The online–offline balance: internationalization for Swedish online service providers

Abstract

Online service providers (OSPs) are becoming increasingly important in the global economy and are undertaking internationalization at a remarkable speed. Since they depend on digital delivery over the internet, OSPs are portrayed as footloose in their geographical expansion and are often described as Bborn global.^However, on the basis of three case studies, the paper reveals the importance of the home market as a springboard, and of regional expansion in the early phase of internationalization. The paper emphasizes the balance in the internationalization process between an online and an offline presence in the new international market. The time gap between online and offline presence, the online-to-offline interval, seems to be a critical factor in the internationalization process. The speed of the internet industry and the technically complex nature of online services could explain why the case firms chose controlled modes of entry. The case firms thus skip sequential steps, following a pattern that is in contrast to the Uppsala model. Overall, the paper suggests that finding the right balance between the online and the offline presence is a challenge in the internationalization of these particular Swedish OSP firms.Résumé Les online service providers (OSPs) autrement dit les entreprises qui offrent des services par internet, prennent de plus en plus d'importance dans l'économie globale et connaissent une internationalisation remarquablement rapide. Dépendants de la livraison numérique via internet, les OSPs sont considérés comme bénéficiant d'une expansion géographique sans entrave et sont souvent décrits comme Bborn global^. Pourtant, basé sur trois études de cas, l'article révèle l'importance du tremplin que représente le marché d'origine, suivi par l'expansion régionale dans la première phase d'internationalisation. L'article met l'accent sur l'équilibre, entre la présence en ligne et hors ligne, dans le processus d'internationalisation. L'à-propos dans le passage J Int Entrep du hors ligne au en ligne, c'est à dire l'intervalle entre l'existence en ligne et l'existence hors ligne, parait être un facteur déterminant dans le processus d'internationalisation. La vitesse de l'industrie internet, et la nature complexe des services en ligne pourraient expliquer pourquoi les entreprises étudiées ont choisi des modes d'entrée contrôlés. Ces entreprises ont cependant sautés certaines étapes séquentielles, ce qui constitue un modèle contrastant avec le modèle d'Uppsala. Globalement, l'article suggère que trouver la bonne mesure entre présence en ligne et hors ligne est un défi pour l'internationalisation des OSPs suédois présentés. Summary HighlightsContributions: This timely study sheds light on the internationalization process for online service providers (OSPs). Its contribution includes three case studies of some of the best-known Swedish OSPs, and it introduces new theoretical concepts and a spatial interpretation of the internationalization process. The spatial online-offline balance offers a new way of thinki...

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