Inseparability and customisation degree as determinants of service firms’ internationalization

The vast majority of theoretical approaches in internationalisation have emerged from manufacturing sector and, thus, some explanations may not be true in the whole service sector. This paper analyses the importance of sector characteristics in the entry mode choice and shows that there are different behaviours patterns not only among the service and manufacturing sectors but also among service firms. In this paper, we propose two characteristics of services, inseparability and customisation degree, as key dimensions to classify services because of their importance in the international arena. From a cluster analysis in a sample of 113 Spanish service firms, this paper identifies four groups of services and it provides evidence about the existence of some differences in the entry mode choice patterns according to the nature of the group being analysed.Service characteristics, internationalisation, entry modes, control degree

Inseparability and customisation degree as determinants of service firms’ internationalization

[ES] La mayor parte de enfoques teóricos de internacionalización han surgido en el marco del sector industrial y, por tanto, algunas explicaciones podrían no ser generalizables al sector servicios en su globalidad. Por ello, las características sectoriales deben ser tenidas en cuenta en el análisis de los modos de entrada de las empresas de servicios, ya que es posible encontrar patrones de comportamiento muy diferentes no sólo con respecto a las empresas industriales sino también entre las propias empresas de servicios.En este trabajo se proponen la inseparabilidad de los servicios y el grado de adaptación a las necesidades del cliente como dimensiones clave para agrupar los servicios debido a las importantes repercusiones que éstas tienen en un contexto internacional. A partir de un análisis de conglomerados no jerárquico aplicado a una muestra de 113 empresas de servicios españolas, en el trabajo se identifican cuatro grupos de servicios y se constata la existencia de algunas diferencias en los patrones de elección de métodos de entrada según la naturaleza del grupo analizado.[EN] The vast majority of theoretical approaches in internationalisation have emerged from manufacturing sector and, thus, some explanations may not be true in the whole service sector. This paper analyses the importance of sector characteristics in the entry mode choice and shows that there are different behaviours patterns not only among the service and manufacturing sectors but also among service firms.In this paper, we propose two characteristics of services, inseparability and customisation degree, as key dimensions to classify services because of their importance in the international arena. From a cluster analysis in a sample of 113 Spanish service firms, this paper identifies four groups of services and it provides evidence about the existence of some differences in the entry mode choice patterns according to the nature of the group being analysed

Societal-level versus individual-level predictions of ethical behavior: a 48-society study of collectivism and individualism

Is the societal-level of analysis sufficient today to understand the values of those in the global workforce? Or are individual-level analyses more appropriate for assessing the influence of values on ethical behaviors across country workforces? Using multi-level analyses for a 48-society sample, we test the utility of both the societal-level and individual-level dimensions of collectivism and individualism values for predicting ethical behaviors of business professionals. Our values-based behavioral analysis indicates that values at the individual-level make a more significant contribution to explaining variance in ethical behaviors than do values at the societal-level. Implicitly, our findings question the soundness of using societal-level values measures. Implications for international business research are discussed

Inseparability and customisation degree as determinants of service firms’ internationalization

The vast majority of theoretical approaches in internationalisation have emerged from manufacturing sector and, thus, some explanations may not be true in the whole service sector. This paper analyses the importance of sector characteristics in the entry mode choice and shows that there are different behaviours patterns not only among the service and manufacturing sectors but also among service firms.In this paper, we propose two characteristics of services, inseparability and customisation degree, as key dimensions to classify services because of their importance in the international arena. From a cluster analysis in a sample of 113 Spanish service firms, this paper identifies four groups of services and it provides evidence about the existence of some differences in the entry mode choice patterns according to the nature of the group being analysed

Inseparability and customisation degree as determinants of service firms’ internationalization

