Strategies of Internationalization: An Overview

Abstract

For many decades, scholars have made a considerable effort to grasp the phenomenon of internationalization. Numerous theories try to explain how, why, where and when firms internationalize. While this book does not deny the important role of theory in describing and explaining business and management phenomena, it has another objective: it illustrates the various facets of internationalization in managerial prac- tice. The book is primarily useful for teaching purposes in undergraduate and graduate study programmes as well as in executive education. It can be mainly used in classes on international business, international management and international marketing. The book starts with a text that outlines the strategic options that firms have when formulating internationalization strategies. The core of the book consists of six case studies on firms from various industries, i.e. the sporting goods industry, aviation industry, grocery discount industry, motorcycle industry, computer and IT industry and fast food industry. The cases cover various forms of entry into and operations in foreign markets, such as export, franchising, joint ventures, strategic alliances, greenfield investments, acquisitions and mergers. In addition to market entry strategies, the cases provide readers, educators and students with insights into target market strategies, timing strategies, allocation strategies and coordination strategies applied by well-known companies. For each of the six cases, the table below gives an overview of the main contents.