Commerce électronique et nouvelles configurations de marché: une approche théorique des stratégies d'intermédiation

Abstract

We analyse a peculiar type of strategy: the strategies of intermediation, that we define as every deliberate orientation of the whole activity of a firm, or of a part of her activity, towards managing relationships among groups of actors in a supply chain. We ask the following research question: how a new strategy of intermediation can help a firm that faces new opportunities and threats to appropriate a larger amount of rent over her clients, suppliers and partners? Our theoretical framework deals with the notions of supply and value chains, the embeddedness of relations in networks, and market microstructure analysis. A multiple case study and a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) enable us to test a range of propositions about the dynamics of strategies of intermediation, and about the modality of value creation and of rent appropriation they induce.