The Development, Management and Support of Smart Strategic Alliances

Despite the increasing number of strategic alliances, how to ensure their success is poorly understood. Studies suggest that up to seventy-five percent of alliances fail to meet their initial objectives due to a multitude of cultural, political, technological and human factors. If such an eclectic set of competencies is required for success, alliance management is clearly a difficult task for today’s manager. Traditionally, managers wishing to develop strategic alliance competencies have relied on ad-hoc consultancy services and training. This has not, to date, resulted in a notable improvement in alliance success. The SMART project redresses this growing need by developing a knowledge-based software support system to help managers conceptualise, implement and manage strategic alliances. First, this paper introduces the field of strategic alliances; then the foundations of knowledgebased support systems are discussed. Finally, how the SMART approach will create value for managers is relayed

Establishing and developing strategic relationships - the role for operations managers

Purpose – The objectives of this paper are, first to identify, from the literature, the key themes in the management of strategic relationships, second to apply those themes to understand how exemplary organisations establish and develop strategic relationships and third to determine the role of operations managers in this process. Design/methodology/approach – This empirically based research comprised four phases; interviews with managers to identify exemplars, interviews with managers from 27 organisations, data analysis and testing of the findings. Findings – From a theoretical point of view, a revised definition of strategic relationships has been proposed. Many previously disparate elements of relationships have been brought together into seven dimensions of strategic relationships. The scope and nature of exemplary relationships have been captured within each of these dimensions identifying 24 elements, and suggested the key roles for operations managers in establishing and developing their strategic business relationships. Research limitations/implications – This research has responded to the call to help operations managers understand the skill sets required to help them establish and develop strategic business relationships. It has contributed to the growing literature on business relationships and also provided practical guidance for operations managers. The research has a number of inherent weaknesses including the interpretative nature of the analysis and that the interviews were only carried out with one party to the exemplary relationships. The focus of the research was limited to exemplary strategic relationships and the study was conducted in one sector, though a range of types of organisations were involved. Practical implications – From a practitioner perspective, the outputs from the research have been summarised into a number of guidelines which flesh out the role for operations managers looking to identify, establish, evaluate or strengthen their role in establishing and developing strategic business relationships. Originality/value – The paper provides an original and detailed perspective into the nature of strategic business relationships, irrespective of their position in the supply chain, and identifies how such relationships can be established and developed

Antecedents of trust in international joint ventures' (IJVS) performance in developing countries: A review of empirical evidence

Trust in international joint venture has received much attention for the last 20 years. This study highlights the importance of social capital in international joint ventures (IJVs) in developing countries. This paper assesses the impact of antecedents of trust on performance of international joint ventures in developing countries, which is based on social exchange theory. Little attention has been paid to exploring the concept in IJV. The impacts of components of inter partner-fits and relational factors on trust and the effect of trust on performance of IJVs will be considered. In addition the impact of religion and country risk on level of trust in IJVs in these countries will be evaluated. A framework has been developed based on this review analyses and integrates empirical evidence in order to identify convergence and conflict in IJV. The paper addresses a problem of relevance to both international academics and practitioners in addressing managerial implications. It is hoped that the study will provide a meaningful implication to the process of selection of IJV partners

Electronic marketplace-to-marketplace alliances: emerging trends and strategic rationales

The electronic marketplace domain has recently witnessed the joining together of a number of previously independent marketplaces and the formation of collaborative alliances between others. This study seeks to determine the nature or type of cooperative arrangements or alliances that are currently being forged between electronic marketplaces, and the strategic rationale that is leading to this observed alliance formation. The findings of the study are based upon an examination of statements made to the press by marketplaces undertaking strategic alliances. This published data was supplemented with face-to-face interviews with managers at three relevant electronic marketplaces. Three distinct types of alliance are observed; the merger between previously separate marketplaces, the acquisition of one marketplace by another and the formation of an interoperability agreement between two marketplaces. Three rationales for alliance formation were observed: an increase in the number of buyers or suppliers in a given market sector that can access the marketplace (an increase in scale of operations), an increase in the breadth or depth of services that are offered to users of the marketplace (an increase in the scope of operations) and providing the ability to exchange information across multiple tiers of a supply chain. A broader discussion of the findings is given and suggestions for further research are made

Building Organisational Capability: Your Future, Your Business

Much has been written about the benefits to be derived from maximising organisational capability as a means of increasing competitive advantage, establishing human resource functions as a strategic partner and improving stakeholder satisfaction. However, there is very little in the research on how organisations build their organisational capability. This paper proposes a Model of Organisational Capability based on three domains – the Strategic Intent, Organisational Structures and Individual Knowledge. The Model explores how systems and processes can be aligned to maximize organisational capability. The model can be used by researchers to examine the forces that build organisational capability in organisations, and determine critical success factors. Practitioners wishing to maximize their organisational capability can draw on the Model and suggested steps, to assist them to explore the organisational capability agenda for their busines

Collaboration : a key competence for competing in the 21st century

It is now an accepted fact that in the 21st century competition will be between networks of organisations and individuals, which efficiently and effectively integrate their competencies and resources in order to compete in a global economy (Bititci et al, 2004). Similarly the SME'2000 conference, which was held in Bologna, concluded that 'SMEs belonging to networks are often more competitive and innovative than those operating in isolation. When working together, SMEs can increase their focus through specialisation in functions that are complementary within their networks'

Developing Alliance Capabilities in a New Era

alliance, capability

Co-evolutionary dynamics in strategic alliances : the influence of the industry lifecycle

This study examines the application of the co-evolution literature to strategic alliance formation in SME’s in the UK and Australia in two differing industries at different stages of the industry life-cycle. Extending the framework developed by Das and Teng (2002) and that of Wilson and Hynes (2009), it engages with wider industry and environmental characteristics present in these two countries, specifically examining whether different theories of alliance formation are better suited to different stages of an industry life cycle. The issues discussed above are explored and developed through the use of a qualitative case study approach. Findings indicate strong resource-based drivers for alliance formation in both industries, with firms dependent on the co-evolution of their alliances and indeed selected by the results of their alliance participation. However, differences emerged in the strategic use of alliances in these two industries. The influence of the stage of the industry life cycle on this is discussed