ABSTRACT
Introduction Interfirm collaboration and cooperation has become an integral part of the world’s economic and business arena,bringing with it a wealth of benefits and opportunities to organisations, operating in both the public and private sectors. Saffu and Mamman (2000) postulate that in an era of globalisation with its concomitant competition, cooperative strategies are becoming an increasingly essential ingredient in the success of businesses. The wide range of interfirm collaborative arrangements can perhaps best be embodied by the gamut of recent mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures, cross-border intraorganisational partnerships, consortia and other interfirm cooperative and collaborative arrangements. Public and private sector organisations are recognising the limitations of pursuing a ‘go-it-alone’ strategy and are forming collaborative relationships in a bid to consolidate their strategic position and improve their overall economic health.
