The internationalisation maturity of the firm : a business relationships perspectice

In the 21st century, even small firms can reach customers located in different, often remote, parts of the world. In fact, internationalisation has become a common phenomenon that affects the majority of companies worldwide. Recent research emphasises that there are numerous determinants of a company's competitive advantage in the international business environment, including product quality, price, and market knowledge. Much less attention, however, has been paid to the role of business relationships.The task of determining the impact of business relationships on performance poses a considerable challenge. In the book, business relationships are operationalised by a set of characteristics and determinants which influence a company's competitive advantage. The contributors here refer to these characteristics and determinants as components of the company's internationalisation maturity. It is argued that a higher level of internationalisation maturity increases the firm's performance.The book includes both conceptual discussions on the role of firms'business relationships in the internationalisation process and results of extensive empirical studies. In order to verify the concept of a firm's internationalisation maturity, a mixed methodology was used, combining quantitative (almost 300 companies) and qualitative (40 case studies) research. As such, the book provides useful insights for academics, students of management and international business, and business practitioners. Table 6 Contents 6 List 9 Illustrations 9 List 11 Tables 11 Preface 12 Chapter One The Essence and Scope of Business Relationships 18 Chapter Two Approaches to the Company’s Internationalisation Process 39 Chapter Three Determinants of Competitive Advantage 55 Chapter Four Firm Maturity in the Context of Internationalisation 76 Chapter Five The Influence of the Firm’s Internationalisation Maturity on its Competitive Advantage 130 Conclusions 154 Notes 157 Bibliography 158 Contributors 179 Index 184 The,Internationalisation,Maturity,of,the,Firm