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Suggests that strategic alliances have become a popular competitive weapon, yet knowledge of when effectively to use this interorganizational relationship remains scarce. Examines the use of strategic alliances in the information technology industry. Develops several propositions for the effective use of this competitive weapon, based primarily on the matching of the benefits of strategic alliances to existing and forecast situational characteristics of the information technology industry.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the effect of strategic alliances on firm performance and the moderating effect of firm size in retail firms in Nairobi County in Kenya.

Resource Dependency Theory was used to guide the study. The study adopted explanatory research design. Questionnaires were used to collect data from sample of 216 respondents through stratified and simple random sampling technique. The study used inferential statistics to test hypotheses.

Study findings indicated that joint marketing alliances, procurement-supplier alliances, joint manufacturing alliances and technology development alliances have significant and positive effect on firm performance. Based on the findings, creating a joint marketing, procurement-supplier, joint manufacturing and technology development alliances mostly enhance firm performance.

The study considered only one county out of 47, although this county hosts the capital city, where most of the firms considered are located. It therefore is representative of all counties and firms considered in this study. It also considered top management staff and thus may have an effect since the lower cadre staff were not considered. However, most of the required information was expected from top management since these are the ones who make decisions, and hence most affected by strategic alliances.

This study has practical implication on firm performance because it has established that strategic alliance improves on overall firm performance. This manifests itself in terms of improve productivity, production efficiency and profitability. It also helps in the availability of products to the end users.

Through improved productivity, efficiency and profitability, this translates to improved terms of payment of staff and hence improved quality of lives of their families and communities within which they live. It also enables the firms to participate more in corporate social responsibility projects which in turn improves the standard of living of the communities around them.

The study has provided an empirical insight on the importance of strategic alliance on firm performance. This is the first study done in the Kenyan context concerning strategic alliances formed by firms to improve on their performance especially on retail firms.

This study aims to propose that, in business-to-business (B2B) industries, number of strategic alliances firms established before a “black swan” event enhances their chances to survive the black swan, and the enhancements take place through moderation effects. Changes in firms’ core structures – their stated goals, authority structure, core technologies and marketing strategies – to adapt to business jolts have adverse effects on firm performance. Firms’ existing B2B strategic alliances moderate the effects negatively by outsourcing different goals, authority structures, core technologies and marketing strategies to partners who fit the changed environment.

This study collected quantitative data and analyzed the data with the regression method.

Using data from Chinese firms in five technology industries during the 2007–2009 economic crisis, this study finds that firms’ internal adaptation is negatively correlated with their performance during economic crises, and B2B strategic alliances negatively moderate this relationship.

First, this study focuses on B2B strategic alliances, and it is not clear whether the findings apply to B2C industries, where strategic alliances may not be common. Perhaps firms can use other means of survival in addition to strategic alliances in B2C industries. Second, this study does not differentiate between fast-moving and slow-moving industries, and it is not clear whether strategic alliances play the same role in both industries. Third, this study does not differentiate firm ages and sizes. It remains unclear how large, established and small, young firms differ when facing crises. Finally, this study is based on the Chinese setting, and it is not clear whether the findings apply to other markets as well. These issues should be explored in future studies.

Changing firms’ core structures harms their performance during black swan crises because such crises are unpredictable, and planned changes may not adapt firms to crises. Managers should not attempt to change their core structures during crises. B2B strategic alliances provide an effective means for firms to survive crises.

This paper makes two contributions to the existing literature: First, this paper demonstrates that changes of one of the four core structures of a firm to cope with black swan events have negative impacts on firm performance. Second, this paper identifies the importance of holding a variety of strategic alliances previously to the black swan events to reduce the negative impacts of changing core structures.

This chapter highlights and examines the journey of strategic alliances, how alliances lead to the creation of new alliances, and whether alliances succeed or precede firms' market networks. Moreover, the chapter attempts to identify the market and environmental factors which impact the journey and the end result of alliances. The findings show that before the alliance and in the early strategic alliance phase, firms can have direct and indirect relationships/networks which can lead to the formation of strategic alliances. The other finding is that one of the main factors which determines the journey of strategic alliances is the degree of internationalization of the firm and the market. The journey of alliances was also found to be different in the various groups of Eastern and Central Europe (ECE) countries depending on the pace or degree of adaptation of those countries. It was also found that well-developed networks have a positive impact on the alliance results. Moreover, the chapter also provides evidence that alliances enable firms to defend and strengthen existing networks to build new networks and to penetrate partners' networks. It is finally observed that it is difficult to determine whether alliances succeed or precede networks.

Although primarily treated as two distinct research streams, strategic alliances and mergers and acquisitions together occupy much of the strategic management discourse. Alliances, in many cases, end in acquisitions as firms use alliances as intermediate strategic options to eventually acquire a partner. As the discipline of strategy matures and the frequency and the volume of inter-firm cooperation continue to rise, it is imperative to integrate these two research streams for a holistic understanding of the theory of the firm. The purpose of this conceptual piece is threefold. First, we review the extant studies that combine these two governance modes: alliance and acquisitions. Second, drawing on the dominant strategic management theories, we highlight how prior inter-firm alliances inform future acquisitions in terms of (a) pre-combination decisions, (b) post-deal integration processes, (c) alternatives and strategies, and (d) performance outcomes. Finally, in view of the emerging trends and evocative gaps, we offer a conceptual road map to encourage future theoretical development and empirical research.

Trust entails the assumption of risk by the trustor to the extent that the trustee may act in a manner unaligned with the trustor's interests. Before a strategic alliance is formed, each firm formulates a subjective assessment regarding whether the other firm will behave in a trustworthy manner and not act opportunistically. To inform this partner analysis and selection process, the authors leverage the concept of value of information to quantify the benefit of information gathering activities on the trustworthiness of a potential trustee.

