When trust becomes the fourth "C" of cooperation

Technological development along with the fall of most political barriers has made the world a smaller place. Firms, even those that focus their operations in the domestic market, face increasing competition. These phenomena have introduced an important shift in the way internationalisation must be regarded. In fact, in a growing number of cases internationalisation is not confined to "go overseas". Rather, it is a matter of being competitive in webs of relationships where the particular position assumed by one firm is likely to affect not only its own performance but also the evolution of other players. The objective of this paper is to shed light on internationalisation processes supported by collaborative organisational arrangements. The first part is a case study of an alliance involving firms that created a network aimed at developing a new brand. The second shows how firms can reinforce their competitiveness by joining resources and efforts to gain an important head start in the global marketplace. Authors develop a new model of inter-organisational cooperation. On the basis of an analysis of the actors, resources and activities, the cornerstones of the model are the four Cs of cooperation: Common interests, Conjoint resources, Coordination of activities and Confidence