.

Moderator variables are typically introduced when there is an unexpectedly weak or inconsistent relationship between a predictor and a criterion variable (Baron and Kenny, 1986). Holak, Parry and Song (1991) and Zhang, Li, Hitt, and Cui (2007) found an inconsistent relationship between R&D spending (a measure of innovation) and firm performance and so concluded that this relationship should be studied under different contextual factors. One such factor is the Degree of Internationalization (DOI) of a firm. Therefore, this paper evaluates the innovation-performance link in the presence of a moderator - the Degree of Internationalization (DOI). It proposes that DOI moderates the innovation-performance relationship. In addition, this research tests the hypothesis that DOI can affect either the form or the strength of the innovation-performance relationship. Only one previous study has evaluated the moderating effect of DOI on innovation-performance relationship, but this paper did not investigate the influence on the form of the relationship. The findings of this study are based on time series cross-sectional data of 102 large U.S. manufacturing firms from seven different industries. Data for each firm was obtained for eight years (2000-2007) from the Compustat database. Hypotheses were tested using the TSCSREG procedure with Fuller-Battese method implemented in SAS. The identification and the differentiation of the moderation effect into form and strength were carried out by using the typology from the work of Sharma, Durand and Gur-Arie (1981). The results show that DOI moderates the innovation-performance relationship positively and significantly. In addition, DOI affects the form (direct) and is a quasi moderator of the innovation-performance relationship. In terms of theory, there are two implications. First, that DOI is an important contingency factor when examining the innovation-performance relationship. Predicting the innovation-performance relationship without including DOI may lead to misleading conclusions. Second, when evaluating the relationship between R&D and firm performance, identifying whether DOI moderates the form or the strength of the relationship is needed in order to use a proper analytical technique. In terms of practice, the results sensitize managers to the need to focus not only on innovation activities, but also on their internationalization in order to appropriate the full benefits of their innovations.

Internationalization is a topic of high actuality, and in this study the spotlights is on how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access foreign market opportunities and go international. There are a large numbers of studies of internationalization processes but most of them mainly focus on multinational enterprises. There is a need for studies on how SMEs internationalize, what barriers they face and what role immigrants play in the process of internationalization. In this study the purpose is to investigate the internationalization process of Swedish SMEs and the contributions of social networks in the process. Immigrants are introduced as a social network. Drawing on the Uppsala internationalization process model with the network approach, the literature on social network with a knowledge-based view, this study aims to fulfil the above mentioned purpose. For the empirical study, a qualitative method has been used and semi-structured interviews have been performed in six Swedish SMEs. The results of our study illustrate that the Swedish SMEs experience several barriers in the internationalization process due to the lack of financial resources and knowledge-related resources. They also gradually start the internationalization process in their neighbour countries. Moreover, the study shows that the immigrants contribute in the process of internationalization by providing the SMEs with market knowledge and through offering experiential learning.

The thesis analyzes internationalization strategies and processes that were used by major German electricity companies during their transition from purely national companies to some of the world's largest electricity corporations with operations in many different countries. The paper starts out by outlining theoretical elements that are available to companies in general and then provides an in-depth analysis of the internationalization that Germany's major Electricity companies went through after the liberalization of German and European electricity markets. Based on this, the thesis then identifies key internationalization patterns in the German electricity industry and, by taking into account future developments, provides factors that will influence further internationalization strategies in the segment.

- Basic Principles of Internationalization - Business expansion strategy

Literature on firm internationalization has pointed out knowledge and learning as central components in the internationalization process. While much research has emphasized the development of experience in the firm as the main source of new knowledge, this notion has also been challenged. Furthermore, in internationalization literature, most attention has been paid to market entry and far less to growth in the market thereafter. This research addresses how internationalizing firms capture growth opportunities by acquiring new knowledge in foreign markets. The purpose is to describe and explain how internationalizing firms learn about foreign markets by combining various knowledge sources in order to realize growth opportunities in these markets. To address this purpose, data from two steps of data collection is analyzed. The first step contains qualitative focus-group data from seven Swedish firms and aims to describe learning from a combination of knowledge sources, which leads to the development of a typology of learning strategies. The tentative results from the first step are established in the second step, which contains survey data from 144 internationalizing Swedish firms. In addition to validating the typology, data from the second step explains heterogeneous knowledge outcomes based on differences in learning strategies, suggesting that a diversified strategy has the greatest potential for learning. These results indicate that external knowledge matters more than what has been previously recognized. Furthermore, the results show curvilinear effects of knowledge of the local network and international spread on the realization of international growth opportunities. By integrating components from international entrepreneurship, this research may contribute to internationalization-process literature by (1) describing the typology of how internationalizing firms learn in foreign markets, (2) establishing the described types and explaining the knowledge consequences for internationalizing firms, and (3) explaining how this knowledge impacts the ability to realize international opportunities. This chain of components provides the links between learning and growth of the internationalizing firm beyond the initial market entry.

