IT-yrityksen etabloituminen Keski-Eurooppaan

Kansainvälistyminen on yksi avaintekijä pienelle kasvua tavoittelevalle IT-yritykselle. Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena oli tehdä case -yritykselle kansainvälistymissuunnitelma ensimmäisten ulkomaan toimintojen aloittamiseksi. Tutkimuksessa selvitetään kansainvälistymismalleja, kohdemarkkinan valintamalleja sekä operaatiomuotoja pk-yrityksen näkökulmasta. Tässä työssä käsitellään malleja, joilla pk-yrityksen tulisi valita kohdemarkkinansa ja operaatiomuoto huomioiden pk-yrityksen usein rajalliset resurssit. Tutkimuksen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa tutustuttiin eri kansainvälistymismalleihin, kansainvälistymisen motiiveihin ja esteisiin. Toisessa vaiheessa käytiin läpi kohdemarkkinan valintamalleja sekä eri operaatiomuotoja. Tutkimuksen viimeisessä vaiheessa vertailtiin annettuja kohdemarkkinoita ja tehtiin case-yritykselle kansainvälistymissuunnitelma pohjautuen aiempaan tutkimukseen. Tutkimuksen tuloksena syntyneessä kansainvälistymissuunnitelmassa suositellaan potentiaalisinta kohdemarkkinaa ja operaatiomuotoa, sekä lasketaan investointikustannus etabloitumiselle.

The best practices in the formation phase of Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China: For Finnish software companies

This study discusses the formation phase of Chinese-Finnish joint ventures in China. The purpose of this thesis is to create best practices for Finnish software companies in forming a joint venture with a local Chinese company in China. Therefore, the main research question, in what are the best practices for forming Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China for Finnish software firms, is examined through four different themes within the joint venture formation phase; the motives, the partner se- lection, the choice of a joint venture type and joint venture negotiations. The theoretical background of the study consists of literature relating to the establishment process of Sino-Western joint ventures in China. The empirical research conducted for this study is based on the expert interviews. The empirical data was gathered via nine semi-structured interviews with both Chinese and Finnish experts in software and technology industry, who have experience or knowledge in establishing Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China. Thematic analysis was used to cat- egorize and interpret the interview data. In addition, a thematic network was built to act as a basis of the analysis. According to the main findings, the main motives for Finnish software companies to establish a joint venture in China are lack of skills or experience, little resources to enter on their own, and China’s large market. The main motives for Chinese companies are to gain new technology or man- agerial skills, and expand internationally. The intellectual property rights (IPR) have recently im- proved a lot in China, but the Finnish companies’ knowledge on IPR is inadequate. The Finnish software companies should conduct a market and industry research in order to understand their po- sition in the market and to find a suitable location and potential joint venture partners. It is essential to define partner selection criteria and partner attributes. In addition, it is important to build the joint venture around complementary motives and a win-win situation between the joint venture partners. The Finnish companies should be prepared that the joint venture negotiations will be challenging and they will take a long time. The challenges can be overcome by gaining understanding about the Chinese culture and business environment. The findings of this study enhance understanding of the joint venture formation phase in China. This study provides guidelines for Finnish software companies to establish a joint venture in China. In addition, this study brings new insights to the Sino-Western joint venture literature with its soft- ware industry context. Future research is, however, necessary in order to gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of a joint venture as an entry mode into China for Finnish soft- ware companies

Commitment in Finnish–Japanese strategic alliances

Finnish companies have usually formed a strategic alliance as entry mode when entering the Japanese market. However, these strategic alliances have not been studied in a general level and it remains unknown, what kind cooperation the Finnish companies are operating with their Japanese partners. Especially Finnish companies that aims to penetrate the Japanese market are eager to know more about this. The recent studies on topic have focused on a single industry or company and that is why more general level study was needed. The purpose of this study is to analyze types of Finnish–Japanese strategic alliances from the Finnish point of view. The analysis is conducted by answering the questions what strategic alliance types appear in the strategic alliances between Japanese and Finnish companies, and how commitment affects strategic alliance type. This study also examines how committed Finnish–Japanese strategic alliances are. In this study multiple case study was selected as research method. The data is collected by interviewing six representative of Finnish companies in Japan individually. Multiple case study was chosen for this study, because this study is interested in the topic in general level and this research method is suitable for this kind of research. From the interviews common attributes were pointed out and from them the big picture of the topic was created. Types of strategic alliances were determined by using previous literature on that topic. Two different types of strategic alliance were discovered: supplier alliance which is the most common one and learning alliance. The commitment of strategic alliance was measured visually by utilizing a figure that was modified for this study.The figure is originally based on earlier studies on strategic alliance types and their connection to ownership and commitment. By utilizing the figure it was noticed that commitment affects strategic alliance types: the more there is commitment involved, the more there is cooperation. Finnish–Japanese strategic alliances are not very committed despite they have existed for a long time. However, there is potential to be more committed. That is why Finnish companies should increase the commitment and attract the partners to develop the strategic alliances, because it would possible increase competitive advantage. This would be beneficial to all members within the strategic alliance.

