The Steel Manufacturers' Nickel Syndicate Ltd., 1904–39: Assessing the Conduct and Performance of a Cooperative Purchasing Organization

This paper seeks to extend our knowledge of intermediate transacting frameworks by examining the history of the Steel Manufacturers' Nickel Syndicate. The study shows how constituents arranged and employed inter-organizational communication lines to create a durable cooperative purchasing syndicate that had a special relationship with a New Caledonian supplier. By measuring the financial advantages that members secured by participation relative to market prices, the article explores one way of refining our approach to comparative institutional analysis.