The Dynamics of Alliance Conditions in the Alliance Development Process

One of the key issues in understanding the developmental processes of strategic alliances is how the alliance conditions change over the different stages of alliance development. A related question concerns the nature of the co-evolutionary dynamics of alliances in terms of their constituent partner firms. In this article we propose an integrated process model of alliances that is based on alliance conditions, allianc developmental stages, and an alliance system comprising co-evolutionary elements. We suggest that alliance conditions, or the key characteristics of an alliance at any given moment, link the alliance environment (firm characteristics) and the alliance development process. We also explore how specific patterns of alliance conditions have differential impacts on the interactive elements of the alliance co-evolutionary system.     

Do Firms Learn from Alliance Terminations? An Empirical Examination

In this paper, drawing from the learning from failure perspective, we argue that firms that have experienced prior terminations are less likely to have their future alliance terminated. Our key argument is that prior terminations will enable firms to design better alliances and adopt more appropriate alliance management strategies to avoid future terminations. We also suggest a more nuanced view of learning by hypothesizing that termination experience will mediate the relationship between alliance formation experience and likelihood of termination. We used the case–control methodology to select a sample of 198 alliances (consisting of 99 terminations and an equal number of surviving alliances) from the global biotechnology industry, and deployed logistic regression analysis to test the hypotheses in a multivariate setting. Our analysis strongly supports both hypotheses.     

The Influence of Top Management Team International Exposure on International Alliance Formation

abstract    This study examines the effect of top management team (TMT) international exposure on the formation of international alliances. We develop our arguments based on relational capital theory to suggest that top executives with international exposure are critical to firms' international alliance formation. Supporting this view, we find that TMT international exposure is positively associated with the formation of international alliances. Moreover, we find evidence to suggest that the effect of TMT international exposure on international alliance formation is more positive as the level of environmental uncertainty increases. We discuss implications and directions for future research.     

Cooperation Costs,Governance Choice and Alliance Evolution*

abstract While researchers in alliance management have identified the duality of cooperation and control within alliances, comparative governance scholars have not yet developed a coherent framework for relating the costs of cooperation to governance choices. This paper proposes a theory of cooperation costs highlighting the importance of joint task complexity, interpartner diversity, equity and strategic implications on the perception of alliance value and the formation and evolution of hybrid governance structures. A tolerance frontier is used to predict conditions for alliance failure both ex ante and after formation, as well as conditions under which an alliance will evolve once formed. The framework is illustrated through an analysis of the initial structuring and subsequent changes in the NedCar alliance between Mitsubishi Motors and Volvo, and implications for further research are discussed.     

A Knowledge Accessing Theory of Strategic Alliances

ABSTRACT The emerging knowledge‐based view of the firm offers new insight into the causes and management of interfirm alliances. However, the development of an effective knowledge‐based theory of alliance formation has been inhibited by a simplistic view of alliances as vehicles for organizational learning in which strategic alliances have presumed to be motivated by firms’ desire to acquire knowledge from one another. We argue that the primary advantage of alliances over both firms and markets is in accessing rather than acquiring knowledge. Building upon the distinction between the knowledge generation (‘exploration’) and knowledge application (‘exploitation’), we show that alliances contribute to the efficiency in the application of knowledge; first, by improving the efficiency with which knowledge is integrated into the production of complex goods and services, and second, by increasing the efficiency with which knowledge is utilized. These static efficiency advantages of alliances are enhanced where there is uncertainty over future knowledge requirements and where new products offer early‐mover advantages. Compared with alternative learning‐based approaches to alliance formation, our proposed knowledge‐accessing theory of alliances offers the advantages of greater theoretical rigour and consistency with general trends in alliance activity and corporate strategy.     

Partner‐diversity effects on alliance termination in the early stage of green alliance formation: Empirical evidence from carbon‐emission reduction projects in Latin America

Partner diversity is a key influencer in interorganizational alliances, and several empirical studies have shown that its outcomes are contingent on alliance‐specific factors. We extend this research as well as the growing literature on green alliances, in which partner diversity is uniquely high. Specifically, we examine partner‐diversity effects on alliance termination in the early stage of green alliance formation. We hypothesize that in this context, size disparity increases termination likelihood, whereas organizational variety and cultural separation have the opposite effect. To test our hypotheses, we use a sample of 366 alliance projects located in Latin America and submitted to the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism for evaluation, validation, and registration from 2004 to 2014. Our findings contribute to several research streams and provide practical guidance for successful formation of alliances focused on environmental protection.     

