Strategic Alliances in the Japanese Economy: Types, Critiques, Embeddedness, and Change

This paper provides an overview and interpretive analysis of the Japanese strategic alliance process. Both international and domestic alliances are considered, although the emphasis is on domestic partnerships. I argue that the domestic Japanese economy is "underallianced" relative to Japanese firms' extensive involvement in partnerships with foreign firms. This is particularly true if government-sponsored consortia and keiretsu-based tie-ups are excluded. Japanese companies appear, for a variety of institutional and cultural reasons, to have had some difficulty partnering with strangers and competitors and that has led to the formation of fewer synergistic and otherwise constructive intra-country cooperation arrangements than corporate Japan arguably needs. That pattern is changing, however, and there is evidence that the rate of intra-country alliances among Japanese firms is accelerating, particularly when the focus of the alliance is technology and innovation.

Global value chains: Potential synergies between external trade policy and internal economic initiatives to address the strategic dependencies of the EU

Global value chains enable two-thirds of international trade, notably for the EU. The EU wants to preserve its commercial links with third countries and organisations to make up for trade disruptions. This study examines sustainable supply of raw materials, commodities, and critical goods using the EU's Open Strategic Autonomy concept. It examines which raw material are crucial for sustainable supply and necessary for the green transition. The paper examines EU internal legislation and international cooperation instruments to determine the EU's disruption risk. It evaluates the economic impact of EU preferential trade agreements on raw material availability. The study illustrates the political and economic relevance of raw material partnerships and plurilateral and bilateral trade agreements. It analyses the EU's toolbox for safeguarding its interests and making independent trade choices to counteract other actors' unfair practices and intervention. Finally, the paper examines regulatory frameworks, international alliances, and activities to find ways to strengthen global value chains in critical EU industries

Alignment of inter-firm performance measures in contractual alliances as a predictor of relationship success

This research explains the role of aligned inter-firm performance measures as a predictor of success in of contractual alliances. Contractual alliances, a popular type of inter-firm relations, are also known as non-equity alliances and often display conflicting objectives in their contractual agreements. This research proposes that the assessment of contractual alliances performance must go beyond the contract’s ability to deliver to its internal performance targets or service level agreements (SLA). The success of contractual alliances lies in the alliance’s capability to contribute to the specific performance objectives of the firms involved as well as to fulfil its internal SLAs. This capability is called alignment and the results of this research show that is critical to the success of inter-firm relationships. The data for the research was gathered from outsourcing contracts between a logistics service provider and 149 users. Each contract includes its SLAs and two years of actual performance measures. The research design considers the firms’ financial measures as a proxy for their performance objectives during the same period of time. The alignment construct was operationalised by creating an inter-firm alignment (IFA) coefficient calculated with mathematical techniques to assess multi-dimensional fit amongst constructs. The three dimensions included in the IFA coefficient are i) alignment of contract’s SLAs and actual performance values, ii) alignment of contract’s SLAs and provider’s performance objectives, and iii) alignment of contract’s SLAs and user’s performance objectives. Success of contractual alliances was operationalised using known measures from the inter-firm management literature, such as longevity, stability, formality and relative profitability of the relationship. Information for all determinants was available in the 149 contracts. The quantitative correlations were specified and calculated using structural equation models (SEM). The results show that aligned inter-firm performance measures are a strong predictor of contractual alliance success. The empirical model supports the positive correlation of longevity and formality as measures of contractual alliance success, as stated in extant literature. The findings dispute the expected positive correlation between formality and stability with alliance success as described in the alliance literature. The results confirm the positive role of renegotiations as stated in the organization learning literature. Additional in-depth interviews were conducted with relationship managers, during the pilot study. The qualitative results support the quantitative findings. This research contributes to theory by: a) conceptualising and measuring the concept alignment to inter-firm performance measures; b) estimating the contribution of relation-specific measures to contractual alliance success, and c) introducing alignment of inter-firm performance measures as a predictor of contractual alliance success. The research and its results fill a substantive gap in managing contractual alliances. It provides the outsourcing industry with a tool that predicts the likelihood of relationship survival based on the degree of alignment of the inter-firm’s performance measures. The quantitative methods employed in the research extend the use of current techniques for assessing ‘fit’ in the strategy literature, into the field of performance measurement systems

