The Swiss family owned company Lamello AG is one of these companies within the category of small- and medium sized companies, who is active in the niche industry of high quality power-driven hand-tool machinery and wood joining systems. It's a fact that 80% of Lamello AG's sales are produced due to exporting in other countries. This is why Lamello AG has subsidiaries in the main Europe markets like Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Netherlands. After many years of concentrations with this direct investments in these markets, Lamello AG's managers are questioning, whether to start new direct investments in markets that are in other continents, like for example Australia, USA or China. Does that make sense at all or are the resources better invested at the status-quo? Therefore the research question is: What is/ are the most attractive(s) market(s) - between the new and existing markets - for Lamello AG to invest its limited resources and what are the most suitable entry modes for these pre-defined markets?

The authors followed the methodology of a comparative analysis. They compared the existing market EU - this includes the countries where Lamello AG has already subsidiaries in - with the new markets, namely Australia, USA and China. The first- level theoretical instruments the authors used were frameworks: Strategy Tripod and the Hierarchical Model of Market Entry Choice. The sub- level frameworks were Porter's five forces framework and Barney's VRIO Model. The authors first analysed the EU market and next the markets: Australia, USA and China in comparison and relation to the EU. This lead to a overall comparison in order to detect the most attractive market and the most suitable market entry choices.

The authors developed an excel- based framework with which Lamello AG can make a firm- level, industry-level and institutional level analysis that can be a great aide for its international decision making process about market attractiveness detection and market entry strategy. It is adapted to the firm Lamello AG but can be used for analysing any possible market respective country. Furthermore are the economical and institutional indicators designed flexible in order to make it easier for Lamello AG to adapt them to environmental- and companies strategical changes. Within the thesis writing the authors used and tested this frameworks and concluded that it is an effective and efficient way for detecting the market attractiveness but still need improvements regarding the market entry mode determination.