Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate what marketing measures stores carry out to attract and simplify the purchase for the Chinese customer.  Completion: A qualitative study has been conducted focusing on how Chinese tourism has affected the Swedish retail trade. The study is based on a total of twelve different respondents who are localized in the Stockholm area. A total of 9 semi-structured interviews were conducted and 2 email correspondence. Nine of these consist of retail stores, the rest of which consists of a marketing company that focuses on the Chinese market, a Chinese newspaper independent of China and a communications company for the Swedish tourism industry.  Results: The findings of the study show that there are indications and a rising interest in introducing Chinese social media and payment methods in the future. This is mainly due to the fact of the observed increase of Chinese customers as well as this group accounting for 45% of Sweden’s total tax-free trade. Among the respondents, only three shops have adopted the payment methods today and one has been present on WeChat. / Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka marknadsföringsåtgärder butiker genomför för att attrahera och förenkla kinesernas köp Genomförande: En kvalitativ studie har genomförts med fokus på hur den kinesiska turismen har påverkat den svenska detaljhandeln. Studien baseras på totalt tolv olika respondenter som befinner sig i Stockholmsområdet. Nio av dessa består av butiker inom retail branschen, resterande består av ett marknadsföringsföretag som fokuserar på denna marknad, en kinesisk tidning oberoende av Kina samt ett kommunikationsföretag för svensk turistnäring. Det utfördes en systematisk tematisering av det insamlande materialet. Slutsats: Denna studie fann att bland de intervjuade butikerna var det endast 3 butiker idag som har antagit de kinesiskabetalningsmetoderna och att en använder sig av Kinas sociala medieapp, WeChat. Resterande respondenter meddelade att det finns funderingar på att införa dessa i framtiden då det observerat en stor ökning av kinesiska kunder under de senaste åren samt att denna grupp enligt Global Blue står för 45% av Sveriges totala tax free handel.

The Chinese outbound tourism is expected to boost within a near future. Recently the market has been very closed due to legislation but as China develops and people are getting richer the demand for travelling abroad increases and the government has to let go of the regulations. In order for the Swedish tourism industry to benefit from the growing market, Sweden has to increase the awareness of the nation as a destination among the Chinese. Through qualitative research we aim investigate how Sweden through nation branding and marketing can increase its share of the Chinese outbound tourism. Except for nation branding a variety of marketing and branding tools are available. Two significant concepts are tourism marketing and destination branding. By utilizing all these different tools or concepts Sweden can raise the awareness of the nation as a possible tourism destination for Chinese outbound tourism. In order to create a comprehensive picture of the market we have also researched the general background of China and the nature of Chinese tourism. VisitSweden and the Swedish Institute are two organizations already working with these concepts and other similar strategies and are herefore a natural part of this study. Scandinavian Perspectives and Miki Travel are two major travel agencies bringing Chinese tourists to Sweden and therefore possess great knowledge of the areas of interest. Therefore representatives from these organisations are involved in the empirical findings. In order to get the whole picture Chinese citizens and Chinese students are interviewed about their perception of Sweden and tourism preferences. The main conclusion of the thesis is that the different actors need to cooperate more and promote certain aspects of Sweden, for example Culture. Even a few obstacles that should be alleviated are identified.

This paper investigates what factors affect the destination choice for Jordanian to 8 countries (Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, Lebanon and Bahrain) using panel data analysis. Number of outbound tourists is represented as dependent variable, which is regressed over five explanatory variables using fixed effect model. The finding of this paper is that tourists from Jordan have weak demand for outbound tourism; Jordanian decision of traveling abroad is determined by the cost of traveling to different places and choosing the cheapest alternative.

<p>The Chinese outbound tourism is expected to boost within a near future. Recently the market has been very closed due to legislation but as China develops and people are getting richer the demand for travelling abroad increases and the government has to let go of the regulations.</p><p>In order for the Swedish tourism industry to benefit from the growing market, Sweden has to increase the awareness of the nation as a destination among the Chinese.</p><p>Through qualitative research we aim investigate how Sweden through nation branding and marketing can increase its share of the Chinese outbound tourism.</p><p>Except for nation branding a variety of marketing and branding tools are available. Two significant concepts are tourism marketing and destination branding. By utilizing all these different tools or concepts Sweden can raise the awareness of the nation as a possible tourism destination for Chinese outbound tourism. In order to create a comprehensive picture of the market we have also researched the general background of China and the nature of Chinese tourism.</p><p>VisitSweden and the Swedish Institute are two organizations already working with these concepts and other similar strategies and are herefore a natural part of this study. Scandinavian Perspectives and Miki Travel are two major travel agencies bringing Chinese tourists to Sweden and therefore possess great knowledge of the areas of interest. Therefore representatives from these organisations are involved in the empirical findings.</p><p>In order to get the whole picture Chinese citizens and Chinese students are interviewed about their perception of Sweden and tourism preferences.</p><p>The main conclusion of the thesis is that the different actors need to cooperate more and promote certain aspects of Sweden, for example Culture. Even a few obstacles that should be alleviated are identified.</p>

