Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse how the main driving forces are affecting companies in a supply chain. The focus is on what managers expect will influence customer value from a strategic point of view. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based on a qualitative study where managers at a division level have been interviewed. Findings - The main driving forces have been identified. These driving forces have been found to affect the business and marketing strategy in the market among different actors, in the technology and due to external changes in the market, e.g, by changes in demography resulting in dissimilar market behaviour. Co-operation among actors has been found to improve customer value. Practical implications - The managerial implications therefore indicate that managers need to assess the main driving forces and find a competitive and marketing strategy that can match competition and influence driving forces in the actual market area. Original/value - The paper has a longitudinal approach. An important value of the paper is that actors at different stages in the supply chain have been interviewed during a longer period of time.

The role of packaging has changed from strictly protecting goods to become a moremulti-faceted tool for marketing purposes. The multi function of packaging haschanged its role in marketing and packaging plays a strategic role as the first productattribute to which consumers are exposed in a store or supermarket. The researchmethod in this study is based on a qualitative approach based on secondary datacombined with field visits and personal interviews. The result in this study show theimportance of material research made by suppliers, but also the influence of differentrequirements from actors in a supply chain driving development resulting in packagingsolutions for the benefit of end consumers. A main managerial implication is the use ofprogress within material development and application of necessary processes for higherefficiency within a supply chain. Another managerial implication is the importance ofpackaging design. A theoretical implication is a need for a better integration of marketinformation in to the packaging development process. Another theoretical contributionis a need of higher integration of packaging into marketing strategy.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore international market development for mature products and practices used in a novel business context. Design/methodology/approach Taking a qualitative approach, the case study method was chosen to investigate how firms develop markets in relation to a new international business context. Critical international decisions are analysed using a managerial perspective. Findings The success of international ventures depends on managerial learning and effectiveness. In this paper, the authors argue that decisions about international market development can add significantly to the understanding of how business firms enter and develop markets in novel business contexts. Two case studies show different approaches for meeting challenges in distant markets. Four propositions are developed. Originality/value A theoretical contribution of this study is the importance of factors that explain international market development decisions in novel business contexts. The balance between incomplete knowledge and making resource commitments is of central concern to international managers. Some of this is tacit knowledge that a firm achieves and learns during the process of market development and other knowledge can only become available after an actual market entry. A second theoretical contribution of this study is the significance of contextual market knowledge in a novel business context.

In the changing market environment it is necessary even for small and medium-sized companies to build long-term relationships in order to survive and to be competitive in the marketplace. The process of building relationships is a demanding and complex task, especially if it is done in an international environment. As a result of greater international competition changes on the marketplace are occurring more rapidly and companies need to be able to react to the actual competitive situation. This require is different kinds of knowledge about international markets which might be another drawback for small and medium-sized companies trying to build relationships in the local network.

Purpose– The main purpose of this paper is to explore how small and medium‐sized firms (SMEs) are meeting market needs in their export marketing strategy (EMS). Design/methodology/approach– A combination of research methods were adopted including expert interviews and a survey among 212 SME exporting firms in the manufacturing industry.Findings– The study offers insight into how exporting firms need to consider different market aspects in their EMS. It confirms the importance of product quality and the significance of flexibility in relation to local export markets. The study highlights a need for service to the market, in addition to a need for fulfilling service requirements when the firm is established in the local market.Research limitations/implications– The research is limited to SMEs in the manufacturing industry.Originality/value– The paper contributes to the interface between marketing and entrepreneurship in an international context. The managerial implications emphasize the importance of flexibility in the international market entry.

The internationalisation has been a slow process for most companies and it has often been a question of gaining experience of other countries step by step. However, during the last two decades, companies have developed their international activities more on a contingency basis. The international market behaviour has also been influenced by a need to take advantage of different market opportunities and by an increasing need to serve customers in the global market environment. Due to the competitive situation, it might also have been necessary to introduce products more quickly on different international markets. In other situations it has been of importance to acquire companies to be able to build up a market position in the local market The purpose with this paper has therefore been to study the need for changes in the international marketing strategy due to requirements from the customers in the local marketplace.

Purpose– The increasing internationalisation and globalisation of business has forced many firms to reconsider what contributes to their competitive advantage. Despite the importance of packaging it is rather anonymous and has received little or marginal research. The purpose of this paper is to study how packaging can contribute to competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach – Aspects of the packing industry and market are reviewed. Five case studies covering different packages in the supply chain are presented and analysed. Findings – Structural changes within the European food industry are reinforcing a need for competitiveness where packaging can make the difference for many consumer products. The findings from the case studies and the literature review underscore the importance of packaging and packaging design for fulfilling multi-functions in relation to logistics and marketing in the supply chain from filler to end consumer. New demands due to changes in consumption patterns and habits are requiring innovative packaging solutions in retail utlets.

