Background and problem: There are strong incentives for Swedish retail companies to establish their business in Japan. With its 128 million inhabitants the country accounts for 40 percent of the total world consumption of luxury goods and is the world’s largest importer of foreign fashion. Moreover, Japan is the second largest retail market in the world. However, as a company in a foreign market there are many obstacles to overcome. A Swedish retail company aiming to enter the Japanese market does not have the same insight and knowledge into the formal and informal institutions in the country as a domestic company might have. Furthermore, Japan is experiencing complaints from both business organisations and foreign politicians regarding the trade practices in the country arguing that the Japanese market is not receptive enough to Western products. A company that moreover aims to enter markets where both the cultural and actual distance is far away from the business’ home country shall preferably realize the complexity of such a decision and be as prepared as possible. Purpose: The purpose of the study is that “through a literary study identify and provide a deeper understanding of the major entry barriers a Swedish retail company may encounter when entering the Japanese market”. The following research questions were developed in order to reach the purpose: “What are the main industry and institution-based barriers a Swedish retail company may encounter when establishing its business in Japan?” and “What are the main cultural barriers a Swedish retail company may encounter when establishing its business in Japan?”Methodology: When conducting the study, a descriptive research approach has been used. The study is of a qualitative nature and the design of the study is a descriptive literary study. Performing a literary study involves the collection of data from already published scientific articles, journals and dissertations. The data used for this study consist of eight scientific articles and journals and one dissertation. Conclusions: The analysis was based on the theories, which explains a company’s decisions of where, when and how to enter a foreign market as well as theories that explains a nation’s cultural impact on an organisation. Based on the findings the results were divided into two sections. The study reached the conclusion that among the industry and institution-based barriers the high level of rivalry among firms, the high level of bargaining power of suppliers, the high standards regarding quality and service, regulatory risks, trade barriers and institutional norms were the most important barriers to market entry for foreign companies in Japan. The most important cultural barriers to market entry in Japan were the high level of collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity in the country. / Program: Master in Fashion Management with specialisation in Fashion Marketing and Retailing

The goals of the master thesis are describing the strategic oligopoly environment of chosen industry of Czech telecommunications, together with introducing basic game theory principles with their possible real case application. It mentions historical shifts in Czech telecommunications sector which influence the actual industry conditions. The thesis briefly describes the individual players in the market and turns its attention towards the industry characterization through standard oligopoly models. Following, it introduces theoretical insight on possible market entry strategies into oligopoly industries. The application part focuses on game-theory in pricing strategies, market entry and entry deterring scenarios with examples. Final part summarizes the objectives in detail and provides final comments on the thesis.

<p>The objective of this thesis is to find factors that can be helpful for Swedish companies that are thinking about entering the Kurdish market. The Kurdish market is a new and growing market in a region that is in its development phase. The Kurdish region has an area of 88 000 km2 and is located in northern Iraq and the languages spoken in the region are mainly Kurdish and Arabic. Since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003 the region has made an effort to attract foreign investors to the region. The efforts include laws designed to make it easier for investors to establish themselves on the Kurdish market. We thought it would be interesting to examine the Kurdish market to find out important factors that might be of interest for Swedish firms. In a globalized economy it is important to internationalize in order to meet the competition that comes from a globalized economy. So what factors could constitute an obstacle for a successful internationalization to the Kurdish market?</p><p>Through contact with representatives from Kurdistan regional government (KRG) we have managed to interview four Swedish firms that already have established themselves on the market. We have used a semi-structured interview technique to conduct the interviews. To get a perspective on how the internationalization process progress, we have gathered information about the process. This information resulted in an interview guide that covered the aspects of internationalization and was a useful tool for us during the interviews.</p><p>As a result from our investigation we conclude that the Kurdish market is a promising market if your company is active in the right field of business, though there are some issues that one has to be aware of and it is important to handle these correctly for a successful business on the market. Through our analysis we have contributed with some new aspects that are specific for the Kurdish market and may also be of importance on other markets as well.</p>

<p>Background: Globalisation and technology creates an impact in the business world an economy thus leadsmany countries, such as Sweden to encourage foreign investments in their nation by promotion and providing assistance. This phenomenon brings about not only a global market place for firms but also opportunities for individual entrepreneurs with wider business horizon. In this thesis, these individuals are defined as international entrepreneurs. Without prior resources and business networks as of established firms, it is undeniable that an international entrepreneur would face various difficulties when they start their businesses away from home. Networking can be an important tool in gaining opportunities and resources in starting a business abroad thus it may be essential for international entrepreneurs to play a leading role in accessing networks in the hosting country to gain resources. Networks contribute to the dynamism of market entry. Market entry is not just described as ways of entry but could be described as a process and it could be illustrated in three phases: “Opportunity-seeking phase”, “Establishment phase” and “Realized Process phase”</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation is to understand “how international entrepreneurs managed market entry process in network approach in Sweden”.</p><p>Method: A qualitative method approach has been used to achieve the purpose of the thesis. For gaining a better understanding of the topic, authors chose case study and conducted semi-structured interviews to collect data and analyzed it to draw a conclusion.</p><p>Conclusion: The case study led us to find out an inter relations in the growing number and changes of types of networks as the market entry process reached its point of realisation. Further to that, there are some similarities in foreign market entry process of an established firm as compared to an individual entrepreneur, the difference being the types of networks.</p><p>Contribution: This thesis would create a better understanding on individual entrepreneurs venturing overseas in particular, the Swedish market. As the focus is on market entry process in networks perspective, this research could benefit potential entrepreneurs and business students.</p>

