Gangnam Style : A qualitative case study on Swedish fashion brands entering and becoming resilient on the South Korean market.

Abstract: This study will examine the internationalisation process of Swedish fashion brands entering the South Korean market to be able to get an understanding of how the decision of entry strategy is influenced and how it affects the resilience in the market, as well as identify the drivers and barriers influencing the choice of entry mode. The study was conducted through a qualitative multiple case study with an inductive methodology approach. The literature review was established based on the known theories of internationalisation, entry modes and resilience. Here, the concepts discussed throughout the thesis are presented. Interviews were conducted with five different Swedish fashion brands who were all, to different extents, established on the South Korean market to collect empirical findings. These findings were then discussed in correlation to the presented theories to identify patterns within the internationalisation process to the South Korean market. The conclusion of the thesis is that relationships and networks are important drivers to enter and obtain resilience on the South Korean market. This allows the companies to engage in renewal of activities and flexibility in the constantly changing business environment. Language, lack of knowledge and lack of resources are identified as barriers limiting the level of commitment in the South Korean market.