Sören Kock | Hanken School of Economics (original) (raw)

Papers by Sören Kock

The literature concerning business networks as well as the literature on strategic alliances has ... more The literature concerning business networks as well as the literature on strategic alliances has given us new insights into how actors that are embedded in an atmosphere of competition instead chooses to cooperate. Kock (1999, 2000) however claim that competitors that compete often also cooperate in some activities, thereby creating competition. These firms will have different roles in different activities and interactions. Competitive and cooperative activities can in some cases be in conflict with each other. The question if a firm should choose to either cooperate or compete, or if it should try to combine competition and cooperation, has therefore become a strategically important issue.

This paper proposes and elaborates that project business should be seen,as a distinct market entr... more This paper proposes and elaborates that project business should be seen,as a distinct market entry method, or mode of international business. The paper discusses the contributions of various strands of received ,international market entry theory – on ,one hand the Uppsala Internationalisation Model, and the contributions made to it by the Transactions Costs Perspective as well ,as Dunning’s ,Eclectic

ub.umu.se. Publications. ...

In this article we examine the internationalization process of Finnish SMEs. Earlier studies have... more In this article we examine the internationalization process of Finnish SMEs. Earlier studies have shown that Finnish firms follow the Uppsala Internationalization model by first doing business with Sweden and then advancing to other countries . According to the Uppsala model of internationalization, increased commitment will lead to an increase in investments and vice versa. Another issue that we are dealing with is if experience from early inward international activities can influence on later outward international activities in small and mid-sized firms. Thus relationships established when importing from a specific market are useful when initializing exports to the same market. On the other hand inward and outward activities could be regarded as separate flows that are not connected or only weakly connected. This implies that outward activities would not be connected to or dependent on the firm's previous inward activities. The theoretical frame for the study has been derived from the network approach where also social relationships are regarded as important in the internationalization process.

This study analyses how a large buyer is managing its supplier network. A focus on core competenc... more This study analyses how a large buyer is managing its supplier network. A focus on core competence during the 90's have forced companies to create long-term relationships with other companies in order to get access to external resources. Within supply networks the trend has been to reduce the number of suppliers in direct long-term contact with the buyer. The suppliers

Most of research on entrepreneurial networks adhere to the inter-firm standpoints and focus on fi... more Most of research on entrepreneurial networks adhere to the inter-firm standpoints and focus on firm-level units of analysis. From this viewpoint, entrepreneurial network development is presented as an impersonal process inherent in a network (Johnsen & Ford, 2006; Hite & Hesterly, 2001). However, there is an essential difference between network as such and networking process (Wincent & Westerberg, 2005: 271).

... Bengtsson, M. & Kock, S. (2003): Tension in Co-opetition. In Harlan E. Spotts, (ed.) Deve... more ... Bengtsson, M. & Kock, S. (2003): Tension in Co-opetition. In Harlan E. Spotts, (ed.) Development in Marketing Science Vol XXVI 2003, Academy of Marketing Science, Western New England College, 38-42. Contractor, FJ and Lorange P. (1988), Why Should Firms Cooperate? ...

The literature concerning business networks as well as the literature on strategic alliances has ... more The literature concerning business networks as well as the literature on strategic alliances has given us new insights into how actors that are embedded in an atmosphere of competition instead chooses to cooperate. Kock (1999, 2000) however claim that competitors that compete often also cooperate in some activities, thereby creating competition. These firms will have different roles in different activities and interactions. Competitive and cooperative activities can in some cases be in conflict with each other. The question if a firm should choose to either cooperate or compete, or if it should try to combine competition and cooperation, has therefore become a strategically important issue.

Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2014

This paper proposes and elaborates that project business should be seen,as a distinct market entr... more This paper proposes and elaborates that project business should be seen,as a distinct market entry method, or mode of international business. The paper discusses the contributions of various strands of received ,international market entry theory – on ,one hand the Uppsala Internationalisation Model, and the contributions made to it by the Transactions Costs Perspective as well ,as Dunning’s ,Eclectic

The literature concerning business networks as well as the literature on strategic alliances has ... more The literature concerning business networks as well as the literature on strategic alliances has given us new insights into how actors that are embedded in an atmosphere of competition instead chooses to cooperate. Kock (1999, 2000) however claim that competitors that compete often also cooperate in some activities, thereby creating competition. These firms will have different roles in different activities and interactions. Competitive and cooperative activities can in some cases be in conflict with each other. The question if a firm should choose to either cooperate or compete, or if it should try to combine competition and cooperation, has therefore become a strategically important issue.

This paper proposes and elaborates that project business should be seen,as a distinct market entr... more This paper proposes and elaborates that project business should be seen,as a distinct market entry method, or mode of international business. The paper discusses the contributions of various strands of received ,international market entry theory – on ,one hand the Uppsala Internationalisation Model, and the contributions made to it by the Transactions Costs Perspective as well ,as Dunning’s ,Eclectic

ub.umu.se. Publications. ...

In this article we examine the internationalization process of Finnish SMEs. Earlier studies have... more In this article we examine the internationalization process of Finnish SMEs. Earlier studies have shown that Finnish firms follow the Uppsala Internationalization model by first doing business with Sweden and then advancing to other countries . According to the Uppsala model of internationalization, increased commitment will lead to an increase in investments and vice versa. Another issue that we are dealing with is if experience from early inward international activities can influence on later outward international activities in small and mid-sized firms. Thus relationships established when importing from a specific market are useful when initializing exports to the same market. On the other hand inward and outward activities could be regarded as separate flows that are not connected or only weakly connected. This implies that outward activities would not be connected to or dependent on the firm's previous inward activities. The theoretical frame for the study has been derived from the network approach where also social relationships are regarded as important in the internationalization process.

This study analyses how a large buyer is managing its supplier network. A focus on core competenc... more This study analyses how a large buyer is managing its supplier network. A focus on core competence during the 90's have forced companies to create long-term relationships with other companies in order to get access to external resources. Within supply networks the trend has been to reduce the number of suppliers in direct long-term contact with the buyer. The suppliers

Most of research on entrepreneurial networks adhere to the inter-firm standpoints and focus on fi... more Most of research on entrepreneurial networks adhere to the inter-firm standpoints and focus on firm-level units of analysis. From this viewpoint, entrepreneurial network development is presented as an impersonal process inherent in a network (Johnsen & Ford, 2006; Hite & Hesterly, 2001). However, there is an essential difference between network as such and networking process (Wincent & Westerberg, 2005: 271).

... Bengtsson, M. & Kock, S. (2003): Tension in Co-opetition. In Harlan E. Spotts, (ed.) Deve... more ... Bengtsson, M. & Kock, S. (2003): Tension in Co-opetition. In Harlan E. Spotts, (ed.) Development in Marketing Science Vol XXVI 2003, Academy of Marketing Science, Western New England College, 38-42. Contractor, FJ and Lorange P. (1988), Why Should Firms Cooperate? ...

The literature concerning business networks as well as the literature on strategic alliances has ... more The literature concerning business networks as well as the literature on strategic alliances has given us new insights into how actors that are embedded in an atmosphere of competition instead chooses to cooperate. Kock (1999, 2000) however claim that competitors that compete often also cooperate in some activities, thereby creating competition. These firms will have different roles in different activities and interactions. Competitive and cooperative activities can in some cases be in conflict with each other. The question if a firm should choose to either cooperate or compete, or if it should try to combine competition and cooperation, has therefore become a strategically important issue.

Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2014

This paper proposes and elaborates that project business should be seen,as a distinct market entr... more This paper proposes and elaborates that project business should be seen,as a distinct market entry method, or mode of international business. The paper discusses the contributions of various strands of received ,international market entry theory – on ,one hand the Uppsala Internationalisation Model, and the contributions made to it by the Transactions Costs Perspective as well ,as Dunning’s ,Eclectic