The South African pharmaceutical market is seen as part of the so called "pharmerging" markets, together with countries like India, China and Brazil. These "pharmerging" markets are the fastest growing markets within the global pharmaceutical industry. The distribution of chronic medicine in South Africa is a growing market, as the disease burden in South Africa continues to escalate, with the incidence of chronic conditions growing at a rapid rate. The study will focus on one of South Africa’s pioneer courier medication service providers, with more than twenty years’ experience in the healthcare industry. The company will be referred to as Pharmacy X. The mission of Pharmacy X is to provide the right chronic medication, to the right patient, at the right place, at the right time. It is imperative to ensure that a patient receives his/her chronic medication on the scheduled date of delivery to ensure compliance and customer satisfaction. To achieve a competitive advantage, companies increasingly depend on their supply chain partners to minimize cost and improve business processes. The core value chain activity of outbound logistics has been outsourced by Pharmacy X to several courier companies. This study will aim to understand the importance of the outbound logistics function within the value chain of the company and the costs involved with the outsourcing of the function. The primary objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of an in-house courier operation in the Bloemfontein area versus the current outsourced courier model. In order to achieve the primary objective of the study, several secondary objectives were set and reached throughout the four chapters of this study. The study applied cost benefit analysis techniques to determine the feasibility of the Bloemfontein courier investment project. All the cost benefit analysis techniques concluded that the Bloemfontein courier investment will be a financial viable operation. The Bloemfontein courier investment will increase shareholder value over the period of the project compared to the current outsourced model. The contribution of this case study to determine the feasibility of a courier operation investment can be of value to Pharmacy X. The current projected total courier cost of Pharmacy X for the 2013 financial year amounts to more than a third of the total operational cost. The findings within the case study can lead to a greater national roll out of courier operations in order to reduce costs and increase profit margins for Pharmacy X. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The South African pharmaceutical market is seen as part of the so called "pharmerging" markets, together with countries like India, China and Brazil. These "pharmerging" markets are the fastest growing markets within the global pharmaceutical industry. The distribution of chronic medicine in South Africa is a growing market, as the disease burden in South Africa continues to escalate, with the incidence of chronic conditions growing at a rapid rate. The study will focus on one of South Africa’s pioneer courier medication service providers, with more than twenty years’ experience in the healthcare industry. The company will be referred to as Pharmacy X. The mission of Pharmacy X is to provide the right chronic medication, to the right patient, at the right place, at the right time. It is imperative to ensure that a patient receives his/her chronic medication on the scheduled date of delivery to ensure compliance and customer satisfaction. To achieve a competitive advantage, companies increasingly depend on their supply chain partners to minimize cost and improve business processes. The core value chain activity of outbound logistics has been outsourced by Pharmacy X to several courier companies. This study will aim to understand the importance of the outbound logistics function within the value chain of the company and the costs involved with the outsourcing of the function. The primary objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of an in-house courier operation in the Bloemfontein area versus the current outsourced courier model. In order to achieve the primary objective of the study, several secondary objectives were set and reached throughout the four chapters of this study. The study applied cost benefit analysis techniques to determine the feasibility of the Bloemfontein courier investment project. All the cost benefit analysis techniques concluded that the Bloemfontein courier investment will be a financial viable operation. The Bloemfontein courier investment will increase shareholder value over the period of the project compared to the current outsourced model. The contribution of this case study to determine the feasibility of a courier operation investment can be of value to Pharmacy X. The current projected total courier cost of Pharmacy X for the 2013 financial year amounts to more than a third of the total operational cost. The findings within the case study can lead to a greater national roll out of courier operations in order to reduce costs and increase profit margins for Pharmacy X. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

As globalization processes, an increasing number of companies use mergers and acquisitions as a tool to achieve company growth in the international business world. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the process of an international M&amp;A and analyze the factors leading to success. The research started with reviewing different academic theory. The important aspects in both pre-M&amp;A phase and post-M&amp;A phase have been studied in depth. Because of the complexity in international M&amp;A, a qualitative method has been used in the research. The empirical findings of the case study have mainly been collected from.semi-structured interviews. The investigation shows that an international M&amp;A is a tried-and-tested process from initial identification to integration. The process can be summarized into five steps: identification, evaluation, negotiation, implementation and integration. The important factors contributing to the success of international M&amp;As are found to be corporate selection capability, cultural differences, human resources and communication.

