of other companies involved in the same markets,and the lack of a shared sectoral skills base and knowledge. The conjunction of these contingentfactors with the supply-chain mechanisms experienced by company decision-makers mean that, in this example, the company competes by exploiting its supply-chain relationships.This example also illustrates that power relationships in the supply-chain are not necessarily dominated by the customer, but may be inverted by small companies who consciously seek to benefit from the demands of firms that they supply