In this article, we propose a service-ecosystem perspective to understand how context influences and is influenced by value creation in IB. Earlier, Akaka, Vargo and Lusch (2013) have indicated that a service-ecosystem perspective can potentially aid researchers in understanding international markets in a more comprehensive manner. Thus, we draw on their work to discuss the complexity of context in international markets, and how this can help us to refocus our attention to the relationship between international businesses and the environment within which they are embedded. More specifically, as a contribution to the discussion on value creation in IB, we argue that a service-ecosystem perspective can help develop an understanding of value creation beyond the conceptualization of a value chain. Rather than focusing on differences between systems (e.g. firms and public actors) or markets (e.g., foreign and domestic), we contribute to understanding on how value creation can be interpreted as a part of a complex context.