Strategic business and network positioning for internationalisation

Abstract

Despite growing research interest in the internationalisation of professional service firms, little research has investigated the implications of home market business positioning for network positioning in professional service firm internationalisation strategy. This paper develops theory in the service industries by investigating strategic positioning in professional service firm internationalisation through analysis of a case survey of 53 architectural practices. The results of this empirical analysis allow us to develop a configuration analysis of strategic positioning for professional service firm internationalisation as the principal theoretical contribution of this paper.

Project organizing as a problem in information

“…The challenges of managing projects are immense and many organization theory perspectives have difficulty gaining traction in this context. Mainstream organization theories tend to focus on the temporary organization (Bakker, 2010), but this is only one aspect of project organizing (Winch, 2014a) and research and theorizing on organizations in the construction sector could have an important contribution to make to mainstream organization theory.…”

“…The challenges of adapting these literatures to the distinctive features of firms in the construction sector stimulated an important theme for research which initially produced Winch and Schneider (1993) on the strategic management of architectural practice. More recent empirical work within this theme has focused on internationalization and yielded most recently Winch (2014a) on the relationship between home market positioning and internationalization strategies for architectural practice.…”

Business Network Positioning Analysis of Toyota

“…As a chain on a business network, a single firm needs different support and also supports the development of all the firms in the business network. It not only cultivates supporters but also even fosters competitors [1]. Proponents and competitors in a market economy are not absolute concepts, and "co-opetition" is the best choice for the firm.…”

Innovative capabilities in international professional service firms: enabling trade-offs between past, present, and future service provision

“…The strategies IPSFs pursue for internationalization vary. Identified growth strategies are following current customers to new markets (Brock and Powell 2005;Contractor, Kundu, and Chin-Chun 2003;Segal-Horn and Dean 2007;Spar 1997;Winch 2008), bidding for international contracts (Winch 2008;Winch 2014), and expanding into new markets through mergers and acquisitions (Aronsen 2007;Muzio and Faulconbridge 2013). These strategies provide opportunities for co-creation and developing international partnerships, and thus enable innovation in IPSFs (Brady and Davies 2004;Davies and Brady 2000;Hitt et al 2006).…”

“…The globalization of professional service firms (PSFs) has increased in recent years (Brock and Powell 2005;Muzio and Faulconbridge 2013;Segal-Horn and Dean 2007;Winch 2008;Winch 2014). Despite PSFs' increasing importance in the global economy, there is little understanding of how these firms innovate.…”