Conflicts in business relationships in light of the external environment

Abstract

Most existing studies on the topic of inter-organisational cooperation are focused on positive aspects of business relationships, such as commitment and trust. Although conflicts are natural within interorganisational cooperation, there is little research within this area. According to the business network approach, each relationship affects, and is affected by, other relationships. Furthermore, this means that conflicts within a certain business relationship affect, and are affected by, other business relationships. The aim of this study is to identify and analyse elements of conflict in inter-organisational cooperation and their relation with external network actors. The empirical part of the study is based on two qualitative case studies from different industries in Finland. The main findings of the study are outlined in some propositions that can be further explored in future research.