Alliance Activity Research Articles

International Purchasing Alliances: An Empirical Study

In this exploration of formal international purchasing alliances, a broad overview of why firms become involved in international purchasing alliances is developed. Then, using a data base developed based on formalized international alliance activity reported in The Wall Street Journal, characteristics of international alliances are explored. The research also uses exploratory case studies to corroborate and develop a deeper understanding of international purchasing alliances. Implications of international alliance involvement for the purchasing function are also discussed.

Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances in the European Hospitality Industry

Projections are made concerning the nature and focus of merger, acquisition, and alliance activity in the post‐1992 environment by both US and European hospitality firms. Recommendations are offered concerning the most viable business strategies facing hospitality organisations in the Internal Market of 1992.

Embedded Patterns of International Alliance Formation

Using a combination of instutitional, systems contingency and ecological theory. this paper argues and empirically demonstrates that key founding characteristics of international alliances are embedded (interactively related) in one another. Specifically, the technical area of the alliance activity, the intended direction of product/knowledge flows among sponsors, and the administrative form of the alliances are shown to be interactively related. Further, the concept of embedded- ness was conibined with Transaction Cost Economics, (TCE) and technological views to show two founding patterns. One pattern called Hybridization was con sistent with technological explanations while the second called Dominance was suggested by TCE approaches. The new interactive relationships were identified in two large samples involving US. Japanese and European firms during a period from 1970 to 1989.