范围和方向呢？太笼统。

2# xjchera
The concept of interfirm adaptation is a critical component
in the IMP (industrial marketing and purchasing) paradigm.
The existing wisdom points to the "five metaphors" (inves-
ment, decision making, political process, learning, and evolu-
tion) as the cognitive map for understanding the mechanisms
of interfirm adaptations. This article, however, reveals that
culture can be a significant force driving interfirm adapta-
tions. An empirical case of a Chinese shipyard negotiating
large shipbuilding projects with Scandinavian ship owner and
classification society is used to illustrate the role that culture
plays in interfirm adaptations. The article concludes by sug-
gesting adding a new metaphor--the culture metaphor--to the
list of the metaphors to better understand the workings of inter-
firm adaptation in business relationships.?