Foreign operation methods and switching costs: conceptual issues and possible effects

Abstract

Although the issue of switching costs does appear in some of the frameworks for choosing modes of foreign operation, the treatment of these costs is fairly cursory. In this article we propose a simple classification of switching costs which distinguishes between "take-down" costs and "set-up" costs. A distinction is also made between measurable and perceptual switching costs. The article outlines the assumptions regarding switching costs that are embedded in current theoretical approaches to the internationalization of firms, and discusses the possible effects of such costs on the choice and timing of foreign operation methods.