The Internationalization of Chinese Firms and Negative Media Coverage: The Case of Geely's Acquisition of Volvo Cars

Chinese firms are internationalizing at an unprecedented speed. One profound phenomenon linked to this active Chinese firms internationalization process is that the process tends to be confronted with negative media coverage of China and Chinese firms in Western countries. How to understand and cope with the negative image of China and Chinese firms, as they are often seen in the Western media, emerges as a relevant and timely research topic in the study of the internationalization of Chinese firms. The purpose of this article is to stimulate ideas for further research on the relations between the internationalization of Chinese firms and the media coverage. We use the case of Geely's acquisition of Volvo Cars, which was to a large extent negatively reported in the Swedish media during 2008–2013, as inspiration to identify the interesting research themes and questions. Given the increasing anti‐globalization trend, we hypothesize that Chinese firms will have to face up to the reality of negative media coverage in many Western countries for the foreseeable future, at least in the firms’ initial establishment phases. We end our paper with the managerial implications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Evocation and experiential seduction: Updating choice-sets modelling

This paper operationalises discourses on affects-as-information in terms of destination imagining and choosing. Evoked sets are conceptualised not simply as destinations, but as destinations in terms of imagery, knowledge and familiarity; forming Unusual Selling Points (USPs) or their standardised equivalent, Standardised Selling Points (SSPs). USPs and SSPs are each in turn categorised threefold, as utility, experiential and symbolic selling points. Action sets are conceptualised not just as destinations but as destinations-as-propensity to visit. This conceptualisation of decision making is illustrated in terms of British consumers’ evocations of Scandinavia and their propensity to visit Scandinavian countries. One element of familiarity is found to be disproportionately important in the associations between evoked and action sets: experiential familiarity, namely seduction by experience.     

Innovative approaches to domestic heating: homeowners' perceptions and factors influencing their choice of heating system

The paper focuses on Swedish homeowners' perceptions of innovative heating systems, and those factors that influence their decision to adopt a new heating system. The systems studied were: district heating, heat pumps and pellet boilers. Results of two household surveys – one covering the whole of Sweden in autumn 2004 and the other in the city of Östersund in summer 2005 – revealed that approximately 80% of the survey respondents, particularly those with resistance heaters, did not intend to install an innovative heating system. Economic aspects, functional reliability and indoor air quality were found to be the most important factors influencing respondents' choice of a heating system. Survey respondents thought that a bedrock heat pump system has a number of advantages with respect to the annual cost of heating, security of fuel supply, environmental benignity, market value of the home and low greenhouse gas emission. A district heating system has advantages regarding functional reliability, system automation and time required to obtain information. A pellet boiler system has one main advantage: investment cost. Compared with homeowners having other types of heating systems, those with resistance heaters accorded more importance to investment cost due to the high cost of installing a water‐based system for heat distribution within the home.     

Bring in the brewers: business entry in the Swedish brewing industry from 1830 to 2012

This article analyses long-term business entry in the Swedish brewing industry, presenting new data on its organisational historiography. Since 1830, the rate of entry has varied considerably; entries increased progressively from the 1850s, and fell at a decreasing rate from the early twentieth century. An increasing tendency to enter the trade can be observed from the mid-1980s – in particular, there has been a considerable resurgence since the turn of the millennium. The article elaborates on explanations that are both exogenous and endogenous. Above all, the results provide support for the role of endogenous conditions. The results should be viewed as complementary to previous analyses of the (Swedish) brewing industry, which either have employed shorter analytical time-frames or have mainly focused on the role of exogenous conditions, such as changes in the institutional framework.     

Property rights in conflict: wild berry-picking and the Nordic tradition of allemansrätt

Wild berries became a valuable export article in Sweden and Finland at the end of the nineteenth century. At the time, property rights over wild berries were not explicitly defined, and in both countries, proposals were made to subject the berries to the landowner. The proposals did not pass and wild berry-picking on another's land continued, as seen from today's perspective, to be available to everyone. This paper looks at the socioeconomic context of wild berry-picking, and asks whether the principle of allemansrätt – a Nordic tradition of public access to nature – played a role in why wild berries did not become private property. By focusing on the Finnish penal code debate of 1888 and the process of stabilising the property rights, the paper rejects the idea of continuity. It argues that (1) the traditional allemansrätt is debatable as a historical concept and shows how (2) the contingent political process created the conditions, and economic imagination the impetus, that wild berries were not privatised but turned into an open resource.     

瑞典社会保障支出探讨

北欧以"从摇篮到坟墓"的福利体系闻名于世,是典型的社会福利国家。他们享受高福利但是也必须缴纳高税赋。高额的赋税支撑着瑞典高福利的社会保障支出。在瑞典的社会保障支出职能上,政府间以及政府与社会的合理的财政分权以及事权与财权的匹配是社会保障制度可持续的基础。     

瑞典卓越中心的现状及典型案例分析

瑞典从1995年实施卓越中心项目以来,先后对近百个各类卓越中心进行5—10年的支持,每个中心能够得到500万～1000万克朗／年的资助,用于开展优秀的基础研究或应用研究,拓展与工业界之间的合作,实现研发成果产业化。这些卓越中心在吸引国际人才、促进瑞典各大学的人员交流、企业与学术界的交流方面表现积极,中心申请欧盟项目的能力也有所增强．     

瑞典的生物质能应用及其对我国的启示

瑞典在过去三十年中持续地增加生物质能（bioenergy）应用,使生物质能达到国家能源总消费的约1／3。在这一过程中,生物质能的生产技术趋向成熟,生物燃料（biofuels）市场得到发展,大型装备和运输体系逐步改进,产业链初步形成。瑞典发展和应用生物质能的实践,对中国调整能源结构、实行节能减排、利用地区生物质资源,以及用工业化方式生产生物质能有一定借鉴意义。     

Environmental awareness and initiatives in the Swedish and Polish hotel industries—survey results

Despite its importance, environmental stewardship is not always the top priority in the hotel industry in Europe. This study investigates the influence of the geo-political, economic and socio-cultural context of a country on the environmental attitudes and pro-ecological initiatives incorporated in this sector. To illustrate the differences, hotels in Sweden and Poland were targeted and a total of 349 hoteliers participated in an e-mail-based survey. The study reveals that hotel operators generally recognize the need for environmental protection and are involved in a number of activities. The economic situation and pro-environmental efforts initiated by the government were found to have an impact on certain aspects of hoteliers’ attitudes and actions. The survey has further indicated the two major directions that need to be followed when introducing environmental sustainability into the hotel industry. The first involves incorporating responsible technical and behavioural practices in the sector. The second highlights the necessity of initiating greater demand for “green” practices from the customers.     

瑞典创新政策议程设置的“多源流”分析--以“2009-2012年研究与创新预算法案”为例

运用约翰·金登的多源流分析模型,以瑞典“2009-2012年研究与创新预算法案”为案例,分析了瑞典的创新政策制定过程,揭示出那些较为稳定的影响瑞典的研究与创新法案乃至创新政策议程设置和制定的主要因素,政策过程的各方参与者及其在政策议程设立和备选方案的阐明中所处的地位、所起的作用和所利用的资源等。