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Hausbank or Fournisseur? Bank Services for Small and Medium Sized Enterprised in Germany and France

Deregulation of financial systems, internationalisation of financial markets and globalisation of product markets have led to considerable changes in the institutional and economic environment of banks and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In this paper we examine the impact of these overall changes on the evolution of the exclusive "Hausbank"-relationship in Germany and the loose "fournisseur" (supplier) relationship in France. The cross-country comparison is informed by theoretical concepts which stress the social embeddedness of economic action. It aims at developing a more dynamic approach by first, looking at changes in the institutional framework; secondly, examining banks' and SMEs' financing behaviour; and thirdly, analysing how the main actors - state, banks and SMEs - have mutually influenced each other's strategies and behaviour. The results show that internationalisation and globalisation impact differently on the bank-company relationship depending on the historical legacy, the socio-economic conditions and the mutual relationships between the main actors in each country.