TY  - JOUR
AB  - International competition, the rapid pace of technological
development, the escalating cost of research and development, truncated
shelf life, the ability through information technology to evaluate the
cost of poor quality, abbreviated product development cycles, all
combine to create an environment for the accelerated growth of
customer‐service alliances. In reviewing the forces behind these
alliances, the article outlines the need for a systematic model
outlining the stages of growth involved in such alliances. After
exploring marriage and new job management integration as potential
models, the article examines the validity of a proven model from the
natural sciences as a means to manage customer‐service alliances better.
The model outlines both the four critical stages of growth –
sparse, confluent, aligned, fused – and the medium necessary if
the alliance is to flourish.
VL  - 29
IS  - 5
SN  - 0025-1747
DO  - 10.1108/00251749110136136
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/00251749110136136
AU  - Burdett John O.
PY  - 1991
Y1  - 1991/01/01
TI  - A Model for Customer‐Supplier Alliances
T2  - Management Decision
PB  - MCB UP Ltd
Y2  - 2024/09/19
ER  -