Purpose: This paper aims to deal with international marketing of products, analyzing how adaptation/standardization and network development are achieved when marketing products in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach: By applying a qualitative method, the study was conducted at four multinationals, British American Tobacco, Perfetti Van Melle, Tetrapak and Reckitt Benckiser, operating in Bangladesh. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, direct observation and official documents. The analysis was conducted through construction of themes that were identified from the data set.

Findings: The study demonstrates that business relationships related to a local market should be adapted to customer preferences. The research suggests that a balanced combination of product quality and development of new, innovative products adapted to the needs of the market and the customers establishes trust and networks. Cultural and market context were found to influence multinational companies (MNCs)s to standardize the quality of the products and adapt marketing mix components to the needs of consumers.

Research limitations/implications: The paper contributes to international marketing literature with a model of product marketing based on context, trust, networks and adaptation/standardization. The model introduces the cultural dimension of femininity/ masculinity and the innovation of products and market structure. The study is limited to one emerging market. Further studies should explore other emerging market economies and MNCs.

Practical implications: The results suggest that to meet the challenges of emerging market economies and achieve success, managers should take people and market needs into consideration.

Originality/value: This paper extends product marketing literature by presenting a context-based model for MNCs’ product marketing.

This research deals with the influence of microfinance/microcredits on business development analyzing how micro finances affect establishment of small enterprises in Sweden. For the analysis, the following research questions were addressed: How do small enterprises get access to microfinances and what kind of businesses are established through microfinances? Microcredit means giving entrepreneurs access to financial resources to borrow a small amount of money to invest in income generating business activities context related. A model of microcredit was developed to lend money to the poor for business entrepreneurship. Access to microfinance can facilitate poverty reduction and incorporate economic and social development. Relationship based lending is affected by cultural and social context. Multiple case studies were applied for data collection from two small enterprises in Gothenburg, Sweden and a microfinance institution in Sweden. Qualitative data was collected in form of semi-structured interviews. Direct observation and documents were also used as data source. The study shows that microfinance contributes to development of sustainable enterprises and generates employment for people. The research shows that microfinance leads to sharing risks and financing projects in social enterprises, cooperative business and associations. It provides people with social networks, enhances their independence, empowers them and improves the quality of their life by generating incomes. It is important for the microfinance institutions to get recognition as important actors in the financial sector to succeed. The research contributes to the literature and theories of microfinances by developing a model about microfinances in developed countries. The limitation of the study is that we had studied only two small enterprises in a developed country. We suggest comparative studies on the influence of microfinance on business development and women empowerment between emerging economies and developed countries or between developed countries.

REFERENCES [1] C. Fouillet, M. Hudon, B. Harris-White and J. Copestake, “Micorfinance studies: Introduction and overview,” Oxford Development Studies, Vol. 41, No. 1, 2013, pp. 1-16. [2] K. Burzynska and O. Berggren,“ The impact of social beliefs on microfinance performance,” Journal of International Development, Vol. 27, No. 7, 2014, pp.1074-1097. [3] M. Yunus, “Building social business: The new kind of capitalism that serves humanity’s most pressing needs,” The University press Limited: Bangladesh, 2010. [4] M. Yunus, “banker to the poor: The autography of Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank,” The University press Limited: Bangladesh, 1998.

This research deals with the influence of National Culture on Organizational Culture in Healthcare Services. We analyse how the national culture of a firm´s home and host country and the cultural context affect the organizational culture in international marketing of healthcare services. We conducted a case study on Elekta a Swedish invention for radio surgery with a subsidiary, Elekta-Greece EPE, in its real life context. We collected qualitative data in form of semi-structured interviews by interviewing fourteen people during the years 2015-2016 in the host country of the subsidiary. We also used direct observation of the working environment and company documents as data sources. The study shows that the organisational culture of the Business Unit in Greece is flat and managers apply open doors culture trusting employees. Inequality between employees does not exist and the managers empower employees by involving them in the decision making process. Employees work as a team and share responsibilities and experience helping each other. They feel happy to work and perceive the challenges the company meets as their own challenges identifying themselves with the company. The study indicates that the context of the collectivistic and uncertainty avoiding culture of Greece influences managers to empower and motivate employees to work as a team developing good personal relationships in the company trusting each other. The results suggest that a balanced combination of national cultures makes the structure of the organisation flat, employees work as a team applying the Greek Philotimo helping and supporting each other to avoid ambiguity, reduce stress and unite in uncertain situations. We argue that a combination of the small power distance and femininity of the Swedish national culture combined with the cultural context of collectivism and strong uncertainty avoidance in Greece influence the organisational culture of the Business Unit. The local dynamic cultural context and the behaviour of the market, the customers, patients, service providers and the employees transform the organisational culture of Elekta-EPE Greece to a mixture of Swedish culture and Greek culture applying new organisational practices and models adapting to the values of the local context. The research contributes to the International services marketing literature developing a model of internationalization of healthcare services based on national cultural dimensions, organizational culture and contextualization. Managers who aim to establish businesses across borders need to balance the national culture of the head quarter and the one applied in units abroad with the unique context environment they operate to develop new organizational culture and be effective. A further study can include more companies and sectors to focus on the effect of national cultural context on organizational culture across countries.

