Studiens syfte är att se hur individualistiska och kollektivistiska värderingar kan förstås ur ett intersektionellt perspektiv med fokus på kulturell identitet. I ett bekvämlighetsurval hittade vi respondenter från Mellanstadskommuner i klasser för SFI (Svenska För Invandrare) och SAS (Svenska som Andra Språk) samt kollektivboenden för ensamkommande flyktingbarn. Genom att utföra studien på svenska studenter på två olika gymnasieskolor samt japanska individer erhölls referenspunkter i förhållande till Hofstede?s data gällande kulturella värderingar och dimensioner. Respondenterna fick svara på ett enkätformulär som är utformat av Ph.D.

This thesis attempts to clarify the impact of cultural differenceson customer expectations of service level. Furthermore, wewant to determine whether or not expectations of service differenough to be quantifiable between two countries, Sweden andthe US, mostly regarded as similar in business practices. The conclusion showed that higher ratings on four of Hofstede?s five cultural indexes were associated with higher customer service expectations overall, and in all four SERVQUAL dimensions. This research contributes to retail internationalization and customer expectations theory.

Hofstede constructed a culture dimension called Power Distance, measuring the inequality of Power. Germany and Sweden have relatively similar values according to his world-renowned research. But a series of interviews of Swedish entrepreneurs in Germany shows that these perceive a large difference in inequality of power in the two countries. This essay seeks to explain the difference between these subjective-qualitative experiences and the objective-quantitative data of Hofstedes Power Distance Index. We propose that a combination of differences in communication, exercise and visibility of power and formality influence the way Power Distance is perceived.

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the implications and challenges of intercultural communication. An in-depth study was performed of the perspectives from people who work within an international organization. How they experience cultural differences and how they handle them, in particular when it comes to communication. Also, their perceptions of communicative competence were explored. The study was carried out at Svalorna India Bangladesh, at the Swedish office in Lund.

Title: To sell the country of Lagom: a study of the Swedish Institute?s re-branding of Sweden and impact on the swedish citizens Authors: Rebecca Dahl & Ellinor Thungren Aim: The purpose of this thesis is to study the Swedish Institute?s branding of Sweden. We have explored if the branding is consistent with the picture that Swedes generally have of themselves and Sweden, and also looked at which consequences differences in this picture may have. Method/Material: Semiotic analysis and interviewMain Results: The results of the thesis shows that SI?s branded image of Sweden agree with the picture that Swedes have of themselves and Sweden.

Den här magisteruppsatsen behandlar två perspektiv på ledarskap som jag kallar för statiskt och kulturellt. Det statiska perspektivet handlar om att betrakta ledarskapskompetenser som oföränderliga och därför samma i alla situationer. I kontrast till detta står det kulturella perspektivet som handlar om att betrakta ledarskapskompetenser som processer. Syftet i den här uppsatsen är att påvisa att dessa två ledarskapsperspektiv förekommer och att i en empirisk kontext pröva de här perspektiven för att se om och hur de får stöd av deltagarna i studien. Genom den hermeneutiska metoden har jag intervjuat fem deltagare som är svenska ledare med många års erfarenhet av ledarskap. De respresenterar olika branscher och företag.

There is a growing interest for ethical consumption, in general as well as in the clothing industry. The consumption of ethical clothes is a complex phenomenon though, where aspects such as quality, style, function, price, time assets, accessibility and ethical attitudes affect the decision making. Researches that have been executed show the diversities in development between different countries. There are fairly strong indications that the ethical clothing market is more advanced in the United Kingdom than in Sweden and therefore these two countries are objects of this research. The aim with this thesis is to describe and explain what have affected the development of the ethical clothing market in the United Kingdom compared to Sweden. For that reason a qualitative approach has mainly been used, where deep interviews with people within the ethical clothing industry have contributed to most of the empirical part. As a complement secondary data such as statistics of the two countries have been used in order to investigate our area. One useful tool, among others, to investigate the macro environment is the SLEPT model.

AbstractAuthors: Åsa Höjer, Karl WijkmarkTitle: The intercultural communicator. A study of cultures? influence on communication.Level: BA Thesis in Media and Communication StudiesLocation: University on KalmarLanguage: SwedishNumber of pages: 67Date of seminar: 2009-01-15Advisor: Jens CavallinKey words: Intercultural communication, culture, Hofstede´s cultural dimensions, anxiety and uncertainty, self-confidence, high and low context, verbal and nonverbal communication, Telenor, Pakistan, Scandinavia.Case company: TelenorPurpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate what cultural differences, regarding communication, that are present between Scandinavia and Pakistan. Furthermore the purpose is to illustrate which factors that are important for personnel working for Telenor, that are about to work in a foreign culture, in order to create effective intercultural communication.Methodology: The following study is a case study that has used a qualitative methodology with interviews conducted via e-mail. To be able to interpret and understand human experiences and situations a hermeneutical approach has been taken.

