Suchergebnisse

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of the process of ending inter‐organizational cooperation by identifying the underlying reasons and stages of the ending.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical context of this study is a joint company amongst a group of competitors. The findings of this paper are based on a longitudinal case study within the construction industry in the region of Ostrobothnia in Finland. Interviews with managing directors were carried out in 1998, 2000 and 2004.FindingsThe reasons for ending a co‐operational relationship can be found on three levels: external, relational, and organizational. When taking into consideration the underlying reasons as well as time, the process consists of the following stages: pre‐start, harmony, consideration, disengagement, communication and post‐ending.Research limitations/implicationsThere are rare opportunities for generalizations, resulting in a risk of a fairly case specific study. Further research on this subject should focus on whether and under which circumstances do similar reasons and stages of the process exist.Practical implicationsThe process of ending inter‐organizational cooperation may start at the very beginning of the cooperation. Although a stage of harmony exists the ending process may already have begun. There is a need to invest more resources in order to preserve cooperation.Originality/valueThe empirical context of cooperation between competitors is both unique and important within the research of business relationship ending. A longitudinal perspective was used and the stages of the ending process are based on identified reasons for the ending. Thereby a holistic view of the ending of business relationships is presented.