AbstractsBusiness Management & Administration

The topic of this thesis is the difference between Finnish and American business cultures and what challenges they bring to Finnish small-and medium sized enterprises that are trying to break into the U.S. market. The objective of this research is to produce valuable information for Finnish SMEs that are planning exporting to the U.S. and to discuss possible solutions to the problems that might occur during that process. The theoretical framework of the thesis was structured by using the cultural dimension theories of Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars and using them as a basis for analyzing Finnish and American business cultures. The Uppsala-model was used to describe a SME’s internationalization process in theory. In addition other extensive sources were used to discuss a company’s internationalization process. The qualitative study was executed during the spring of 2014. For the study, several people that were operating in business and were familiar with American business culture were interviewed. Three of the interviewees had been working in a Finnish SME that had succeeded in breaking into the U.S. market. Two of the interviewees work at the U.S. Commercial Service at the Embassy of the United States of America in Helsinki. The interviews were theme interviews, which were adapted to fit each specific case. Four of the interviews were conducted face to face and one by e-mail. The study results showed that the biggest challenges for Finnish SMEs in the U.S. are lack of courage, social skills and marketing. The results also showed that in an enormous country like the U.S., segmenting is of vital importance. Without personal relationships and networks it is extremely difficult to succeed. One should also remember the cultural differences between different states. All interviewees highlighted the importance of a positive “go for it” –attitude and an entrepreneurial spirit. The results showed that in general, the American business culture is close to the Finnish business culture and that Finnish companies find it easier to succeed there than for example in the Russian or the Chinese market.; Tämän opinnäytetyön aiheena ovat yhdysvaltalaisen ja suomalaisen liiketapakulttuurin erot sekä miten ne vaikuttavat suomalaisten pk-yritysten kansainvälistymiseen Yhdysvalloissa. Tutkimus keskittyy erityisesti markkinoille murtautumisen vaiheeseen. Tavoitteena on tuottaa arvokasta tietoa suomalaisille pk-yrityksille, jotka suunnittelevat vientiä Yhdysvaltain markkinoille, sekä pohtia mahdollisia ratkaisuja prosessissa esiintyviin ongelmatilanteisiin. Opinnäytetyön teoriapohjana käytettiin kulttuurin osalta Geert Hofsteden ja Fons Trompenaarsin kulttuuriteorioita ja näiden pohjalta vertailtiin Suomen ja Yhdysvaltojen yrityskulttuureja. Kansainvälistymisen teoriana käytettiin Uppsala-mallia sekä muita laaja-alaisia lähteitä jotka käsittelevät yritysten kansainvälistymistä. Kvalitatiivinen tutkimus tehtiin vuoden 2014 kevään aikana ja tutkimusta varten haastateltiin viittä liike-elämässä toimivaa ja Yhdysvaltain…