This study seeks to understand the scope and types of public relations practices in Japan, how public relations practices of Japanese and foreign companies differ, how media respond differently to the public relations activities of Japanese and foreign companies, and how "foreignness" affects public relations activities of multinational enterprises in Japan. The sole academic journal in the field of public relations in Japan and the single commercially published public relations industry magazine were submitted to an empirical content analysis. Additionally, three cases of contest for corporate control, two of which were between an American activist fund and a Japanese company, and one between a Japanese investment fund and a Japanese company, were analyzed using a case study approach. Press releases and newspaper articles about these cases were also content analyzed. The results show that among public relations activities, crisis category appeared the most frequently in the public relations industry journal and corporate communication category appeared the most frequently in the public relations academic journal. The analysis of the cases shows that the American fund at first faced problems communicating with its stakeholders but improved its communication activities in subsequent years with better results. The content analysis of the press releases shows that American fund uses more quotes and persuasive messages in the press releases and Japanese newspapers do not treat domestic and foreign entities differently. The overall results confirm the importance of culture in public relations practices.

“Regional Policy in a Multiregional Setting: When the Poorest are Hurt by Subsidies” Regional subsidies have a positive short-term effect on the recipient regions, but as they alter migration patterns the long-term effects are less clear. This paper demonstrates using a three-region general equilibrium model that subsidising the poorest region may be to its detriment in the long term and thereby increase inter-regional inequality, if the subsidy draws firms from a nearby region that would function better as a production centre. The result has important implications for the design of regional policies, which are often applied simply according to per-capita incomes.  “Learning to Export and the Timing of Entry to Export Markets” Standard trade models are essentially static and do not explain why entry to export markets would be delayed after the instant a firm is formed. This paper proposes a model that endogenously generates the timing of entry to new markets through a learning mechanism. Firms in the model gain experience by entering markets, which eases entry to subsequent markets. The mechanism motivates delays in entry to some markets. More productive firms are less sensitive to the learning effect and thus enter markets sooner and begin by exporting to larger markets. These predictions are confirmed using Swedish firm-level data.  “Airports and the Production of Goods and Services” This paper estimates the effects of airport infrastructure on local employment in certain sectors, using data from the United States. Airport sizes are instrumented for using the 1944 National Airport Plan of the Civil Aeronautics Administration. Airport size is found to have a positive effect on local employment in tradable services, with an elasticity of approximately 0.1, and a negative effect on manufacturing. There is no measurable effect on non-tradable services. The results are relevant to the evaluation of airport improvement projects, which are often carried out using public funds.

Businesses today are constantly on the lookout for new investment opportunities. Often, they have to move away from their home market and enter new countries in order to continue to grow. One question that is sometimes omitted when planning such moves is that of corruption. Especially when moving into transition economies, the issue of corruption can be an obscure and complex one, on which little research has been made to date. Russia is one such economy, with a huge investment potential, but very unclear rules about how business is and should be conducted. It would be interesting to see to what extent corruption in Russia has affected Swedish companies’ entry strategies in the Russian market. The method chosen for the purpose of this thesis was to conduct a survey of 20 Swedish firms currently present in Russia. We also conducted interviews with 3 experts in the field of Russian business, and one representative of a Swedish firm considering expanding their operations in Russia. This combination of quantitative and qualitative methods would allow us to look at things from different perspectives and get a better view of the state of corruption in Russia. The interviews were in some cases conducted in person, allowing for a broader and less formal discussion of the topic, helping the authors gain more insight and generate new ideas to be used in the paper. The authors found that Swedish companies operating in Russia usually attribute little importance to the issue of corruption during the planning stages of the market penetration strategy. Many of these firms did encounter corruption at later stages of market penetration, and were forced to rethink their strategies accordingly, showing that corruption affect entry strategies to a great extent. It was concluded that the most appropriate method for Swedish firms to enter the Russian market is through fully-owned subsidiaries, with the assistance of local consulting agencies, which provide help when dealing with those areas where corruption is most likely to exist.

