FINDING THE RIGHT PARTNER FOR EXPANDING SERVICES OVER TO THE UK MARKET: Case Study/Action Research

Abstract

This thesis has been conducted as an action research for a Finnish management consultancy that is undergoing a significant change in their organisational structure. Furthermore, this study aims to evaluate the relevant drivers for the case study company to form a strategic alliance with a local business to facilitate the internationalisation process over to the UK market. As the options regarding the partnership modes are limited due to the lack of funding, the company faces another issue regarding the partner selection. Therefore, an analysis on the partner criteria based on the motives that are driving the case study company in to an alliance, has taken place in this study. The strategic alliances are evaluated from a resource-based view in order to support the findings for creating a feasible alliance with the partner. Additionally, nine interviews were conducted with the potential partners’ decision-makers to understand how the local companies would react to partnering with a Finnish consultancy business.

The results show that despite being an interesting partner for the British auditing firms, the goals need to be compatible with these firms, indicating a level of adaptation in the consultancy company’s service offering to match the auditing company’s independent goals.