¿Son más competitivas las sociedades cooperativas? Un análisis en el sector de la distribución farmacéutica

Abstract

The paper investigates whether the co-operative format influences the competitive advantages of companies adopting it. To accomplish this, we have carried out an empirical analysis focusing on retail pharmacy companies operating in 10 provinces of central and southern Spain. The results show that the co-operative companies obtain a greater competitive advantage than non-cooperative forms. This finding could be explained by the peculiar relationship of loyalty binding member- customers of this type of company with the organisation to which they belong.Co-operative Companies, Retail Pharmacy, Competitive Advantage, Customer loyalty.