The objective of this thesis is to find factors that can be helpful for Swedish companies that are thinking about entering the Kurdish market. The Kurdish market is a new and growing market in a region that is in its development phase. The Kurdish region has an area of 88 000 km2 and is located in northern Iraq and the languages spoken in the region are mainly Kurdish and Arabic. Since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003 the region has made an effort to attract foreign investors to the region. The efforts include laws designed to make it easier for investors to establish themselves on the Kurdish market. We thought it would be interesting to examine the Kurdish market to find out important factors that might be of interest for Swedish firms. In a globalized economy it is important to internationalize in order to meet the competition that comes from a globalized economy. So what factors could constitute an obstacle for a successful internationalization to the Kurdish market? Through contact with representatives from Kurdistan regional government (KRG) we have managed to interview four Swedish firms that already have established themselves on the market. We have used a semi-structured interview technique to conduct the interviews. To get a perspective on how the internationalization process progress, we have gathered information about the process. This information resulted in an interview guide that covered the aspects of internationalization and was a useful tool for us during the interviews. As a result from our investigation we conclude that the Kurdish market is a promising market if your company is active in the right field of business, though there are some issues that one has to be aware of and it is important to handle these correctly for a successful business on the market. Through our analysis we have contributed with some new aspects that are specific for the Kurdish market and may also be of importance on other markets as well.

Background: Globalisation and technology creates an impact in the business world an economy thus leadsmany countries, such as Sweden to encourage foreign investments in their nation by promotion and providing assistance. This phenomenon brings about not only a global market place for firms but also opportunities for individual entrepreneurs with wider business horizon. In this thesis, these individuals are defined as international entrepreneurs. Without prior resources and business networks as of established firms, it is undeniable that an international entrepreneur would face various difficulties when they start their businesses away from home. Networking can be an important tool in gaining opportunities and resources in starting a business abroad thus it may be essential for international entrepreneurs to play a leading role in accessing networks in the hosting country to gain resources. Networks contribute to the dynamism of market entry. Market entry is not just described as ways of entry but could be described as a process and it could be illustrated in three phases: “Opportunity-seeking phase”, “Establishment phase” and “Realized Process phase” Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation is to understand “how international entrepreneurs managed market entry process in network approach in Sweden”. Method: A qualitative method approach has been used to achieve the purpose of the thesis. For gaining a better understanding of the topic, authors chose case study and conducted semi-structured interviews to collect data and analyzed it to draw a conclusion. Conclusion: The case study led us to find out an inter relations in the growing number and changes of types of networks as the market entry process reached its point of realisation. Further to that, there are some similarities in foreign market entry process of an established firm as compared to an individual entrepreneur, the difference being the types of networks. Contribution: This thesis would create a better understanding on individual entrepreneurs venturing overseas in particular, the Swedish market. As the focus is on market entry process in networks perspective, this research could benefit potential entrepreneurs and business students.

Internationalisation is today part of every firm’s reality and impossible to deny. Researchers have developed several models and theories concerning this topic describing firms internationalisation in terms of innovation models, behavioural-, sequential-, and learning processes. However, there is a lack of export research for small firms that are practically oriented towards a specific market. Small firms often lack the resources and time to investigate new markets. We have seen an empirically driven need for research about entry strategies due to a request from a Swedish design company. The Japanese economy is the second largest in the world with a population interested in consumer goods such as design products and services. During the last years, the fascination for western cultures, Swedish design and lifestyle has grown. Due to this, it is interesting for small Swedish design firms to examine the Japanese market. The purpose of the thesis is to empirically examine small Swedish design firms’ internationalisation process to Japan. Appropriate export entry strategies will be evaluated in order to find suitable suggestions for other design firms with similar characteristics that wish to expand to Japan. To fulfil this purpose, a qualitative method with an orientation towards induction was used. Primary data was gathered by interviews with five Swedish design firms with experiences from Japanese market penetration. To approach the Japanese market and entry strategies from another perspective, complementary information and interviews were conducted with for example the manager at Swedish Trade Council Japan, and the founder of the agent association Japan Porten. Internationalisation theories, export entry strategies, and theory about the Japanese market have also been presented. As a result of the theory chapter, research questions rose concerning what international entry strategy this type of companies should use. What entry mode and distribution channels are most appropriate, how should the marketing plan be composed and what other things should to be considered before a Japanese market entry? A cross-analysis was then made contrasting and comparing theory and empirical data in order to reach conclusions. The conclusion gives suggestions about what steps small Swedish design firms should take after they have decided to enter Japan. We have found evidence during this research process that suggests them to use a direct entry mode, contracting an agent or distributor. To get in contact with business partners, the companies can participate in trade fairs or events, promote themselves through magazines, and take help from the Swedish Trade Council. Products should be slightly adjusted to the Japanese market, especially in terms of physical size and packaging materials that has to be flawless and professional. The price can be set higher than in Sweden and the company should position themselves as high quality producers. Swedish design, originality, and handicraft tradition should be promoted. Further, the Japanese business culture has to be respected, where negotiation manners, honesty and politeness should be considered. The companies also have to bear in mind that things take time in Japan and it is important to develop personal life-lasting relationships.