[ES] La mayor parte de enfoques teóricos de internacionalización han surgido en el marco del sector industrial y, por tanto, algunas explicaciones podrían no ser generalizables al sector servicios en su globalidad. Por ello, las características sectoriales deben ser tenidas en cuenta en el análisis de los modos de entrada de las empresas de servicios, ya que es posible encontrar patrones de comportamiento muy diferentes no sólo con respecto a las empresas industriales sino también entre las propias empresas de servicios.En este trabajo se proponen la inseparabilidad de los servicios y el grado de adaptación a las necesidades del cliente como dimensiones clave para agrupar los servicios debido a las importantes repercusiones que éstas tienen en un contexto internacional. A partir de un análisis de conglomerados no jerárquico aplicado a una muestra de 113 empresas de servicios españolas, en el trabajo se identifican cuatro grupos de servicios y se constata la existencia de algunas diferencias en los patrones de elección de métodos de entrada según la naturaleza del grupo analizado.[EN] The vast majority of theoretical approaches in internationalisation have emerged from manufacturing sector and, thus, some explanations may not be true in the whole service sector. This paper analyses the importance of sector characteristics in the entry mode choice and shows that there are different behaviours patterns not only among the service and manufacturing sectors but also among service firms.In this paper, we propose two characteristics of services, inseparability and customisation degree, as key dimensions to classify services because of their importance in the international arena. From a cluster analysis in a sample of 113 Spanish service firms, this paper identifies four groups of services and it provides evidence about the existence of some differences in the entry mode choice patterns according to the nature of the group being analysed

Fine slicing of the value chain and offshoring of essential activities: empirical evidence from European multinationals

As the offshoring of more advanced activities is increasing, a debate about the limits of offshoring has emerged. Companies are fine slicing their value chains, and moving beyond the offshoring of peripheral and non-core activities to the offshoring of advanced and essential activities that are closer to their core (e.g. research, design and product development). The challenge is to understand the limits of offshoring and the most appropriate modes of offshoring. The purpose of this study is to analyze which activities are offshorable and how best to govern offshored activities. From a sample of 565 offshoring operations conducted by 263 European multinational companies, we find that essential activities are offshored to own subsidiaries (captive offshoring), while the offshoring of non-core activities typically involves an independent supplier (outsource offshoring). Furthermore, this trend is even more pronounced in knowledge-intensive companies where interfaces between the various activities are less standardized

Derrames de la inversión extranjera directa y su efecto en las exportaciones: una aplicación empírica en un país emergente

Este trabajo investiga, por primera vez en el caso colombiano, los efectos indirectos de los derrames de la inversión extranjera directa (IED) sobre las exportaciones de las empresas nacionales. A nivel empírico utilizamos una muestra de conveniencia formada por 32 empresas exportadoras, 14 filiales extranjeras y 18 empresas domésticas, las cuales mantuvieron continuidad en cerca de 60% del valor total de la oferta exportable nacional en el periodo de 2007 a 2016. Mediante el uso de un panel de datos con efectos fijos, demostramos que los efectos positivos de la entrada de IED sobre la exportación de las empresas locales se asocian más con mecanismos de reacción para la protección de sus mercados internacionales a partir del denominado efecto competencia, y no con los procesos de aprendizaje exportador por el conocimiento, la tecnología y la experiencia que poseen las empresas extranjeras

Resilience in times of war: focus on relational factors

International audienc

Towards holistic version of distance in international business: the Colombian case

Este artículo presenta nuevas estimaciones de distancia en los negocios internacionales entre Colombia y 57 países de Europa, América, Asia, África y Oceanía. El concepto de distancia que utilizamos trasciende el plano de lo institucional e incorpora tanto aspectos institucionales como aquellos que aún no han sido considerados en la literatura como el mercado laboral, la práctica mercantil y la innovación. De esta forma, a partir de la construcción de un índice sintético de distancia nosotros calculamos las distancias entre Colombia y los países de la muestra usando el concepto de distancia de Mahalanobis en las dimensiones aquí analizadas. Nuestros resultados muestran que si bien hay avances en la globalización sobre los negocios internacionales entre Colombia y los países de la muestra, todavía existen restricciones a las que se enfrentan las empresas colombianas que están interesadas en incursionar estos mercados buscando beneficiarse de los acuerdos de libre comercioThis article presents new estimations of the distance in international business between Colombia and 57 countries in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. The concept of distance that we use transcends the institutional level and incorporates both institutional aspects and those that have not yet been considered in the literature such as labor market, business practice and innovation. In this way, we build a holistic distance index and discuss the results for the specific case of Colombia. Thus, from the construction of a synthetic index of distance, we calculated the distances between Colombia and the countries of the sample using the Mahalanobis distance in the dimensions analyzed here. Our results show that although there is progress in the globalization of international business between Colombia and the countries of the sample there are still restrictions faced by Colombian companies that are interested in entering these markets seeking to benefit from the free trade agreement