The experience factor in foreign market entry behavior of service firms (original) (raw)

The Impact of Market-related Factors on the Choice of Foreign Market Entry Mode by Service Firms

Organizations and Markets in Emerging Economies

The topic of internationalization has received an increased amount of attention due to globalization and growing amounts of international trade. One of the most important factors for the success of foreign market operations is the choice of the entry mode. This paper investigates the key determinants for the choice of foreign market entry mode. Specifically, the research examines the effects of market-related factors of the selected entry mode on service companies. This study contributes to the existing knowledge of internationalization of service companies by analyzing market-related factors of entry modes. Moreover, it provides managerial implications that might be applied by companies and governmental agencies to promote investment and internationalization of local companies.

Entry mode choices in international markets: examining the antecedents of service firms' strategies

International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, 2013

The intensification of markets globalisation and the diffusion of internationalisation strategies across various businesses, led the academic literature to challenge the notion of entry modes in international ventures. Nevertheless, with specific regard to soft-service industries, only a few authors investigated the entry-mode behaviour of firms for testing the applicability of traditional theories.

Foreign market entry mode choice of service firms: a contingency perspective

Journal of the Academy of Marketing …, 1998

Research on how service firms choose their initial mode of operation in foreign markets appears to have led to two contradictory conclusions. Findings from one group of studies suggest that factors determining entry mode choice by manufacturing firms are generalizable to service firms. Findings from another group of studies contradict that view. The authors reconcile the two views by means of a classification scheme that allows some services to be grouped with manufactured goods in terms of entry mode choice. A conceptual model of factors affecting the entry mode choice of service firms is proposed, research propositions are developed, and managerial implications and future research directions are discussed.

International market entry mode strategies of manufacturing firms and service firms

International Marketing Review, 2004

This research has two major purposes: developing and testing a resource‐based framework for entry mode choice and ascertaining the extent to which the determinants of foreign market entry mode choice in the manufacturing sector apply to foreign market entry mode choice in the non‐separable service sector. Using mail survey data collected from top‐level managers of US firms that had been engaged in international business, the article tests a number of research hypotheses concerning foreign market entry mode choice in the manufacturing and service sectors. The managerial and research implications of the findings are delineated and directions for future research are offered.

Service Firms' International Entry-Mode Choice: A Modified Transaction-Cost Analysis Approach

Journal of Marketing, 1993

Some peculiar characteristics of service firms, such as low capital intensity and the inseparability of production and consumption, have necessitated the modification of the traditional transaction-cost framework used to study entry-mode choice. By relaxing some unduly restrictive assumptions of the conventional transaction-cost analysis (TeA) model, the paper argues that firms prefer to start with full-control modes. It postulates that substantial variation in entry-mode choice occurs when firms that are characterized by low asset specificity relinquish control in response to the rising costs of integration or the diminishing ability to integrate. Several hypotheses on the propensity of service firms to employ sharedcontrol entry modes are developed and tested. The results not only provide insights into entry-mode choice by service firms but also indicate how the transaction-cost framework can be broadened to develop a more comprehensive model for understanding entry-mode choice. A FTER a finn decides to enter a certain foreign market, it must choose a mode of entry, i.e., select an institutional arrangement for organizing and conducting international business transactions, such as contractual transfers, joint ventures, and wholly owned operations (Root 1987). The choice of the correct entry mode for a particular foreign market is "one of the most critical decisions in international marketing" (Terpstra and Sarathy 1991, p. 361). The chosen mode determines the extent to which the firm gets involved in developing and implementing marketing programs in the foreign

Venturing into Foreign Markets: The Case of the Small Service Firm

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 1993

The study contrasts foreign market entry behavior of small and large service firms. The sample consisted of 141 firms of which 54 were small firms and 87 were larger firms. The study provides empirical evidence that the behavior of small firms differs from that of larger firms mainly in service industries characterized by higher capital intensity. It also suggests that at lower levels of capital intensity, small firm behavior may resemble that of larger firms. More specifically, In industries characterized by lower levels of capital Intensity, small service firms are as likely as their larger counterparts to enter culturally distant markets and to choose foreign direct Investment (FDI) modes of entry. But, at higher levels of capital Intensity, small service forms are less likely than larger ones to enter culturally distant markets, and to choose FDI modes of entry.

Determinants of entry modes for international service organisations : evidence from China

Ibrc 2010 Research For Change Proceedings of 13th International Business Research Conference, 2010

This paper examines the influences on entry modes for Australian service organisations internationalising to China. A conceptual model was developed utilising past research in the field and internationalisation theory. The model incorporated the constructs of: resource commitments, previous international experience and whether or not the service could be offered independently of any physical product. The model was empirically tested using qualitative data from interviews conducted with senior representatives from 23 Australian service organisations with operations in China. The data indicated that these organisations increased the resource commitments to their Chinese operations, the longer they were in operation and the more familiar the organisation became with the Chinese environment. The data also suggested that, whilst international experience was desirable prior to entering China, it was not mandatory for success. A bias was identified amongst the respondents towards exporting those services which were separable from products to China and foreign direct investment, representative branches and significant local investment for services that were not separable from products.

Order-of-Entry Effects for Service Firms in Developing Markets: An Examination of Multinational Advertising Agencies

Journal of International Marketing, 2009

T he internationalization process of service firms has gained increased attention in recent years (e.g., Javalgi and Martin 2007). This is not surprising considering that service foreign direct investment now accounts for nearly two-thirds of total foreign direct investment compared with less than 50% in 1990 (UNCTAD 2007) or that services has been the fastest growing sector of world trade for the past two decades (Pauwels and De Ruyter 2004). Yet despite this recent attention, the question whether timing of entry affects firm performance for service firms in developing markets has remained unanswered.