The Role Of Social Networks In New Venture Internationalization: Case Of Russian And Finnish Firms

The purpose of current master thesis research is to investigate the role of social networks in internationalization of Russian and Finnish firms. Literature review of existing empirical researches on the topic is conducted in order to identify the gap, which is fulfilled by empirical research of 4 Russian and 1 Finnish firm that have established international operations no later than 8 years since their foundation. In-depth semi-structured interviews have shown that business network has been an influencing factor in firms’ internationalization and that even if social network is not the driver of internationalization, it becomes important when a company has established international presence and is working on its enlargement. The study has both theoretical and practical contribution by contributing to research of Russian and Finnish firms’ internationalization and by showing examples of successful foreign market entry of companies from different industries. General practical implication of current thesis is that it shows the efficient ways of entrepreneurs’ social network usage in business development in international scope.

How to reach more potential global b2b customers to Finnish high tech company websites

This thesis examines the optimization of a website in terms of creating website visibility and interesting and attractive online information, with the aim of finding ways how the case company can increase the number of online visitors for the websites, who would even-tually contact the case company, and become customers. The theoretical part concentrates on website visibility, academic knowledge about search engine optimization, integrated marketing communications, website effectiveness and influence tactics (mostly non-coercive) in an online b2b buying context. The empirical part included an experiment of two weeks on the case website. Search engine optimization requires the most relevant key terms and keywords to be selected and carefully implemented to meta descriptions of the most informational pages. The information visible to visitors on these pages was also opti-mized to make it interesting and purposeful for the targeted audience. The most suitable influence tactics were implemented to certain pages to attract the website visitors to con-tact the case company. The results suggest that relevant key terms in meta descriptions do improve, or maintain the same high, ranking a page has on search engine result pages, but this is not directly connected to the amount of visitors to the website. The number of visi-tors does not either affect the amount of customer contacts the company received during the experiment period.

Risk management in transportation companies: Russian and Finnish practices

Development of risk management practices became significant part of transportation companies’ strategy. Evolution from insurance management into enterprise risk management (ERM) led to development of risk management tools and methods. The purpose of this thesis is to design technique for evaluation of risk management practices of national transportation companies. The empirical research is made on the example of Russian and Finnish transportation companies. The required data was conducted with a help of survey. The result of the thesis is designed technique for risk management practices evaluation that allows to compare practices of different countries and organizations with different characteristics. The Master thesis has novelty in theoretical and practical contribution. It was designed new technique based on realization of the method of APIS. Moreover, it has practical implication as managers can utilize this method for comparison of practices between different countries, different organization and even different units within particular organization.

POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN THE ARCTIC Strategic opportunities and threats for Finnish companies

The Arctic environment is changing constantly. There are several factors that constitute to the rate and immensity of the development. The region differs from the surrounding markets that most of the countries in the region have been used to. Therefore the purpose of the study was to understand how the political environment affects Finnish companies’ strategies and business operations. The issues analyzed were the political environment in the region, the business environment and economic development, and the opportunities and threats that the Finnish companies have in Arctic. The main theories were found from strategic management and market analysis tools. The different theories and definitions were gone through in order to understand the context of the study. This is a qualitative study that uses content analysis as its main method of analyzing the data. Therefore the data analyzed was gathered from already existing material and it was analyzed until the saturation point was found. This was done in order to minimize the risks related to using secondary data. The data collected was then categorized into themes accordingly. First the general political environment in the Arctic was studied, especially the Arctic Council and its work as the main political entity. From there the focus shifted to the business environment and the general opportunities and threats that are found from Arctic economic development. China offered another point of view to this as it represented a non-Arctic state with a keen interest on the region. Lastly the two previous objectives were combined and looked through from a Finnish perspective. Finnish companies have a great starting point to Arctic business and the operational business environment gives them the framework with which they have to operate in. As a conclusion it can be said that there are three main factors leading the Arctic economic development; the climate change, the development of technology, and the political environment. These set the framework with which the companies operating in the region must comply with. The industry that is likely to lead the development is the marine industry. Furthermore it became evident that the Finnish companies operating in the Arctic face many opportunities as well as threats which can be utilized, taken advantage of or controlled through effective strategic management. The key characteristics needed in the region are openness and understanding of the challenging environment and the ability to face and manage the arising challenges.

