The phenomenon of psychic distance has been thoroughly researched regarding its influence on the internationalization patterns of firms into foreign markets. Psychic distance has been determined by a plethora of existing literature as an inhibitor to trade; however, much of this research only takes on the perspective of the firm. The construct of psychic distance has primarily been examined on the supply side, while a lack of literature exists examining the impact of psychic distance from the consumer’s perspective. Furthermore, the academic world has devoted little attention to applying the psychic distance construct to e-commerce, especially in terms of retail. Due to the continuously rising significance of e-commerce, especially in terms of cross-border retail, understanding the way in which consumers perceive foreign international online vendors (IOVs) is essential to business success. This thesis contributes to the existing research regarding psychic distance, by seeking to answer the following research questions: "How do varying levels of perceived psychic distance impact the online purchasing behaviors of consumers?" and "How does the impact of perceived psychic distance on purchasing behaviors vary based on consumer’s nationality?". To answer these questions, empirical data is collected through the conduct of five focus groups of varying nationalities, each either containing consumers of French, German, Swedish, Russian or Chinese nationality. The analysis of empirical data is built upon a theoretical foundation using the conceptualization of distance defined by Dow & Karunaratna (2006), consumer nationality and retailer country of origin (COO). The findings of this thesis conclude that perceived psychic distance likely has somewhat of an influence on consumer online purchasing behaviors. However, factors such as development level of retailer COO, retailer COO familiarity, development level of consumer nationality, and consumer ethnocentrism have more measurable impacts on the purchasing behaviors of consumers in the online retail context.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the service sector have gained highly important roles in the strive for growth and economic welfare. World economy changes creates both international business opportunities and pressure for small and medium enterprises to internationalise. International market selection (IMS) is considered the most vital decision when creating an internationalisation strategy. Nevertheless, the lack of both research attention and empirical insights has created a knowledge gap. Investigate how Swedish SMEs in the knowledge-intensive service sector perform their IMS. By answering the research question, this study will contribute to greater understanding in both theory and practice. The purpose is to add to theory in the field as well as contribute with an additional IMS model for this specific firm type. Through examination of previous research, three main approaches to IMS have been identified: systematic, non-systematic and relationship. The research was assessed through a qualitative design, using semi- structured interviews with five representatives from different companies. The results demonstrates the importance of maintaining and creating relationships for the IMS-process. Combining previous research, insights from practitioners and empirical findings, a size and industry specific IMS- model was developed named the Boarding Step Model.

