Abstract

This focused issue underscores the growing importance of service sector in the global economy and attempts to fill in the lacunae of research in internationalization of service industries. We stress the need for more systematic research both at the conceptual and empirical level to extend the frontiers of knowledge on service multinationals. Given the rising importance of service sector, it is imperative that international business scholars examine the internationalization of service firms in both developed and developing nations. The focused issue presents papers that delve into different aspects on service multinationals, namely surveying recent academic work on non-manufacturing sector, internationalization and performance, determinants of exports for service firms, regional versus global strategies for service firms, offshoring propensity in information technology industry, and value transformation model for location-intensive and information-intensive software services. Each paper offers a distinct insight into the services sector.