The internationalisation of business service firms: A stages approach

The provision of business services is becoming increasingly international in scope. However the internationalisation of firms within the sector has yet to be fully explored. Drawing on evidence from advertising, accountancy, management consultancy, and computer services firms active in the UK during the 1980s and early 1990s, this paper demonstrates that a variety of mechanisms are used to facilitate the cross border provision of business services. It is argued that exports, both independent and intra-firm, play a significant role in the internationalisation process. Hence some firms progress in stages from the exportation of services to the establishment of overseas production sites in an evolutionary manner.