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The new competitive environment has generated an increasing recourse to cooperation in tourism, almost aimed at local development (Beccatini, 1991; Putman, 1993; Cappellin, 1998). Particularly, the paper will value the strategic elasticity and flexibility degree in inter-firms networks, and the advantage of taking part to a network, also in terms of systemic resources and competences (Gulati, Nohria, Zaheer, 2000; Gulati, 2007). This overview, starting from the typical resource-based theory (Barney, 1991) setting, is also its progress, because it gets reference to both “owned or controlled” resources and competences (Wernerfelt, 1984; Barney, 2002) by firms and to those anyway “available” for firms involved in a network (networks interactions and relationships). This is with the aim of developing offers able to create a higher total value than individual one, in a continuous interactive relationship with clients.

The purpose of this paper is to explore valuation practices in a complex case setting in healthcare. Value based healthcare is an important theme in contemporary health management, particularly in relation to management of cases with multiple stakeholders. The concept of value co-creation concentrates on value as uniquely (and privately) determined by the beneficiaries. In this context researchers have begun to explore value co-creation styles in relation to health service outcomes. The challenge for value based healthcare however is to also capture an accepted valuation of service benefit that has currency for all stakeholders. In the valuation literature this can be viewed as a collaborative performance. Valuation practice styles have not previously received attention in healthcare research. As a result there is a gap in understanding as to how private co-creation of value by individual participants might relate to their collective valuation of service benefit. Beginning to characterise valuation practices in a series of healthcare case reviews is therefore a fruitful investigatory step.