Introduction: Vietnam is a developing country that has had rapid economic growth during the last 25-30 years. Alongside, the waste and pollution of the country has increased where both the economy and pollution is expected to grow even further in the upcoming years. Simultaneously is the challenge of protecting the environment, especially for businesses to take responsibility through implementing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in their business. Furthermore, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) make up 90% of the businesses in the world and therefore have great influence. CSR is well researched in developed countries, but the developing countries are as important in the work towards sustainable development, where specifically SMEs in developing countries are not as researched. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the implementation of CSR activities of SMEs in Vietnam as a developing country. Research questions: How is CSR perceived by SMEs in Vietnam? How do SMEs in Vietnam engage in CSR activities? What are the reasons behind SMEs engagement in CSR activities in Vietnam? Methodology: The methodological approach of this research was based on a qualitative nature with an ontological perspective. Furthermore, the sample consisted of five SMEs in Vietnam and data was gathered through email-interviews. Conclusion: It was found that SMEs in Vietnam do have a somewhat clear perception of what CSR involves and that the SMEs engage in several CSR activities. Although, vague regulations and guidance from the government, alongside with scarce financial resources makes it more challenging for the SMEs in Vietnam to engage in CSR activities.

Der Mini-Guide wendet sich an Prozess- und Qualitätsmanagementverantwortliche in kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen, die eine Systematik suchen, mit einfachen Mitteln ihre Prozesse grafisch darzustellen, um in ihnen Verbesserungspotential zu erkennen. Der Modellierungsleitfaden im ersten Teil des Buches gibt dafür eine wertvolle Methodenhilfe. Die praktische Umsetzung wird mit Hilfe des Grafiktools MS Visio demonstriert. Es wurde dabei mit Standardeinstellungen (EPC-Shape) gearbeitet. Die Modellierungsmethodik kann damit auf sehr unkomplizierte Weise in einer Firma, die MS Visio installiert hat, genutzt werden. Der zweite Teil des Buches widmet sich dem Aufbau eines webbasierten Qualitätsinformationssystems, das die Arbeit von Teams an unterschiedlichen Standorten bei der Kommunikation, dem Dokumentenmanagement und dem Wissensmanagement unterstützt. Der Entwurf eines solchen Systems als webbasierte Kollaborationsplattform wurde auf Basis von MS Sharepoint WSS 3.0 prototypisch umgesetzt. Die dargestellten Inhalte sind Ergebnis eines von der Deutschen Forschungsgesellschaft (DFG) geförderten Projektes an der Fakultät für Maschinenbau der TU Chemnitz. Das Projekt hatte das Ziel, kleine und mittlere Unternehmen (KMU) bei der kooperativen Zusammenarbeit, insbesondere in Produktionsnetzwerken, zu unterstützen. Das aus erfahrenen Wissenschaftlern, Praktikern und Studenten zusammengesetzte Team des Instituts für Fertigungsmesstechnik und Qualitätssicherung (IFMQ) zeichnete im Projekt für das Thema Qualitätsmanagement (QM) und Qualitätsinformationssysteme (QIS) verantwortlich.

The literature on export management and export behaviors conventionally analyze export as a general mode without distinguishing different options of choice. In the process of internationalization, small firms build up unique perceptions and pursuits of their international opportunities. Within different levels of internationalization, exporting firms also develop a different approach to the exploitation of capabilities and resources. The lack of resources and capabilities of small and medium enterprises is among the major obstacles for their internationalization. This research explores how firms develop capabilities and utilize external resources during their internationalization process. The study aims to answer the two main questions: What are the patterns of capabilities and resources utilization in SMEs export mode choices? How do these patterns explain the differentials in the export mode choices? Two phases of empirical investigation have been conducted, focusing on explaining the differentials of capabilities and network resources in different mode choices of export engagement. By applying a mixed method, the study ensures validity by using multiple sources of data. In the exploratory phase, three different groups of SMEs are investigated, including non-regular exporters, indirect exporters using independent agents, and regular direct exporters. The preliminary research phase examines essential patterns of dynamic capabilities and network resources that enable SMEs in different export modes. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior business managers, coming to the aid of drawing the research model and building up reliable constructs. In the findings, the thematic content analysis technique was used to generate important patterns and themes with the presence of quotes and evidence from the respondents. The analysis was in conjunction with the literature review with the aim of drafting the questionnaire survey. The confirmatory phase specifies insights and differences in the direct and indirect export mode choice. Outcomes from the non-parametric test show that direct exporters have a significantly greater endowment of dynamic capabilities and network resources than indirect exporters. This explicit evaluation of dynamic capabilities and network resources support firm decisions to choose between direct and indirect export mode or the combination of both. The results enrich the contextual understanding of the differentials in mode choices of export engagement, thus, contributing to the export management literature an empirical input of the SMEs participation in the global trade. The findings corroborate that researchers should not generalize SMEs internationalization export mode as a whole, given the significant differences between direct and indirect exporters. Understanding different mode choices of export, especially in their development of dynamic capabilities and utilization of network resources can help firms improve performance on their export journey. In the specific context of this study, it is strategically for small manufacturing exporters to select the appropriate entry mode. As overcome resource scarcity is vital for firms to succeed in coping with business risks and uncertainties in accessing foreign markets. Last but not least, the study also suggests some directions for future research in the internationalization process of small and medium enterprises.:TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Research background 1 1.2 Research question 6 1.3 Structure of the thesis 8 2 VIETNAMESE ECONOMY AND THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY 11 2.1 Vietnam economic outlook 11 2.2 Description of manufacturing SMEs in Vietnam 13 2.2.1 SMEs definition 13 2.2.2 SMEs in manufacturing sector 14 2.2.3 Development characteristics during 2006-2015 16 2.3 International trade and export status of Vietnamese manufacturing SMEs 18 2.4 Vietnam government support policies to SMEs 23 2.5 Remaining challenges 25 3 LITERATURE REVIEW 32 3.1 Internationalization theories 32 3.1.1 The network theory 35 3.1.2 The transaction cost theory 36 3.1.3 The eclectic paradigm 37 3.1.4 The resource-based view 37 3.2 The internationalization process of SMEs 39 3.2.1 The Uppsala models (U-model) 39 3.2.2 The Innovation-related internationalization models (I-models) 42 3.2.3 The born-global phenomenon 44 3.3 International market expansion strategy and entry modes 46 3.3.1 International market expansion strategy 46 3.3.2 International market entry modes 47 3.3.3 Foreign market entry decisions 55 3.4 Proposed research model for further research on firm internationalization 56 3.4.1 Capabilities and resources as drivers of export 58 3.4.2 SMEs mode choice of export engagement 68 4 RESEARCH METHODS 73 4.1 Research strategy 73 4.1.1 Design rationale 74 4.1.2 Research process 78 4.2 Phase I: Qualitative research approach 80 4.2.1 Qualitative research design 80 4.2.2 Subject identification and sample 82 4.2.3 Instruments and interviews 82 4.2.4 Data analysis 86 4.3 Phase II: Quantitative research approach 88 4.3.1 Quantitative research design 88 4.3.2 Data preparation 90 4.3.3 Pre-testing 91 4.3.4 Survey instruments 92 4.3.5 Questionnaire design 95 4.3.6 Exploratory factor analysis 100 4.3.7 Reliability and validity test 108 4.3.8 Data analysis 111 5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 112 5.1 Results of Phase I 112 5.1.1 Code structure 112 5.1.2 Motivation to export 116 5.1.3 Frequencies of codes 119 5.1.4 Capabilities and Resources utilization in First-time export 123 5.1.5 Current Status of Capabilities and Resources utilization 133 5.1.6 Future importance of Capabilities and Resources utilization 142 5.1.7 Code relations 150 5.1.8 Most important patterns 150 5.1.9 Summary of Qualitative research results 153 5.2 Results of Phase II 165 5.2.1 Respondent profile 165 5.2.2 Results of the descriptive analyses 168 5.2.3 Results of the non-parametric tests 176 5.2.4 Summary of Quantitative research results 188 6 CONCLUSION 211 6.1 Implications for firms 214 6.2 Implications for policymakers 216 6.3 Limitations and direction for future research 217 REFERENCES 220 APPENDICES Appendix 1. Interview Guide for the Semi-structured Interview 242 Appendix 2. Survey in English version 243 Appendix 3. Code Hierarchy 247 Appendix 4. Zusammenfassung 250 Appendix 5. Lebenslauf 257 Appendix 6. Erklärung 260

