Susana Costa e Silva

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.

The Importance of Second-Hand Knowledge in the Revised Uppsala Model: Can European Textiles Producers Export to China?

ABSTRACT The authors studied how knowledge derived from firms’ relationships—the so-called second-hand knowledge—is likely to influence their internationalization process. In this article, they examine how a European producer of textiles is able to sell worldwide, including to China, a highly competitive player in this industry. This article discusses models of firms’ networks and the extent to which such networks generate important knowledge that can explain internationalization behavior—how it is able to influence the selection of foreign markets and the entry mode used. The authors use the revised version of the Uppsala model of internationalization, which emphasizes the roles of trust-building, knowledge, and creation of opportunities within relationships.

The value of textual haptic information in online clothing shopping

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the potential of textual haptic information to minimize the effects of need for touch (NFT) in global online environments by testing the effect of hands on description on consumer perception and intention to purchase. Design/methodology/approach The study was developed in three stages. A total of 140 valid responses were obtained in stage three. Multiple linear regression models and paired-samples t-test were applied to test the hypotheses. Findings The results show that textual haptic information has a positive impact on consumers’ perception and on the intention to purchasing. Practical implications To improve online sales firms should minimize the drawback of the inability of touching the product by providing textual haptic information. Originality/value The findings are especially valuable since the number of studies assessing NFT in online apparel commerce is currently very limited. Thus, this study adds new empirical evidences to existent body of knowledge and could assist the development of global marketing strategies for increasing online fashion sales.

Book Review: Aneel Karnani, (2011) Fighting Poverty Together:

International Journal of Rural Management, 8, 1&2 (2012): 143–149 of social entrepreneurship. Arguments are well built with the help of examples like VisionSpring. Chapter 9 entitled ‘Rage Leading to Action’, comes as more of a guideline than as a chapter itself. This has clear action imperatives. The book has come in the post-recession period and been able to well justify the role of the government in the poverty reduction. There are three key players namely business, governments and civil society whose roles are well defined in the book. Governments have to act as anchor, businesses have to be the main actor or protagonist and civil society has to play to the role of catalyst. Overall, the book has been successful in presenting the facts with sensitivity towards the vulnerable, and seemingly offers a win–win situation for all the stakeholders.