Inter-firm networks have been studied widely, but now their relevance in legal and economic terms is clear. Networks are a means to increase the competitiveness of enterprises and to determine the success of the strategies to be adopted. The recent legislative intervention introducing the network contract also supports the importance in the legal system. The implementation of the legal form, however, requires the adoption of practical models, which take into account the needs expressed by businesses as well as sectoral features. The paper describes the main findings of a research conducted in the wine sector that enable a better understanding why networks are used and the legal form chosen by the parties. The survey, though focused on a single sector, is able to provide evidence of general issues and allow comparisons, where possible, with other areas and to draw general considerations.
Keywords: Inter-firm Networks, Contract, Entrepreneurial Collaboration, Value Chain, Regulation, Wine Sector