The Internet-Enabled Internationalization Process: A Focus on Stages and Sequences

Abstract

The internationalization process literature has traditionally focused on evolutionary paths firms pass through when developing international market service capabilities. The introduction of Internet as a new channel for international market development has altered some of the basic assumptions of these traditional approaches. Although recent studies have contributed with normative and anecdotal findings concerning the influence of Internet on international marketing practices, few explore the actual stages firms go through when developing foreign market service capabilities through the Internet, as well as their sequences. This paper contributes to the Internet-enabled internationalization literature by proposing two developmental paths, representing Internet-based versus Internet-enabled firms. And it does so while refocusing the attention to the process dimension of internationalization. Seven propositions are outlined, and future research avenues are suggested.

Keywords: Internationalization, Internet, e-Business, Website, Functionality, Localization, Service Format

JEL Classification: M3