SCORE! A Better Way to Do Busine$$: Moving from Conflict to Collaboration

Chapter 2. Adversarial Commerce and Why It’s Wrong

Adversarial Commerce Defined

The behaviors Ford and General Motors exhibited (as discussed in the previous chapter) are examples of adversarial commerce. This term describes the negative and domineering manner many companies use to control their relationships in normal business dealings. Adversarial commerce is becoming increasingly common in the business world because it is based on using short-term leverage (such as Lopez’s cost slashing at the expense of suppliers) from the value of the business to produce equally quick results. The major, or dominant, side is usually the manufacturer of the final product, such as an automobile or airplane manufacturer, or the provider of a service to the ...