Challenges facing service enterprises in a global knowledge-based economy: lessons from the business services sector

This paper explores the challenges arising from the increasing level of international and knowledgebased activity for services sector enterprises. The paper begins with an overview of evidence concerning the internationalisation of services before proceeding to a detailed analysis of the internationalisation of firms in a number of knowledge intensive business service sectors. The paper concludes by summarising the challenges facing service enterprises in a global knowledge-based economy. The key themes that emerge from the existing research are outlined, together with the directions for future research.