ABSTRACT
According to the industrial network approach, internationalisation of the firm means that the firm establishes and develops network positions in foreign markets. Three issues seem to be of critical importance in foreign market entry processes. Under the assumption that markets are networks, these issues take on a specific significance and character. The issues that authors wish to address are orientating, positioning and timing. Orientating is very much related to the opacity and unequivocality of industrial networks. The orientating processes are not necessarily continuous in the sense that the entrant gradually develops a more differentiated view or theory of the network. Positioning is the second important issue. Network positioning is a process in which the actors develop their position in the network. The third critical issue is timing. With long chains of specific interdependencies between actors in the network and continuing change processes in train opportunities will appear at irregular intervals.