In this paper, the authors develop a decision model that explicitly operationalizes trust as the subjective probability that a trustee will act in a trustworthy manner. The authors integrate the concept of value of information related to information gathering activities, which would inform a trustor about a trustee's trustworthiness.

Trust inherently involves some degree of risk, and the authors find that there is practical value in carrying out information gathering activities to facilitate the partner analysis process. The authors present a list of trustworthiness indicators, along with a scoring sheet, to facilitate learning more about a potential strategic alliance partner.

The need for a quantitative model that can support risk-based strategic alliance decision-making for partner analysis represents a research gap in the literature. The modeling of strategic alliance partner analysis decisions from a value of information (VOI) perspective adds a contribution to the trust literature.

From an absorptive capacity perspective, this study aims to analyse the influence of strategic alliances on the development of intellectual capital.

A quantitative study was chosen, with data on technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Portugal, leading to 257 valid answers.

The results obtained from a structural equation model show that learning/knowledge and efficiency as important functions underlying strategic alliances exert a strong influence on intellectual (human, structural and relational) capital.

These outcomes reveal that strategic alliances are a way for SMEs to overcome resource constraints in terms of intellectual capital, which represents an important implication for business practice. This study provides particular insights into how and to what extent alliance-specific mechanisms and functions lead to which improvement and effect.

The study underlines the importance of strategic alliances for technology-based SMEs. In this way, this study adds to the scarce in the field providing evidence for the SMEs sector. Therefore, strategic alliances and intellectual capital should be considered two key tools for this firm segment and worthy of further research in absorptive capacity.

This paper aims at reviewing the extant knowledge management (KM) research field within a strategic alliance context to understand the historical roots, its temporal progression, current state and potential future in a meaningful way.

Data for this study was retrieved from the Scopus database using a systematic literature search process. The bibliometric characteristics of 393 research documents were analyzed using bibliometric and structured network analysis.

The findings of the study suggest that the publication in the field have been growing with an average rate of 8.48%. This analysis also lists the most productive and impactful authors, main outlets, and the most impactful secondary and primary publication in the field. In addition, the conceptual and intellectual structure of the research field was constructed and discussed.

This paper uses an objective and quantitative approach by reviewing the related publications and virtually included all the relevant publications in the analysis, which was seen to be uneconomical when doing traditional literature reviews.

This paper seeks to argue that managers need to apply a holistic and long‐term approach in their understanding of strategic alliances' paradigms to inform decisions. Owing to the complexity of strategic alliance scenarios it is often a difficult task for management to know what information is required in order to take such decisions. It is suggested here that six widely used motivational paradigms in the formation of interorganisational relationships (transaction cost economics, resource dependence, strategic choice, stakeholder theory, organizational learning, and institutional theory) can be used not only during the formation stages of alliances but also during an alliance's lifecycle to help in decision making.

The paper proposes a discussion of possible shortcomings in the literature on motivational paradigms based on a review of the pertinent literature and, with the help of previously published cases/examples, suggests a new conceptual perspective of the paradigms.

The paper explains how and why motivational paradigms could be viewed as an interrelated web of issues throughout a strategic alliance's entire lifecycle – and not just at their formation stage when, often, they are used singly and in isolation of one another. It is proposed that their continuous and holistic use contributes to a manager's awareness of possible issues and helps his/her strategic management and decision taking. This new perspective is presented conceptually in a model.

For decision makers and managers: the proposed perspective will enhance their management and decision‐taking processes by increasing their awareness and acting as an aide‐mémoire of issues they need to consider/investigate and will reduce the possibility of alliance failure. For educators, it will expand the scope of traditional alliance formation paradigms and inform their teaching and research.

This is a novel approach to a traditional theory that expands its scope and usefulness.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess an empirical description of how to respond to the needs of future human resource development, and any strategic alliances that have been made by STP Bandung and Bali to respond to global competition.

This study uses a qualitative naturalistic approach, with descriptive methods and case studies. The data were gathered through interviews, observations, and study of the documents. The sampling technique used was purposive. Data analysis was performed using data display, data reduction, and data verification through triangulation process.

STP Bandung and Bali have carried out various strategic measures through the improvement of both their internal and external environments. Strategic alliances with other institutions are oriented toward the improvement of the quality of education. This is in accordance with the vision and mission of the institution where priorities were put on joint programs, organization of students’ internship programs, support for the development of educational institutions, and optimizing the implementation of the three responsibilities of higher education in Indonesia, both in terms of quantity and quality, along with building a culture of research for lecturers.

This research still needs improvement since there are some limitations in generating its conclusion. Therefore further research is recommended to increase sample number, i.e. by including, among others, students, graduates, employer communities, and region leaders, and also to involve other private, tourism higher education centers.

This study implies that in carrying out its core business, namely, tourism education, STP Bandung and Bali need to strengthen and cultivate the academic and research cultures among faculty members. In conjunction with contributions from research literature and practice, this study confirms the importance of strategic alliances between institutions of tourism education, at the national, regional, and international levels, that are producers of human resources for tourism for the government. Being graduates, they serve as competent members of a government agency responsible for managing a destination or other tourism sectors, at local, provincial, national, regional, and international levels.

This study also implies that the Ministry of Tourism should implement the model of strategic education management through strategic alliances, so as to increase the capacity of the human resources for tourism, thus directly or indirectly contributing to the quality of city/regional or tourism destination.

Research studies on strategic alliance in the field of higher education, especially in the field of tourism are still very limited. This study provides a breakthrough that strategic alliances can not only be done in the business world, but also in the education sector. Results of research on strategic alliances in higher education in Indonesian tourism sector can be used as a reference for higher education providers in tourism at regional and international levels.