Roles played by relational trust in strategic alliances

In this paper we develop the concept of relational quality as a proxy for relational trust. Exploration of data from 67 alliances confirms that relational quality is composed of three elements: initial conditions, partner interactions, and external events. We offer propositions on the relative importance of each of these elements depending on the different roles relational trust may play in strategic alliances: the role of a control mechanism, of a governance mechanism, or as an enabler of high risk initiativesManagement; Strategy

Relational quality: Managing trust in corporate alliances

The management literature has often argued that "trust" plays a key role in economic exchanges, particularly when one or another party is subject to the risk of opportunistic behaviour and incomplete monitoring, or when problems due to moral hazard or asymmetric information arise. These conditions are almost always present in the case of corporate alliances and joint ventures. We propose that one aspect of trust, what we call "relational quality", is fundamental to the maintenance of good working conditions in two-party alliances where past experience and the shadow of the future play important roles. Relying on a growing body of theory and a number of case studies, we develop a framework for thinking about trust in dynamic and practical terms. We conclude that a reservoir of relational quality exists in any such relationship, and that the level of trust implied in such a reservoir will not only influence whether and how future conflicts are resolved, but also is itself affected by the positive (or negative) resolution of such conflicts. Finally, we identify three elements that contribute to the relational quality reservoir in alliances: 1) the initial conditions surrounding the alliance formation; 2) the cumulative experience of the parties with each others' behaviours as the alliance unfolds; and 3) the impact that external events or behaviours outside the alliance's context have on the perceptions and attitudes the parties have about each other's trustworthiness. We conclude with some recommendations for more effective management of corporate alliances.corporate alliances; economic exchanges; monitoring;

Relational quality: A dynamic framework for assessing the role of trust in strategic alliances

The organizational literature has always posited that «trust» plays a key role in economic exchanges, particularly when one or another party is subject to the risk of opportunistic behaviour, incomplete monitoring, or when moral hazard problems arise. These conditions are almost always present in the case of alliances and joint ventures between independent parties. This paper explores the concept of «relational quality» in one such inter-organizational form ­dyadic alliances­ where past experience and the shadow of the future play an important role. Relational quality is important, as it affects the extent to which partners substitute reliance on trust for more formal control mechanisms. Building on theory, case studies and survey data, we develop a framework for thinking about trust in dynamic and practical terms. We define three elements affecting relational quality in alliances: the initial conditions surrounding the exchange, the cumulative experiences of the parties with each other's behaviours as they interact, and the impact that external events have on perceptions of behaviour and attitudes of the parties about each other's trustworthiness. We use data on a sample of alliances with one Spanish partner to explore the relative impact of these elements and develop a more precise set of propositions from this framework. The paper should guide further work towards quantifying the role of trust as a control mechanism in the performance of strategic alliances.Alliances; economic exchanges; joint ventures;

Process issues in alliance management: A panel discussion.

The purpose in this series of papers is to examine different perspectives on the evolution of the process of collaboration and the management challenges therein by focusing on a single case experience. The literature on alliance and collaboration has grown immensely in the last few years. Much attention has been given to the economic rationale for intermediate organizational forms, the so-called «swollen middle» (Hennart, 1993) that lies between market and hierarchical solutions, and to the conditions under which such structures are optimal (Hennart, 1988; Balakrishnan & Koza, 1993; Buckley and Casson, 1996). More recently, there has been a virtual explosion in the treatment of the managerial challenges involved in inter-firm collaboration, ranging from issues of negotiation and conflict resolution to the role of strategic intent or prior experience, as well as numerous attempts to conceptualize and measure that most ephemeral and over-abused concept, trust. The initial paper in the series introduces the specifics of the case on which our discussion is based, and presents a view on the role that perceptions of efficiency and equity between the partners within a relationship have on the evolution of their collaboration. As elaborated in the paper, efficiency perceptions refer to the partners' views on the potential for value creation within the alliance, relative to other organizational choices. Equity perceptions relate to the expected balance between the partners' relative costs and benefits in the alliance, that is, the potential for fairness in value appropriation. The paper starts by summarizing the facts of a failed international joint venture, and chronicles the process of its disintegration through a series of events in its 3-year history. The concepts of efficiency and equity are then defined and formalized. Next, the authors provide their own interpretation of the case data and propose a structure for the analysis of the inter-partner relationship. Finally, they offer a model of the evolution of collaboration that is driven by the maintenance of relational quality among the partners, including the accommodation of changes in both the business environment and the strategies of the partners over time. The three other papers in the series elaborate on this interpretation and bring a broader set of concerns derived from each author's own research trajectory. Since two of these were responsible for earlier models on which the initial case analysis was based, they have a unique opportunity to revisit their original thinking and reinterpret it in view of the facts presented. They take a more dynamic view and incorporate more recent theoretical insights from the management process literature to the collaborative process. The last paper ventures beyond the dyadic framework of the original analysis to examine the lessons that can be drawn for broader networks of collaborative alliances. A final section on conclusions summarizes the arguments and suggests where there may be convergence, as well as proposing new avenues for research.alliances; evolution process collaboration; management challenges;

Generalized Random Phase Approximation and Gauge Theories

Mean-field treatments of Yang-Mills theory face the problem of how to treat the Gauss law constraint. In this paper we try to face this problem by studying the excited states instead of the ground state. For this purpose we extend the operator approach to the Random Phase Approximation (RPA) well-known from nuclear physics and recently also employed in pion physics to general bosonic theories with a standard kinetic term. We focus especially on conservation laws, and how they are translated from the full to the approximated theories, demonstrate that the operator approach has the same spectrum as the RPA derived from the time-dependent variational principle, and give - for Yang-Mills theory - a discussion of the moment of inertia connected to the energy contribution of the zero modes to the RPA ground state energy. We also indicate a line of thought that might be useful to improve the results of the Random Phase Approximation.Comment: 66 pages, REVTeX4, uses amsfonts and package longtabl

