From transactions to partnerships : Essays in honor of Jukka Vesalainen

Abstract

This Festschrift for Professor Jukka Vesalainen is a collection of articles related to business relationships. The book focuses on different types of business relationships that constitute business networks, the development of business relationships and a practical perspective on relationship management.

The book builds on the assumption that no firm is an island, and any business development takes place within ecosystems, networks, and relationships, where firms and other organizations collaborate. Firms are seen to be interdependent with other firms and actors in their business environment. Even though firms would not choose to operate in networks, they end up in networks, as perfect markets rarely exist. This emphasizes the importance of relationship management in today’s business activities.

The collection contains empirical, theoretical and practical articles that all reflect the impact of the research and practical work done by Professor Vesalainen. The articles relate to important academic and practically oriented topics of Vesalainen’s research and academic career and also provide a sense of each contributor’s relationship with him.