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Positional Leverage in Distant Institutional Environments: Insights from a Multilevel Context
(University of Iceland, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Business Administration, 2026-05) Ólafsdóttir, Bryndís; Erla Sólveig Kristjánsdóttir; Faculty of Business Administration (UI); Viðskiptafræðideild (HÍ); School of Social Sciences (UI); Félagsvísindasvið (HÍ)
This compilation thesis investigates internationalization and positional leverage within an institutionally distinct but developed host country environment. Adopting a holistic perspective, the research emphasizes the meso- and micro-level dynamics of internationalization, while situating them within the shaping influence of the macrolevel, institutional environment. It addresses gaps in the existing market entry literature related to cross-level dynamics, the role and positional leverage of institutional networks in the support environment, and the adaptation strategies of internationalizing firms. Employing a qualitative methodology, this exploratory research adopts a Constructivist Grounded Theory approach with simultaneous data collection and analysis, with the objective of constructing a theory and theoretical extension grounded in empirical field data. This aimed to provide insights into the institutional environment and the experiences of managers within internationalizing high-technology firms, as well as institutional actors within the support network. The research primarily relies on in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted on-site in Japan, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. Additionally, case studies and text analysis are utilized to enable triangulation, capture institutional dynamics across levels, and contextualize actor perspectives. Social constructivism underpins the philosophical stance of the thesis, emphasizing the interpretation of social phenomena, the complexity of perspectives, and the existence of multiple realities within the context. The qualities of the compilation papers are best captured through three unifying characteristics: theory development, interdisciplinary diversification, and contextualization. The results reveal significant findings from two research streams. The research consists of four journal articles, two published and two under review, referred to as ‘papers’ in the thesis. The first research stream, focused on institutional networks, encompasses the first three papers. It uncovers the positional power of these support networks within the bureaucratic host country environment. This power stems from the network's legitimized position and social status in the market, which enhances its leverage in accessing influential power players. Conversely, the antecedents and dynamics of supranational coopetition (simultaneous cooperation and competition) built on collective identity and closeness are also examined. It reveals how the nested tensions and competing interests characterizing this paradox can undermine the effectiveness and potential benefits of collaboration within the institutional networks and aid stakeholders. The second research stream, centered on high technology firms, comprises the fourth and final paper. This research illustrates how firms transition from outsidership to insidership by strategically developing their network position. It complements the first stream by examining how SMEs respond to institutional dynamics through strategic adaptation and capability development. They achieve this by leveraging both business and non-business actors to improve communication with local customers. It also highlights how firms learn and adapt to the market by enhancing four types of dynamic capabilities: culture-adjusting, network-shaping, establishment-reconfiguring, and service-improving. It demonstrates how there are both assets and liabilities associated with being an insider and an outsider. In conclusion, the institutionally distinct and multilayered structures of distant sociopolitical environments, coupled with the overall complexity and uncertainty of the global market, continue to pose significant challenges for Western firms and organizations during market entry. This thesis identifies two key strategies for facilitating smoother access. Firstly, home country institutional networks can act as valuable liaisons, enabling firms to navigate these challenging environments more effectively. They provide positional leverage within bureaucratic systems and capitalize on longstanding regional alliances. However, achieving success in regional collaboration requires balancing paradoxical tensions arising from competing interests and implementing improved governance through higher-level institutional support and leadership. Secondly, internationalizing firms can address the challenges of their liability of outsidership by adopting strategic positioning. By leveraging local actors to build trust and legitimacy and by enhancing their unique dynamic capabilities to adapt to the environment, these firms can significantly improve their chances of survival and success. The thesis contributes to internationalization studies and the broader field of organizational sociology through its interdisciplinary approach. It makes a notable impact on institutional theory by highlighting the connection between organizational legitimacy and status, and is further enriched by incorporating the concept of power to explain positional leverage. Additionally, the thesis significantly advances the coopetition approach by integrating paradox theory and game theory. It introduces the novel concept of supranational coopetition to explain the complexities of regional collaboration. It also extends the Uppsala internationalization process model by refining and advancing the conceptualization of network outsidership and its link to dynamic capabilities. These theoretical contributions are solidly grounded in rigorous empirical research and thorough analysis.
Verk
States of Participation: International Best Practice in Civic Engagement
(University of Iceland, 2020) O’Farrell, Liam
This report opens with a discussion of the purpose of civic engagement, drawing from research that shows it is not only about enabling the public to express their views, but also building trust and strengthening democracy. This means that civic engagement needs to be embedded into institutional culture and practices. The epistemic or democratic functions of civic engagement therefore need to be considered by institutions. The report argues that, counter-intuitively, the Covid-19 pandemic has created fertile ground for thinking about greater civic engagement and public participation in decisions. Ten examples of innovative civic engagement methods in cities across the world are introduced and discussed. These cover digital platforms, participatory budgeting, citizens’ assemblies, participatory planning, and citizen science. There is an in-depth case study of Vienna, a city where civic engagement is deeply embedded in the practices of local government. Vienna is frequently cited as a place with a very high degree of public participation, and it is no coincidence that it is also regarded as the best city in the world to live in, along with a strong culture of innovation and community cohesion. The report closes by laying out the implications of these case studies, with suggestions of next steps for cities that seek to incorporate civic engagement principles and practices. Seven key recommendations are made: embeddedness, communications, defining policy areas, setting long- and short-term aims, adapting existing institutions, handling opposition, and co-producing shared values.
