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PurposeThis paper aims to study the dark side of cooperative buyer-seller relationships to improve our knowledge of this phenomenon.Design/methodology/approachA selective definition of dark side has been adopted, linking it to relationships of a cooperative nature within which one of the two partners assumes an opportunistic behavior. Taking into account this definition, the first part of the paper critically reviews those studies which have analyzed cooperative relations along the supply chain, drawing attention to the formation of a dark side. The second part of the paper re-examines the association between cooperation and opportunism, taking the point of view of the disadvantaged partner and adopting the networking perspective developed by the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) Group.FindingsThe literature review enables one to identify two types of dark side. In the first case, the partner at a disadvantage is aware of what is going on, but remains trapped in the relationship because of a power imbalance and a strong dependence. In the second case, the relationship is spoilt by one partner keeping a secret from the other, exploiting an information asymmetry. The main constructs of the IMP approach have made possible to shed light on the two different types of dark side – trap and secret – that were examined from the perspective of the disadvantaged partner.Practical implicationsThe analysis of the disadvantaged partner has made it possible to understand what strategies he can use to prevent or mitigate such a disadvantaged position.Originality/valueThe paper develops an original view of the phenomenon of dark side in cooperative relationships.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to integrate knowledge inheritance theory with the social capital perspective to explain the initial endowments of spinoffs.Design/methodology/approach– The authors maintain that social capital plays a crucial part, both as a mechanism supporting the generation of intellectual capital prior to a spinoff's foundation, and as an endowment that complements this capital once the spinoff is founded. Knowledge inheritance remains a fundamental mechanism for the formation of a spinoff's intellectual capital. Its other endowment, social capital, derives from three types of relationship that future entrepreneurs develop within, through and outside their parent firm, all three of which are crucial to the formation of a spinoff's intellectual capital.Findings– The first result of the theoretical research is an integrative framework of a spinoff's endowments. Moreover, the authors apply this framework to address two key research questions in the spinoff literature, i.e. whether spinoffs can differ from their parents in terms of intellectual capital; and why spinoffs tend to co-locate near their parents, in geographical clusters. The integrative approach helps to tackle these questions.Originality/value– This conceptual paper offers a more comprehensive explanation of the emergence of spinoffs in terms of their initial endowments than the knowledge inheritance theory.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically evaluate a model of the firm‐level determinants of export performance that includes the firm's internationalization modes other than exporting.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses information gathered on 147 Italian manufacturing small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and applies a structural equation modeling procedure to evaluate determinants included in the model, which are: the firm's commitment to developing an international marketing strategy, the organizational structure for exports, international modes other than exporting (foreign direct investment, international alliances, global sourcing), and some characteristics of the firm already extensively explored in other studies (size, age, international experience).FindingsThe above‐mentioned firm internationalization methods are shown, as a whole, to have a statistically significant, positive and direct influence on export performance. The same can be said of the strategic variable and the organizational variable, whereas the firm characteristics have only an indirect effect on export performance, mediated by the previous three determinants.Research limitations/implicationsThe study presents some limitations. In particular, it was limited to manufacturing SMEs in a particular geographical area (North‐East Italy). Replications in other territories are needed to validate the current findings. Moreover, the results of the statistical analysis reveal a moderate support to the research model with regard to some fit indices. These issues could be addressed in future research.Originality/valueThe most important outcome of the study refers to the influence of the internationalization modes other than exporting. Although a great deal of theoretical and empirical literature analyzed the determinants of export performance, this relationship has been largely neglected.

Starting from the observation of a conceptual gap regarding the association between consumption and the contexts in which it occurs, the paper has two objectives. The first is to fill this gap by developing a framework that includes: the identification of consumption contexts based on their building blocks (actors, goods, relationships), the basic classification of their variety, and a knowledge-based reading of consumption contexts capable of explaining their functioning. The second aim is to show that the framework allows the understanding of the digital transformation of consumption contexts. We show that services are produced in two contexts: in the first type, consumers interact directly with goods; in the second, the intermediation of frontline personnel comes into play. Actors and goods present in the consumption contexts are knowledge-holders, and the relationships between them are learning relationships. The shift from traditional consumption contexts to contexts based on artificial intelligence and the internet of things introduces a major change in that learning relationships are no longer the domain of only (human) actors who learn by interacting with each other and using goods. Both types of contexts are in fact powered by smart goods capable of interacting with each other and with humans within a given context and endowed with structural cognitive connections outside that context.

An updated view of knowledge management strategies of knowledge-intensive business services, focusing on how these service firms manage innovation in the framework of the knowledge economy. The authors offer an original analysis of key processes of business services specializing in different activities such as design, professional firms, and information technology. This volume contains rich case studies, surveys and quantitative economic analysis carried out in Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Russia and Spain. It gathers contributions from respected scholars specializing in knowledge-intensive business services and offers a fresh overview of the dynamics concerning knowledge management in services, with respect to firms embedded in regional innovation systems, metropolitan areas and clusters.