Towards a Relational Theory of the Firm

This book lays the groundwork for a relational theory of the firm as a network of stakeholder resources and interests. Drawing on the author’s earlier publications on relational economics as the political economy of a global cooperative economy or stakeholder capitalism, it explores the governance and managerial implications of a relational economy for firms, while also critically revisiting the traditional and resource-based view of the firm. In turn, it explains concepts such as relational governance, relational costs, relational spaces, rent from cooperation, and shared value creation, as well as a dynamic and process-oriented relational business model. The book discusses the epistemological and methodological prerequisites of a relational theory of the firm and addresses their theoretical taxonomy. A relational theory of the firm is a work in progress; the book represents an invitation to join this theoretical and empirical undertaking.