Aboriginal land rights and development: corporations and trust [International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, IJESB]

"Aboriginal people are seeking to regain control over their traditional lands and resources. Among other things, they expect these land and resources to form the foundation upon which they can rebuild their economies and communities. Aboriginal people want to pursue this development on their own terms. However many realise that success requires effective competition in the global economy and this in turn requires capacity beyond land and resource. One method of acquiring the needed capacity is through alliances with non-aboriginal corporations. Drawing on the examples of three aboriginal groups, the Osoyoos Indian Band, the Meadow Lake Tribal Council in Canada, and Tepoztlan in Mexico, this paper suggests important areas for aboriginal/non-aboriginal alliance research, develops a theory of how differences in culture affect trust development, partner selection, and effectiveness of organisation structures, and proposes an agenda for future research."