INTERNATIONELL KOMPETENS I SVENSKA KONCERNSTYRELSER
? ett begrepp och dess diskursiva sammanhang
International competenceBoard of directorsCorporate governanceDiscourse analysisInterpretative repertoires
The purpose of the thesis is to map the meaning of ?international competence? in Swedish company boards of directors. The study is divided in a qualitative part and a quantitative part. The qualitative study consists of a discourse analysis where variation in interpretative repertoires are identified to enhance the understanding of the nature of reasoning related to the meaning and importance of the issue at stake. The discourse analysis is conducted on an empirical material from 27 interviews with decision makers in recruitment processes to Swedish company boards of directors. The qualitative study is complemented with a quantitative study conducted to give a picture of how frequent empirical defined versions of ?international competence? are in Swedish company boards of directors. Reasoning in most of the interpretative repertoires is found to be induces by a general idealization of competence within the company board of directors. The thesis questions whether reasoning about international competence rather is an opportunity for the interviewee to manifest normative positions in other issues related to company board of directors than ?international competence?. The thesis concludes in a suggested theoretical illustration of how ?competence? can be used as a argumentative tool, easily adapted to different discursive settings.