The internationalization of soft-services: entry modes and main determinants in the Spanish hotel industry

This article addresses the internationalization of soft-services. These types of services require major local presence than other industries as production and consumption occur simultaneously. In particular, the study attempts to analyze those factors that might influence the entry mode choice and reflect the specific nature of the hotel industry, which shows an important increase of their operations overseas in recent years. Based on a sample composed of more than 1,200 entry operations in the Spanish hotel industry, our results suggest that determinant factors of entry mode choice in manufacturing firms cannot be directly transferred to the internationalization of soft-services firms. Some variables which were generally analyzed as determinant factors of control decisions in the manufacturing sector are not significant or present different results in the hotel industry. Moreover, this study enhances knowledge on internationalization based on countries other than the most developed.     

Foreign market entry mode in the hotel industry: The impact of country- and firm-specific factors

One of the key decisions in the internationalisation process of hotel firms is the choice of the entry mode into a foreign country. Many different factors influence this strategic decision. From a sample of 127 entries carried out by Spanish hotel firms between 2001 and 2003, this study provides new empirical evidence that cultural distance reduces the likelihood of choosing equity entry modes, while firm profitability and internal financial funds availability favour the assumption of greater commitment in the international expansion process.     

International Hotel Companies in Russia

Abstract

Existing studies addressing the modal choice in the global hotel industry have discussed to a limited extent the restrictions posed to the choice of entry mode by the local environment, mainly the host government. This paper describes entries of foreign hotels in a market, Russia, in which the local (city) government has an active role in the hotel industry. The study proposes that, in the Russian market, the foreign hoteliers have to take into account the interests of the local governments regardless of the operation mode. On the basis of secondary data collected mainly from industry reports and Russian newspapers, the strategic choices made by the foreign hotel companies can be divided into two categories. First, some hotel chains have brought their brands to the Russian market early, but have made strategic concessions in the mode of entry. Second, there are companies that have stuck to their general strategies and postponed entry to Russia until it could be done with the mode preferred by the company.     

Does religion influence location choice in the hotel industry?

Relying on data from the Spanish hotel industry, this paper analyzes the role of informal institutional factors (IIF) in location choice. Earlier studies mostly use an aggregate level of cultural differences as informal institutional factors. We, however, go deeper into this concept and study the impact of two distinct but interrelated informal institutional factors, religion and language, on the location decisions of hotel chains. We resolve the overlapping problem between these two highly correlated IIF by means of a ‘layer’ measurement in Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Our results show that the higher the informal institutional differences (IID), the lower the presence of the hotels in the foreign country. While physical distance plays a key moderating role, formal institutional differences (FID) did not show any effect. We contribute by unravelling the role of language and religion in location choice in the internationalization process of service firms. Moreover, we test the moderating role of formal institutions in these decisions, thus combining the impact of formal and informal institutions on location choices in service firms.     

The impact of entry modes on the organisational design of international hotel chains

This paper reports on a study of organisation design within the international hotel chains that simultaneously employ multiple market entry modes. A multiple case study reveals the use of different divisional designs for different types of entry mode within individual chains. These are driven by the desire to maintain strong control over hotel brands. The study concludes that current designs may inhibit the international hotel chains from achieving their organisational potential and recommends that managers look to break down these ‘communities of design’ barriers.     

Strategic group influence on entry mode choices in foreign markets

This study examines imitation behavior in the foreign entry mode of the members of a strategic group within the industry. Following the institutionalist perspective, we argue that legitimating actors (trade associations, training institutions and investors, among others) can exert pressure on strategic group members to conform to institutionalized organizational practices and structures. We hypothesize that a company’s choice of foreign entry mode is determined by the previous choices of other companies within the strategic reference group. Thus, the probability of entry with a wholly owned subsidiary (versus shared-control entry) increases when the number of wholly-owned subsidiaries established by companies within the strategic reference group of the home-country is higher. We analyze 351 foreign direct investments of 30 Spanish banks in 55 countries between 1986 and 2008. Our results reveal imitation behavior between members of the strategic group and highlight the important role of the strategic group in strategic thinking.     

Cultural Distance and Future Entry Mode Choice of Brazilian MNEs

We analyze the relationship between current cultural distance (CD) and future entry mode choice of Brazilian multinational enterprises (MNEs). We use the GLOBE Project in order to extend the distance literature into the entry mode context. Results demonstrate that high levels of CD have a negative impact on future expansions via acquisition and a positive impact on exporting. These relationships are moderated by size, such that large firms are affected less by CD than small firms. Finally, CD values have a greater impact on future entry mode preference than CD practices.     

Factors enhancing the choice of higher resource commitment entry modes in international new ventures

The choice of entry mode in foreign markets is an important strategic decision with major consequences for the success of international new ventures (INVs). It is generally accepted that these firms choose relatively low-resource commitment entry modes to operate in foreign markets. Nevertheless, some researchers have suggested that higher resource commitment entry modes in foreign markets also seem to be competitive strategies for INVs. In this study, from a marketing/international entrepreneurship interface perspective and focusing on organizational issues, we center our attention on international market orientation as a neglected yet important factor in INVs’ choice of higher resource commitment entry modes in foreign markets. We suggest that an entrepreneurial orientation and the timing of international entry are important correlates to an international market orientation. We also suggest that the international learning effort of INVs through their international market orientation has a direct, positive impact on the resources these companies commit to their foreign markets through the use of higher resource commitment entry modes. Accordingly, the model proposes a positive effect of entrepreneurial orientation and early international entry on international market orientation which, in turn, is positively related to higher resource commitment entry modes. The hypotheses were tested on country-level data from Spain, using a structural equation model to analyze relationships between the latent variables.This study extends previous international entrepreneurship research, including insights on antecedents of international new ventures’ choice of resource commitment entry modes in foreign markets. The paper also goes further than previous international entrepreneurship research, by addressing the strategic consequences of rapid entry into foreign markets. Additionally, the results of this work encourage international entrepreneurs to look beyond the explicit value of experiential market knowledge to realize the potential value of international market orientation as an antecedent to higher resource commitment entry modes.     

酒店试睡员的点评模式及其商业价值

酒店试睡员的诞生拓宽了酒店预定第三方平台的营销思路,也从客观上促进酒店产品与服务质量的提升。酒店试睡员利用网络社交媒体对酒店进行点评,形成相对稳定的点评模式:通过图文结合或者视频、音频的方式,评价酒店的产品、设施、服务质量、环境等,从而与网络平台上的众多消费者进行分享、互动。解析试睡员的点评模式,发现其背后存在一定商业价值:表现在试睡员点评影响在线预定市场和消费者的消费决策,丰富消费者的消费体验,提升酒店的服务质量水平,提高酒店知名度。     

Entry mode choice of Chinese enterprises: The impacts of country risk, cultural distance and their interactions

Recent years have witnessed a phenomenal growth in the number of Chinese enterprises “going global.” Drawing on three leading theoretical perspectives including the transaction cost theory, organizational capability theory and eclectic theory, this paper develops hypotheses to test how country risk and cultural distance are associated with entry mode choices of enterprises from China. Based on a sample of 167 Chinese companies, an empirical investigation has been conducted employing logistic regression and hierarchical regression analyses. Our results show that country risk and cultural distance have significant impact on entry mode choice. With the increase of country risk or cultural distance, businesses prefer non-ownership-based entry modes such as trade and licensing. However, entry mode choice is also noticeably influenced by the interaction between country risk and cultural distance, which is a new finding of international entry mode research. Furthermore, private enterprises are more likely to adopt high-involvement entry mode than the state-owned enterprises, and service enterprises are less likely to use high-involvement entry mode, which suggests that different approaches are used to deal with country risk and cultural distance by various types of enterprises.     

Real options and the theory of foreign direct investment

We extend applications of real options theory to foreign direct investment (FDI) research regarding choice of location and choice of market entry mode under uncertainty. Our study is motivated by the regional configuration of multinational enterprises (MNEs), as well as observed deviations from the stages model in internationalization theory. We shed light on these issues using real option modeling and computer simulations. The results suggest that from the standpoint of pursuing business opportunities and generating real options, building a subsidiary in a nonhome region could be more beneficial than in a home region. However, high option exercise cost may reduce the option value of a nonhome-region location. Our models also imply that choice of entry mode depends on the magnitude (high vs. low) and the type (exogenous vs. endogenous) of uncertainty. When uncertainty is high and endogenous, MNEs may prefer high-commitment entry modes because they contribute to the reduction of uncertainty and provide valuable growth options.     

Choice of Market Entry Mode in Emerging Markets

Summary

This study explores the antecedents of market entry strategy in emerging markets and examines the market environmental, transaction-specific, competitive strategic factors and organizational capability that influence the choice of market entry mode. Empirical results based on a survey of Japanese companies support the combined relevance of their factors on choice of market entry mode in an emerging market. Although most of the mode of entry research assumes that the firm has the option to choose any entry mode in a given market, this study examines the impact of the factors in the internationalization process of firms. The results suggest that experiential knowledge has an immense impact on the choice of entry mode in China, an emerging market with high environmental uncertainty, but also high market potential. The empirical findings also show the important influences of risk-absorption capability and risk-dispersion mechanism on the choice of entry mode into the Chinese market.     

