Measuring business relationship success: The case of an industrial textiles manufacturer.

This exploratory paper investigates why some companies appear to find successful business relationships relatively effortless. It seems that the organisation’s search for and utilisation of key resources can guarantee its success in the market place. The paper incorporates a critique of literature from technology strategy, cross cultural management, and strategic management fields. The research questions, set by the author, are designed to explore the technological, managerial and cultural factors contributing to the success of the organisation and its further growth in the market. The company on which this research is based in this research is a leader in the paper machine clothing industry - Albany International Corp. The search for key success factors contributing to Albany International’s leadership position in the industry have been identified and analysed. Data have been collected through survey questionnaires, and have been used to develop a model designed to predict the success of business relationships in the paper machine clothing industry. Further investigation into relationships between variables has been carried out and a number of proposed dependencies are highlighted in the paper.