Verk
Enumerating score sequences and permutations by inversions and forbidden patterns
(University of Iceland, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Physical Sciences, 2026) Franklín, Atli Fannar; Anders Karl Claesson; Faculty of Physical Sciences (UI); Raunvísindadeild (HÍ); School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI); Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ)
This thesis studies the enumeration of score sequences and permutations. The first paper settles a conjecture of Hanna on a recursion for the number of score sequences of a tournament, derives a closed formula, and gives a quadratic-time algorithm. The second presents generating functions for permutations with few inversions: those with as many inversions as elements, and those with a fixed number of inversions fewer than elements. The third continues on the theme of inversions, enumerating pattern-avoiding permutations by inversions for all patterns of length at most 3. The fourth and last paper explores how to obtain bounds on the number of 1324-avoiding permutations by encoding permutations as walks in a directed graph.
Verk
Novel Hybrid Quantum-Classical Computing Algorithms Enhancing Satellite Remote Sensing Applications for Earth Observation
(University of Iceland, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, 2026-04) Delilbasic, Amer; Prof. Dr. Morris Riedel; Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science (UI); Iðnaðarverkfræði-, vélaverkfræði- og tölvunarfræðideild (HÍ); School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI); Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ)
Earth observation (EO) is increasingly driven by large-scale remote sensing (RS) data, acquired from satellite and airborne platforms across diverse temporal and spatial resolutions. These datasets are characterized not only by volume, but by complex properties such as multi-source heterogeneity, high dimensionality, nonlinear feature distributions, and spatio-temporal variability. Processing such data at operational scale introduces significant algorithmic and computational challenges, particularly in high resolution environmental monitoring and planetary-scale inference tasks. Quantum computing (QC) offers a computational paradigm fundamentally different from classical computing, leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics to perform operations in high-dimensional state spaces. This theoretical advantage makes QC a compelling candidate for selected EO tasks, especially those involving combinatorial optimization and learning tasks. However, the limited qubit fidelity and scale of current quantum hardware constrain their direct applicability to operational applications in Earth observation. This PhD thesis investigates the application of annealing-based and circuit-based quantum algorithms to EO, as well as the integration of quantum algorithms with classical devices, such as those in high-performance computing (HPC) environments. It examines acquisition scheduling and data classification tasks within EO workflows. Experiments assess practical algorithmic benefits, computational scalability, and constraints imposed by hybrid quantum-classical execution. Results demonstrate that quantum modules, when carefully embedded into HPC architectures, can enhance selected stages of EO pipelines, specifically using quantum machine learning and quantum optimization approaches.
Verk
Evaluation of Ulva lactuca hydrolysates as a feedstock for clostridial fermentations to produce 1,2-propanediol
(2026-03-27) Ingvadóttir, Eva María; Scully, Sean Michael; Örlygsson, Jóhann; Faculty of Natural Resource Sciences
Macroalgae are an abundant and underutilized renewable feedstock that can be exploited for the production of various low- and high-value biomolecules. The study herein describes a mild acid and base process to hydrolyze the green macroalgae Ulva lactuca into simpler, fermentable carbohydrates, with an emphasis on rhamnose. Hydrolysis experiments involving up to 5% v/v sulfuric acid and 5% w/v sodium hydroxide at temperatures between 25 and 100 °C demonstrated that the highest recovery of fermentable carbohydrates was generally obtained using 2.5% v/v sulfuric acid at 75 °C. Two Clostridium species ( Clostridium strain AK1 isolated from SW Iceland, and Clostridium beijerinckii strain DSM 791) were used to ferment L-rhamnose to 1,2-propanediol, both as a single substrate and as part of macroalgal hydrolysates. Additionally, the impact of culture conditions (pH and initial substrate concentration) on rhamnose fermentation was investigated in batch culture for both strains. Generally, pH did not influence the production of 1,2-propanediol and both strains partially degraded rhamnose at very low (10 mM) initial substrate concentrations. A kinetic investigation of rhamnose utilization using strain AK1 showed that the pentose is degraded much slower as compared with glucose with 1,2-propanediol production lagging and reaching a maximum concentration of 7.7 mM. When Clostridium strain AK1 was cultivated on U. lactuca hydrolysates and non-pretreated U. lactuca , the maximum yields were 7.9 mM 1,2-propanediol. This is the first report of the production of 1,2-propanediol from macroalgal biomass using a moderately thermophilic Clostridia.

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