A Drop of Success – Internationalization Readiness of a Young Finnish Company

This study analyzes a young Finnish micro-sized firm that is attempting to reach internationalization readiness in the pre-internationalization stage. The purpose of this research is to analyze and better understand how a young firm reaches internationalization readiness in the pre-internationalization stage. Small firm internationalization is a vastly researched topic. Little emphasis has been placed on the specific antecedents that help the firm reach internationalization readiness in the pre-internationalization stage. The contribution of this research is thus two-fold. First, the research contributes to known theories of firm internationalization. Second, the research further extends knowledge related to how firms reach internationalization readiness specifically in the pre-internationalization stage. The theoretical background of the research involves the traditional stage theory (Uppsala model), pre-internationalization stage theory, international entrepreneurship theory and dynamic capabilities theory. With the help of these four relevant theories, empirical data was collected. The research method utilized in this study was a qualitative single case study combined with critical realist philosophy. The data analysis of this research was conducted using abduction in order to allow freedom in the analysis of the research findings. The empirical data was collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The key respondents in this study were the two managers of the case company. The findings of this study revealed four important themes from the case company’s perspective towards reaching internationalization readiness in the pre-internationalization stage. Extensive knowledge of the home market and target market were the two most important themes in this research. The next most relevant theme for reaching internationalization readiness in the pre-internationalization stage was the managers’ previous international business experiences. The final theme affecting the firm’s ability to reach internationalization readiness was the firm’s specific resources. Even though the research findings of this study are case sensitive, the research insights and explanations have the potential to be transferred to similar firms and contexts. Future research should therefore aim towards more longitudinal studies in which the context is emphasized. This should include a variety of firms in similar stages of internationalization and contexts. Future studies of this kind would be of great benefit to academia.

Managing Finnish-Russian Business Relationships and Networks During Conflicts

This thesis examines management of business relationships during conflicts. The context of this study is the international political conflict which started in 2013 and is still affecting international trade relations in 2016. More specifically, this study researches the effects of the conflict in Finnish-Russian trade. The research aim is to identify the implications of a political conflict in the Finnish-Russian business relationships and networks. Furthermore, the study will explore how does a company adapt or overcome the challenges and barriers posed by the international business environment. This research combines relevant theories in management of business relationships and networks in order to review the research data through a critical research frame. The theoretical frameworks are different structures of business relationship development processes, various stages of interaction, and characteristics and functions of business relationships. Moreover, this study will examine the effect of interdependency, commitment and trust in trade relations. Also, what are the important exchange processes and how do these processes affect business relationship and overall performance of joint business operations. Qualitative single case study method was used in this research. Case company was a Finnish multinational company. To understand the changes, the data was collected and analysed through process research approach by pattern-matching and drawing temporal bracketing over two different periods of time, first period in years 2011-2013 and second period in years 2014-2016. Empirical data was collected through a semi-structured interview and additional data was collected from internal and external secondary data sources. The findings of the study confirmed the relationship between trade and conflict. However, the effects are not significant for a company in grocery retail industry which has had earlier experience in Russia and has managed its business relationships and operations effectively. Macroeconomic factors affect companies operating in foreign dynamic markets and in order to sustain changes and to adapt, companies should invest in their business relationships. Trust-based relationships and a higher level of commitment allow companies to have more efficient and beneficial outcomes before and during uncertainty. Furthermore, well-maintained and coordinated business relationships provide the ability to adapt and overcome challenges during uncertainty. Such relationships have information, financial and social exchange processes which allow the partnering firms to have successful business relationship management in dynamic market environments.

NEGOTIATING IN FINNISH GROCERY RETAIL - Negotiation Narratives of S-group, Kesko and Lidl

