International Strategic Alliances Research Articles

Divergent and convergent effects of business group affiliation on firm performance in international strategic alliances

Divergent and convergent effects of business group affiliation on firm performance in international strategic alliances

A state-of-the-art review on international strategic alliances: do we really know what we are researching

A state-of-the-art review on international strategic alliances: do we really know what we are researching

ʺRelevance of the formation of international strategic educational alliances involving Ukraineʺ

ʺRelevance of the formation of international strategic educational alliances involving Ukraineʺ

Approval of Non-invasive Cuffless Blood Pressure Monitors : Report by the Strategic International Standards Promotion Committee for Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Monitors

Approval of Non-invasive Cuffless Blood Pressure Monitors : Report by the Strategic International Standards Promotion Committee for Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Monitors

International Strategic Management: A Conceptual Model with Top Managers’ Emotional Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, and Networking

The conceptual approach in this article follows and analyzes the holistic model of Kuivalainen, Sundqvist, Saarenketo, and McNaughton in 2012, making it analytically fitting to the SMEs’ international strategic groups concerning their international scale and scope. That model, according to our conceptual proposal, needs a methodological readjustment to an effective conformity towards the cross-sectional research. Accordingly, we presented two main considerations. First, we put together a conceptual model, fitted towards the field of top managers’ psychological characteristics as major antecedent of the firms’ international strategy. Second, the proposed conceptual model is methodologically oriented for cross-sectional studies. In relation to the antecedents, we took top managers’ emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence as distinctive capabilities of the firms’ international strategy and as major antecedents of top managers’ networking behaviors. Regarding firms’ international performance as the major conceptual model outcome, a multidimensional approach is taken with financial, strategic, and overall performance. These elements of the international firms are regarded as of major importance within the international firms’ enterprise architecture. Methodologically, we performed a bibliographic review on the fundamental concepts that we present in the model. Concerning the results, we provided a research model that raised a whole set of new leads for research with some proposals for future investigations.

NTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC ALLIANCES: COOPERATION OF COMPANIES IN THE IT SPHERE

Background. The IT market in Ukraine annually demonstrates continuous growth and development. This contributes to the fact that its participants are more in contact with their colleagues from other countries. International strategic alliances are becoming one of the most appropriate forms of partnership between domestic IT companies and leading foreign IT companies. In order to anticipate all the risks of joining the ISA, in particular not to lose its subjectivity due to the acquisition, it is necessary to understand the reasons, essence and consequences of the creation of international strategic alliances. An analysis of recent research and publications has shown that despite the existence of some scientific achievements, the issues of forming international strategic alliances in the field of information technologies and the use of this type of cooperation by domestic IT companies remain unresolved. Theaim of the article is to analyze international strategic alliances as forms of cooperation of companies in the IT sphere and the possibility of including Ukrainian companies in these relations. Materials and methods. The research was conducted using the methods of theoretical generalization and analysis. The information base is domestic and foreign works on the functioning of ISAs, statistical sources and Internet resources. Results. The factors that determine the transition from competition to cooperation and the formation of alliances between companies in the IT sector are identified. The types of alliances are described: tactical, quasi-strategic and strategic. It is noted that each of them can be both internal and external (international). The nature of the strategic alliance is analyzed, its characteristics are revealed. Based on the results of the generalized characteristics of the ISA in the IT sphere, its definition is given, on the basis of which the advantages of the alliance are described. It is noted that the peculiarities of the connections of its participants should be taken into account when solving many tasks related to the participation of domestic IT companies in the ISA for the internationalization of business and management. It is proved that in ISA as a pragmatic union the interests of the participants in the strategic direction of their development coincide: each of the participants focuses its activities on the common goals of the alliance. Conclusion. The ISA of IT-sphere is proposed to be considered as a form of inter-firm interaction of IT companies that maintain independence based on the combination of complementary assets of each of them. If all parties of the alliance pursue strategic goals, then this alliance is created in the form of strategic, if there are other goals, the alliance will be tactical or quasi-strategic. In addition, any of the forms can be used to achieve certain business results. Unlike all others the strategic alliances, especially international strategic ones, require a stricter and more systematic management approach to success. The interest of European and American IT companies in forming strategic alliances with leading Ukrainian companies was noted. However, the ultimate goals of such ISAs are not equal long-term partnership, but the acquisition of promising Ukrainian companies. The necessity of careful substantiation of decisions on the entry of domestic IT companies into the international strategic alliance, tactical and operational participation in its management, etc. is proved.

