Cooperation is the process of working or acting jointly towards a shared outcome and is the opposite of working in competition. Most organisations have a spectrum of supplier relationships and cooperate with a small number of key suppliers for mutual benefit. For example, the label ‘partner’ is sometimes given to suppliers who cooperate or collaborate significantly to the business, and the parties may create joint teams to work collaboratively on joint projects to reduce costs or design new solutions, products or processes. See also Partnership and Supplier Relationship Management.