THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INNOVATION AND INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF SERVICE ACTIVITIES IN FRENCH FIRMS

Abstract

Assuming that internationalization can be a determining factor for companies, in the service sector, to perceive innovation as central element for development, this article aims to determine how the relationship between service innovation and international performance takes place. Based on a theoretical framework regarding the concepts of internationalization and service innovation, a model was constructed to summarize the relationship between factors that constitute these concepts, such as: international performance, service innovation, international experience, international expertise, organizational capacity, and relational capacity, the company's ability to use new information and communication technologies. A survey was designed considering the indicators of these factors, which were evaluated on a Likert scale of 5 points. The sample, taken from the Frenche database Altars and after multiple selections, was comprised of 51 companies. The method used for data processing, Partial Least Square (PLS), revealed a relationship between innovation and international performance of the enterprises studied.