Internationalization of a Finnish accounting firm to Russian markets

Despite the unstable situation at the moment in Russia, the Russian market and St. Petersburg have been a very attractive from the point of view of Finnish companies. The objective of this research was to define how a Finnish accounting firm should perform its market entry to Russian markets as a part of its internationalization process. In addition, the special characteristics that support the internationalization to Russia were examined together with the implications from the behavior of potential customers at the market. The actual market entry mode was developed based on the theories of Uppsala model, transaction cost economics and the network approach. Additional emphasis was given for the service point of view. The primary data in this research was collected through semi-structured interviews with professionals from the Russian market. The results of this research show that there exists potential especially at the accounting markets in Russia. However, the current unstable situation and sanctions in Russia have led to situation where the price-sensitivity among customers is high, and costs savings are searched from multiple processes in organizations. Therefore, the accounting company should perform its market entry in small incremental steps to decrease the risks involved, and to gain specific market knowledge before committing more resources into Russian markets. A simplified process was developed to evaluate the suitable market entry mode. As a result, the level of commitment and market knowledge affect the final entry model of the firm, as well as defined goals for the particular market.

Commitment in Finnish–Japanese strategic alliances

Finnish companies have usually formed a strategic alliance as entry mode when entering the Japanese market. However, these strategic alliances have not been studied in a general level and it remains unknown, what kind cooperation the Finnish companies are operating with their Japanese partners. Especially Finnish companies that aims to penetrate the Japanese market are eager to know more about this. The recent studies on topic have focused on a single industry or company and that is why more general level study was needed. The purpose of this study is to analyze types of Finnish–Japanese strategic alliances from the Finnish point of view. The analysis is conducted by answering the questions what strategic alliance types appear in the strategic alliances between Japanese and Finnish companies, and how commitment affects strategic alliance type. This study also examines how committed Finnish–Japanese strategic alliances are. In this study multiple case study was selected as research method. The data is collected by interviewing six representative of Finnish companies in Japan individually. Multiple case study was chosen for this study, because this study is interested in the topic in general level and this research method is suitable for this kind of research. From the interviews common attributes were pointed out and from them the big picture of the topic was created. Types of strategic alliances were determined by using previous literature on that topic. Two different types of strategic alliance were discovered: supplier alliance which is the most common one and learning alliance. The commitment of strategic alliance was measured visually by utilizing a figure that was modified for this study. The figure is originally based on earlier studies on strategic alliance types and their connection to ownership and commitment. By utilizing the figure it was noticed that commitment affects strategic alliance types: the more there is commitment involved, the more there is cooperation. Finnish–Japanese strategic alliances are not very committed despite they have existed for a long time. However, there is potential to be more committed. That is why Finnish companies should increase the commitment and attract the partners to develop the strategic alliances, because it would possible increase competitive advantage. This would be beneficial to all members within the strategic alliance.

The best practices in the formation phase of Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China: For Finnish software companies

This study discusses the formation phase of Chinese-Finnish joint ventures in China. The purpose of this thesis is to create best practices for Finnish software companies in forming a joint venture with a local Chinese company in China. Therefore, the main research question, in what are the best practices for forming Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China for Finnish software firms, is examined through four different themes within the joint venture formation phase; the motives, the partner se-lection, the choice of a joint venture type and joint venture negotiations. The theoretical background of the study consists of literature relating to the establishment process of Sino-Western joint ventures in China. The empirical research conducted for this study is based on the expert interviews. The empirical data was gathered via nine semi-structured interviews with both Chinese and Finnish experts in software and technology industry, who have experience or knowledge in establishing Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China. Thematic analysis was used to cat-egorize and interpret the interview data. In addition, a thematic network was built to act as a basis of the analysis. According to the main findings, the main motives for Finnish software companies to establish a joint venture in China are lack of skills or experience, little resources to enter on their own, and China’s large market. The main motives for Chinese companies are to gain new technology or man-agerial skills, and expand internationally. The intellectual property rights (IPR) have recently im-proved a lot in China, but the Finnish companies’ knowledge on IPR is inadequate. The Finnish software companies should conduct a market and industry research in order to understand their po-sition in the market and to find a suitable location and potential joint venture partners. It is essential to define partner selection criteria and partner attributes. In addition, it is important to build the joint venture around complementary motives and a win-win situation between the joint venture partners. The Finnish companies should be prepared that the joint venture negotiations will be challenging and they will take a long time. The challenges can be overcome by gaining understanding about the Chinese culture and business environment. The findings of this study enhance understanding of the joint venture formation phase in China. This study provides guidelines for Finnish software companies to establish a joint venture in China. In addition, this study brings new insights to the Sino-Western joint venture literature with its soft-ware industry context. Future research is, however, necessary in order to gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of a joint venture as an entry mode into China for Finnish soft-ware companies.

Calculo del valor en riesgo del futuro de energia e internacionalizacion del sector energetico en Colombia

El presente trabajo de grado busca definir cuál es el mejor método para determinar el valor en riesgo del contrato de futuro de energía eléctrica que se transa en Colombia, para cumplir con este objetivo se toma como referencia el marco histórico del VaR y de los futuros seguido de las características de la fijación de precios, la estructura del contrato, que políticas y métodos hay para cubrirse del riesgo y como se realiza en otros países, realizando algunos cálculos de los modelos más tradicionales del Var para luego incorporarlo al marco colombiano y al ente supervisor en este caso la Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia.. Además de revisar las diferentes teorías de internacionalización económicas, de proceso y redes aplicadas al sector energético en Colombia., evaluando su proceso, alcance y posibles mercados futuros.

El Outsourcing en la dinámica de sistemas hacia mercados extranjeros

Este trabajo recopila literatura académica relevante sobre estrategias de entrada y metodologías para la toma de decisión sobre la contratación de servicios de Outsourcing para el caso de empresas que planean expandirse hacia mercados extranjeros. La manera en que una empresa planifica su entrada a un mercado extranjero, y realiza la consideración y evaluación de información relevante y el diseño de la estrategia, determina el éxito o no de la misma. De otro lado, las metodologías consideradas se concentran en el nivel estratégico de la pirámide organizacional. Se parte de métodos simples para llegar a aquellos basados en la Teoría de Decisión Multicriterio, tanto individuales como híbridos. Finalmente, se presenta la Dinámica de Sistemas como herramienta valiosa en el proceso, por cuanto puede combinarse con métodos multicriterio.

Impacto de los factores interculturales en la implementación de un efectivo control de gestión en las organizaciones

Este trabajo pretende de una manera tanto teórica como práctica, estudiar la relación que pueda existir entre la interculturalidad y el Management Control System, para ello se realiza una revisión bibliográfica de los trabajos empíricos y teóricos desarrollados hasta el momento sobre el tema. Se comienza con la revisión de los diferentes conceptos que puedan hacer alusión a la interculturalidad, y los MCS (o contemple variables cercanas en relación a este), se delimita el tema y se procede a su clasificación hasta llegar a la estructuración de la definición de los constructos que integren los conceptos de interculturalidad y MCS. De igual manera, se operacionalizan las variables para poder generar un análisis practico utilizando estadística cuantitativa. Finalmente presentamos los resultados que demuestran el grado de importancia percibido por encuestados de filiales localizadas en diferentes países de Latino América de la empresa Agrocampo S.A.S, con el fin de presentar conclusiones que integren los dos temas de análisis.

