As time goes by: The paradox of stability and change in Australian business networks

Stability and change may seem contradictory features but in business networks they coexist (Hakansson and Snehota 1995). This paper explores the paradox of the coexistence of stability and change in an Australian context. Previous research illustrated that stability over time can exist in specific business relationships (Sutton-Brady and Donnan 2003). This research study further investigates time as a proxy variable of stability (Halinen and Tornroos 1995) and attempts to uncover other variables, which may impact on the stability of the relationship. The research was undertaken using a selected sample of Australian wine companies and suppliers to the wine industry. The sample included 15 wineries of varying size and 21 suppliers representing a cross section of all suppliers to this industry. While the overall project looks at wineries and suppliers, for the purposes of this work-in-progress paper findings from the buyer side will be initially presented. A future series of papers are in progress for this research project. Given the exploratory nature of the research a case study approach was utilized to gain an in-depth understanding of the variables, which may contribute to the stability. The research was conducted using a structured and semi-structured research instrument, which was essentially an interview guide for the researcher ensuring that no issues were overlooked. The semi-structured nature of the guid