Professional Services Industry: Challenges and Opportunities of Internationalization

Issue Release: volume 32, issue 10 (2012)

Internal and external barriers to international expansion are substantial for firms in the professional services industry. At the same time, multi-lateral trade agreements, developments in information and communication technology, the increased global presence of their clients, and the development of multinational firms in emerging markets have been important drivers towards broader and more accelerated internationalization in the professional services industry. For most firms in the professional services industry, an expansion across borders results in the need for the acquisition of additional knowledge capital, challenges with the transfer of know how across organizational and national borders, and problems with foreign legal and institutional environments (Brock & Alon, 2009). And yet, surprisingly little research on this growing phenomenon has been published in the fields of international business, international management, or cross-cultural management. A relatively recent literature review (Netland & Alfnes, 2007) has shown that only 31 articles on the topic had been published in the most important service industries journals between 1999 and 2005. We therefore invite original contributions by scholars from a broad range of fields including (but not limited to) economics, entrepreneurship, finance, human resource management, international business, international management, knowledge management, management, marketing, organizational behaviour, and strategy.

Subject Coverage

We welcome both empirical and conceptual articles. Examples of topic areas appropriate to the theme of the special issue include:

• Motivation for internationalization of professional service firms.
• Internationalization paths in the professional services industry.
• Foreign market entry modes in the professional services industry.
• Global account and customer relationship management in the professional services industry.
• Managing human resources in the professional services industry across borders.
• Cross-cultural differences in the professional services industry.
• Global management of knowledge and learning in the professional services industry.
• Performance of professional service firms in the global marketplace.
• The role of technology in the internationalization of professional service firms.
• Internationalization, Regionalization and Globalization in the professional services industry.
• Development of the professional services industry in emerging markets.

The deadline for submitting papers is April 15, 2011.  Questions about content, ideas, and first drafts should be directed to the guest editors Professor Vlad Vaiman, at vlad@ru.is, and Professor Gerhard Apfelthaler, at apfeltha@callutheran.edu.  Please clearly identify your submission in the email subject line, SIJ - Professional Services Industry: Challenges and Opportunities of Internationalization - Special Issue.

Final papers must be submitted via Manuscript Central (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fsij), upon guest editor’s confirmation.  All papers will go through the regular double-blind review process to ensure its relevance and quality, and must follow the SIJ Style Guidelines (see http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/authors/fsijauth.asp). This special issue will be published in volume 32, issue 10 (2012).