INTERNATIONALIZATION IN SERVICE COMPANIES

This article presents a conceptual framework for analysing the internationalisation of knowledge-intensive service companies. The framework has been developed as a result of an empirical study of ten Scandinavian companies, representing different types of service -for instance, insurance, consulting and security. The internationalisation process is divided into four stages: prospecting, introduction, consolidation and reorientation. One major implication of the study is that internationalisation should not be viewed as mainly a question of globalisation or adaptation to local business conditions, as is usually assumed in the literature. Instead it is the interplay between these two major strategic orientations that determines the outcome of the internationalisation process, and companies need to learn how to balance the two successfully. The empirical results and practical implications of the study are summarised in a number of theses dealing with the overall guidance of the internationalisation process.