Kotabe, Murray, and Javalgi's study reinforces the notion that the core competency of a service firm lies in providing core services, which is its main function. Service firms that diversify into in-house supplementary services may dilute their core service competencies. A united Europe, in the economic sense, is no longer a myth and offers major opportunities to businesses all over the world. Yet, research has resulted in contradictory findings about EU convergence. Ganesh's study attempts to shed some light on the issue with a time-series examination of diffusion patterns for consumer durable goods introduced during the first and second half of the unification process.
Trends indicate that supply-side dynamics are bound to change.
In this newly emerging competitive environment, successful firms are likely to be either giant multinational conglomerates with a Pan-European approach to the marketplace or nimble niche players that provide high value. Firms in neither of these categories may be eliminated from this competitive marketplace. Without reliable market research, managers may be tempted to alter market cues on the basis of anecdotal information. Generalizations that evolve from the study of market universals will reduce this tendency. Segmenting market universals is a step toward long-term competitive advantage gained through the production of global products.