Study Of Internationalization Of Indian Engineering, Project And Construction Firms In Africa And In The Gulf Countries | Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya

This is an exploratory qualitative study, focusing on internationalization of Indian Engineering, Project and Construction (EPC) firms in Africa and the Gulf countries. The author conducted 24 semi structured exploratory in-depth personal interviews with Indian EPC domain experts. The qualitative data was content analysed for thematic analysis. This was to uncover a comparative study of the nature of challenges Indian EPC firm managers comprehend, in foreign markets like Africa and the Gulf countries. The process of internationalization was also studied, and the strategic logic for the EPC firms’ internationalization initiatives were examined. It was found, that the primary challenges faced in foreign markets include, cultural as well as project factor resource challenges. The preferred internationalized route is sought through strategic alliances. This study is one of the first comparative studies on internationalization, of an emerging economy firm in Africa and the Gulf countries.