An analysis of globalization strategies for real estate service providers

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-139).The technological advancements developed within the past decade have severely influenced the way national real estate companies do business. Geographical boundaries that once segregated companies into specific regions of dominance have all but disappeared. As other industries expand their operations overseas, real estate companies have had to devise their own international strategies in order to capitalize on the new 'global' market. This thesis will begin by stating three traditional hypotheses on how real estate companies should attempt to make the transition into becoming global real estate providers. These hypotheses include establishing a joint venture with an existing international corporation, acquiring a local presence by absorbing foreign real estate firms, and finally by marketing a firm's particular expertise to other foreign markets. The best solution depends on a particular company's strengths and weakness. Every international strategy requires a different strategic plan and implementation process. The second half of the thesis will involve three case studies on real estate providers that have already attempted the "globalization" transition. These companies include Lend Lease, CB Richard Ellis, and LaSalle Partners. The companies on the front line of any new industry venture are the first to test the academic hypotheses. We will compare and contrast the success of the aforementioned strategic plans with respect to these three companies. By carefully reviewing the successes and lessons learned by the industry leaders, other real estate companies can better understand their particular opportunities by going global. It is apparent to most of the real estate industry that the local specialized service provider is a dinosaur. Some companies have started the transition into tomorrow and it seems logical that other service providers will not want to reinvent the wheel.by James H. Gasperoni and David R. Ravin.S.M

Business model innovation in the oil and gas supply industry

Master i Energy Management - Nord universitet, 201

From competition to a sustainable raw materials diplomacy: pointers for European policymakers

German and European businesses are highly dependent on metals. Demand for these raw materials is expected to grow even further as they will be needed for the green energy and electric mobility tran­sition, digitalisation and other emerging technologies. Geopolitical developments influence security of supply. China's central role in mineral supply chains is a major factor of uncertainty in this con­text. The European Union has set ambitious sustainability targets. Implementing these in complex multi-tier metal supply chains is no easy matter, given the magnitude of environmental and human rights risks. Nevertheless, sustainability should not be sacrificed for security of supply. Instead, the European Union should pursue a strategic raw materials policy that reconciles the demands of both. The two biggest challenges in sustainability governance are: firstly, the diversity of standards and their inconsistent implementation and enforce­ment; and secondly, power asymmetries and lack of transparency along metal supply chains. A sustainable raw materials policy must seek to reduce dependency through strategic diversification and partnerships with countries that share European values. Transparency-enhancing measures and a regu­latory "smart mix" will be decisive elements. (authors's abstract

Foreign Direct Investment - A Proposal Evaluation

Předmětem diplomové práce je vyhodnocení investičního návrhu do zahraničí. V teoretické části práce je důraz kladen na analýzy, jež pomáhají popsat okolí a průmysl v zemi investice. Je zde dána definice přímé zahraniční investice a práce se zmiňuje i o historii. Hlavní náplní teoretické části je příprava investice, způsoby vyhodnocení a stavba cash flow. Poslední kapitola se zabývá riskem, který vyplývá ze změn v kurzech měn. V teoretické části je provedena analýza PESTLE a Portrův model pěti sil. Jsou popsány přímé zahraniční investice v Německu a v neposlední řadě je vyhodnocena zamýšlená investice.Subject of master thesis is an evaluation of investment proposal. Theoretical part of the work is focused on analysis which helps with estimation of environment and industry in foreign country of investment. Foreign direct investment definition and history is mentioned as well. Main body of theoretical part is about investment preparation, evaluation of investment and building cash flow. Last part of theoretical bases is about exposure to exchange rate risks. Practical part deals with PESTLE and Porter’s five forces analysis. It deals with FDI market and situation in Germany and lastly evaluates the investment proposal.