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Nesheim, T. (2001). 'Externalization of the core: antecedents of collaborative relationships with suppliers'. European Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management 7(4): 217-225.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VGR-43SV56H-1/2/9f74285917c3277468178fb70fb0e04b
Contrary to conventional wisdom in the field of strategy, this paper assumes that the critical resources of a firm may be developed and strengthened through external transactions. From a sample of 150 Norwegian manufacturing firms, 78 use external suppliers in the core. Three dimensions of collaborative relationships in transactions with these suppliers are analyzed;

• the level of trust,
• information exchange and
• bilateral projects.

Asset specificity correlated positively with all three dimensions as predicted, while there was a significant positive correlation (consistent with the hypotheses) between the level of change related to the core on the one hand and information exchange and bilateral projects on the other hand.