Malo Clinic

: paths for an international expansion

Abstract

The main goal of this dissertation is to develop a business case study on MALO CLINIC, a Portuguese health service provider in the dentistry segment. The company also provides services in other medical areas with a focus in diagnosis and treatments in the aesthetics segment. Currently, the company is present in several foreign countries. The dilemma faced by the company is based on the choice of what entry mode to adopt in each new country and the correct timing for investing given the company’s financial constraints. Following the case study, a Literature Review is developed. The topics in this section are directly connected with the case itself, such as industry, service and internationalization, with a special focus on entry modes, which is the main topic of this dissertation. The topics approached in the Literature Review constitute a basis for the analysis in the Teaching Note section. The Teaching Note presents several personal considerations about the case, aligned with a possible way to use the case study in a classroom. The application of strategic concepts intends to provide a better understanding of the company’s current situation, and to suggest some recommendation for the future as well. From the detailed analysis, it is possible to find a possible path for the next steps of the clinic’s internationalization process. Without losing the focus on the entry modes, different suggestions are offered for the locations where the clinic wants to be present.

Date of Award	4 Jul 2013
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Nuno Magalhães Guedes (Supervisor)