产学研联盟动因和形成机理的博弈分析

根据古诺模型的思想,本文分别从企业自主研发、产学研静态竞合、产学研动态竞合、产学研联盟的角度建立了分析模型,并以此为基础分析了产学研联盟动因和形成机理。本文以单位投入要素收益为主要的判别标准,并考虑联盟的协同效应,指出大中小各型企业都有足够的动因形成产学研联盟,从理论上解释产学研联盟广泛流行的现象。     

基于生命周期理论的战略联盟风险识别与管理重点研究

文章在对战略联盟生命周期和联盟风险管理文献进行总结分析的基础上,归纳出战略联盟形成发展过程中每个阶段的核心事件和管理重点,明确了联盟生命周期每一个阶段的风险侧重,并针对战略联盟的各个建立阶段提出风险防范重点。     

The Emergence and Popularization of Strategic Alliances: Institutional and Entrepreneurial Views

Strategic alliances have become a popular strategy in many industries. However, the process through which alliances emerge and get popularized is not well understood. While both the institutional and entrepreneurial views are relevant, they represent competing explanations regarding the alliance phenomenon. This paper recognizes both views and sees alliance emergence as a function of both the firms entrepreneurial posture and its institutional environment. The popularization of alliances is discussed as a legitimization process that changes the institutional environment, which in turn encourages more alliance formation.     

基于生命周期的产业联盟创新绩效影响因素研究

运用生命周期理论结合产业联盟创新绩效相关研究,将产业联盟的生命周期按其动态演化进程划分为“准备-构建-成长-成熟-衰退”五个阶段。论文分别从联盟生命周期五阶段探讨了联盟特征,并深入分析了不同生命周期创新绩效的影响因素,以期为产业联盟创新绩效的评价及提升提供理论依据与实践参考。     

Strategic Motives For International Alliance Formation*

This paper considers the strategic motivation for international alliance formation for a sample of UK firms with partners in western Europe, the United States and Japan. the relative importance of a set of strategic motives is identified and related to extant theory. A parsimonious set of strategic motives for the sample studied is provided by means of factor analysis. the paper identifies the main strategic motives for alliance formation by UK firms as intrinsically linked to the market and geographical expansion of the firm and that the main strategic motives are underpinned by the theories of strategic positioning and organizational learning. This study also finds that some of the often suggested motives for alliance formation found in the literature, in particular aspects of risk reduction associated with new projects, appear not to be particularly important motivating factors. Hypotheses are tested on the relationship between the relative importance of individual strategic motives and a number of characteristics of the sample - contractual form of the alliance, relative partner size, primary geographical location of the venture, industry of the alliance and partner nationality. Implications of the findings for future theorizing on alliances and their motives is identified.     

国际企业联盟中知识转移的路径优化

随着资源全球配置速度的进一步提升,企业国际化步伐的加快也达到了前所未有的程度,跨越国界的联盟便是其中的典型形式。在国际企业联盟中,知识扮演着重要的角色,它不但关系着联盟关系的建立和维持,对其处理的方式和结果还直接影响到联盟关系能否获取持久的竞争优势。本文对国际企业联盟中的知识转移的优化问题进行了分析,首先给出了知识的类型和基于国际企业联盟的知识转移的过程,然后从多个角度分析了知识转移的动因,最后从不同层面讨论了国际企业联盟中知识转移的优化路径。     

Strategic Alliances in the Aviation Industry: An Analysis of Turkish Airlines Experience

SUMMARY

This paper investigates antecedents of success/failure in strategic alliances, which is implemented by airline companies as a response to globalization and liberal government policies. The relationship between Turkish Airlines and Qualiflyer Group, the largest airline alliance in Europe until its collapse in 2001, has been taken as a case study to present the question in terms of matching the goals, partner selection, alliance management, and areas of cooperation. Two factors at the macro-level and four factors at the micro-level are found to be important to succeed in strategic airline alliances.     