Laut dem Weltklimarat ist es zweifelsfrei, dass sich das Klima global ändert. Ein sich veränderndes Klima wirkt sich jedoch nicht nur auf die Umwelt, sondern auch auf Unternehmen aus. Diese Auswirkungen können sowohl positiver als auch negativer Art sein. Um auf diese Auswirkungen adäquat zu reagieren, ist es zunächst von Bedeutung, die positiven als auch negativen Effekte zu identifizieren und diese entsprechend zu interpretieren. Ziel der Befragung ist es daher, zu erfassen, wie sich Unternehmen vom Klimawandel betroffen fühlen und wie diese darauf reagieren. Des Weiteren wird untersucht, welche Faktoren einen Einfluss auf den Anpassungsprozess haben. Für die Befragung wurden im Juni 2012 über 2.000 Handwerksbetriebe angeschrieben, wovon insgesamt 207 Unternehmen antworteten. Zwei Drittel dieser Unternehmen nimmt den Klimawandel wahr. Allerdings fühlte sich in der Vergangenheit die Mehrheit der Unternehmen von Extremwetterereignissen nicht betroffen. Die größten negativen Einflüsse werden gegenwärtig als auch in der Zukunft bei den Kältewellen gesehen. Innerhalb des Unternehmens sind insbesondere die Logistik und der Einkauf in Zukunft negativ betroffen; positive Wirkungen werden sich hingegen beim Absatz erhofft. Insgesamt erwarten die Unternehmen eher negative als positive Effekte aus dem Klimawandel, wobei insbesondere das Nahrungsmittelgewerbe und das KFZ-Gewerbe mit negativen Auswirkungen auf ihren Betrieb rechnen. Da sich nur wenige Unternehmen von Extremwetterereignissen bzw. dem Klimawandel betroffen fühlen, verwundert es nicht, dass fast drei Viertel der Unternehmen keine Anpassungsmaßnahmen planen und der Teil, der Anpassungsmaßnahmen umsetzt(e) bzw. beabsichtigt umzusetzen, eher einen geringen Anteil ausmacht. Dies könnte darauf zurückgeführt werden, dass in etwa jedes zweite Unternehmen die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels gegenwärtig nicht finanziell spürt. Darüber hinaus fehlen finanzielle Eigenmittel, private Finanzierungsmöglichkeiten und öffentliche Fördermöglichkeiten. Des Weiteren besteht eine hohe Unsicherheit, ob Extremwettereignisse überhaupt auftreten, und welche Anpassungsmaßnahmen möglich wären. Basierend auf den Befragungsergebnissen ist zu empfehlen, Unternehmen mit Informationen zur Thematik Klimawandelfolgen und Anpassungsoptionen zu versorgen, Unternehmen zu Risikoanalysen zu motivieren und mögliche finanzielle Unterstützung im Rahmen der Anpassung an die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels anzubieten.

Bakgrund och problem: Hållbarhetsarbetet har blivit allt viktigare för företag idag. Begreppet hållbar utveckling innefattar tre viktiga aspekter: social, ekologisk och ekonomisk hållbarhet. Den sociala hållbarheten är idag inte lika långt utvecklad som den ekologiska hållbarheten och det saknas strategier för hur det sociala hållbarhetsarbetet ska etableras i små och medelstora företag. Syfte: Studien syftar till att öka förståelsen kring hur små och medelstora företag i Sverige arbetar med social hållbarhet. Vidare ämnar studien att föreslå strategier, arbetssätt och aktiviteter som passar små och medelstora företag och bidra till utvecklingen av social hållbarhet. Metod: Studien är av kvalitativ karaktär med en del kvantitativ data och grundar sig i 101 företag som har deltagit i intervjuer angående hur de arbetar med social hållbarhet. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom strukturerade intervjuer och tillsammans med tidigare forskning ligger det till grund för vår analys. Slutsats: För att öka det sociala hållbarhetsarbetet inom små och medelstora företag i Sverige krävs en mer tydlig definition av social hållbarhet vilket leder till en ökad kunskap. Vidare krävs det strategier som är utvecklade och anpassade utefter små och medelstora företags behov och resurser. / This study is written in Swedish. Background and problems: Sustainability has become increasingly important for enterprises today. The concept of sustainable development includes three important aspects: social, ecological and economic sustainability. However, it appears to us that the aspect of social sustainability is not as advanced today as the ecological sustainability and there are no strategies for how social sustainability should be established within small and medium-sized enterprises. Purpose: This study aims to increase the understanding of how small and medium-sized enterprises in Sweden work with social sustainability. Furthermore, the study intends to propose strategies, models and activities that fit small and medium-sized enterprises and contribute to the development of social sustainability in these companies. Method: The study uses a qualitative method while also including some quantative data and is based on interviews with 101 companies that have participated in the study sharing information on how they work with social sustainability. The empirical material has been collected through structured interviews and, together with previous research; it forms the basis of our analysis. Conclusion: In order to increase the work with social sustainability in small and medium-sized enterprises in Sweden, a more obvious definition of social sustainability is required, which leads to increased knowledge. Furthermore, we conclude that specific strategies are need to be developed and adapted to the needs and resources of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Title: Internet of things and cloud computing adoption within manufacturing among small to medium sized enterprises in Sweden. Authors: Tim Kari and Wesley Kleinreesink Background & Problem discussion: Industries in Europe are facing economic challenges related to global societal and technological developments. The adoption of industry 4.0 technologies such as IoT and cloud computing within manufacturing can be used as a solution to these challenges. SMEs form the backbone of the Swedish economy, making up a large amount of the employment and added value within the country, making them important in this context. Little is known about the maturity levels of IoT and cloud computing and the challenges encountered during adoption of of these technologies by Swedish SMEs. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate maturity levels of IoT and cloud computing adoptions and the associated adoption challenges by looking at Swedish SMEs in the manufacturing industry that are adopting or are interested in adopting IoT and cloud computing technologies within their manufacturing. By addressing the maturity levels and adoption challenges found among the cases and providing more insight into the context in which these are occurring. These insights can then be used for the purposes of addressing maturity levels as practitioner and contributing to current literature regarding maturity levels and adoption challenges found. Method: Following an exploratory research strategy, qualitative data has been gathered both in the form of a literature review as well as a multiple case study through semi-structured interviews. The data has then been analyzed by conducting a conceptual analysis, a cross-case synthesis and pattern matching Findings & Conclusion: The findings indicate that the levels of maturity vary highly between categories and cases, with only a few examples of reaching higher (integrated) levels of maturity. Adoption challenges found were mainly centered around organizational and human challenges as opposed to technical ones, indicating that further focus needs to be put on organizational change management. Furthermore, an apparent lack of knowledge among the case companies may explain both the narrow and simple implementations of IoT and cloud computing as well as the lack of drivers for further adoption. The implications of this means that managers need a larger focus on change management and more comprehensive implementation plans. There is also the need to consider the need for digitalization and to do it in an efficient and useful manner. Further research is needed on these topics, with possible avenues being a focus on smaller companies, a study with a larger sample size or a focus on industries with a higher volume of production as the ones presented in this study were all relatively low-volume.

For numerous companies today, one of the key elements for successful competing in the market is an optimized inventory management. Inventory management is about satisfying the customer need, while keeping the inventory costs as low as possible. This report discusses the functionality assessment of inventory management software for small to medium sized enterprises (SME). It is an investigation motivated by the fact that high-end inventory management solutions are becoming financially available for SME via the SaaS technology. The main question that this study aims to answer is therefore what functionalities and functionality characteristics in external high-end inventory management solutions enable competitive advantage for SME’s. A survey complimented by a number of interviews was conducted in order to gain a broad picture of what the SME’s need from these solutions. The answers obtained from the SME respondents were compared to relevant literature, and from that the conclusions were drawn. Furthermore, a QFD analysis was made to evaluate how well an existing high-end-solution matches the SME requests. The result of the study shows that there are many similarities between what the SME need and what the large companies need in terms of functionalities in these systems. However, the study also shows that, for optimal use, these functionalities must be delivered by the system developers in a way that is better suited for SME’s. / För många företag idag är en av nyckelkomponenterna för framgångsrik konkurrens på marknaden en optimerad lagerstyrning. Lagerstyrning handlar om att tillfredsställa kundernas behov samtidigt som lagerkostnaderna hålls så låga som möjligt. Den här studien utvärderar funktionaliteter i lagerstyrningsmjukvaror för små till medelstora företag. Det är en undersökning som är motiverad av det faktum att avancerade lagerstyrningssystem blir mer och mer finansiellt tillgängliga för små till medelstora företag via den så kallade molnteknologin. Huvudfrågan som detta examensarbete ämnar besvara är därför vilka funktionaliteter och funktionaliteters egenskaper i avancerade externa lagerstyrningssystem som möjliggör konkurrenskraft för små till medelstora företag. En enkät kompletterad av ett antal intervjuer genomfördes för att skapa en bred bild av vad de små till medelstora företagen behöver från dessa system. Svaren som erhölls från de undersökta företagen jämfördes med relevant litteratur och från detta har slutsatser dragits. Dessutom har en så kallad QFD-analys gjorts för att utvärdera hur bra en existerande system stämmer överens med vad de små och medelstora företagen efterfrågar. Resultatet av detta examensarbete är att det finns många likheter mellan vad de små till medelstora företagen behöver och vad de stora företagen behöver angående funktionaliteter i dessa system. Emellertid visar denna undersökning att, för optimal nytta av dessa system, måste dessa funktionaliteter anpassas för de små och medelstora företagen.

