1From Traditional Forms of Cooperation Toward New Collaborative Practices
1.1. Introduction
Understanding the phenomenon of cooperation mainly depends on how we define “agreement”. The purpose of this chapter is to carry out an in-depth study of the concept of cooperation. The general characteristics of cooperation agreements (object, actors involved, products/services concerned and duration) are introduced in the first section of this chapter. The main forms of cooperation are analyzed in the second section, which will enable us to provide a general definition for agreements. This chapter concludes with a typology of agreements.
1.2. What is cooperation?
The tools used for defining cooperation are numerous and vary according to the authors. The definitions we will consider in this chapter can be articulated around four chief axes: the object of cooperation, the different actors involved, products/services and applications, and duration of agreements.
1.2.1. The object of cooperation
Our intention is not to analyze the different motivations that entice the companies to cooperate (risk-sharing, the pursuit of economies of scale and/or of economies of scope, sharing distinctive resources and/or fundamental competencies and so on) but to stress its main purpose and the means to achieve it. [TEE 92] provides an ample definition:
“Agreements characterized by the commitment of two or more firms to reach a common goal, involving the pooling of resources and activities.”
Cooperation ...