Globalising the hotel industry 1946–68: A multinational case study of the Intercontinental Hotel Corporation

This article employs one case study, of Intercontinental Hotel Corporation, to examine the globalisation of the hotel industry between 1946 and 1968. The results show that the advent of multinational hotel development was characterised by the importance of government policies in shaping multinational expansion, whose trajectory was also closely related to the growth of the airline industry, underpinned by consumer demand change. This historical analysis illuminates capabilities specific to a firm as well as the entry mode and locations selected for international expansion as important factors in driving financial performance. Finally, this study contributes to the international business and business history literature by exploring international business development in the context of a small sample size and longitudinal approach.     

International new ventures as “small multinationals”: The importance of marketing capabilities

This paper explores how marketing capabilities contribute to the international expansion of international new ventures, and influence their choice of entry mode. The study examines how marketing capabilities help international new ventures to use entry modes involving higher resource commitment in international markets. The proposed model was tested on country-level data from Spain. The results show that marketing capabilities contribute to a firm's decision to choose entry modes involving higher resource commitment in foreign markets. The paper also includes insights on antecedents of international new ventures’ choice of entry modes in foreign markets.     

FDI entry mode choice of Chinese firms: A strategic behavior perspective

This study investigates the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) entry mode choice between a wholly owned subsidiary and a joint venture by Chinese firms that invest overseas. We argue that the FDI entry mode choice of a Chinese firm is primarily influenced by the variables related to the firm's strategic fit in host industry and its strategic intent of conducting FDI. Using survey data of a sample of 138 Chinese firms, the results suggest that a Chinese firm prefers wholly owned subsidiary entry mode when it adopts a global strategy, faces severe host industry competition, and emphasizes assets seeking purposes in its FDI. A joint venture is preferred when the firm is investing in a high growth host market.     

SME foreign market entry mode choice and foreign venture performance: The moderating effect of international experience and product adaptation

Firms’ foreign market entry mode choice attracts considerable research attention. However, the performance implications of this choice remain inconclusive, particularly in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The present paper draws on the resource-based view (RBV) and develops a theoretical model specifically tailored to the context of SMEs in order to study the relationship between entry mode choice and foreign venture performance. Testing hypotheses on 133 German SMEs, we show that international experience as a resource and product adaptation as a capability improve the performance of non-equity entry modes by mitigating liabilities of smallness inherent to SMEs. We furthermore find empirical support for the joint moderating effect of international experience and product adaptation on the focal relation. Our findings contribute to the SME foreign market entry mode literature and have implications for practitioners and future research.     

Transactional and institutional alignment of entry modes in transition economies. A survival analysis of joint ventures and wholly owned subsidiaries in Vietnam

How do partially aligned entry modes predicted through theoretically pluralistic frameworks perform in terms of longevity? We build on transaction costs and neo-institutional economics and use event history method and Vietnamese data on 3835 joint ventures and wholly owned subsidiaries established by foreign firms from 1987 to 2008 to answer this question. We find that survival rates for entry modes that are partially aligned to transactional and institutional factors differ for JV- and WOS-based entries. We provide new evidence for the predictive power of the transactional and institutional approach for entry mode choice, performance, and survival in transition economies.     

Outsourcing of advanced business services in the Spanish economy: Explanation and estimation of the regional effects

The use of advanced business services has become an essential element for competitiveness in modern economies in which traditional competitive advantages based on prices, lower labour costs or the abundance of natural resources are being replaced by new advantages based on higher quality, greater knowledge or the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Within this context certain services (computing, communications, human resources, engineering, consulting or management) are generally outsourced so as to exploit the advantages derived from specialisation and division of labour, as well as those of economies of scope and scale. However, some businesses, sectors or regions appear to have very different patterns of outsourcing advanced producer services. This paper presents an explanation of elements of business outsourcing decisions applied to the Spanish economy, applying discrete response models to the information obtained in a survey elaborated by the authors. The data thus obtained have enabled us to identify differences between the Spanish regions in the tendencies of businesses to use internal or external advanced services.     

The role of service embeddedness in the internationalisation process of manufacturing firms

Over the last decade the growth of service firms, and their internationalisation, has attracted considerable attention from researchers, with a special focus on characteristics that distinguish services from goods. However, as the composition of a firm's product can contain both good and service elements, this paper argues that it is somewhat misleading to categorise a product simply as either a ‘good’ or a ‘service’. Manufactured goods often contain client-related services embedded in them. Further, the nature of these embedded services may vary with respect to their degree of separability of production and consumption. Based on several case studies of Australian manufacturing subsidiaries in the UK, this paper examines the impact of inseparable embedded services on a firm's entry-mode choice. It reveals that the extent and nature of embedded services have a considerable impact on a firm's choice of foreign entry mode. The research findings are likely to contribute to the existing marketing and internationalisation literature.