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theories. Typical for the Scandinavian research is that it relies on the subjectivity
and context boundness of reality and knowledge, both in business and research
situations. There is also emphasis on benevolent, co-operative behaviour aiming
at mutual goals, which seems to refer to an intentional, voluntaristic view of human
nature. Moreover, reliance on the subjectivist focal firm’s view on its own
business context is important, as well as general interest in understanding the
dynamic processes related to various complex, fragmented and textured network
contexts (Tikkanen 1997, 595).
The network approach (or paradigm) is not a consistent entity, but absorbs ideas
from various sciences, mainly from the social exchange theory; on the other
hand there are plenty of different network views as well. When constructing a
taxonomy for network studies, Araujo and Easton (1996, 68) analysed several
disciplines and subdisciplines like sociology, organisation theory, social policy,
innovation studies, political science, industrial marketing and purchase, economic
geography, entrepreneurship studies and comparative studies of economic
systems. They claim that the social network approach has been a precursor
to all the other approaches. Consequently, the IMP-based approach has
been influenced mainly by the social exchange theories, thus stressing the social
networks in the nets/networks.
Tikkanen (1996a) notes that the Scandinavian tradition is more sophisticated
and sensitive for (post)modern research compared to the explanations created
by management -oriented scholars. In the American tradition the main focus is
on the strategic network approach with one firm as a dominator, establishing and
governing the hierarchical system (compare to the SCM analysis by Cooper et
al. 1997, Cooper and Ellram 1993 and Mentzer et al. 2001 with the same kind of
assumptions: channel integration is initialised and led by one leading and controlling
firm vs. the voluntarism and joint-governance in the IMP-based analysis).
In the network creation procedure it is not possible for one firm to control continuously
the entire system of co-operative actors working together.
Use of Metaphors
As mentioned in the previous chapter, network as a scientific concept is a metaphor.
Despite of the fact that there is a debate about using metaphors in general
among scientists, the network approach employs the idea of metaphorical thinking
strongly. As mentioned, even the core concept of this study, the network, is
more or less a metaphor in a similar way as related terms, as ‘markets as networks‘
(compare to the dualistic perspective suggested by Williamson 1986:
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