Compound of ties between companies that operate in a business network

Abstract

Objective: This theoretical essay aims to present the compound of socioeconomic ties between companies that operate in a business network, whose finality is to increase the company's competitiveness. The compound was developed from the effort to combine and harmoniously integrate three theoretical foundations — business networks theory, transaction cost theory and relational view. Method: The methodology has characteristics of an exploratory study to develop a theoretical essay and adopts the deductive method from the three theories mentioned. The research question was: Which elements of the three theories have the potential to substantiate the compound of interorganizational socioeconomic ties existing in a business network? Main Results: Six components of the compound of socioeconomic ties were identified: interorganizational relational experience, interdependence, technological symmetry, relationship length, transactions frequency, and finality. Relevance / Originality: There are indications that the compound is original, as no other equal was found in the literature. Thus, it expands knowledge of the administration science and managerial practice. Theoretical / Methodological Contributions: For academic researchers, the compound makes it possible to understand the six components that characterize the essence of a socioeconomic tie, an essence that guides and facilitates research development on business networks, whether from a competitive or a cooperative viewpoint. For organizational managers, the compound enables them to understand the essential points of the relationship and instrumentalizes them to establish objective and effective interorganizational relationships with any company type, whether a competitor or a partner with which the company cooperates.