ABSTRACT
Academic interest in intercorporate cooperation has increased dramatically in recent years. At the same time, academic perspectives and general public opinion concerning cooperation between companies have been radically transformed. Previous research, particularly in the field of oligopoly and monopoly, focused on the economic effects of imperfect competition on markets, price trends and growth. Furthermore, many of the studies highlighted the power position of large firms in terms of impact on legislation and the ways in which they gain market privileges (D. Lowery and H. Brasker, 2004). Such privileges appear in the form of protectionist tariffs or monopolies which exclude competitors on certain markets. Such studies have mainly been led by American economists.
