The internationalization process of service providers: a literature review

Abstract

The present paper scrutinizes the extant literature on the internationalization process of service providers. It provides an overview of current insights and unresolved issues. The findings of over 100 published studies are structured and summarized under four headings: internationalization motives, country/market selection, entry mode choice, and the profile of service exporters. Although literature is closing the gap with reality, this paper concludes that (empirical) work still lacks sound theoretical bases, and – partially as a consequence – it is largely fragmented and exploratory. Per heading we formulate specific suggestion for better and more focused future research endeavors.