An interactive perspective on business in practice and business in theory

For nearly a quarter of a century researchers engaged in business exchange have met on the annual IMP Conferences to share their experiences, with the phenomenon of interaction and business relationships; its sources, content and effect for the larger business landscape. This special issue's selection of papers from the 2008 IMP Conference gives a nice illustration of the width and depth in this research. The issue includes considerations of interdependencies in dyadic business relationships, in connected business relationships and among business and non-business organizations. Finally, it includes a discussion of the emergences of research communities like IMP, and stresses the importance of the organically emerging interaction among researchers representing both similar and dissimilar theoretical and empirical interpretations of the dynamics of the business landscape. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.