This diploma thesis is dealing with integration of employees in multicultural environment. It defines terms related to the subject: culture, company culture, working group, intercultural communication and intercultural integration. It contains analysis of real multicultural environment, represented by one team of IBM office in Brno. In the end, this thesis offers some improvements for better efficiency of intercultural integration in this team.

Corporate entrepreneurship is dedicated to the continuous exploration of opportunities and leveraging innovation activities to achieve a competitive advantage, improved performance, and prosperity of companies. The problem is that the complex reality of multinational corporations is creating distinct obstacles for subsidiary managers who are attempting to develop and promote entrepreneurial activities. The purpose of this qualitative analytic autoethnographic study was to explore barriers and enablers for corporate entrepreneurship ‎practice by focusing on the individual and organizational processes, culture, and lessons learned from entrepreneurial activities that took place at the selected organization during the last decade. The interviews with 9 participants, who were involved in the activities covered by the study, served to reflect the researcher’s narrative and strengthen the reliability and trustworthiness of the results. The study results are based on the contextual data analysis and involved identified barriers in organizational, cultural, and business environments along with the specific manager’s actions and organizational processes for overcoming them. Findings showed that despite the obstacles in the subsidiary’s internal and external environments, one could achieve acknowledging the value of the subsidiary’s innovation activities and establish foundations for the practice of corporate entrepreneurship. The adaption of the study findings is expected to catalyze social change and strengthen the positive impact of entrepreneurial activities on employees’ motivation and job satisfaction, innovativeness, sustainability, and growth of companies and national economies.

ABSTRACTDate: Seminar Date: 2 June 2020, Submission Date: 7 June 2020Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 crInstitution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen UniversityAuthors: Gabriel Arteaga Fakhri Qusay Shehab Christine Katusabe Mukidi(96/03/31) (99/01/05) (97/05/15)Title: Global Value Chains, the effects and responses of Multinational Enterprises in a crisis environment: A case study on the effects of the COVID-19 crisisTutor: Edward GillmoreKeywords: Global Value Chain, Contingency, Resource-based Management, Global Crisis, Multinational EnterprisesResearch questions:RQ 1: How does a global crisis affect the parts of multinational enterprises’ global value chain?RQ 2: How do multinational enterprises respond to a global crisis with their functions and actions?Purpose: This study seeks to gain in-depth understanding of how a global crisis can affect an MNE’s production and what response an MNE can use to mitigate the consequences of a global crisis.Method: The method consisted of an abductive approach with the combination of secondary data and semi-structured qualitative interviews with varied top- and middle-level managers within the chosen MNE, to help answer the research questions of the thesis.Conclusion: The global crisis disrupted parts of the MNE’s GVCs and affected demand, business relationships and caused production facilities to shut down. Since the GVCs are being impacted, the COVID-19 crisis has also impacted the way in which an MNE operates. Both MNEs showed the importance of flexibility and adapted their strategies and operations as the crisis progressed.