In this research retail negotiations are explored through the question: What characteristics are distinctive to negotiating in Finnish grocery retail trade? To shed light on the research question I interviewed experienced retail negotiators and mapped out the most important characteristics of the retail negotiations. I described through examples the most prominent challenges negotiators face in their negotiations and elaborated what kind of tools the experienced negotiators use to overcome those challenges. The research results add up to a groundwork frame for retail negotiations with which further research can be more easily directed to any area of interest in the Finnish grocery retail negotiations. The framework can give ideas or frames for further research, or function as a general guideline of factors to consider when negotiating in Finnish retail field. The results were divided into 3 sections: Characteristics, Challenges and Tools. Different negotiation models help negotiators and researchers understand negotiation dynamics. This research adds to that pool by focusing on elements essential to consider specifically in the context of Finnish retail. Finland offered an exceptionally interesting setting to study negotiation, as grocery retail trade in Finland is highly centralized. Especially for those interested understanding a centralized setting such as Finland’s retail field, the framework presented in this research might provide a valuable spectrum of essential negotiation elements. Learning is a lifelong process, but that path can be evened by tuning in on what others have learned during their own endeavors in similar situations. Seasoned negotiators have many stories to tell about negotiating that can be drawn upon and by doing so, we can avoid having to spend time learning the same insights twice. This research drew on narrative, case-research and interviewing to find out how seasoned negotiators in the field of Finnish retail experienced negotiation, what challenges negotiations pose and what tools can be used to overcome them

Finnish Maritime Personnel's Conceptions on Safety Management and Safety Culture

The purpose of this thesis is to explore Finnish maritime personnel’s conceptions of safety management and its relationship with the concept of safety culture. In addition, the aim is to evaluate the impact of the ISM Code on the prevailing safety culture in the Finnish shipping business. A total of 94 interviewees and seven Finnish shipping companies were involved in this study. Thematic interviews were applied as the main research method for the study. The results were analysed qualitatively. The results indicate that maritime safety culture can simultaneously demonstrate features of integration, differentiation and ambiguity. Basically, maritime personnel have a positive attitude towards safety management systems since they consider safety management beneficial and essential in general. However, the study also found considerable criticism among the interviewees. The interviewed maritime personnel did not criticise the ISM Code as such, yet they criticised the way the ISM Code has been applied in practise. In order to understand the multiple perspectives of safety culture more comprehensively, multiple theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches are needed. This study indicates that safety culture and the impacts of the ISM Code should not be unambiguously studied solely quantitative methods or qualitative methods. By examining safety culture from several methodological and theoretical perspectives, one may gain a more versatile and holistic overview of safety culture.

Can Ontario Be the Next Finland? Assessing Whether the Finnish Model Can Meet the Educational Needs of Ontario, Canada

This study examines the adaptability of the Finland model to meet the educational disparities currently observed in the education system in Ontario, Canada. A literature review and a database highlight key characteristics of the Finland model. From this information, Finland and Ontario’s systems are found to be similar in the areas of systemic structure and educational philosophies, and international testing and performance standards. The systems are found to be different in the areas of geography and demographics, social perceptions and attitudes towards education, school system structure, teaching philosophies, teacher education and professional status, and standardized and high-stakes testing. Discussion regarding use of Finnish philosophies to meet Ontario’s needs in the following areas takes place: social perceptions and attitudes towards education, our teaching philosophies, our teacher education and professional status, and our use of high-stakes and standardized testing. Opportunities for future research are also discussed and the major research paper includes a workshop and survey.

Frequent translation strategies used by Iranian translators in subtitles to translate metaphors

En tant que moyen de communication qui détermine les structures de base des langues, la métaphore se classe parmi les enjeux les plus importants du domaine de la traductologie, d’où la complexité de la rendre traduisible. La nature indirecte de la métaphore étant problématique, celle-ci exige une étude approfondie, surtout vis-à-vis le transfert de la culture d’une langue à une autre. Un survol de la littérature académique traitant des théories et des approches différentes en traductologie révèle une façon de rendre possible la traduction de la métaphore. Cette étude traite de la traduction des métaphores du perse aux sous-titres anglais. Elle indique également les approches et les stratégies appliquées à la traduction des expressions linguistiques métaphoriques telles que proposées par Newmark (1988). En se fondant sur des exemples authentiques tirés des textes sources (deux films perses bien connus) et leurs traductions anglaises, cette étude démontre la façon dont certains traducteurs iraniens traduisent des expressions métaphoriques en se servant d’une des sept stratégies proposées par Newmark. Elle explique également comment certains éléments (par ex. les difficultés de la traduction) ont été influents sur leurs conclusions, tout en soutenant l’hypothèse que la reproduction d’une même image d’une langue source dans une langue cible ainsi que l’effacement sont respectivement la plus fréquente et la moins fréquente des stratégies employées par les sous-titreurs iraniens.

Finnish model of teacher education for lifelong teaching career

Monogr??fico con el t??tulo: "La investigaci??n sobre la identidad profesional del profesorado en Europa???