Knowledge Transfer Enablers and Innovation Performance of International Strategic Alliances: An Integrated Framework

Knowledge Transfer Enablers and Innovation Performance of International Strategic Alliances: An Integrated Framework

Международные альянсы как инструмент развития межстранового предпринимательства

The article is devoted to the study of the activities of international strategic business alliances in the context of their influence on the development of the intercountry system of entrepreneurship, analysis of activities and identification of the characteristic features of the construction of these entrepreneurial structures. The author examines the specifics of the tools for the development of cross-country entrepreneurship, the economic essence of this phenomenon, its subjects and forms. The article also examines the main reasons for the emergence of cross-country entrepreneurship from the point of view of leading domestic and foreign scientists. It is concluded that the role of international alliances as a tool for building cross-country entrepreneurship is currently underestimated, despite the significant advantages to participants in the formation of a competitive environment.

Safety in Schools and Their Surroundings: A Case Study in Istanbul

This work proposes school safety be considered in terms of the wider perspective of urban safety in general, taking a totalitarian approach and presenting the basic problems and possible solutions inherent within the issue of safeguarding schools. School safety should not merely lie within the boundaries of any one school. School safety must be considered as one aspect of urban safety as a whole. Data presented in this article was collected by the International Strategic Research Organization (ISRO) as part of the four year, 2008–2012, Istanbul Urban Safety Project. The article does not consider threats to safety inside the school and its environs as matters to be dealt with by the police, but rather takes a holistic approach in the context of wider social problems to which the solutions lie in the implementation of comprehensive policies that include the school, the family, the social environment and policing in that order.

A longitudinal micro-foundational investigation into ambidextrous practices in an international alliance context–A case of a biopharma EMNE

This paper explores the development of an ambidextrous context in a rapidly growing emerging market multinational (EMNE), thus unbundling cultural and structural complexities. We use the micro-foundational lens of ambidexterity to explore and identify different processes, structures and mechanisms that underpin the development of ambidextrous practices in the EMNE. We adopt a longitudinal case study design to trace the evolution of the EMNE, which during the initial phases of its existence focused on supplying industrial enzymes and refined its technical base. In subsequent years, it exploited its technical base to emerge as a full-fledged biopharmaceutical EMNE and adopted strategic partnerships with international companies to explore new knowledge. Our novel and rich research context also provides us with insights on how this EMNE exploited its technological knowledge, whilst utilizing strategic alliances to simultaneously engage in exploratory activities. Through the micro-foundational lens of ambidexterity, we uncover the critical role played by its leadership in addressing paradoxical tensions for simultaneously managing exploitation and exploration in an international strategic alliance context.

Pt/TiOx Cathode Catalysts for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells

