Business Networks Reloaded

Peter Krebs, Stefanie Jung

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Topic: Law
• eBook ISBN:
  9781317170525
• Subtopic: Commercial Law
• Index: Law

Business networks are an important economic phenomenon of increasing practical importance throughout Europe. This volume examines business networks from an interdisciplinary perspective, with many contributions dealing with a certain form of business network, the so-called cooperative or non-hierarchical. With regard to this specific form of cooperation the volume presents new economic findings, proposes a definition and discusses the governance structure of those networks.Moreover, this book explores whether the research results can also be applied to hierarchical, centralized business networks. With medium-sized companies and all the more with large companies, business networks also pose the question of the compatibility with anti-trust law. This collection dedicates three contributions to this important question. They are complemented by chapters on liability of the network and its members towards third parties and contributions discussing duties of loyalty and the interpretation of agreements. Drawing on new research from Italy, Spain, Germany and Norway, this work illustrates the European legal perspective on business networks.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Introductory remarks on the phenomenon of business networks and on this volume
• Cooperation gains from network goods
• Company networks reloaded – putting a general functional approach to defining complex problems to the test
• The modular system of network activities
• Governance structures in business networks
• Network-like organisations: On their distinction and meaning exemplified by the co-operation in construction
• Company networks and the dichotomy and statics of competition law – a combined dynamic control of conduct and structure as a solution approach
• Economic analysis of value-added networks: A holistic approach to the competitive effects of vertical agreements
• Company networks in the light of European market power
• The scope of loyalty duties in dynamic networks
• A frame for business networks governance
• Contractual business networks: Interpretation criteria and axiological perspective
• Virtual enterprises: liability problems in one- and multi-level networks
• Interface-liability. Tortious joint liability towards third parties of network-like cooperating companies, and at the same time a contribution to liability in cases of multi-causation
• Authors