This study describes the factors that drive competitiveness between local firms and multinational enterprises (MNE) in a retail consumer market of an emerging country. It also seeks to identify the approaches and strategies the competitors consider and adopt to maintain the advantage in the consumer market.The objective of this study is to identify the factors local firms and MNE’s will consider when competing with each other. The study also wants to identify the preferred mode of entry of MNE’s.The study will be a quantitative study where relationships between competitors and their performance in the market are measured.The results revealed that local firms do have a competitive advantage over MNE’s in the retail consumer market due to the local firm’s knowledge of the market, rather than the technology and skills. It’s also clear that MNE have a preferred mode of entry and they chose to compete in the industries where they are stronger than the local firms. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The purpose of this thesis was to analyze culture’s influence on emotional intelligence between Mexican and Swedish leaders among multinational teams. The theoretical chapter has presented relevant theories relating to the field of research. Starting with globalization and internationalization, continuing with leadership and management. Thereafter, emotional intelligence and culture were defined. Followed by crosscultural management and multinational teams. A conceptual framework was illustrated to understand the logic behind the concepts. To gain a deeper understanding a qualitative method was applied. Further the thesis has pursued a deductive research approach. Purposive sampling was done to ensure the quality of the thesis. Furthermore, the empirical chapter presents the cases, followed by the operationalization, to establish a coherent order. In the analysis, the empirical material is linked to the theoretical framework. Lastly, the final chapter includes conclusions, implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed. The outcome of this study has provided an understanding of the high importance of emotional intelligence amongst international business leaders. Furthermore, the findings in this thesis indicate that there are more similarities than differences regarding emotional intelligence between Mexican and Swedish leaders among multinational teams. Moreover, the thesis material emphasizes that nationality has a minor influence on emotional intelligence. It is rather other cultural aspects that have a greater impact.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a source that improves the competiveness of the host country which can be further utilised to develop the country’s own resources and capabilities. In addition, non-affiliated local firms that do not have a foreign partner improve their performance due to the spillover effects gained either through the sharing of resources, learnings or due to the increase in competition. As such, FDI is seen as an important economic growth driver in developing economies since these economies struggle to compete in the global economy.The objective of this research is to determine whether foreign ownership in a developing economy is beneficial in terms of national competiveness; reducing the income gaps; improving employment opportunities; improving the financial performance of an acquired local firm and if the foreign parent introduces new technologies into the economy. Due to the mining- and manufacturing sector being the main recipients of FDI in South Africa and both having similar operations specifically being high capital and labour intensive, these sectors were chosen for the purpose of this research. The data sample was analysed using multiple regression as it is a flexible method of data analysis that may be appropriate whenever a quantitative dependent variable needs to be examined to find a relationship with two or more independent or explanatory variables.The results indicate significant benefits for the host economy in attracting FDI into the country. The benefits seemingly outweigh the costs and the presence of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in South Africa will help it in elevating some of the socio-economic challengers like high unemployment rate and the shortage of skills through resource sharing with the MNCs. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

According to Saville (1993), the economic growth of less developed countries is impeded due to the presence of four “gaps” in these economies. However, Saville (1993), states that, by filling these gaps, developing economies are able to achieve economic growth and development. The main objective of this research is to update the study of Saville (1993) in order to determine the impact of the multinational corporation on the host economy in reference to the drivers of exogenous and endogenous growth in contribution to filling these gaps.This is a quantitative study which makes use of secondary data obtained from JSE listed firms operating in the mining sector in South Africa. Statistical regression analysis was conducted and results are compared to the previous Saville (1993) study.In summary, the results of the study are mixed however in terms of informing government policy, this study confirms the importance of FDI in emerging markets. The caveat however, firstly, is to inform policy to attract the right kinds of FDI to contribute to filling specific gaps in to achieve the required economic growth. Secondly, policy should require collaboration between MNC’s, private firms as well as public sector firms in order to share knowledge and profits in having a positive effect on social welfare and economic growth in the domestic economy. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The resource ‘curse’ is premised on an inverse relationship between mineral wealth and economic growth. The declamation pertaining to the reasons for, and exceptions to, the resource ‘curse’ remains inconclusive. MNCs are cited amongst the reasons for the resource ‘curse’, particularly in developing economies. However, Africa (and the role of MNCs) remains underrepresented in resource ‘curse’ literature. In light of this, the study’s aim is to determine how MNCs in Mozambique’s gas sector could be considered a causal channel of the resource ‘curse’, as the contest for relatively untapped natural gas reserves in Mozambique is intensifying. An exploratory case study is provided, where Phase I consisted of 11 qualitative interviews with 14 oil and gas experts while Phase II analysed secondary data in the form of public documents and audio-visual materials, intended to supplement and verify the interview data. The results reveal that MNCs (i) promote and prioritize their CSR initiatives to mask their inability (or unwillingness) to adhere to local content directives and (ii) leverage the diplomatic relationships of their home country government to supersede the host country’s sovereignty. Moreover, the Mozambican government’s cultural practices exacerbated the prospects of a resource ‘curse’ outcome. The study concludes that the MNC, in the case of Africa, in particular Mozambique and Angola, is indeed a channel of the resource ‘curse’. / Mini Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MPhil (International Business) / Unrestricted