Inadequate use of international knowledge by SME (small- and medium-sized enterprises) leaders is a prime contributing factor to failed internationalization efforts in the U.K. affecting firms' growth and survivability. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies U.K. SME leaders use to expand business internationally for sustainable growth. The Uppsala internationalization process model (UIPM) served as the conceptual framework for this study. Participants consisted of 4 senior leaders and 3 international operations employees who demonstrated effective use of strategies in the operation of the SME internationalization activities. Data collection occurred through semistructured interviews and review of an archival document, complemented by member checking to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings. Four themes emerged through thematic data analysis: applying home and foreign market knowledge, capitalization of firm characteristics, selecting psychically close markets, and conducting sequential internationalizing activities for successful and sustainable SME internationalization efforts. The conclusion is that to achieve sustainable growth, SME leaders need to understand all factors pertaining to the internationalization initiatives of the firm, inclusive of market research and data collection, using experiential knowledge, assessing firm-specific advantages, capitalizing on limited resources, and leveraging networks in international markets. Subsequent positive social change may include an increase in sustainable SME in the United Kingdom offering innovative and competitive products and services, increasing employment opportunities, contributing to the citizens' financial stability, and contributing to the community's economic prosperity.

<p>Date: June 4, 2008</p><p>Level: Master Thesis EFO705, 10 points (15 credits)</p><p>Authors: Wannapa Chaletanone (05-11-1982, Thailand)</p><p>Wanee Cheancharadpong (03-09-1983, Thailand)</p><p>Title: Internationalization of IKEA in the Japanese and Chinese markets</p><p>Supervisor: Leif Linnskog</p><p>Problems: Why did IKEA internationalize into Japanese and Chinese markets? And what factors did influence IKEA’s success in Chinese market but failure in the Japanese market of the first round?</p><p>Purpose: The aim of thesis is to understand the internationalization of IKEA in Asia by comparing between Japanese and Chinese markets.</p><p>Method: This master thesis based on qualitative approach in order to investigate the internationalization of IKEA in Asian markets as a case study since it is beneficial in understanding the observation and explanation of behavior in the certain cases.</p><p>Conclusion: IKEA is considered as retailer internationalization who expands into Japanese market as a result of deregulation and asset-based advantage while internationalize into Chinese market because of supporting environments such as political, social and economic conditions as well as transaction advantage. To success and failure, psychic distance and learning, strategic decision making process, degree of adaptation of retail offer, entry strategy, characteristics of organization and management characteristics are the influencing factors on internationalization of IKEA in the Japanese and Chinese markets.</p>

Much research has shown that Born Global firms are an important component of the global economy today. The Born Global firms bring innovations and welfare to the nations that they establish themselves in as well as make the world a more integrated place. Since these firms are important, they also face many difficulties on the global market, and in general the survival rate of these firms is considered lower, in comparison to the firms that use the more traditional way of internationalize. Therefore the motivations behind these firms can be useful to bring more welfare and development to the world market, as well as an understanding of the main factors behind the fast internationalization process. This thesis is based on the work of Andersson and Wictor (2003), model of the four influence factors governing Born Global firms; the globalization, the entrepreneur, the industry and the network. This thesis incorporates two other aspects of motivation, the resource perspective and the governmental, and has viewed four cases from four different industries in a qualitative case study.     This thesis demonstrates that there are two motivational factors which are above the others, The Entrepreneur(s) as well as the Industry and Market factors. Besides these two, three other sub - themes, the strategic alliances, the resource orientation as well as the knowledge as a resource of the entrepreneur, were found to be of importance. This thesis examines the main motivating factors of fast internationalization, as well as establishing the roles of the influence.

Date: June 4, 2008 Level: Master Thesis EFO705, 10 points (15 credits) Authors: Wannapa Chaletanone (05-11-1982, Thailand) Wanee Cheancharadpong (03-09-1983, Thailand) Title: Internationalization of IKEA in the Japanese and Chinese markets Supervisor: Leif Linnskog Problems: Why did IKEA internationalize into Japanese and Chinese markets? And what factors did influence IKEA’s success in Chinese market but failure in the Japanese market of the first round? Purpose: The aim of thesis is to understand the internationalization of IKEA in Asia by comparing between Japanese and Chinese markets. Method: This master thesis based on qualitative approach in order to investigate the internationalization of IKEA in Asian markets as a case study since it is beneficial in understanding the observation and explanation of behavior in the certain cases. Conclusion: IKEA is considered as retailer internationalization who expands into Japanese market as a result of deregulation and asset-based advantage while internationalize into Chinese market because of supporting environments such as political, social and economic conditions as well as transaction advantage. To success and failure, psychic distance and learning, strategic decision making process, degree of adaptation of retail offer, entry strategy, characteristics of organization and management characteristics are the influencing factors on internationalization of IKEA in the Japanese and Chinese markets.