Aliancas internacionais das empresas portuguesas num contexto de globalizacao tecno-economica

Abstract

Globalisation defines a new context of competition to firms in domestic and international markets. To face this new context, each firm must be more flexible than in the past, changing the organization of internal and external relations. International alliances among firms are fruitful forms of organizing the external relations and powerful instruments to face globalisation. Alliances generate stability zones which give firms the possibility to react to the "new competition" and to define the rules and the actors of the competition. In the domestic market, Portuguese firms establish alliances mainly with european and american firms. The key factor determining these alliances is the market knowledge of the Portuguese firms. In external markets, there are two different situations. First, in developed countries, particularly in the markets of European Union and the United States, Portuguese firms hardly find partners to penetrate these markets. The principal reason for this is the lack of competence's in general of the Portuguese firms. Second, in some developing countries (former Portuguese colonies of Africa, Brazil, China and former central planned economies of east Europe), Portuguese firms are interesting partners to local firms. So, alliances have been an adequate instrument of penetration in these marketsAvailable from Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, Servico de Informacao e Documentacao, Av. D. Carlos I, 126, 1249-074 Lisboa, Portugal / FCT - Fundação para o Ciência e a TecnologiaSIGLEPTPortuga