IntroductionDue to carbon materials are easily oxidized at high potential[1], it is necessary to develop carbon-free electro-conductive supports with superior stability for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Lots of conductive or semi-conductive oxides, such as indium tin oxide (ITO)[2], Ti4O7[3], Nb doped SnO2[4] and son on have been reported as catalyst supports or as secondary supports for the improvement of the catalytic activity performance for the ORR. Although these oxide supports showed high stability at high potential region, the low specific surface area, which are significantly lower than carbon materials, limited the actual use in PEFC system. In this study, we focused on Nb doped TiO2 nanoparticles. We found that Nb doped TiO2, which was reduced by NaBH4 and further treated via mixed gas of hydrogen and oxygen, showed high conductivity and high specific surface area compared with pure TiO2. We attempted to evaluate the Nb doped TiO2 as carbon-free electro-conductive supports.Experimental10 atomic% Nb doped TiO2 was prepared by hydrothermal method as a precursor. First, 0.002 mol niobium ethoxide and 0.018 mol titanium butoxide were mixed completely, and then the mixed solution was dropped into 30 mL deionized water. All of product was put into 100 mL Teflon autoclave, and heated at 180 oC for 20 h to proceed the hydrothermal reaction. Reaction products were collected by filtration, and then dried under vacuum at 80 oC for 12 h to obtain a precursor.To improve conductivity, 1g of precursor and NaBH4 were mixed (w/w, 1:8) with 5 mL EtOH, and the mixture was heated under Ar atmosphere for 20 h. Then, the samples washed by 1M HCl 3 times, and dried under vacuum at 80 oC, 12 h. Finally, the samples were treated by mixed gas of pure hydrogen and 0.1% oxygen at given temperature for given time. 20wt%Pt was deposited by a revised bromide anion exchange (BAE) method.Results and DiscussionAfter the heat treatment at 400 oC, 500 oC and 550 oC for 0.25 h under mixed gas of pure hydrogen and 0.1% oxygen, the BET surface areas of the samples reached to 98 m2g-1, 69 m2g-1 and 29 m2g-1, respectively. in addition, the sample heated at 400 oC also had a 143 Ω·cm at 60 MPa, which could be used as a support in PEFCs.Pt/Nb-TiOx was evaluated in 0.1 M HClO4 at 60 oC, the accelerated durability test (ADT) was performed under N2 atmosphere in the potential range from 1.0 to 1.5 V vs. RHE with a scan rate of 500 mVs-1. Figure 1 shows the polarization curves of Pt/Nb-TiOx for the ORR before and after 500 cycles ADT. It could be found that the catalyst showed a good durability after 500 cycles ADT.AcknowledgmentThis research is supported by the Strategic International Joint Research Program (SICORP) of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). In addition, the authors wish to thank the support of JSPS grants-in-aid for scientific research, Suzuki Foundation and Tonen General Sekiyu Research / Development Encouragement & Scholarship Foundation.

