Enhancing the understanding of international new ventures: a service-oriented perspective

Purpose This paper aims to challenge the up to now mainly product-centered view on international new ventures by analyzing the influence of service orientation on new venture internationalization behavior. It especially focuses on the utilization of specific market entry modes as a result of a growing service orientation. Design/methodology/approach Newness and complexity of the topic call for a qualitative-empirical research approach. Therefore, the paper is based on an in-depth multiple-case study of six international new ventures operating in fashion and lifestyle industry. Findings This paper shows that service-oriented international new ventures make use of different market entry modes at the same time. Service-related capabilities allow them to especially use cooperative market entry modes to fuel lacking market knowledge and thus to overcome resource constraints in value creation processes. Originality/value The paper contributes to a more holistic understanding of international new ventures, as it provides empirical evidence for the importance of service-related aspects in new venture internationalization. Furthermore, the paper extends international new venture research by not only considering an early international market entry but also other aspects of internationalization such as the type of offerings or the preferred market entry modes.