A TYPOLOGY OF SERVICE FIRMS IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS - AN EMPIRICAL-INVESTIGATION

Globalization of markets and competition has created unlimited opportu nities for marketers of services internationally. Service providers, w ith a wide range of products ranging from professional services to ser vices embedded with tangible goods, have responded to these opportunit ies. In view of the limited empirical knowledge of service marketers i nternationally, this article reports on a study of actual experience i n serving international customers. In particular, it proposes a classi fication framework of services as a means of differentiating various m arketing practices. The empirical results confirm, for the first time, the usefulness of this classification framework in generating new ins ights into both strategic and operational activities of international service marketers. Implications for future research and management are also offered.