This thesis studies private equity firms' implementation of management control systems in their portfolio companies and whether the systems are affected by cross-national differences. A comparative case study examines five different private equity firms to derive if there are any differences between the private equity firms' management control systems in the United States, Europe and China. The empirical observations are categorized according to the framework developed by Merchant (1985) and further developed by Merchant and Van der Stede (2003). Theory on the effect of multinationality on management control systems, also developed by Merchant and Van der Stede (2003), are used to explain possible findings. The applied theory includes the cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede (1984) and Hofstede and Bond (1988).

Syftet med uppsatsen har varit att undersöka om det finns skillnader i chefskapet mellan danska kontra svenska nya första linjens chefer utifrån en nationalkulturell aspekt. Studien har utgått från ett induktiv angreppssätt där vi har valt att använt oss av såväl kvalitativ som kvantitativ metod. Detta i form av 21 semistrukturerade intervjuer riktade till nya första linjen chefer och 108 enkätstudier riktade till deras medarbetare. Studien har genomförts på sex olika företag i Öresundsregionen som bedriver verksamhet i såväl Sverige som Danmark. Det teoretiska perspektivet i uppsatsen har utgått från Geert Hofstede´s teori beträffande nationalkulturer samt de specifika förutsättningarna som föreligger för de båda länderna.

Kultur differentierar samhällen världen över och skillnader kan orsaka problem för företagare som saknar kunskap eller underskattar dessa skillnaders betydelse. Den holländske forskaren Geert Hofstede har under mer än 40 år bedrivit forskning om kulturskillnader och placerat samt värderat ett stort antal länder i olika dimensioner vilka i uppsatsen utgörs av Osäkerhetsundvikande, Individualism, Maktdistans och Maskulinitet. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur fem svenska företag upplever och hanterar kulturskillnader mellan Sverige och Mexiko utifrån Hofstedes fyra dimensioner av nationell kultur. För att kunna genomföra denna studie har frågor kopplade till nationell kultur baserade på Hofstedes dimensioner använts och personer på fem svenska företag har intervjuats. Resultatet visar att det tydligt finns skillnader i nationell kultur mellan Sverige och Mexiko.

We want to identify the gap that consists of the expectations we have of Brazilian / Swedish culture with the self-image of these individuals included in the culture of question. This gap, we believe, creates a problem for business across borders. The reader is therefore made aware of the issues that affect our expectations and our self-image, and how this can be used to explain cultural differences..

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att analysera skillnader i hur servicekvalitén inom servicenäringen i Sverige uppfattas av svenska studenter och kinesiska utbytesstudenter.Metod: I studien användes en kvantitativ metod med hjälp av enkäter med slutna svarsalternativ och ordinalskala, som distribuerades till totalt 324 svenska studenter och kinesiska utbytesstudenter. Vidare användes dataprogrammet IMB SPSS för att utföra faktoranalyser och klusteranalyser. Resultaten användes sedan för att testa de använda teorierna.Resultat: Genom att analysera de resultat som deducerats från insamlad data har studien bidragit med ytterligare data inom kulturområdet och servicenäringen. Studiens teoretiska referensram har stärkt de slutsatser som gjorts, men har även visat sig vara vag i vissa sammanhang. Studien har visat vissa intressanta skillnader i hur kinesiska utbytesstudenter och svenska studenter uppfattar servicekvalitén inom servicenäringen.Förslag till fortsatta studier: Studiens resultat skulle kunna bidra till förslag till fortsatta studier inom servicenäringsområdet och servicekvalité.

AbstractTitle: Swedish social media services (A study about Swedish social media services birth andhow they benefit from the Swedish climate)Number of pages: 38Author: Robin SchwabeggerTutor: Else NygrenCourse: Media and Communication Science CPeriod: Fall 2009University: Division of Informatics and Media, Uppsala University.Purpose/Aim: To see if the Swedish advantage or interest in developing new social mediaservices and networks has anything to do with our society. With society I mean our culture,attitudes and history. Do people, especially young people, have a more positive attitudetowards the Internet and has the fact that we, as a country, were among the first to use theInternet anything to do with it.Material/Method: Data collected from books, newspapers and articles from several sites onthe internet. I?ll use the information I?ve gathered to try to find an answer to my givenproblems for the paper.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to inquire into the congruency of store image perceptions, projected by Ikea and Ilva, and how Danish and Swedish consumers perceive the aforementioned stores? images in their respective domestic market. Also, the aim sets out to evaluate the success of these stores? images on consumers and on transference to host markets. Further, the aim is to discern specific store image attributes captivating Swedish and Danish consumers.