Strategic alliances : Challenges and limits for Agri-Food cooperatives

Diffusion du document : INRA Station d'Economie et Sociologie rurales 65 rue de Saint-Brieuc 35042 Rennes Cedex (FRA)The development of inter-firm alliances has engendered a wealth of theoretical studies and empirical over the last two decades. Those studies show that partnership strategies are part of a generalised pattern of behaviour by firms serving a range purposes : lower transaction costs or agency costs, an enhanced portfolio of skills and resources, an improved competitive position, etc.Although such agreements are an old-established practice, inter-firm co-operation really took off in the 1980s. In contrast with the preceding period they were long-term commitments by firms with major strategic and competitive implications (sharing know-how and skills, search for competitive advantage, etc.) and contributed to à thoroughgoing transformation of organisations. Most studies looked at large multinational firms but some showed that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were no strangers to this dynamic which affected most sectors of activity