Program Overview

Enterprise Management: Relationships between Firms (BCPM0043)

Key Information

Faculty and Teaching Department

The module is part of the UCL Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, with the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction serving as the teaching department.

Credit Value and Restrictions

• The module has a credit value of 15.
• It is only available to students enrolled on MSc Construction Economics and Management and MSc Project and Enterprise Management.
• Please note that places are limited on the optional modules and will be allocated to students on a first come first served basis.

Alternative Credit Options

There are no alternative credit options available for this module.

Description

In an increasingly competitive, global, and interconnected world, firms across industries are entering into cooperative partnerships as a means of securing their competitive positioning. This phenomenon is termed the 'age of cooperation', 'cooperative strategies', 'coopetition', or a 'networked economy'. Cooperative partnerships take various forms, ranging from outsourcing and subcontracting, to franchising and licensing, through joint ventures and alliances, all the way to acquisitions, buyouts, and mergers. Though different in terms of their ownership and governance structures, operational modes, and goals, these so-called 'hybrids' all essentially concern an inter-firm encounter, an inter-firm relationship set in time, or a partnership.

The aims of this module are to explore how best to develop, nurture, and sustain inter-firm relationships. This is achieved through the following objectives:

• To understand the reasons underlying the shift to a cooperative networked economy and its consequences for the modern globally operating organization.
• To introduce students to the range of alternative modes of inter-firm cooperation and to further explore their unique characteristics and features, whilst drawing parallels between them. An essential question is – to what extent does inter-firm cooperation, regardless of its form, bear fundamental similarity? And where dissimilar, what are the factors predicting this dissimilarity?
• To understand the economic, strategic, and organizational drivers of inter-firm cooperation.
• To explore and identify what are the organizational and human levers to pull on to secure the successful management of inter-firm partnerships.
• To appreciate and openly explore how to develop, nurture, and sustain cooperative and high-performing relationships, and what is each individual's role in this endeavour.

Content

The module content could include:

• Introduction and overview of inter-firm relationships
• The 'why' of cooperation - theoretical and managerial drivers of inter-firm relationships
• Mergers, acquisitions, and private equity buyouts as examples of inter-firm relationships
• Joint ventures and alliances as examples of inter-firm relationships
• The 'how' of cooperation - theoretical and managerial dynamics of cooperation

Module Deliveries for 2026/27 Academic Year

Intended Teaching Term

The module is intended to be taught in Term 2, targeting postgraduate students at FHEQ Level 7.

Teaching and Assessment

Mode of Study

The mode of study for this module is in-person.

Methods of Assessment

• 100% Coursework
• Mark scheme: Numeric Marks

Other Information

Number of Students on Module in Previous Year

There were 78 students on this module in the previous year.

Module Leader

The module leader is Dr. Yan Chen.

Note

The information provided is based on the module description last updated on 10th March 2026, and is subject to change as per the University's Feedback and Assessment principles and operating model.