| The goal of this research is to determine which antecedents significantly contribute to a U.S.-based service firm's degree of internationalization. This study is unique in that it attempts to synergize three different streams of international business research into a cohesive explanatory model. The existing theoretical research, which provides the basis for the proposed project, focuses on exporting, services marketing and internationalization theory. By synergistically unifying the theoretical concepts from these three diverse streams, a pragmatic model identifying the significant impact of hypothesized antecedents is developed.; The model consists of six theoretically-based antecedents to the degree of internationalization: firm characteristics, management attitudes, market characteristics, international experience, strategic motivation to internationalize, and market entry modes. Empirical testing of the model, using data collected by means of a direct mail survey, confirms the structure proposed. Additionally, six of the twelve hypotheses regarding the relationships between the antecedents are statistically significant. |