Bakgrund Intresset för friluftsliv ökar markant inom Sverige. Det finns en enorm efterfrågan på svenska outdoorprodukter som är kända för sin kvalitet, design och funktionalitet -de har ett mycket gott rykte utomlands. Internationalisering blir en allt större del i outdoorföretagens verksamheter. Trots att valet av internationell marknad är ett av de mest centrala beslutenhar det gjorts förhållandevis lite forskning på området. Det är därför av betydelse att genomföra en studie med kvalitativ metodologi som på ett djupare och mer ingående sätt förklarar de svenska outdoorföretagens strategi vid internationella marknadsval. Vilken blir nästa marknad att träda in på och varför? Syfte Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med ökad förståelse för hur svenska outdoorföretag väljer internationella marknader. Metod Denna studie är en kvalitativ flerfallsstudie där sex svenska outdoorföretag har studerats. Vidare har insamlingen av empirin genomförts med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studien vidtar ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv med en abduktiv forskningsansats. Slutsats I slutsatsen kan det konstateras att de svenska outdoorföretagen väljer ny internationell marknad genom olika strategier. Beslutsfattandeprocessen skiljer sig något företagen emellan, en del tenderar att vara med rationella i sina beslut, medan andra företag fattar beslut grundat på intuition. Studien undersöker företagens ställningstagande till det psykiska avståndet, i form av geografiska-, kulturella-, ekonomiska-och institutionella skillnader, där företagen är eniga. Det geografiska och kulturella avståndet har knappt någon betydelse förvalet av marknad medan ekonomiska- och institutionella skillnader kan vara direkt avgörande. De centrala egenskaper som har identifierats för att kunna expandera till en ny marknad är att ha ett starkt varumärke, erfarenhet och mänskligt kapital. Genom att besvara studiens frågeställningar uppfyller studien syftet att bidra med ökad förståelse för hur svenska outdoorföretag väljer nya internationella marknader. / BACKGROUND The interest in outdoor life is significantly growing in Sweden. There is a huge demand for Swedish outdoor products as they are known for their high quality, design and functionality - they have a very good reputation abroad. Internationalisation is becoming an increasingly important part of the companies’ operations. Although the international market selection is one of the most important decisions for them, little research has been done within this area. Therefore, it is important to conduct a qualitative study that explains the Swedish outdoor companies’ strategy in international market selection, in a deeper and more detailed perspective. Which market will be the next one to enter – and why? AIM The aim of this study is to contribute to an increased understanding of how Swedish outdoor companies select new international markets. METHODOLOGY  This study is a qualitative case study in which six Swedish outdoor companies have been studied. Furthermore, the collection of the empirical data was conducted through semi-structured interviews. The study takes a hermeneutic perspective with an abductive research approach. CONCLUSION In the conclusion it can be stated that Swedish outdoor companies choose new international markets in different ways. The decision-making process differs between the studied companies. Some tend to be more rational in their decisions, while others make decisions based on intuition. The study examines the companies’ attitude to the psychic distance, in terms of geographical, cultural, economic and institutional differences, where the companies are agreed. The geographical and cultural distance has barely any meaning for the choice of a new market, while economic and institutional differences can be decisive. The key characteristics that have been identified as crucial for the expansion into a new market, are a strong brand and brand equity, experience and human capital. By answering the research questions, the study fulfills the purpose of contributing to an increased understanding of how Swedish outdoor companies select new international markets

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<p>Saudi Arabia is increasingly becoming one of the most attractive areas in the world for foreign investors. At the same time the country has a major influence on the economy in the Middle-East. However there exist reasons for why companies previously have been reluctant to enter this market, these reasons have mainly been related to political turbulence, foreign traditions and culture. In recent years some research has been dedicated to this area however there is still more to investigate.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis has thereby been to identify what problems Swedish companies have encountered when operating in Saudi Arabia in terms of psychic distance, asymmetric information and working towards mutual goals. Hence, what problems they have dealt with during the continuous work and to what extent they have managed to maintain their corporate culture.</p><p>The authors chose to conduct a deductive multiple case study including four Swedish companies with operations in Saudi Arabia, these were Abetong, IKEA, Oriflame and Tetra Pak. The research took a qualitative approach as four in-depth interviews were conducted with managers in suitable positions at respective company.</p><p>The findings of the thesis indicate that the companies to a great extent have been able to maintain their corporate culture, and the adaptations that were made were mainly related to women’s role in Saudi society. In terms of psychic distance, this is something that has been encountered to a certain extent by all of the companies. Challenges have mainly been faced within the areas of religion, political systems, culture and educational level whereas the economic development was generally perceived as an opportunity. As for problems with asymmetric information and working towards mutual goals, these have not been reflected to a greater extent within any of the companies. However the problems that have been encountered have been related to language barriers.</p>