Sector agrícola y política de competencia

Los procesos de integración económica han puesto en evidencia que la separación tradicionalmente hecha entre las políticas comercial y de competencia no sólo es ficticia, sino que mantenerla es simplemente contradictorio con la realidad de la economía internacional. En la medida en que los mercados domésticos se han abierto al comercio internacional, se ha considerado que las políticas de competencia pueden hacerse redundantes, ya que la competencia extranjera tiende a garantizar que dichos mercados tienen un nivel adecuado de contestabilidad. Sin embargo, como se muestra en este documento para el caso del sector agrícola, en estas circunstancias, la política de competencia adquiere un nuevo e importante papel que cumplir. Acá se discute la relación general entre el sector agrícola y la política de competencia, en un contexto de relativa liberalización comercial. Se sostiene que es necesario aplicar la política de competencia al sector, ya que esto garantiza las mejores condiciones posibles para incentivar los procesos de cambio tecnológico, indispensables para desarrollar una agricultura dinámica. Igualmente, se afirma que es indispensable una aplicación rigurosa de la política de competencia que, teniendo en cuenta las particularidades de la estructura de mercado de los sectores vinculados a la agricultura hacia adelante y hacia atrás, garantice que el más competitivo sector agrícola no sea sujeto de prácticas anticompetitivas por otros agentes. Esto puede incluir la instauración de algunas excepciones puntuales para el sector, con relación a la política de competencia,

Influencia de la relación estratégica comunitaria y el marketing en la salud financiera de las organizaciones en mercados internacionales

La globalización de mercados ha generado una serie de cambios en la estructura del comercio internacional, como el surgimiento de áreas de libre comercio, que son el resultado de las integraciones económicas, las cuales han facilitado los flujos de capital, recursos y personas. La internacionalización no solamente se ha convertido en una estrategia para aprovechar las oportunidades que se dan en los mercados internacionales, sino también en un medio de diversificación del riesgo para reducir la dependencia del mercado doméstico. Sin embargo, para emprender un proceso de internacionalización, es necesario conocer muy bien el contexto dentro del cual se desarrollan los clientes, puesto que la falta de conocimiento del entorno puede perjudicar la salud financiera de la empresa. De ahí la importancia de utilizar una definición de comunidad y unas estrategias comunitarias con las cuales se identifiquen las necesidades, objetivos e intereses de la comunidad, para establecer un relación a largo plazo que procure el desarrollo de ambas partes. La relación estratégica comunitaria y el marketing impactan positivamente la salud financiera de la empresa, en la medida en que este desarrollo mutuo, tanto de la comunidad como de la empresa, no solamente incrementa el interés y el compromiso por seguir interactuando; también crea vínculos afectivos entre ambas partes, lo cual consolida aún más la perdurabilidad de la relación, logrando así una fidelización de los clientes y por ende aumentando la rentabilidad de la empresa.

The evolution and heterogeneity of outward foreign direct investment from Latin America

The PhD dissertation investigates the rise of emerging country multinationals (EMNEs), a phenomenon that has opened up a series of research themes and debates. The main debate in this field is the extent to which the theories/frameworks on foreign direct investment (FDI), which have been developed from investigations on multinationals from developed countries, is relevant in explaining outward FDI from EMNEs. This debate is sparked by research suggesting that EMNEs supposedly do not hold the characteristics that are seen as a prerequisite to engaging in FDI. The underlying theme in this PhD is that the field should move away from a one size fit all categorisation of EMNEs, and explore the heterogeneity within EMNEs. Collecting data through various databases, archival articles and annual reports, there was an examination of the internationalisation process of 136 Latin American Multinationals (LAMNEs). The research explores the differences in internationalisation trajectories and global strategies and classifies firms into one of four categories. The four categories that LAMNEs fall into are: Natural-Resource Vertical Integrator, which are firms that are in resource seeking sectors; Accelerated Global, which depict firms that have become global over a very short period of time; Traditional Global, which are EMNEs that have internationalised at the same pace as developed country MNEs and Local Optimisers that only acquire or internationalise to developing countries. The analysis also looks at which decade LAMNEs engaged in FDI, to see if LAMNEs that internationalised during the 1970s and 1980s, during a time when Latin America had a closed economy, was different to LAMNEs that internationalised during the Washington consensus era of the 1990s or to firms that have only just internationalised within the last decade. The findings show that LAMNEs that internationalised before 1990 were more likely to adopt Local Optimiser strategies. However, more LAMNEs that started to internationalise during the 1990s started to adopt Traditional Global strategies, although Local Optimisers were the most prominent strategy. From 2002, there was more prominence of Accelerated Global strategies and a lot more heterogeneity among LAMNEs. Natural-Resource Vertical Integrator LAMNEs, tended to start to internationalisation process during the 1970s/1980s. Despite the rise of EMNEs, and by extension LAMNEs opting to use cross border merger and acquisitions (M&A), there is little research on whether this entry mode has been successful. Contrary to the argument that EMNEs are “internationalising successfully” through this strategy, the findings show that these firms are highly geared and are running less efficiently against their Western competitors. In comparison, LAMNEs internationalising through a more gradual approach, are outperforming their Western competitors on efficiency and are not highly geared- i.e. do not hold a lot of debt. The conclusion of the thesis is the emphasis of moving away from evaluating firms from their country or region of origin, but rather through the global strategy they are using. This will give a more a robust firm level of analysis, and help develop the understanding of EMNEs and international business theory.

