Title: Partner selection criteria in cooperative agreements: influence from contextual factors

Authors: Mario Franco

Addresses: Department of Management and Economics, University of Beira Interior, Estrada do Sineiro, Covilha 6200, Portugal

Abstract: The identification and selection of a suitable partner is an important condition not only in formation, but also for stability of the cooperative agreements. This article intends to show precisely the interest of identifying and selecting potential partners in a cooperative agreement. Therefore, to reach this goal, some results from an empirical study based on a sample of 114 cooperative agreements formed by Portuguese firms are presented. The results show that the criteria for selecting a partner in cooperative agreements are categorised in four dimensions: 1) reputation and contribution of resources; 2) complementarity and personality of the entrepreneur; 3) organisational culture; 4) local/regional identity. These dimensions are associated both with firms| resources and capacities, and with the characteristics that define the personality of entrepreneur. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.

Keywords: negotiation; partner selection criteria; business cooperation; cooperative agreements; success factors; contextual factors; Portugal; entrepreneurship; entrepreneurs; entrepreneurial personality.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2010.034824

International Journal of Business Environment, 2010 Vol.3 No.3, pp.267 - 291

Received: 13 Mar 2009
Accepted: 25 Sep 2009
Published online: 23 Aug 2010 *

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