The impact of cultural differences in U.S. business-to-business export marketing channel strategic alliances

Given slower growth and fierce competition in the domestic market, combined with increasing opportunities in many overseas markets, more and more U.S. companies are going international. While many doing so may initially use a direct exporting approach that relies on foreign channel members to distribute the product in the host country, over time, strategic alliances among distribution partners may form based on trust, commitment, and cooperation. For these alliances to succeed, the partners' perceptions of these variables need to be congruent so that expectations on each side of the dyad are reasonably similar. However, what happens when the cultural backgrounds of each channel partner are substantially different? This study empirically examines whether cultural differences do affect trust, commitment, and cooperation in international marketing channel alliances between U.S. exporters and their foreign distribution partners. Based on the survey responses from 149 U.S. exporters with marketing alliances abroad, cultural differences do affect trust, commitment, and cooperation. The greater the cultural differences between channel partners, the lower the levels of trust, commitment, and cooperation. Managerial implications are discussed, and study limitations are identified.     

A theory of global strategic alliances: The case of the global auto industry

The theory articulated in this paper suggests that the desire to reduce demand and competitive uncertainty are two separate, important motives for alliance formation. Taking this as a starting point, we predict the configuration of horizontal alliances that we might expect to observe within an industry when firms experience these uncertainties to different degrees. An empirical test of this theory using data from the global auto industry yields results consistent with the view (1) that alliances are a device for reducing both the uncertainties that arise from unpredictable demand conditions and those that arise from competitive interdependence, and (2) that variation of demand uncertainty and competitive uncertainty across firms explains differentials in both the intensity and structure of their horizontal alliance activity.     

Managing knowledge leakage in strategic alliances: The effects of trust and formal contracts

Although strategic alliances offer opportunities for knowledge sharing and leveraging, they also carry the risk of knowledge leakage to partner firms. In this study, we conceptualize the notion of knowledge leakage as a multidimensional construct and formalize its measurement. We examine the effects of two dominant governance mechanisms—trust (goodwill trust and competence trust) and formal contracts on knowledge leakage. A survey of 205 partnering firms in China indicates that goodwill trust has a U-shaped relationship with knowledge leakage, whereas competence trust has a negative impact. Moreover, goodwill trust and competence trust interact differently with formal contracts on knowledge leakage. This study offers important theoretical and managerial insights for firms to manage knowledge leakage in strategic alliances.     

The role of strategic alliances in high-technology new product development

The authors examined 905 new product innovations introduced since September 1988 to determine the influences on product innovativeness, with a specific interest in strategic alliances, or cooperative strategies. Findings suggest that single firms, horizontal cooperative strategies, small and mixed'sized firms, biochemical industries, cross-industry product offerings, cross-industry cooperations, the progression of time, and European firms tend to indicate significantly more innovative products. Implications are proposed for business practitioners and researchers with specific application to the diffusion of innovation.     

The intersection of strategic management and supply chain management

Strategic management and supply chain management (SCM) have overlapping interests, yet there has been little exchange between them. We examine areas of overlap and suggest how insights from each field can complement and support the other. Specifically, several of strategic management's theories and its emphasis on explaining firm profits should be useful to SCM. SCM offers to strategic management a new level of analysis and possibly a new type of organization. Overall, we argue that increased interaction between these important areas will benefit knowledge development in both and thereby enhance organizations' ability to meet their goals.     

Success is not enough: The spectacular rise and fall of a strategic alliance between two multinationals

This article analyzes a strategic alliance between two multinational companies from the same geographical region. Originating in the same industrial culture and with technically advanced, complementary products, they formed a strategic alliance for international growth in 1947. Despite significant changes in the market over the years, the companies remained market leaders and icons of a successful alliance until 1988, when the alliance suddenly collapsed. The study describes the alliance process from a long-term perspective using a theoretical framework based on motives, resources, competitive advantage, trust and performance. Although the alliance is no more, it is found to have made a substantial contribution to the collaborating firms with respect to their growth and expansion in the world market. Both partners achieved what they expected from the alliance. They also have developed well as competitive companies thereafter. The sudden end to the collaboration can therefore not be seen as a failure. However, it is argued that the separation process, as the process of alliance formation, needs to be taken seriously, and managers must give sufficient time and effort to ensure that the break-up becomes non-dramatic and less painful.     