The opportunity of an internationalization process to Brazil: the case of Etai, a french SME

Este trabalho teve como objetivo principal fornecer subsídios para uma pequena empresa francesa analisar a viabilidade do seu processo de internacionalização no Brasil, um caminho difícil e cheio de obstáculos. De fato, muitas empresas francesas estão tentando entrar no mercado brasileiro, visto como um país que oferece várias oportunidades para o crescimento e rentabilidade destas empresas. No entanto, por causa da falta de recursos e das dificuldades a serem enfrentadas durante o processo de internacionalização, pequenas empresas devem analisar cuidadosamente a viabilidade de um projeto internacional, antes de entrar no mercado estrangeiro. Assim, trabalhos acadêmicos foram usados como referência para identificar e apresentar os aspectos administrativos, econômicos e culturais que poderiam facilitar ou dificultar o processo de internacionalização. Os principais aspectos administrativos apresentados foram a seleção do mercado internacional, o modo de internacionalização e os desafios do processo de internacionalização. Para os aspectos econômicos, apresentamos as principais tecnologias usadas para financiar pequenas e médias empresas, e o impacto das infra-estruturas nessas tecnologias. Também, para que uma PME possa entender o processo de financiamento, apresentamos o ponto de vista dos Bancos. Aspectos culturais que poderiam facilitar ou dificultar o processo de internacionalização são apontados através de conceitos acadêmicos como "distância cultural" ou "distância psíquica". Este trabalho discute também como as diferenças entre as culturas são susceptíveis em gerar dificuldades ou vantagens, e que a distância cultural também pode ter um impacto no modo de entrada escolhido pela empresa no país de acolhimento.

Internacionalização do empreendimento social: um estudo de dois empreendimentos sociais que entraram no Brasil

A internacionalização de organizações pode ser observada como um envolvimento crescente em transações internacionais. Dentre as diversas modalidades e alternativas de internacionalização, os modelos estudados têm sido usados principalmente para retratar o processo de internacionalização de indústrias, sendo sua aplicação em outros setores de atividade ainda muito incipientes. O empreendimento social, isto é, a organização ou pessoa que tenta atender a uma necessidade ou resolver um problema de cunho social utilizando métodos empresariais, aos poucos também tem buscado o processo de internacionalização, mas são poucos os estudos que retratam o processo de internacionalização de empreendimentos sociais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar as estratégias e o processo de internacionalização de empreendimentos sociais, com a teoria tradicional de internacionalização verificando se o modelo tradicional pode ser aplicado para compreender o processo (de internacionalização). O empreendimento social no Brasil é bastante significativo, mas de maneira geral permanece limitado às fronteiras do país. Por este motivo, o objeto de nosso estudo foram empreendimentos sociais que se internacionalizaram em direção ao Brasil. Aqui analisamos, através de pesquisa qualitativa pela abordagem exploratória a partir de entrevistas em profundidade, duas organizações que vieram para o país. Os resultados oriundos dessas entrevistas demonstraram padrões e processos diferentes e, como resultado, apresentamos a dinâmica encontrada na internacionalização de empreendimentos sociais.

The impact of foreign firms on industrial productivity : evidence from Japan

With a newly constructed dataset on foreign firms in Japan for the period 1995-2008 from firm-level surveys, this paper estimates the impact of foreign firms on industrial productivity at the regional level. A Bayesian-model averaging approach is taken to account for model uncertainty resulting from various linkages between foreign firms and domestic industries. The results show that the foreign firms may contribute to industrial efficiency directly through their above-average productivity and indirectly through positive spillovers in intra-industry and local backward linkages. Forward linkages with foreign firms may have a negative impact on industrial productivity. However, these impacts depend on the nationality and entry mode of foreign investors. Aggregating foreign firms may mask their distinctive impacts on productivity.