8
PROCESS OF INTERNATIONALIZATION
The process of developing these strategic and organizational attributes lies at the heart of the internationalization process through which a company builds its position in world markets .
This process is rarely well thought out in advance , and it typically builds on a combination of rational analysis , opportunism , and pure luck . Nonetheless , it is still possible to discern some general patterns of behavior that firms typically follow . The most well-known model for internationalization was developed during the 1970s by two Swedish academics based in Uppsala , who described foreign-market entry as a learning process . The company makes an initial commitment of resources to the foreign market , and through this investment , it gains local market knowledge about customers , competitors , and regulatory conditions . On the basis of this market knowledge , the company is able to evaluate its current activities , the extent of its commitment to the market , and thus the opportunities for additional