Personal visits are better appreciated than sent greetings : A multiple-case study of project business and network risks and opportunities in Africa

• Main Authors: Forsberg, Christoffer, Henningson, Lucas
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för organisation och entreprenörskap (OE) 2015
• Subjects: Project business; Africa; networks; opportunities; internationalization; coordination; communication
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-45212

The purpose of this thesis is to gain understanding and analyze how Scandinavian firms’ relationships and networks can help them to create opportunities and reduce risks when conducting project business on African markets. Through this purpose we have created a main research questions that aims to answer: In order to answer the main research question a theoretical framework will be built on project business theories in order to understand project business and the opportunities and risks that are known to the project marketer. The Network Model and Uppsala Internationalization Model will also be applied to gain understanding of how to create opportunities and reduce risks through your networks and relationships. The research approach of this thesis will be an abductive approach and the gathering of primary data will be done through qualitative interviews using a multiple case study of two experienced project business actors. The gathered empirical data will interpreted with the help of the theoretical framework.   The conclusion of this thesis indicates that project business risks and opportunities many times are interrelated to the same actors and that coordination and communication among the project marketer’s relationships and networks are vital to project business success on African markets. Onwards a theoretical gap and our theoretical contribution within the field will be presented, along with suggestions for further research and implications for practicing project business actors.