Firm Resources and Host-Country Factors Impacting Internationalization of Knowledge-Intensive Service Firms

In the era of the global economy, knowledge-based services are becoming important sectors of the service industry. Services offered by a university are knowledge-based services. Universities are in the service business, and they play a key role in creating and disseminating knowledge through teaching, research, and related services that cross domestic borders. The current research focuses on the internationalization of US MBA programs. The internationalization of US MBA programs refers to the delivery of knowledge-based services beyond the domestic borders. The main objective of our research is to examine the effect of an organization's (e.g., a US business school) resources and a host country's attractiveness on the internationalization of knowledge-based services offered by a firm (a US business school). Using data gathered from MBA programs of US colleges and universities, the study findings show that internationalization is influenced by human capital, prestige and reputation, management's willingness, and foreign market attractiveness. The results of this study offer practical insights for US business school leaders. (C) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.