Purpose – Previously, modularity has mainly been studied in a production context. This paper highlights the opportunities and challenges of a modular strategy in an internationalisation context. It identifies which module components become active when entering new markets and suggests a model for how a modular internationalisation architecture can be designed. Design/methodology/approach – Results from a single case study of a multinational corporation in the vehicle industry, where managers of different departments involved in the internationalisation process support the possibility to create a modular internationalisation architecture. Findings – The findings suggest that the most important opportunities arising from modularity when entering new markets are the clear structure and shorter time to market. The main challenges to overcome are the risk of loss of flexibility and the issues of designing a modular architecture. Based on the key components in the case firm, one initial project-based departmentalised matrix structure is designed which can also help overcome the issues of choosing between standardisation and adaptation. Practical implications – The modular internationalisation architecture may help managers in multinational corporations who are already working with modularity in production to also organise the internal structure of their internationalisation process. Originality/value – This study includes a new model for multinational corporations entering new markets – the modular internationalisation architecture – which makes it possible to structure processes depending on internationalisation factors. The model should be seen as an initial suggestion of how a modular internationalisation architecture can be designed, but it may need to be further developed and tested. Keywords – International business, Internationalisation strategy, Organisational structure, Modularity, Modular processes, Modules, Components Paper type – Master’s thesis
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-253331 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Hallehn, Philip, Lindgren, Victor |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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