Conditions for making strategic alliances: The case of two enterprises from the South Moravian Region

Abstract

This paper focuses on the study of the role and importance of strategic alliances for small and medium enterprises. The purpose of the paper is to point out the conditions for making these co-operative relationships. This study is based on expert literature, mainly in foreign languages, which offers a relatively detailed breakdown of this topic. The research itself contributes to enhancement of knowledge by summarising the key aspects of strategic co-operation and presentation of the approach of two Czech enterprises by means of a case study. The first case study presents a small business with a development and growth strategy based mainly on strategic co-operation. However, despite positive examples many enterprises do not make any alliances, and their business relations can be described as “traditional”. The second case study presents an example of such an enterprise and its approach to co-operation. Thanks to the two different viewpoints it is possible to arrive at a better idea about co-operation and to discover the factors that limit the creation of strategic co-operation. The final part of the work summarises the motifs – both active and passive approach – in making alliances and emphasizing some specifics of alliances. The outputs from the paper may lead to a broader discussion about strategic co-operation and serve as a starting point for further research.