Practical implications – The main implications for management is to understand and take advantage of packaging as a strategic weapon and marketing tool for the entire business, specially within a highly competitive food industry. This is important in every stage of the supply chain either for the transport packaging or as a consumer package in the supermarket.

Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need for recognising the importance of packaging in business strategy.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of innovative packaging for marketing purposes in a food supply chain. The intent is also to understand the function of packaging as a marketing tool. The outcome of the study is expected to contribute to the link between packaging and marketing literature. Design/methodology/approach - The case study method was chosen in order to assess and investigate how packaging can be used in marketing. The study focuses on narrating the use of packaging for different customer applications and the unit of analyses was the packaging product. In order to analyse the five sub-cases or "corporate stories" a cross-case analysis was used and the analysis of data was carried out in different stages. This approach treats each sub-case as a separate entity and the analysis reveal both similarities and differences among the sub-cases. Findings - The present study demonstrates that packaging has become an important tool in marketing of different products either this is for end-consumers, or customers in a supply chain. This has become more essential as more products are introduced on a market. The study shows the significance of linking packaging to marketing strategy. An important ingredient for that is the use of packaging design for differentiation purposes. The results support also that packaging has become an essential factor for a secure and efficient distribution in a food supply chain. In addition, packaging and packaging design is contributing to value creation for different actors in a food supply chain. Practical implications - The managerial implication from the case study shows that packaging can be used together with the product concept to create a competitive offering in a market. This gives managers the possibility to differentiate their products from competitive offerings by using packaging and packaging design in a creative manner. Originality/value - This paper fulfils an identified need for contributions to more research on packaging and marketing strategy. The study shows the influence of packaging on marketing.

This paper contributes to the sport marketing field by analyzing the market situation in anetwork perspective. It also gives an idea of the relative positions of the organizationsmaking up the network. When a sport club is delivering a sport event there is a complex setof actors that must interact and intervene with each other. Which those actors are and whatthey bring to the network depends on if you consider the network from a non-commercialsport point of view, or from a business and commercial point of view. In a traditionalperspective the side of the network that is based on the non-commercial or sport side consistsof actors that are volunteers and engaged in the team for the fascination of sport. This paperprovides a unique insight into how a sports club have been able to use different resources tocreate a successful incubation from primarily being a non-profit organization. The arenaconcept has been an important part in building relationships with different business actors inrelation to the surrounding actors and the community. The ARA-model provides theanalytical tools for analyzing the actors, resources and activities for developing the marketingstrategy for a sport club.

Ett företags internationalisering kan ses som en process eller utvecklingsförlopp. Under denna process förbättras företagets kunskaper om olika marknader och etableringsformer successivt. Internationaliseringen försvåras emellertid ofta p g a bristande kunskaper och resurser. Detta gäller inte minst de många små och medelstora företag som försöker att etablera sig på olika utlandsmarknader. För många företag innebär internationaliseringen en långsam process där den första kontakten utanför hemmamarknaden sker genom export till en närbelägen marknad. Ofta är exporten begränsad till en början och sker till någon eller några utlandsmarknader t ex via en agent. Allteftersom samarbetet utvecklas ökar förutsättningarna för en effektiv bearbetning av den lokala marknaden. Den exporterfarenhet som företaget bygger upp ger sedan goda förutsättningar för att senare genomföra egna etableringar utomlands. En ökad konkurrens har emellertid medfört att företag i bland väljer ett snabbare internationaliseringsförlopp. Detta är ofta baserat på den aktuella marknadssituationen inom en given bransch.



Syftet med denna studie har därför varit att öka kunskapen om internationalisering i tillverkande företag. I studien har också ingått att försöka belysa vilka faktorer som hindrar eller försvårar en internationell verksamhet. Ett resultat av denna studie är att många företag väljer att påbörja en internationell aktivitet genom export. De främst drivkrafterna för detta har varit möjligheterna till tillväxt och avsättning utanför en stagnerande och konkurrensutsatt hemmamarknad. En begränsande faktor i de mindre företagen är brister i företagens interna struktur som kan bero av bristande kompetens om arbeta i en internationell miljö.

Många av de svenska företag som arbetar internationellt har ofta saknat möjligheter att expandera på en stor hemmamarknad. Dessa företag har istället funnit det nödvändigt att gå utanför hemmamarknaden för att trygga sin lönsamhet och tillväxt. Innan ett företag påbörjar en internationaliseringprocess är det emellertid nödvändigt att företagsledningen gör en analys av huruvida en internationalisering löser företagets problem.



Syftet med denna studie har därför varit att öka kunskapen om internationalisering i tillverkande företag. I studien har också ingått att försöka belysa vilka faktorer som hindrar eller försvårar en internationell verksamhet. Ett resultat av studien är att många företag väljer att påbörja en internationell aktivitet genom export. De främsta drivkrafterna för detta har varit möjligheterna till tillväxt och avsättning utanför en stagnerande och konkurrensutsatt hemmamarknad.