The impact of market group culture on the appearance of post contractual opportunism in supply chain 'partnerships'

摘要

One challenge for strategic alliances is to manage relational risk, in particular the risk that partners may behave opportunistically post contract. Increasingly, researchers are exploring the link between this type of relational risk and cultural similarity/differences of alliance partners, especially in a global context. This paper presents some insights into the emergence of opportunistic attitudes and behaviours, in alliances operating within and across some UK industrial sectors. The findings identify the 'culture of the market group' as an important factor in the understanding of post contractual opportunism within alliances.