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The implemented European Union Services Directive aimed at creating a unified European market for trade in services. However, the implementation of the institutions was not fully successful as to the characteristics of international services caused challenges in the ratification of the Directive. Research on international services is facing similar challenges based on the fragmented, inconclusive, and at times even contradictory findings of international services literature with regard to service characteristics. Thus, each academic field of international business, economic geography, and service management has tried to identify international service characteristics, but no unified characterization is found. The challenges in defining the different types of services, difference in the levels of analysis, and various impacts of policies and institutional environments on the service, cause these differences. The authors see the need for a unified framework that combines the different literatures and considers the policy implications. The authors develop a framework consisting of four components of international service characteristics, that is, the connectivity of service actors to the environment, the configuration of service activities within organizational set-ups, the dyadic collaborative interaction between service actors, and the created value by the services. The authors specifically consider policy and institutions as well as a vast variety of literature streams to support the arguments.

While the servitization concept has gained increasing attention in the domestic marketing literature, there is more limited knowledge with respect to its implications within the international context. The purpose of this paper is to examine the servitization concept in the international context considering its boundary conditions and its effects on firm performance. Relying on the resource-based view and the boundary conditions function, the authors aim to identify a set of research gaps focusing on how strategic resource decisions (i.e. slack resources and digital marketing capabilities) help industrial firms to provide different types of service offerings (i.e. services in support of product (SSPs) and services in support of client's actions (SSCs)) that leverage their performance in international markets.

The authors illustrate international servitization strategies and the boundaries of servitization activities that firms employ through a series of case vignettes. The authors derive a conceptual framework, serving as a guideline for future research endeavors.

The authors indicate the importance of servitization strategies in international markets and identify eight research gaps, which help to build an agenda for future research. Key differences between international servitization strategies and strategic resource decisions are addressed through illustrative case vignettes from different industries.

The insights from this work inform marketing executives about how international servitization strategies are influential in the context of overseas markets by characterizing the servitization concept and elaborating upon the specific resources and capabilities that underpin its execution in foreign markets.

This conceptual paper provides a comprehensive understanding of international servitization strategies in overseas markets and identifies several research paths that contribute to the complex nature of servitization in the international context and help scholars spot gaps and research questions worthy of investigation.

The subject of part‐time work is one which has become increasingly important in industrialised economies where it accounts for a substantial and growing proportion of total employment. It is estimated that in 1970, average annual hours worked per employee amounted to only 60% of those for 1870. Two major factors are attributed to explaining the underlying trend towards a reduction in working time: (a) the increase in the number of voluntary part‐time employees and (b) the decrease in average annual number of days worked per employee (Kok and de Neubourg, 1986). The authors noted that the growth rate of part‐time employment in many countries was greater than the corresponding rate of growth in full‐time employment.

As the twentieth century draws to a close, trade in services has begun to dominate the economies of many nations. International trade in services has also grown significantly, yet little research has been undertaken to understand international services. Theory lags practice by a considerable degree. This paper examines the international trade and services marketing literature, develops a definition and classification scheme of four types of international services, discusses recent trends in international services data and presents some perspectives on the future of international services.

Much has been written about the manifestations and managerial implications of customer co-production in service offerings. However, there have been relatively few references to issues of co-production in international service environments. Co-production is very relevant in international environments because of the requirements for interaction between producers and consumers, which interaction spans international borders and national cultures. The purpose of this paper is to apply an established theory of co-production, the Unified Service Theory (UST), to the international service context. This provides the authors with structured models for conceptualizing the co-productive nature of international service offerings and assessing-related managerial implications.

The UST provides a model of co-productive service delivery. Extending that model, the authors develop a taxonomy of international service based on the “four modes of service supply” provided in the General Agreement on Trade and Services instituted by the World Trade Organization (WTO). Then, using data from the WTO and World Bank, the authors propose and test six hypotheses for predicting service exporting focus corresponding to the co-production taxonomy.

Based on the analysis of empirical data, the authors find more service exporting focus in small, growing, high-wage economies that have a significant service base and focus in merchandise exporting. The strength of these effects differs for different modes of service supply.

The authors also discuss cultural issues of international service, but the empirical analysis of culture effects is thus far inconclusive. Also, the analysis is limited to modeling and studying dyadic relationships, i.e., service providers in one country involved in an interchange with customers in another country. A natural extension would be to consider triads and more complex networks of co-productive service offerings.

This research shows how managerial implication of the UST can be extended to international service contexts. The authors review managerial implications pertaining to meeting variable demand, describing service characteristics, and pricing.

Co-production research is well-established in service management literature. This paper extends that research to international contexts by describing the WTO taxonomy in terms of the UST. This allows the authors to apply various insights of co-production to international service offerings.

The aim of this paper is to explore the inward internationalization process of consumer services. It also aims to conduct a review of the service internationalization literature and use the resource‐based view of the firm as a theoretical approach.

Case study methodology is used to explore the internationalization process of five different consumer service sectors: tourism, education, accommodation, transport and entertainment. The main data collection method was interviews conducted with top managers of 12 Australian consumer service firms from these sectors.

Findings of this study show that inward internationalizing services confront most of their barriers, such as immigration policies, exchange rate fluctuations, and cultural differences, in the domestic market where the service is provided. The findings also suggest that superior intentional performance for consumer service firms combines firm‐specific resources and capabilities, such as market orientation, service quality, cultural sensitivity, international communicational activities, partnerships and networks, with country‐specific resources and capabilities, such as country‐of‐origin image and government support.

This is one of the few studies in the academic literature that directly addresses the issue of inward internationalization of consumer services. Limitations derive from the qualitative nature of this study.

The process of inward internationalization applies to a broad range of service industries and can assist firms to develop more effective international marketing strategies.

This study contributes to the international services literature by identifying the main barriers and drivers of international performance for inward internationalizing consumer service firms, which is a topic that has been neglected in the literature.

Many national and regional governments and various trade associations have created and are currently developing services that aim to provide support for firms that have just begun to or which plan to operate in international markets. Consequently, the purpose of this chapter is to illustrate the role of various support services especially in the case of software small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) aiming to expand internationally and accelerate their international growth. In the empirical part of the chapter, the authors review the key support organisations Finland has for its software industry. Through a descriptive empirical survey (n = 25) of the industry, we illustrate the role of various support services that are especially targeted at firms aiming to accelerate their international growth, irrespective of the phase of internationalisation. Furthermore, the authors study the use, quality and effectiveness of the internationalisation of support services from the viewpoint of managers of Finnish software SMEs. Based on our results, it is easy and logical to argue that better targeted programmes should be developed for rapidly internationalising firms in the turbulent software market. However, there are already a few innovative and better targeted programmes being offered to Finnish software firms. According to our study, in the later phases of internationalisation, the key to success is more closely linked to the availability of external funding as well as knowledge and contacts provided by international consultants.

The literature on international services marketing from 31 academic journals in the period 1980 to 1998 is reviewed. This time frame contains the largest proportion of scholarly works published on international services marketing to date. Results reveal that the extant literature is relatively sparse, with much research focused on highly specific industries or topic areas. Major findings from leading sectors as well as from general works are presented. The special characteristics of services are discussed in light of requirements for successful international marketing success. A call is made for future research which can extend international services marketing with regard to needed theories, models and constructs.

Investigates managers’ perceptions of service quality in the international market. Eight propositions are developed using the relationship approach in industrial marketing and the internationalization process model. A structural LISREL‐based model is developed on the basis of a sample of 196 firms which supply business services abroad. The results suggest that customer relationships, industry relationships and unique competence strongly influence supplier‐perceived service quality in international markets.

The study of international business has become increasingly important in recent years. So important that the American Assembly of the Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) has called for the internationalisation of business curricula. In 1992 and beyond, successful business people will treat the entire world as their domain. No one country can operate in an economic vacuum. Any economic measures taken by one country can affect the global economy. This book is designed to challenge the reader to develop a global perspective of international business. Globalisation is by no means a new concept, but there are many new factors that have contributed to its recently accelerated growth. Among them, the new technologies in communication and transport that have resulted in major expansions of international trade and investment. In the future, the world market will become predominant. There are bound to be big changes in the world economy. For instance the changes in Eastern Europe and the European Community during the 1990s. With a strong knowledge base in international business, future managers will be better prepared for the new world market. This book introduces its readers to the exciting and rewarding field of international management and international corporations. It is written in contemporary, easy‐to‐understand language, avoiding abstract terminology; and is organised into five sections, each of which includes a number of chapters that cover a subject involving activities that cross national boundaries.