Context has been discussed in international business relating to marketing. We argue that understanding context is important in healthcare marketing as it deals with a complex issue of human health and comfort. This paper explores how service providers confront with contextual complexity and deal with marketing of healthcare services in developed and emerging markets. Four case studies have been conducted on a Swedish multinational firm operating in two developed and two emerging markets. By applying a qualitative method, data was collected through interviews, observations and secondary materials like annual reports and firm documents. A theoretical framework based on context, trust and network has been used to conduct the study. Operations in both developed and emerging markets emphasized individual and organizational trust but country level trust was only recognized in the emerging markets. In the developed market, the local customers emphasized on the written agreements. In contrast, emerging market customers put emphasis on informal relationship and considered agreements more as guidelines. Network development was highlighted in both developed and emerging markets to get competence and access to right partners.

This research deals with microfinance. Microcredit means giving people access to financial resources to borrow a small amount of money to invest in income generating context related to business activities. The study analyzes how microfinance is structured and its influence on business development in Sweden. A multiple case study is applied for data collection. Qualitative data have been collected in form of semi-structured interviews. Direct observation and documents have also been used as data source. The study shows that microfinancecontributes to development of sustainable enterprises and innovative product and services development. It is argued that microfinance leads to sharing risk and financing projects in social enterprises, cooperative businesses and associations. It provides people with social networks, enhances their independence, empowers them and improves the quality of their life by generating economic resources. We suggest future comparative studies on the influence of microfinance on business development and women empowerment in emerging economies and developed countries.

This research deals with Marketing of products. We analyzed how adaptation/standardization and network development are achieved when marketing products in Bangladesh as an emerging market. We conducted case studies for data collection in British American Tobacco, Perfetti Van Melle, Tetrapak, and Reckitt Benckiser. Qualitative data have been collected as semi-structured interviews, direct observation and documents. It is argued that renowned global brands with global reputation are seen positively by the customers and the consumers. The study demonstrates that relationships related to the local market are to be adapted to customers´ preferences to develop emotional attachments and networks. The study suggest that a balanced combination of product quality and development of new diversity of products adapted to the needs of the market and the customers establishes trust and networks giving the possibility of success for product providers and the acceptance of products by the local customers. The research contributes to international marketing literature by developing a model of products’ marketing based on trust, network and adaptation/standardization.

The aim of the study was to explore leadership in social enterprises. It examined how leaders in social enterprises operate by considering insights in their experiences and opinions on the importance of motivation and empowerment of employees. Qualitative data have been gathered using interviews with the leaders of five Swedish social enterprises and research observations. The result shows leaders motivate employees by giving them responsibility, indicating that they are needed and their opinion matters and increasing their self-confidence. Leaders in social enterprises construct a democratic empowering leadership that is context related and adapted to the qualifications of the workforce. They empower employees through delegating duties, supervising them when it is needed; supporting them by giving feedback and encouraging them through open communication, participation and team work. Research on leadership in social enterprises can contribute to the literature by providing an alternative model of successful leadership that empowers employees and seeing the person behind a situation. Leadership descriptors and how succesful leaders function is a vital ethical issue for the development of a democratic participatory leadership. The developed model can be useful for the sustainable development of Social Enterprises, the creation of value for stakeholders and to increase the welfare of the society. For future studies comparative research from the perspective of employees and social enterprises in other countries is suggested to observe aspects important and relevant for the empowerment of employees.

This study analyses the perceptions of consumers with regard to local produced and organic food in the region of Gävleborg, Sweden. The aim of the study is to investigate consumers` attitudes by giving insight in why consumers buy local produced and organic food and how they conceive them. Quantitative data was collected through the use of structured questionnaire. We approached six hundred seventeen consumers outside twelve grocery stores directly after their shopping.  The study shows consumers have the opinion that local produced and organic food have higher quality than other kind of food,  their production supports sustainable environmental development and promotes the local society and local business. Consumers older than 65 years are more positive than younger ones to local produced and organic food and women are willing to pay more for purchasing the food.

The results illustrate that consumers think it is difficult to allocate local produced and organic food in the stores, the assortment is poor and the prices of organic food are high. The correlations between attitudes regarding Organic, Organic Local produced, and Local produced foods show that the consumers consider them as related, but not identical. It also indicates that consumers have vague attitudes about Local Produced foods and lack knowledge to define them.

Differences in price sensitivity demonstrate that consumers are willing to pay more for Organic and Local produced foods, showing there is value in, and demand for reliable guarantee label systems such as KRAV. We suggest a cooperation between public authorities and business organizations to develop trustworthy guarantee label system for Local produced foods.

We see a need for marketing and information campaigns to develop knowledge of what Organic and Local produced foods stand for to increase trust and awareness. By emphasizing on positive partial characteristics such as non-Genetically modified organisms (GMO) in marketing/information campaigns, negative connotation to organic as expensive may be avoided when educating consumers about the definition of organic foods.

We propose comparative studies in other regions and countries as well as studies about visibility and availability of organic and/or local produced foods in the shops.

This paper deals with a comparative study between Brazil, China and Philippines on services marketing. By focusing on culture, standardization/adaptation, trust and network, attempt is made to illustrate how impact of service characteristics can be handled to smooth marketing of health care services internationally. Data has been collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 21 respondents from Brazil, China, Philippines and Sweden. The result shows that culture has much effect on the operations of Elekta Philippines and China while Brazilian establishment is run by following general marketing practices. Standardization has been common regarding treatment and service quality but some adaptation has taken place in Philippines to treat new diseases not included in the Gamma knife tradition. Trust is found necessary in all the cases but has been built in different ways. In China, guanxi has been used to develop informal relationships with the customers to ensure trust. Trust in Philippines is developed by recruiting relatives and friends and relying on experience in work with old Gamma knife facility. In Brazil, long-term relationships with the customers have been stressed and are built on understanding, business facts, competence and customers' access to Elekta reference centers.