Purpose − Previous research has shown that Swedish Small-and-Medium enterprises (SMEs) have a relatively low level of digital maturity when it comes to export, thus limiting growth potential in international markets. This study aims at investigating this phenomenon with a focus on e-commerce, as it is among the top digital channels that have a large impact on international expansion. Factors influencing the usage of e-commerce channels within internationalisation by Swedish SME fashion retailers will be investigated.  Design/methodology/approach −The overall methodology used in this study is qualitative with an abductive mode of reasoning. The study follows a case study approach using multiple cases with interviews as the primary data source. Based on literature review, thirteen factors are identified to have a certain influence on the usage of e-commerce within internationalisation. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with seven cases to examine the identified factors from literature and explore new factors if possible. Findings − The results present eleven critical factors including eight identified factors from the literature together with five newly discovered factors. They are Relative Advantage, Perceived Usefulness, Compatibility, Costs, Customer Reachability, Branding and Advertising, Time-efficiency, Technology Competence &amp; Configuration, Organisation Size, Competitive Pressure, and Main Product Features. These critical factors have various effects depending on companies’ business operations and the degree of online internationalisation. The results further confirmed that the Uppsala Model is still applicable in the context of Swedish SME fashion retailers internationalising with e-commerce.  Value − This study has contributed to the existing research on e-commerce and internationalisation in terms of the influence on firms’ e-commerce usage within internationalisation in the post-adoption phase, and under the specific business context of Swedish small-and-medium sized fashion retailers. Based on the conclusion, practical implications are offered for similar companies in this industry

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T16:45:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alexander Homenko Neto.pdf: 710741 bytes, checksum: 789fa7c3c45620256c32e5c9c4fd3307 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-05-11 / This research analyzes the factors of distance in international business from the perspective of the entrepreneur of small and medium Brazilian company. To establish the structure proposed in this work was taken as a basis for the factors of distance in international business, the CAGE framework proposed by Ghemawat (2001) and the typology of the entrepreneur, the model investigated by Andersson (2000). The sample has analyzed consisted of 30 small businesses that responded to a questionnaire on the Web (e-survey) and the method applied on this research were the correlation matrix of bivariate Pearson in a two-tailed test and the Conbach's alpha to measure the reliability to the sample. We concluded in this research that the factors of distance in international business, when analyzed in isolation, correlate differently than when analyzed according to the profile of the entrepreneur. And on the typology of the entrepreneur adopted, there is no. evidence for a profile of the entrepreneur for small and medium firm in the research sample. For future research, it was proposed extension of the structure factors of distance for international business related to the profile of the entrepreneur with, a focus not only quantitative but also qualitative / Esta pesquisa analisa os fatores de distância em negócios internacionais sob a perspectiva do empreendedor da pequena e média empresa brasileira. Para elaborar a estrutura proposta deste trabalho tomou-se como base, para os fatores de distância em, negócios internacionais, a estrutura CAGE, proposta por Ghemawat (2001) e para a tipologia do empreendedor, o modelo investigado por Andersson (2000). A amostra analisada foi composta por 30 pequenas e médias empresas que responderam a um questionário na web (e-survey) e o método aplicado à pesquisa foi a matriz de correlação bivariada de Pearson bi-caudal e para dar confiabilidade à amostra foi aplicado o teste de Alpha de Cronbach. Concluí-se nesta pesquisa que os fatores de distância em negócios internacionais, quando analisados de forma isolada, correlacionam-se de forma diferente do que quando analisados em função do perfil do empreendedor. E diante da tipologia do empreendedor adotada, não há um perfil definido de empreendedor para a pequena e média empresa na amostra da pesquisa. Para futuras pesquisas, foi proposta a extensão da estrutura dos fatores de distância para negócios internacionais relacionados ao perfil do empreendedor c,om um enfoque não somente quantitativo, mas também qualitativo

