Recent research indicates a growing interest in understanding the nature of asymmetry in relationships between large and small firms. Research to date has suggested that asymmetry is often associated with an imbalance in size of the parties, unequal distribution of power, or with one party investing more into and gaining less from a relationship. However, there is a paucity of research on asymmetry in relationships from the smaller firm's perspective and it is as yet unclear what asymmetry in relationships means for smaller firms. In particular, the experiences of smaller suppliers in relationships with larger customers have often been overlooked, and thus there is less known about how smaller suppliers cope and manage in relationships with customers, where they may contribute more but have fewer evident advantages. A typology of asymmetry and symmetry in relationship characteristics and a subsequent conceptual framework are derived from a literature review and exploratory interviews. These provide a structure to explore asymmetry in relationships between smaller suppliers and larger customers, and to examine the influence of suppliers' capabilities on asymmetry in their relationships. The empirical data collection involved six exploratory interviews and eight in-depth case studies of suppliers in the UK textile industry. In total, the interviews for the study amounted to 48. The findings from the study provide early indications that it may be problematic to refer to customer-supplier relationships as purely asymmetrical or symmetrical, as asymmetry and symmetry may be apparent across a wide range of relationship characteristics. Furthermore, the findings suggest that smaller suppliers in relationships with larger customers cannot be assumed to have high levels of asymmetry in their relationships, or possess limited capabilities to effect change in their relationships. The findings revealed some of the potentially destructive outcomes of asymmetry in relationships, but also identified that the bridging capabilities of leading, learning and integrating appear to have a significant influence on the development of more symmetry in relationships for suppliers when asymmetry is problematic. Furthermore, the thesis provides indications that different types of asymmetry may exist, and that these different types may offer possibilities to identify and distinguish between different customer relationship options and opportunities for suppliers.

Notre recherche porte, pour l’essentiel, sur les entreprises familiales de taille intermédiaire (E.T.I.), du territoire breton. Dans le cadre de la sociologie des Professions nous avons rencontré plusieurs dirigeants d’entreprises, comprenant entre 250 à 5 000 salariés. Nous avons observé, ainsi, ce qui permet à ce concept dit d’« entreprise », à l’instar des « Mittelstand » en Allemagne, de mieux comprendre les facteurs clés de succès, fondés, notamment, sur la priorité absolue donnée au capital humain, à l’innovation, et au développement à l’international, et ce, tout en conservant un très fort ancrage « territorial ». Ainsi, nous avons interrogé des dirigeants, sur le territoire de la Bretagne historique comme « laboratoire social », pour mieux cerner le profil sociologique du chef d’entreprise familial dans les secteurs suivants : agro-alimentaire, restauration, santé, immobilier, textile, chaussure et transport. A partir de problématiques socio-économiques mais aussi sociologiques touchant le monde du travail et de l’emploi, il s’agissait aussi, d’appréhender la compétition mondiale, en particulier, dans le champ du travail : notre thèse poursuit, en fait, l’objectif d’éclairer un certain nombre de métamorphoses en rappelant, comme l’ont déjà dit de nombreux sociologues du travail, de l’organisation et des professions, que « le chômage est la cause causante de l’exclusion sociale / Our research is devoted mainly to family-owned medium-sized enterprises (MSEs) in Brittany. Working from the perspective of the sociology of professions, we met several heads of companies with between 250 and 5,000 employees. In doing so, we observed how this so-called “enterprise” concept, similar to that of “Mittelstands” in Germany, offers a better understanding of the key factors of success, based notably on human capital, innovation, and international growth beingabsolute priorities, with the business also retaining strong local roots. We interviewed company heads in the historical territory of Brittany, taken as a “social laboratory”, to acquire a better grasp of the sociological profile of family business leaders working in the following sectors: the food industry; food services; health; real estate; textiles; footwear; and transport. Taking as a starting-point various social, economic, and sociological issues affecting the world of work and employment, we also sought to shed light on global competition, in particular in the field of labour: this thesis aims to provide insights into a certain number of transformations, bearing in mind the assertion by a great many occupational sociologists that “unemployment is the root cause of social exclusion”