The shift towards electric vehicles has during the last years increased; nevertheless, the rate has not been fast enough. Electric vehicles have several environmental benefits as reduced CO2 footprint and a lower climate impact. On the other side, the reality shows that there are several adoption barriers on an individual level for electrical vehicles. These are technical, economic, infrastructure, policy, and social. However, a low amount of literature focuses on the business sector. This thesis examines and explores what the different adoption barriers are concerning battery electric vehicles for small and medium enterprises in Sweden, and why they occur. The purpose of this is to fill the current research gap and provide valuable data to vehicle providers/manufacturers in Sweden. To reach the objectives, an extensive theoretical framework has been created to accurately utilize current literature. In the thesis, five small and medium enterprises participated, and interviews were conducted with nine informants at the specific companies. The findings display that the technical, economic, and infrastructure barriers have the most negative effect on the possibility to adopt battery electric vehicle. It further shows two new barriers, planning and customer/competitors which influence the adoption of battery electric vehicles. These findings solely display the barriers for small and medium enterprises, and by linking together with current literature, new barriers have been presented in terms of planning and customers/competitors.

There’s increasing evidence that activities from humans are affecting the earth system to a degree that is crossing the planetary boundaries. During the last decade, Circular Economy has gained attention from both academia, companies, and policymakers and is seen as one way to address economical and sustainability issues. A circular transition requires the implementation of innovative business models, but the uptake of circular business models is still slow. In Sweden, 99,9% of all companies are classified as small and medium-sized enterprises. Those companies play an important role in the circular transition, but the process is however slow due to internal factors like lack of resources and competencies alongside other barriers like regulations, market, and lack of support. Despite a lot happening in the field of circular transition for small and medium-sized enterprises, there's still little research focused on the ongoing state of circular economy in practice. In this exploratory study, semi-structured interviews have been used to explore the ongoing state in Sweden. The aim of the study is to explore how intermediaries are supporting small and medium-sized enterprises with adopting circular economy in Sweden and what kind of challenges and opportunities the intermediaries have experienced along the circular transition process. The results show that we should go beyond the general drivers and barriers for adopting a circular economy. The challenging barriers might not be a lack of resources and regulations, it might be the lack of awareness and interest from companies themselves. What became clear during the interview study was that the environmental benefits of adopting circular economy is not the driving force but rather a result of adopting circular economy. The motivation in the first place for adopting circular economy is that it can create a better and a smarter business. There was a consensus among the intermediaries that when one is workings with companies, one must highlight the business values of a circular economy: profitability, resource efficiency, loyal customers, etc. If companies don’t see the opportunities and benefits of adopting circular economy, they won’t prioritize and allocate resources for it. The complexity of a circular transition also requires collaboration on different levels: between companies, regions, business developers, municipalities, research institutes, policy developers, etc. To enable the overall collaboration, there’s a need for a comprehensive facilitator or coordinator on different levels (national, regional, and local) that can unify the national transition.

Aim. The purpose of this degree project was to assess the impact of the sudden, historically-unique COVID-19 workplace restrictions on the knowledge management and interrelated ICT utilization of a knowledge-intensive SME in Germany. Based upon the outcomes of this assessment, suggestions for future advancement were to be developed.Research Approach. The research approach entailed a qualitative case study addressing a single IT company with 42 employees. The research itself was conducted via triangulation, with the semi-structured interviews of four purposely sampled company executives serving as the focal part. Fundamental aspects of these interviews were further substantiated through four exploratory meeting observations and a company-wide questionnaire contributing 14 employee responses.Findings. Subject to the pandemic-related workspace restrictions, this company was forced to transition to predominantly virtual operations. The organization responded through the introduction of a new, integrated ICT for employee collaboration while simultaneously expediting the codification of tacit knowledge across two existing knowledge repositories. This focus on only a few essential ICTs led to a reduction of prior systems clutter and the company-wide accessibility of explicit knowledge – a quantum leap in terms of efficiency. Along with the primary collaboration via ICTs, a new interaction etiquette developed amongst employees, and IT-related staff was found to cooperate more actively than in the previous on-site environment. Given these insights, this German IT house is recommended to continue its emergently hybrid knowledge management strategy and consider the benefits of both the physical and virtual spaces for an office redesign past the COVID-19 limitations.Originality. Academic references attending to knowledge management during forced workplace restrictions were de facto nonexistent. Adding to it, previous studies on virtual knowledge management indicated a deterioration of performance as compared to on-site operations. This case study is hence not only unique by its pandemic link, but also countering apparent academic presupposition.