The Internationalization Process and Networks: A Strategic Management Perspective

In this article, a conceptual model is developed that places internationalization and key process dimensions into a longitudinal strategy context. The model follows the internationalization literature with its emphasis on internal organizational processes (such as learning and network development) that drive foreign market expansion, but are also outcomes of it. These internal processes (which feed into the so-called strategic foundation) are linked to the company's strategy mechanisms, thus tying internationalization and strategic management into an interrelated cycle. Networks are analyzed as a subset of the conceptual model, illustrating many of the challenges of taking a strategic approach to internationalization. Although the paper is exploratory in nature, managerial implications of the model in terms of effective servicing of foreign markets are discussed.