The Structure and Management of Alliances: Syndication in the Venture Capital Industry*

abstract Syndicates are a form of inter‐firm alliance in which two or more venture capital firms co‐invest in an investee firm and share a joint pay‐off. Syndication is a significant part of the venture capital market yet little research has been conducted into the process of structuring syndicate deals and the management of syndicates following deal completion. This paper analyses the neglected issues concerning the structuring and management of syndicated venture capital investments from the perspectives of both lead and non‐lead syndicate members using two surveys of venture capital firms and examination of syndication documents. Lead investors typically have larger equity stakes and the syndicated investment agreement is a document that enshrines the rights of participants rather than specifying behaviour. Contractual arrangements typically serve as a back drop to relationships as non‐legal sanctions are important and decisions are typically reached following discussion and consensus, but lead venture capital investors’ residual and specific powers are important in ensuring timely decision‐making. The findings extend previous work on alliances by emphasizing the importance of non‐legal sanctions, especially reputation effects, in mitigating opportunistic behaviour by dominant equity holders. The paper also adds to the limited research on the dynamics of alliances by highlighting the role of repeat syndicates.     

企业物流联盟的边界研究

在已有理论的基础上对我国企业物流联盟的规模和联盟的边界问题进行了探讨,并总结出企业物流联盟在建立时所需要拥有的资源,运行管理中要注意的边界问题。     

Moving to the Next Strategy Stage: Examining Firms' Awareness,Motivation and Capability Drivers in Environmental Alliances

Complementing extant studies on the antecedents of firms' environmental strategy, this article focuses on the trajectories of corporate engagement in proactive environmental alliances. Specifically, we build an awareness–motivation–capability framework and analyze factors that drive the move beyond incremental pollution prevention and facilitate firms' engagement in transformative, sustainable development strategies in their alliances. Based on 212 environmental alliance‐related observations, our test results indicate limited explanatory power of regulatory pressures, but highlight the role of firms' environmental networks to sharpen their awareness to engage in transformative alliances. Further, we elaborate on the nuances and boundary conditions of firms' risk‐taking propensity, industry concentration, financial capacity and especially prior sector‐spanning experiences as motivation and capability drivers. These insights contribute to the discourse on firms' environmental strategy and alliance formation by depicting how and to what extent environment‐specific and more general firm attributes predispose them to engage in transformative rather than incremental environmental projects. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

品牌联盟组织间协作的构成及路径的案例研究

基于复杂适应系统理论,采用案例研究方法,探究品牌联盟组织间协作的构成维度及路径.协作目标、协作契约、组织结构和组织间相互作用为品牌联盟组织间协作的4个关键构成维度.其中,协作目标体现了品牌联盟的需求;协作契约以及组织结构组成协作具体内容;组织间相互作用形成协作方式;协作内容及协作方式共同决定着协作模式的形成.品牌联盟组...     

供应链战略联盟研究

供应链战略联盟作为在供应链管理和战略联盟基础上兴起的新的企业合作形式,受到越来越多的关注和应用.本文对供应链战略联盟的产生、概念、特点和作用进行了系统的研究,并针对我国企业的实际,分析了在实施中存在的困难,又针对这些问题提出了相应的对策,以期对企业的实践应用提供一定的指导意义,并为理论界对供应链战略联盟的深入研究提供一定的借鉴作用.     

Strategies as Discursive Constructions: The Case of Airline Alliances

ABSTRACT In this paper, we argue that by examining the discursive elements in strategy talk we can contribute to our understanding of the myriad of micro‐processes and practices that make up strategies. We focus on airline alliances as a particularly illustrative case. Based on a critical discourse analysis of an extensive material of strategy talk on airline alliances, we point to five types of discursive practices that characterize strategizing in this context in 1995–2000: (1) problematization of traditional strategies; (2) rationalization, objectification and factualization of alliance benefits; (3) fixation of ambiguous independence concerns; (4) reframing of cooperation problems as ‘implementation’ issues; and (5) naturalization of alliance strategies. While we want to emphasize the context‐specificity of these practices, we claim that similar types of discursive practices are also likely to be an inherent part of strategizing in other settings.     

Trustworthiness, Risk, and the Transfer of Tacit and Explicit Knowledge Between Alliance Partners

abstract    The transfer of knowledge in alliances entails risk to partners, whose willingness to accept it presumably relies on the trustworthiness that they perceive in their partners. We investigate the extent to which the perceptions of trustworthiness and the willingness to take risk determine the transfer of knowledge between alliance partners and their ultimate impact on alliance success. The results show that the transfer of tacit versus explicit knowledge have very different trust and risk profiles. Whereas explicit knowledge is closely associated with the firm's willingness to take risk, tacit knowledge is intimately related to high trustworthiness. The results support the important role of trust and the transfer of tacit knowledge on the success of learning alliances.