Developing theory from strategic management research in China

What are the main approaches to theory development based on strategic management research in China? What are some of the recent efforts in developing theory in this area? What is our recommended approach? To address these questions, this article outlines the three approaches to theory development in China research, articulates the Chinese context within the global economy, and highlights two streams of recent work as examples of following the recommended, integrative approach to theory development.     

学习型战略联盟:企业知识的创新与外溢

战略联盟是一种全新的现代组织形式.由于知识的特殊性,使知识交易存在市场失灵现象,企业为了转移和学习知识建立学习型联盟.不同学习联盟类型与不同的学习方式相关,我们区分了三种学习方式,探讨了与之相适应三种学习型战略联盟类型.并进一步指出学习型战略联盟的知识创新和学习竞赛导致的知识的外溢问题.     

Collaboration and technology linkages: a strategic supplier typology

This study uses frameworks from the strategic management and operations strategy literatures to explore the relationships among collaboration, technology, and innovation in small and medium‐sized manufacturers. Statistical analysis of the responses of 200 New Hampshire manufacturing companies in four SIC code industries (fabricated metals, industrial equipment, electrical and electronic equipment, and instruments) leads to the development of a strategic supplier typology which is useful in explaining the differences in the composition and performance of various types of suppliers. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The quality of food risk management in Europe: Perspectives and priorities

In this paper, we address the issue of food risk management as practised in Western Europe. We begin by considering how food risks are managed, and then go on to consider how well they are managed. There are multiple answers to the ‘how well’ question, which are related to the varied perspectives of the different key stakeholders – from the food risk managers and producers, to the general public and the media. Consequently, there is no clear answer to the question of quality. What our review does identify is two priorities relevant to our understanding of effective food risk management: first, a need for further research to determine the source and nature of the different evaluative perspectives, and second, a need for the key stakeholders to appreciate and understand the alternative perspectives in order to enhance the effectiveness of the food risk management process.     

对建筑施工企业强化质量管理的思考

中国加入WTO以后，中国建筑业市场竞争将日趋激烈，竞争的核心是工程质量问题。本就建筑施工企业如何强化质量管理进行阐述，提出了升华职工质量意识，竭力加强施工现场管理：建立和改进质量保证体系；强化工序质量控制；防治质量通病等行之有效地控制途径，具有很强的操作性和实践性。     

The strategic analysis of intangible resources

Sustainable competitive advantage results from the possession of relevant capability differentials. The feedstock of these capability differentials is intangible resources which range from patents and licenses, to reputation and know-how. A framework of intangible resources has been produced which formed the basis for a national survey of chief executives in the U.K. Some of the more significant findings of the survey were that: employee know-how and reputation are perceived as the resources which make the most important contribution to business success; and that for most companies operations is the most important area of employee know how. This article argues, by means of both theoretical reasoning and empirical evidence, that the analysis of intangible resources should play a major role in the strategic management process.     

The formation and evolution of non-equity strategic alliances in China

Contractual joint ventures (CJVs) are a major form of non-equity strategic alliance in China, employed mainly by Hong Kong firms in the south China province of Guangdong. Due to their ambiguous legal status and the lack of conceptualisation and of their contractual nature, there has been little empirical research on CJVs. By theorising CJVs as a relational subcontracting arrangement and drawing on data from structured interviews with managers from both sides, this paper reveals the managerial decisions pertaining to the formation and evolution of the CJV non-equity alliances in Guangdong.

A study of the purchasing management system with respect to total quality management

One of the key elements of a total quality management (TQM) policy is the assurance of an adequate supply of materials and components. The objective of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it analyses the relationship between different purchasing system variables and supplier quality assurance practices. Secondly, it explores both the connections between supplier quality assurance practices and other quality assurance practices used for internal processes, and examines the relationship of such practices with supply operational results. Different hypotheses are tested using data obtained from a sample of 152 Spanish automotive component suppliers. This data show clear evidence of the importance of product, supplier and company characteristics and highlights the importance of a company-wide commitment to the application of quality assurance principles.     

