Internal Changes in International New Ventures During Initial Internationalization: Finnish SMEs Operating in Dynamic High-tech Industries

The purpose of this qualitative research is to study how international new ventures change internally during initial internationalization. Based on the analysis of seven INV firms, a framework illustrating this change process, will be developed. This research will also develop earlier theories, and create a solid combination of existing theories to explain the phenomenon. INV firms internationalize more rapidly and aggressively than traditional MNEs. At the same, external and internal drivers cause changes in INVs culture, resources, capabilities, strategic management, and output decisions inside the company. Organizational learning and resource acquisition through international business networks explain how INVs are able to cope with the dynamic high-technology industry and be able to adapt. Internationalization of INVs proceeds through several phases, which may be gone through rapidly due to the network effects and INVs’ special characteristics. The results of this research revealed that INVs internal change process proceeds through four phases; pre-incorporation phase, product development phase, internationalization and growth phase, and maturation phase. INVs culture, resources, capabilities, strategic management, and outputs change significantly during initial internationalization, and INVs develop from small start-ups into fully established companies.

Structuring of internal control – a case study

The aim of this Master’s thesis is to find out how should internal control be structured in a Finnish retail company in order to fulfil the requirements set out in the Finnish Corporate Governance Code and to be value adding for the company as well as to analyse the added value that a structured and centrally led internal control can provide for the case company. The underlying fundamental theoretical framework of the study essentially stems from the theory of the firm; the agent-principal problem is the primary motivator for internal control. Regulatory requirements determine the thresholds that the internal control of a company must reach. The research was carried out as a case study and methodically the study is qualitative and the empirical data gathering was conducted by interviews and by participant observation. The data gathered (processes, controls etc.) is used to understand the control environment of the company and to assess the current state of internal control. Deficiencies and other points of development identified are then discussed.

Internal Employer Brand: The factors affecting the formation of internal employer image

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the formation of employer image and attractiveness in the minds of an organization’s employees. Six employees from different backgrounds and business units within a larger organization are interviewed, and the results are compared in order to better understand the effect divergent variables have on the resulting factors. The theoretical background of the research is based on the study of the concept of employer branding, an organization’s effort in affecting the employer image it projects and attractiveness perceived by the employees and applicants. The results of the study reveal how immaterial factors, primarily related to self-actualization and social relationships, often took precedence over material ones, so long as the material factors, such as salary and work equipment, were at least on a minimum level acceptable to the employee. As such, focusing on these immaterial factors when forming an employer brand strategy is expected to yield larger benefits in form of employer attractiveness.

Internal communication during an organizational change: An ethnographic case study

This study discusses the importance of internal communication during organizational change of a case study company X. The purpose of this study is to find out how to use internal communication effectively during organizational change. This study is an ethnographic cade study where a unique case of an organizational change was chosen as the research object. The theoretical background of this study consists of literature relating to the concepts of communication, organizational communication, organizational change, change management and communication of change. The empirical research conducted for this study is based on an ethnographic research method where data was collected through participant observation, informal interviews and field records in the form of a research diary. The research data was collected between September and December 2015. During this period the researcher was working within the case study organization while observing the internal communication during the organizational change process. Triangulation was used to analyze the research data in order to build a united and theoretical picture of the topic. The study finds that without clear internal communication strategy the effectiveness of communication is ought to be poor, which may lead to resistance of change, lack of trust and lower level of overall job satisfaction. Moreover the study findings highlight the importance of managerial presence during an organizational change process and consistency in using formal and informal communication and utilizing multiple communication channels. Based on the findings of this research the study suggests that during an organizational change process a clear internal communication strategy should be carefully planned and executed. The goals of internal communication should be clearly stated and communicated to the company’s employees. The findings of this study enhance importance of managers promoting sense of belonging, developing awareness of the overall change process and contributing to the manager employee relationships and trust. In addition this study points out the key factors that should be included in the internal change communication strategy which are how to ensure that the communications, both vertical and horizontal, are constant. Future research is however necessary in order to gain a more comprehensive view of the research and wider perspective of the case study. Nevertheless, this study deepens the understanding of how to use internal communication effectively during organizational change.