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Purpose
– The aim of this paper is to characterize adaptation processes in business relationships. The nature of adaptive behavior is described by outlining activities and events in these relationships. The role of perceived product importance and complexity in the character of the adaptations processes is sought.


Design/methodology/approach
– A case study approach is adopted and two long-term relationships between buyers and sellers of capital equipment in the mining industry are investigated. Perspectives from both sides of the dyad (buyer and seller) were attained through in-depth interviews.


Findings
– Findings show that supplier-based adaptations occur more frequently than customer-based adaptations. The market antecedents of concentration and resource dependency are identified as drivers of adaptive behavior. Furthermore, product importance and complexity are key drivers to adaptation processes and the development of long-term relationships. Supplier's brand name and the choice of a direct channel strategy are identified as indicators of long-term commitment to the market. Moreover, two-task related factors were extremely relevant as selection criteria for capital equipment: the functional suitability and the degree of standardization/customization of the equipment.


Research limitations/implications
– The findings are specific to the market environment and recommendations are given for the realm of the mining industry. Multi-case studies in multi-contexts should be conducted to enable generalization and potential theory-building.


Practical implications
– A number of important managerial implications for buyers and sellers of capital equipment in the mining industry are given.


Originality/value
– This paper contributes to knowledge by providing rich descriptions of adaptation processes. This real life evidence enables the identification of major drivers of adaptive behavior and, consequently, the development of long-term successful relationships.

This volume of essays investigates, across a wide range of texts and with an emphasis on the notion of conflict, the various forms, objects and modes of circulation that sustained the "European civilizing mission." At the heart of this volume are two controversial and conflicting papers, authored by Robert JC Young and Bernard Porter, around which other researchers come together to complement the debate and address some of the thorny issues that arise from reviewing colonial and postcolonial ...

PurposeSeveral studies have focused on the development of relationships between buyers and sellers; however, we still have a limited understanding of the interaction processes of the relationships between competitors over time. This paper aims to explore the development of relationships between competitors adopting an interaction and network approach.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines nine relationships between competitors that are part of two multi-actor alliances in the pharmaceutical industry. The study builds on nine longitudinal case studies supported by 24 in-depth interviews.FindingsThe findings reveal that the development of the relationships between competitors within the alliances comprises exchange and coordination processes. The cases show that relationship development is a "never-ending process" within the alliance that includes five phases: co-existence, formation, development, dormancy and dissolution. A third party is identified as having a catalyst role in relationship development.Originality/valueSupported by a comprehensive literature review on relationship development models, this study highlights the value of applying an interaction and network approach for studying relationships between competitors.

Following the organization, in 2009, of the first conference on The British Empire: Ideology, Perspectives, Perception, the Research Group dedicated to Culture Studies at the University of the Lisbon Centre for English Studies organized, in 2010, a second conference under the general title Empire Building and Modernity. This conference constitutes the second part of a three year project undertaken by the group, which will be followed, in 2011, by a third initiative, called Reviewing Imperial Conflicts. The proceedings of the second conference are now presented in this book. Empire Building and Modernity gives a larger scope to the original project, which was developed more strictly around the British Empire, and provides the opportunity to deal with questions related to the formation of modern European empires, namely the Portuguese Colonial Empire. The different chapters in this book reveal a variety of approaches that are very often at the cutting edge of the methodologies adopted in cultural studies, particularly in the field of post-colonial studies. The building of new perceptions on imperial issues interpreted through literature, the visual arts, history and political science, the role of museums, questions of gender and race and the construction of identity through language constitute the guidelines of the contributions presented in this volume. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed discussing the issues that contributed to its making. ; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia