What are SaaS firms and how do they internationalise with limited resources? International Business application to Software as a Service: Applying the International Business perspective, what is the business model of the SaaS Born Global firm? And How does the business model enable SaaS firms to rapidly expand to multiple markets seemingly overnight?
Authors
Lénárt, Attila ; Kirkedal, Christopher Sebastian
Term
4. Semester
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-06-01
Pages
72
Abstract
Software as a Service (SaaS) has become common in business. In international business research, the term Born Globals describes companies that expand abroad very early in their life. Many SaaS firms fit this category. What stands out about Born Globals is that they operate and internationalize with limited resources and few assets (asset parsimony). Even so, research is still unclear about which factors drive their international expansion. This thesis situates SaaS companies within internationalization research by examining their business models and how they expand across borders. It reviews and critiques core existing theories and offers an additional perspective to help understand these firms in context. The study builds on prior work by other authors and adds further perspectives through interviews with five SaaS companies at different stages of maturity. The aim is to complement existing research and broaden the discussion of how resource-lean SaaS firms go global.
Software as a Service (SaaS) er blevet udbredt i erhvervslivet. I forskningen om international business bruges begrebet Born Globals om virksomheder, der går ud på internationale markeder meget tidligt. Mange SaaS-virksomheder passer ind i denne kategori. Det særlige ved Born Globals er, at de opererer og internationaliserer med sparsomme aktiver og begrænsede ressourcer (asset parsimony). Alligevel er der stadig uklarhed i forskningen om, hvilke faktorer der driver deres internationalisering. Dette speciale placerer SaaS-virksomheder i internationaliseringsfeltet ved at undersøge deres forretningsmodeller og deres adfærd, når de udvider til udlandet. Det gennemgår og kritiserer centrale, eksisterende teorier og tilbyder et perspektiv, der kan hjælpe med at forstå disse virksomheder i deres kontekst. Arbejdet bygger på tidligere studier af andre forfattere og tilfører yderligere perspektiver gennem interviews med fem SaaS-virksomheder på forskellige modenhedsstadier. Målet er at supplere den eksisterende forskning og udvide diskussionen om, hvordan ressourceknappe SaaS-virksomheder bliver globale.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords