Title: Explaining interfirm cooperative behaviour: three different theories in the Finnish metal industry

Authors: Tero Vuorinen

Addresses: Department of Management, University of Vaasa, P.O. Box 700, FIN-65101 Vaasa, Finland

Abstract: This study examines interfirm cooperation in business networks. The aim of the study is to identify and illustrate how three different organisational theories are involved in the construction process and activities of dyadic organisational relationships in srategic networks, where one focal firm has a dominant position. The theories discussed in this work are Transaction Cost Theory (Tce), the theory of social capital and the Resource-based View (Rbv). The roles of the different theories in the networking process are discussed at a theoretical and an empirical level. The context of the study is the Finnish metal industry. All the theories have explanatory power in the studied context, but they appear to be more useful when applied as a theoretical combination.

Keywords: business networks; interfirm cooperation; metal industry; cooperative behaviour; Finland; transaction cost theory; social capital; resource-based view; RBV.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNVO.2009.023809

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 2009 Vol.6 No.3, pp.318 - 330

Published online: 12 Mar 2009 *

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