This thesis entitled The role of Strategic Alliances and Networks on the organizing of wine
trade between Portugal and Norway, offers a view about the networks and the strategic
alliances in place in the export of Portuguese wine to the Norwegian market. The author of
this study uses existing literature and qualitative methods to explore the most significant traits
of this relation.
To understand the present situation and role that strategic alliances and strategic networks
have on the organizing of the wine trade between Portugal and Norway, and to verify a set of
hypotheses, the researcher conducted interviews with ten selected organizations with
relevance for his study. The author was not able to find any study on the wine trade between
Portugal and Norway of this kind, leading him to believe that this study is the first about this
specific case. Therefore, the author focused his efforts on understanding the reasoning and
implicit perceptions of each participant. A schematic representation of the structure and
interlinks of the wine trade is provided.
This study found that (1) there is a low level of collaboration between Portuguese wine
producers to explore the Norwegian market due to social/cultural and economical aspects; (2)
the competitive advantage created by interfirm alliances between Portuguese wine producers
and Norwegian wine importers despite important for their success is not sufficient to balance
the dominant position of the wine monopoly; (3) the partner麓s knowledge is most valued by
firms in the strategic alliances between Portuguese wine producers and Norwegian wine
importers, being at the center of collaboration; and (4) trust emerges from the experience of
interaction between the members of the alliance, is perceived as part of the culture of the
sector, and is critical for the continuity and success of the functioning of the partnership.
Finally, the author of this study discusses his findings by establishing connections with the
relevant literature, and suggests future research about this trade, which addressees the
limitations of this study and fosters the development of other aspects
