Abstract
Recent research in the field of industrial marketing has turned towards approaches capable of handling the complexity of the firm's environment, and especially its international environment. In this context, the network concept has attracted growing interest in management literature as it offers potential for the development of integrative analytical means and management tools. The criteria for applying network approaches call, however, for further exploration and development. Based on the study of the networks faced with and established by a French supplier firm in three European countries : France, Sweden and West Germany, this paper demonstrates how geographical characteristics can constitute criteria for network segmentation and hence, strategy formulation. For each of the three countries studied, we illustrate the different "geographical" characteristics of the networks, and the consequences for strategic behaviour (modes of penetration, development and maintenance in the network). These geographical network characteristics can in part be explained by the size of the customer country studied, the structure of the customer industry in this country, the existence of zones defined by their specific economic, cultural, political or administrative systems (example : the existence of lander in West-Germany). They can be expressed in terms of "levels" of geographical network (global, national, local etc.), of numbers of actors at each level, of inter-level links etc... Optimisation of investment by the firm in networks would require that these geographical characteristics be explicitly taken into account when elaborating strategy. This paper intends to open-up the debate in this respect, and seek suggestions as to how this may be handled