Attributive change in top management teams as a driver of strategic change

This study examines the role of top management team (TMT) member succession in breaking organizational inertia. We compare the impact of two types of change in TMTs—in member number and demographic heterogeneity—on subsequent strategic reorientation using data on the diversification activities of firms in the Japanese textile industry. Our findings suggest that executive succession does not trigger strategic change unless succession entails change in the values and interests of executives embedded in their demographic traits.

The moderating effect of innovative capacity on the relationship between real options and strategic flexibility

In dynamic sectors, organizations should be capable of adapting to unpredictable environmental conditions. Strategic flexibility grants organizations the capacity to respond to the changes in their environment in the direction required, renewing their strategies and making the required organizational changes. The goal of this study is to analyze how the use of real options relates to strategic flexibility from a managerial capacity perspective. Through an empirical study performed on European firms, we confirm that innovative capacity exercises a moderating role between real options and strategic flexibility. The fact that a firm's management has foreseen and contemplated real options does not necessarily lead to their execution; they must also be accompanied by some innovative capacity.     

Antecedents and consequences of the strategic orientations in new product development: The case of Chinese manufacturers

The objective of the present study is to advance the understanding of the role of the strategic orientation of the firm for successful new product development (NPD), in the context of Chinese manufacturing firms. Through field research accompanied by a review of the related literature, this study identifies customer orientation and technology orientation as crucial strategic components that are important to successful new product development. This research proposes a conceptual model of strategic orientations, in which firm-internal (organizational support) and -external (environmental turbulence) factors are expected to influence strategic orientations, which, in turn, impact NPD performance. The model is tested using data collected from a large-scale survey of 232 manufacturing firms in China. The results largely support the hypotheses derived from the conceptual model. First, organizational support and environmental turbulence have a positive influence on the implementation of strategic orientations. Second, the two strategic orientations show a different pattern of performance implications.     

Interorganizational alliances and the performance of firms: a study of growth and innovation rates in a high‐technology industry

This paper investigates the relationship between intercorporate technology alliances and firm performance. It argues that alliances are access relationships, and therefore that the advantages which a focal firm derives from a portfolio of strategic coalitions depend upon the resource profiles of its alliance partners. In particular, large firms and those that possess leading‐edge technological resources are posited to be the most valuable associates. The paper also argues that alliances are both pathways for the exchange of resources and signals that convey social status and recognition. Particularly when one of the firms in an alliance is a young or small organization or, more generally, an organization of equivocal quality, alliances can act as endorsements: they build public confidence in the value of an organization's products and services and thereby facilitate the firm's efforts to attract customers and other corporate partners. The findings from models of sales growth and innovation rates in a large sample of semiconductor producers confirm that organizations with large and innovative alliance partners perform better than otherwise comparable firms that lack such partners. Consistent with the status‐transfer arguments, the findings also demonstrate that young and small firms benefit more from large and innovative strategic alliance partners than do old and large organizations. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rise of strategic nets — New modes of value creation

This paper focuses on the type and management of intentionally created business networks called nets. Nets are extensively being used to achieve a variety of benefits over those of a single firm or market transaction. We propose that the effective management of different types of business net is dependent on their underlying value creation logic. Based on this notion a value creation framework of three generic net types - ‘current business nets’, ‘business renewal nets’, and ‘emerging new business nets’ - is suggested. We argue that they pose widely different conditions and requirements for net management. The management mechanisms of these basic net types are then identified and discussed. We contend that the proposed contingency framework captures the complexity and variety of the expanding strategic business nets in a more valid way than the extant classifications of network organizations. The paper contributes to the emerging theory of network management.     

A strategic skill based model of supplier integration and its effect on supply management performance

Supplier integration is a tool to help organizations gain competitive advantage. Strategic supply management skills and the supply management function's perceived status are hypothesized as antecedents to supplier integration leading to supply management performance. The sample for this study includes 152 executive level supply management professionals. The empirical results suggest that strategic skills and perceived status are essential antecedents to supplier integration and subsequent performance. Further, the relationship between strategic skills and performance is mediated by supplier integration. Results of a dominance analysis also suggest which strategic skills are most likely to explain status integration, and performance. These findings have significant implications for supply management theory and practice.