Ce travail étudie la nature de la relation entre commerce et Ide sur le plan théorique et empirique. Théoriquement, il y a deux sortes de relations entre commerce et Ide: substitution et complémentarité. La nature de cette relation peut être la conséquence de facteurs exogènes, déterminant de la spécialisation des pays ou encore le résultat de la stratégie endogène des firmes multinationales dans l’organisation de leurs activités à l’échelle internationale. On parle de relation de complémentarité quand il y a un lien positif entre commerce et Ide, et de relation de substitution quand il y a un lien négatif entre commerce et Ide. Empiriquement, avec le modèle de gravité, on applique les techniques économétriques sur données annuelles de 2000 à 2014 sur les données bilatérales de 18 pays principaux investisseurs de l’OCDE, d’abord dans l’industrie manufacturière et ensuite selon les zones géographiques, avec un ensemble de 75 pays partenaires repartis dans ces différentes zones géographiques. Ces 75 pays sont constitués de, 17 autres pays de l’OCDE, 17 pays de l’Amérique Latine non OCDE, 3 pays de l’Europe de l’Est non OCDE et 38 pays de l’Asie non OCDE. Pour l’analyse du secteur manufacturier, on trouve en exportation comme en importation, une relation de complémentarité entre commerce et Ide. Pour l’analyse par zone géographique, on trouve en exportation comme en importation, une relation de substitution pour la zone OCDE et l’Amérique Latine non OCDE et une relation de complémentarité pour la zone Europe de l’Est non OCDE. Cependant pour la zone Asie non OCDE, on trouve une relation de substitution en exportation et une relation de complémentarité en importation. / This paper studies the nature of the relationship between international trade and foreign trade direct investment, both theoretically and empirically. Theoretically, there is in general two sorts of relations between international trade and direct foreign investment: substitution and complementarity. The nature of that relation may either be the consequence of exogenous factors, determinants of country specialization or the result of endogenous strategy of multinational firms in the organization of their activities internationally. We speak of complementarity relation when there is a positive link between international trade and investment, and substitution relation when there is a negative link between international trade and investment. Empirically, with the gravity model, we apply econometric technics on yearly data of the panel during 2000 and 2014 period on bilateral data of eighteen countries main investors of OECD, at first in manufacturer industry and then depending on geographical areas, with a set of seventy-five countries divided up in these geographical areas. The seventy-five partner countries consist of seventeen other countries of OECD, seventeen Latin America countries non-OECD, three eastern European countries non-OECD, and thirty-eight Asian countries non- OECD. Regarding the analysis of the geographical area, the estimations point out, in exportation as in importation, a substitution relation for the OECD area and Latin America non-OECD area and a complementarity relation for eastern European non-OECD area. However, for Asian non-OECD area, the estimations show, a substitution relation in exportation and a complementarity relation in importation.

Banks perform the essential economic task of collecting funds from net savers (such as households) and lending funds to net borrowers (such as firms). In doing so, banks transform assets with respect to size, maturity, and risk. As a result, banks are exposed to a variety of risks. This thesis consists of two parts where particular aspects of bank risk are discussed. The first part is concerned with the question how banks themselves deal with certain aspects of bank risk by using the interbank market. An important issue for bank risk and financial stability is the structure of interbank markets and thus the determinants of banks' choice of their interbank market partner. Information between banks is a crucial factor for explaining bank behavior. More precisely, heterogeneity in information can explain the formation of widely observed structures. Another important issue concerns the conditions under which an interbank trade takes place once a bank has found an interbank market partner. The central bank is able to influence these conditions, for example, by adapting the policy rates related with the standing facilities. Contrary to the current belief, it is shown that not only a narrow but also a wide corridor between these policy rates can prevent interbank lending. The second part of the thesis is concerned with the question how regulators deal with certain aspects of bank risk when banks are internationally active. Regulation of multinational banks causes regulatory externalities from the country which is responsible for the bank's supervision to other countries where the bank is active. An obvious way to internalize these externalities is the setting-up of a banking union. The incentive of a single country to join a banking union depends on the size and structure of the banking sector. This can be verified by considering the current situation in the European Banking Union. Without a banking union, national regulators do not internalize regulatory externalities. This may result in a “race to the top” in regulatory standards because higher regulatory standards imply a saver banking sector and relocate losses to the foreign country.