Asymmetric business relationships and interaction capabilities: an exploratory study

The paper analyses asymmetric business relationships between larger customers and smaller suppliers. It reports on the findings from a study involving five in-depth case studies of suppliers in the Italian fresh-cut business who are involved in relationships with larger customers. The findings show that asymmetry may have impact on smaller suppliers both positively and negatively. Specifically, smaller suppliers may obtain advantageous consequences for the development of interaction capabilities.