P-Doped SnO2 Powder as a Support for PEFC Cathode

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) are used as power sources for residential and transportation use. In the present PEFCs, a large amount of platinum supported carbon is used as a catalyst in the cathode electrode. However, a platinum catalyst has some problems such as high cost, small resources, low durability, and large overvoltage for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)considering the future widespread use of PEFC2. In addition, the durability of carbon support has become a serious problem especially under future driving conditions3 (high temperature and high voltage) for automobiles. In order to solve the problem, there is a strong demand for substitution of highly durable materials, that is, a non-platinum catalyst and a non-carbon support. Therefore, we have developed platinum substitution catalysts using group 4,5 metal oxides4.Regarding non-carbon supports, we have focused on Nb-doped TiO2 because of its high stability in acidic media. However, the specific surface area and the electro-conductivity of Nb-doped TiO2 are insufficient to support an oxide catalyst. Therefore, in this study, we focused on P-doped SnO2 (Mitsubishi Materials), which has excellent specific surface area, electronic conductivity, and stability under oxidative atmosphere, and examined its applicability as a cathode support.On the other hand, regarding the active sites, even carbon was used as a support, the oxygen reduction activities of group 4 and 5 oxide cathodes were much lower than that of platinum. This is because both quality and quantity of the active sites of oxide-based cathodes are lower than that of platinum. Recently, according to the first-principles calculation, Sugino et al, found that when Pd is doped into TiO2, the onset potential for ORR exceeds platinum (Because the adsorption Gibbs energies of the reaction intermediates of ORR are adjusted, the energy barrier along the reaction path become lower. The quality of active sites is improved by Pd doping into TiO26). Although no calculations have been performed for tin oxide, we focused on Pd doping into SnO2 to form the active sites in this study. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to modify P-doped SnO2 with Pd and investigate its catalytic activity.A 2 mM H2PdCl4 aqueous solution was mixed with ethanol, and P-doped SnO2 (Mitsubishi Materials) as a support was further added. An electron beam irradiation was carried out at room temperature. The conditions of the electron beam irradiation were as follows; electron beam energy of 2 MGy, absorbed dose to water of 500 kGy, and irradiation time of 50 min. Sample A was prepared by mixing 20 mL of a 2 mM H2PdCl4 aqueous solution and 1 mL of ethanol, that is, adjusting the volume ratio of (ethanol) / (H2PdCl4) = 0.05. Sample B was prepared by mixing 3.4 mL of 2 mM H2PdCl4 aqueous solution and 17 mL of ethanol, that is, adjusting the volume ratio of (ethanol) / (H2PdCl4) = 5. A loading Pd was adjusted to 1 wt% with respect to P-doped SnO2 in both samples.Figure 1 shows the comparison of potential-current curves for the ORR of Pd-modified P-doped SnO2. Sample A had higher catalytic activity than sample B. It was found that the ORR activity was improved by reducing the volume ratio of (ethanol) / (H2PdCl4) at the catalyst preparation.AcknowledgmentThis research is supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the Strategic International Joint Research Program (SICORP) of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). In addition, the authors wish to thank the support of JSPS grants-in-aid for scientific research, Suzuki Foundation and Tonen General Sekiyu Research / Development Encouragement & Scholarship Foundation.

The 7th Symposium of JAPAN-ASEAN Science Technology Innovation Platform (JASTIP)

Editorial The 7th Symposium of JAPAN-ASEAN Science Technology Innovation Platform (JASTIP) was successfully held at Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE), Tangerang, Indonesia on October 24, 2019. The forum was organized by JASTIP Headquarters, Kyoto University, and co-organized by Research Center for Biomaterials – Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and Research Center for Biology – Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).JASTIP has been launched by Kyoto University, Japan since fiscal year 2015, within the framework of the Collaboration Hubs for International Research Program (CHIRP) 2015, funded by the Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (SICORP) of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).The present symposium captured a tagline of “Biodiversity, Genetic Resources, and Innovative Bioresource Technology: Toward 2025 Sustainable use of Biodiversity”. Biodiversity and bioresources have always been important fields, especially in Southeast Asia, one of biodiversity hot spots in the world. For instance, Indonesia is one of the 17 megadiverse countries and with 2 of the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots. Wide variation of climate and numerous islands in the region also increased the biodiversity of the region. This high biodiversity can potentially provide rich bioresources and genetic resources. These biodiversity resources are expected to contribute to the sustainable development of the region.List of Editor in Chief, Guest Editor, Section Editor and Managing Editor are available in this pdf.

Strategic Intelligence and International Crisis Behavior

High-quality strategic intelligence is commonly considered to be a stabilizing factor in international relations, steadying decision making and preventing misunderstandings and surprise attacks. This paper challenges this view by arguing that deep intelligence penetrations are some of the most destabilizing forces in high-stakes security crises. By exposing the opponents’ weaknesses and avenues of attack, intelligence penetration not only provides its beneficiaries with a potentially decisive offensive capability but also compels them to use it quickly, before the breach is discovered and the advantage is gone. Also, as the intelligence target is generally unaware of this capability, it does not serve as a deterrent that might force the target to the bargaining table. Thus, paradoxically, opposing sides are more likely to find a peaceful solution to crises when they do not have extensive strategic intelligence on each other.

Strategic International Session (Panel Discussion)

Strategic International Session (Panel Discussion)

Analytical Products of a Scientific Library as a Component of Information Support of International Strategic Communications of the Ukrainian Economy

Analytical Products of a Scientific Library as a Component of Information Support of International Strategic Communications of the Ukrainian Economy

Security Factor in International Strategic Communications with the Participation of Library Institutions

Security Factor in International Strategic Communications with the Participation of Library Institutions

A Study on the International Strategic Alliance and Partner Selection Priority Factors of Chinese National and Public Hospitals

한국 병원 및 의료기관의 해외진출은 2000년대 일부 대기업 주도 및 중·소형 병원들을 기반으로 민간진출을 시작하였고, 2009년 1월 외국인 환자유치 지원법 시행과 2016년 의료수출지원법의 실행을 거쳐 현재까지 약 20년에 걸쳐 진행되어, 타 산업대비 해외진출 실행기간이 짧은 특성을 보유하고 있다. 따라서 선행연구 및 문헌 등 기반 자료들이 단순 설문조사 결과를 활용하였거나, 현지 시장 진출자 시각에서만 연구된 한계점을 보유하고 있다. 본 연구는 중국현지 국·공립병원업계 전문가들의 현지관점 기반에서 국제 전략적 제휴와 파트너 선정을 위한 주요 요인을 선별하고자 3차에 걸친 델파이 조사와 AHP기법을 적용하여 각 요인 간 상대적 중요도 및 전체 순위를 비교 산출하였다. 연구 결과로는 상위항목 11개중 1위 중국정부정책/제도, 2위 의료기술 및 서비스, 3위 중국 병원산업 및 시장 환경 등이 우선항목으로 도출되었으며, 하위요인 42개중 1위 중국 중앙정부 정책 부합성, 2위 신규 의료서비스 확장, 3위 중국현지 의료법숙지, 4위 시장 경쟁력 확보, 5위 신규 의료서비스 실시 등이 우선요인으로 나타났다. 본 연구 결과는 한국 병원 및 의료기관이 중국 병원 및 의료시장 진출을 준비할 때 진출병원의 입장과 현지병원의 시각 차이를 이해할 수 있는 실무 기반자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 보인다.

Expansion to foreign markets: Usaflex

Learning outcomes The case seeks to meet the following educational objectives: provide an understanding of the problems and opportunities faced by a company doing business in a rapidly expanding emerging market. Understand how the foreign environment and industry practices impinge on the company’s strategic conduct. Develop the ability to evaluate strategic internationalization decisions in light of considerations related to uncertainty, risk and commitment. Provide for the application of internationalization theories to a real case involving an emerging country company. Discuss new strategies for international market expansion. Case overview/synopsis This case study is about the strategic change of the Usaflex brand and how it impacted its national and international expansion. Usaflex is a Brazilian footwear company founded in 1998 and acquired in 2016 by a group of partners. The new managers started an accelerated process of national and international expansion. In the domestic market, the company adopted the franchise system and in the international market used licensed stores. In addition, the new management implemented a series of modifications, changing the positioning, design and product variety, as well as the communication strategy. This process took place in a highly negative context, with the domestic market suffering the impact of a strong recession and Brazilian footwear exports losing competitiveness in the international market. Complexity academic level The targeted audience of this case is undergraduate and MBA students of Business Management courses, specifically on International Business courses. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 5: International Business.

Policies Concerning Urban Safety and Urbanization in Istanbul

Taking Newman’s “Defensible Space Theory into consideration, data presented in this article was collected by the International Strategic Research Organization as part of the four year, 2008 – 2012, Istanbul Urban Safety Project. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the study. Quantitative methods included a large questionnaire survey administered to two samples: households and workplaces; together with analysis of secondary data. The qualitative dimension comprised semi-structured, open-ended interviews with a number of senior officials involved in urban safety in Istanbul. This study argues that the state has abandoned its regulatory role within democratic urban politics; instead taking urbanization measures to further advantage the privileged elites at both a local and national level. Furthermore, it proposes that undemocratic urbanization policies are legitimised mainly on the basis of earthquake anxiety, together with some unsubstantiated issues such as security concerns, criminalization and marginalization.