Thesis advisor: Laura . Rumbley / Thesis advisor: Hans . de Wit / Internationalization of higher education continues to transform the field of post-secondary education around the world. Student mobility, and specifically study abroad, operates as tool of internationalization that receives a lot of attention from institutions, nations, and students alike. Support for studying abroad is rooted in the many benefits, including but not limited: exposure to new cultures and perspectives, improvement of foreign language skills, development of independence and personal confidence, and expansion of problem solving skills. However, the transition back home after an experience abroad can often be a difficult experience for students who lack intentional and specific support through their institution. This re-entry period is often overlooked by institutions, however, it is a part of a student’s study abroad experience and should be supported as such through resources and programming for returned students. American Jesuit institutions in particular promote participation in study abroad as it aligns with the Jesuit mission and values rooted in serving God through serving others. As institutions that place a high value on engaging with the world and a holistic view of the educational experience, American Jesuit institutions have an obligation to support students through re-entry. This study looks at how these institutions support students as they return from abroad, the major challenges they face, how they integrate Jesuit values into their support, and what can be done in the future. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Abstract Purpose The primary and initial aim of the research paper is to highlight the automation and digitalization in the supply chain management of textile industry. The context compared traditional and digitalized supply chain in the textile industry for digitalization. Research (Methodology/Design) The researcher adopted a qualitative approach to conduct the research on the provided topic of supply chain management. The findings and results of the research are provided based on the structured interviews conducted by the researchers. The evidence-based results will be used for porbing out the basic problems and future recommendations. Findings The finding of the research stated that a variety of challenges was being faced by the textile industry in achieving the supply chain goals and objectives utilizing traditional methods of processing. Based on the reviews presented by interview participants, the traditional model implemented in the textile industry was not strong enough and the industry faces issues and challenges. The modern models, techniques, and methods are presented in order to tackle the issues being faced by the textile industry. The research paper argues that the implementation of modern and innovative textile technology should be ensured to speed up the SCM mechanism. Value/worth The study reflected and presented useful and deep insight regarding the comparison of traditional and modern supply chain management. The digitalization that occurred in the textile industry is also highlighted in the research paper. The research also proposed a modern model and technique of supply chain that can be implemented in the textile supply chain in order to enhance the overall supply chain process. Keywords – Textile industry, Supply Chain, Digitalization, Mobility, Inbound Logistics, Outbound Logistics

Abstract Title: Case study: Lean in Outnorth's outbound process Researchers: Jana Gustafsson, Alison Karlsson &amp; Ellen Wiss Gullberg Examinator: Helena Forslund Supervisor: Fredrik Lindblad   Background: At the company Outnorth the outbound process, picking and packing to customer, is of great importance. Working with Lean, meaning the strive to eliminate waste, has begun in their outbound process and the researchers had the possibility to complement Outbound's ongoing work. Through mapping a flowchart of the current process different kinds of waste were identified. Then recommendations of which Lean tools to implement were made in order to reduce the wastes in the outbound process.   Purpose: The study's purpose is to, through a status report of the outbound process at Outnorth, identify logistic improvement possibilities and to suggest solutions through the Lean perspective.   Research questions: (1) What does the current outbound process at Outnorth look like? (2) What wastes are identified in the outbound process at Outnorth according to Lean? (3) How can the improvement possibilities in the outbound process at Outnorth be implemented through the use of Lean?   Method: Through interviews, the outbound process was mapped out in a process flowchart. Through further interviews and surveys, different forms of waste according to Lean could be identified in the outbound process. Finally, theory about Lean was used in order to show how the different kinds of waste can be handled.   Conclusion:There are forms of waste according to Lean in Outnorth's outbound process and many of these can be eliminated through the use of Lean tools.   Keywords: Lean, Lean tools, 5S, five why, process, process flowchart and outbound.