Bakgrund: Dagens samhälle är i förändring, vilket av forskare har kallats att det gått från det moderna till det postmoderna samhället (Löwendahl &amp; Revang, 1998). För företag har denna förändring bland annat inneburit att de måste internationaliseras, det vill säga starta engagemang på utländska marknader, för att överleva. Syfte: Uppsatsen syftar till att ge ett bidrag till nuvarande forskning genom att undersöka huruvida Uppsalaskolans internationaliseringsteori har ett tillfredsställande förklaringsvärde, eller om en uppdatering av denna vore att föredra. Avgränsningar: Vi avgränsar vår studie till att omfatta ett företag inom tillverkningsindustrin eftersom Uppsalaskolan bygger på en studie av tillverkningsföretag och är därmed applicerbar på denna typ av företag. Genomförande: För att kunna undersöka Uppsalaskolans förklaringsvärde, har vi utfört en kvalitativ studie av ett företags internationella engagemang genom att studera dess etablerings- samt internationaliseringsprocess. Resultat: Studiens resultat visar ett visst mönster av engagemang likt en stegvis etableringskedja i enlighet med Uppsalaskolans teori. Det förekommer dock avvikelser i form av att fallföretaget bland annat har snabbat på etableringar genom att inleda engagemangen med högre resursåtagande än vad som hävdas i teorin. Vad beträffar turordningen av val av marknader, har vi inte kunnat se något mönster av en successiv spridning till allt mer psykiskt avlägsna marknader. Beträffande de olika avvikelserna, har vi främst funnit förklaring hos nätverktänkande samt att företaget kan ha samlat på sig en generell kunskap av att vara internationellt aktiv. / Background: Changing conditions in the world market has created not only opportunities but also a stiffer competition in the domestic market. Therefore, international expansion becomes more important for companies to survive. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to evaluate whether the Uppsala internationalization theory is valid or if it needs to be brought up to date. Method: In order to fulfil the purpose, we conducted a qualitative analysis of a company’s internationalization process over time. Findings: The result of our study showed a tendency to develop engagement in foreign markets according to a step-wise establishment chain. However, deviations were seen when eg. using more direct and rapid entry modes than those implied by the Uppsala internationalization model. Our study showed no support for the pattern of entering foreign markets with successively greater psychic distance. The deviations found could though be explained by network theories and the factor of general international experience.

Saudi Arabia is increasingly becoming one of the most attractive areas in the world for foreign investors. At the same time the country has a major influence on the economy in the Middle-East. However there exist reasons for why companies previously have been reluctant to enter this market, these reasons have mainly been related to political turbulence, foreign traditions and culture. In recent years some research has been dedicated to this area however there is still more to investigate. The purpose of this thesis has thereby been to identify what problems Swedish companies have encountered when operating in Saudi Arabia in terms of psychic distance, asymmetric information and working towards mutual goals. Hence, what problems they have dealt with during the continuous work and to what extent they have managed to maintain their corporate culture. The authors chose to conduct a deductive multiple case study including four Swedish companies with operations in Saudi Arabia, these were Abetong, IKEA, Oriflame and Tetra Pak. The research took a qualitative approach as four in-depth interviews were conducted with managers in suitable positions at respective company. The findings of the thesis indicate that the companies to a great extent have been able to maintain their corporate culture, and the adaptations that were made were mainly related to women’s role in Saudi society. In terms of psychic distance, this is something that has been encountered to a certain extent by all of the companies. Challenges have mainly been faced within the areas of religion, political systems, culture and educational level whereas the economic development was generally perceived as an opportunity. As for problems with asymmetric information and working towards mutual goals, these have not been reflected to a greater extent within any of the companies. However the problems that have been encountered have been related to language barriers.

Research pertaining to the role of active online internationalization (AOI) in the context of Born Globals has been shown to be an under-researched area of study. This compelled us to explore the possible benefits and challenges that may come from pursuing AOI for Swedish Born Globals. Our theoretical framework combined literature concerning Born Globals and their rapid internationalization with the notion of learning advantages of newness and literature regarding AOI into a theoretical model. Our theoretical investigation displayed a lack of research dealing with the potential challenges of AOI; with the virtuality trap of Yamin and Sinkovics (2006) being the exception. Through abductively analyzing qualitative data collected from four Swedish Born Globals with our theoretical model, we arrived at a number of empirically testable propositions that highlight the effects of using AOI for Swedish Born Globals. Our analysis leads to the conclusion that there are more challenges for Swedish Born Globals pursuing AOI than previously identified by present literature.