Theory of Luminescence Spectra of High-Density Electron-Hole Systems: Crossover from Excitonic Bose-Einstein Condenstation to Electron-Hole BCS State

We present a unified theory of luminescence spectra for highly excited semiconductors, which is applicable both to the electron-hole BCS state and to the exciton Bose-Einstein condensate. The crossover behavior between electron-hole BCS state and exciton Bose-Einstein condensate clearly manifests itself in the calculated luminescence spectra. The analysis is based on the Bethe-Salpeter equation combined with the generalized random-phase-approximation, which enables us to consider the multiple Coulomb scattering and the quantum fluctuation associated with the center-of-mass motion of electron-hole pairs. In the crossover regime, the calculated spectra are essentially different from results obtained by the BCS-like mean-field theory and the interacting Boson model. In particular, it is found that the broad spectrum, arising from the recombination of electron-hole BCS state, splits into the P- and P_2-luminescence bands with decreasing the particle density. The dependence of these bands on the carrier density is in good agreement with experiments for highly excited semiconductors.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, To appear in Solid State Communication

Structure and grain growth of TiO2 nanoparticles investigated by electron and X-ray diffractions and Ta-181 perturbed angular correlations

Bare and coated TiO₂ nanoparticles with particle sizes d 100 nm after 1300 K. PAC spectra taken in the same temperature range show that with increasing temperature, the initially disordered state transforms to well-ordered rutile TiO₂. The data suggest a critical grain size of d ~10 nm for the onset of the ordering process. The spectra of coarse-grained TiO₂ are reached at a particle size d >= 30 nm. In n-TiO₂ coated with Al₂O₃ and ZrO₂ both the cores and the coatings were found to grow with increasing temperature; the cores of the coated particles, however, grow much less than those of the noncoated particles. The PAC method was used to investigate the QI in both TiO₂ cores and in the ZrO₂ coating of n-TiO₂/ZrO₂ at different temperatures. These data suggest that although the coated particles grow with temperature, the ordering process is obstructed, possibly by a solid state reaction between the TiO₂ kernels and the coatings

Many-body theory of pump-probe spectra for highly excited semiconductors

We present a unified theory for pump-probe spectra in highly excited semiconductors, which is applicable throughout the whole density regime including the high-density electron-hole BCS state and the low-density excitonic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). The analysis is based on the BCS-like pairing theory combined with the Bethe-Salpeter (BS) equation, which first enables us to incorporate the state-filling effect, the band-gap renormalization and the strong/weak electron-hole pair correlations in a unified manner. We show that the electron-hole BCS state is distinctly stabilized by the intense pump-light, and this result strongly suggests that the macroscopic quantum state can be observed under the strong photoexcitation. The calculated spectra considerably deviate from results given by the BCS-like mean field theory and the simple BS equation without electron-hole pair correlation especially in the intermediate density states between the electron-hole BCS state and the excitonic BEC state. In particular, we find the sharp stimulated emission and absorption lines which originate from the optical transition accompanied by the collective phase fluctuation mode in the electron-hole BCS state. From the pump-probe spectral viewpoint, we show that this fluctuation mode changes to the exciton mode with decreasing carrier densityComment: RevTeX 11 pages, 10 figures. To appear in Phys.Rev.B1

A new governance approach for multi-firm projects: lessons from Olkiluoto 3 and Flamanville 3 nuclear power plant projects

We analyze governance in two contemporary nuclear power plant projects: Olkiluoto 3 (Finland) and Flamanville 3 (France). We suggest that in the governance of large multi-firm projects, any of the prevalent governance approaches that rely on market, hierarchy, or hybrid forms, is not adequate as such. This paper opens up avenues towards a novel theory of governance in large projects by adopting a project network view with multiple networked firms within a single project, and by simultaneously going beyond organizational forms that cut across the traditional firm–market dichotomy. Our analysis suggests four changes in the prevailing perspective towards the governance of large projects. First, there should be a shift from viewing multi-firm projects as hierarchical contract organizations to viewing them as supply networks characterized by a complex and networked organizational structure. Second, there should be a shift in the emphasis of the predominant modes of governance, market and hierarchy towards novel governance approaches that emphasize network-level mechanisms such as self-regulation within the project. Third, there should be a shift from viewing projects as temporary endeavors to viewing projects as short-term events or episodes embedded in the long-term sphere of shared history and expected future activities among the involved actors. Fourth, there should be a shift from the prevailing narrow view of a hierarchical project management system towards an open system view of managing in complex and challenging institutional environments

Vortex arrays in neutral trapped Fermi gases through the BCS–BEC crossover

Vortex arrays in type-II superconductors reflect the translational symmetry of an infinite system. There are cases, however, such as ultracold trapped Fermi gases and the crust of neutron stars, where finite-size effects make it complex to account for the geometrical arrangement of vortices. Here, we self-consistently generate these arrays of vortices at zero and finite temperature through a microscopic description of the non-homogeneous superfluid based on a differential equation for the local order parameter, obtained by coarse graining the Bogoliubov–de Gennes (BdG) equations. In this way, the strength of the inter-particle interaction is varied along the BCS–BEC crossover, from largely overlapping Cooper pairs in the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) limit to dilute composite bosons in the Bose–Einstein condensed (BEC) limit. Detailed comparison with two landmark experiments on ultracold Fermi gases, aimed at revealing the presence of the superfluid phase, brings out several features that make them relevant for other systems in nature as well