scholarly journals How knowledge acquisition creates a competitive edge? A qualitative inquiry from international consultancy alliance

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Shakeel Aslam ◽  
Imran Ali ◽  
Ahmad Qammar ◽  
Lea Kiwan ◽  
Amandeep Dhir
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Competitive Edge ◽  
Chinese Firm ◽  
Alliance Partners

PurposeThe current study attempts to bridge the existing gap related to the role of knowledge acquisition from international alliance partners to improve competitiveness by examining the distinct processes of knowledge acquisition and the challenges confronted in this learning process in order to enhance local and international market performance.Design/methodology/approachFollowing case-study approach based on systematic combining, the study presents a case of knowledge acquisition and learning in the context of an international consultancy alliance between leading Pakistani and Chinese engineering firms using six in-depth interviews of key engineers to explore the dynamic mechanisms for knowledge acquisition and learning from the Chinese firm. Grounded analysis drawn upon the Straussian version of grounded theory (GT) {{Strauss, 1990 #136} Strauss, 1998 #139} is used for data analysis in this research.FindingsIt was found that the processes of explicit and implicit knowledge acquisition from Chinese firms are integrated consultancy working, social and technical adaptability and seeking confirmation about the work done and knowledge/theories and models used in work. However, these processes are quite complex, posing serious challenges for National Engineering Services, Pakistan to acquire the required knowledge, which can be addressed through partners' motivation to share and acquire knowledge, cultural intelligence and friendship and informal association. The study also found that the knowledge acquired from technologically advanced international organizations by the host partner in the international strategic alliance not only provides a competitive edge to the local host in its local market but also builds its capacity to undertake similar projects in other parts of the world, substantially enhancing its market success.Originality/valueAdding up to the current literature that focuses on knowledge acquisition in a parent-subsidiary relationship, the current research proposes a framework for knowledge acquisition in the unique context of international strategic alliances. The research provides managerial guidelines to manage knowledge acquisition for gaining a competitive edge that would be helpful for the managers in the era of growing interdependence among the organizations across the borders.

scholarly journals Strategic alliance motivation for technology commercialization and product development

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 518-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kusumaphorn Sompong ◽  
Barbara Igel ◽  
Helen Lawton Smith
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Market Potential ◽  
Financial Benefit ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alliance Performance ◽  
Alliance Partners

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the relationship among alliance motivation (AM), execution of cooperation (EC) and alliance performance of strategic alliance for commercializing technology and developing products. Design/methodology/approach – The measurements were constructed and tested empirically through a survey of 320 strategic alliances in the food processing industry in Thailand. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were applied to refine scales for measuring AM, execution and cooperation performance. Findings – This research found that firms adopted social interaction with alliance partners in order to establish mutual expectations about technology characteristics, access opportunity and organisational management styles, factors that are shown to have positive influences on both commercial and partnership performance. Findings also confirm a significant positive impact of technology characteristics, access opportunity, market potential and financial benefit on the adoption of a formal partnership agreement, but a significant impact only on commercial performance. Research limitations/implications – Further research should use random samples in different industries in other emerging economies, and other data analysis methods to assess decision-making in strategic technology alliances that may include different types of partnerships. Practical implications – The findings are also useful for managers who leverage operations with external resources obtained through strategic alliances parameters both in the process of managing relationships and achieving results. Originality/value – This article contributes to extant literature by developing a practical measurement system of AM, actual EC and resulting performance in an emerging economy country. It also contributes to clarify the decision-making of firms that form strategic alliances for commercializing technology and developing products to facilitate more quality management research in other industries and countries.

A qualitative study on evolution of relationships between third-party logistics providers and customers into strategic alliances

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjay Sharma ◽  
Aniket Ghosh Choudhury
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Third Party Logistics ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this exploratory study is to highlight the stages in the relationship which eventually lead to an integrated logistics alliance. Design/methodology/approach – The stages involved in the evolutionary process have been explained with the help of concepts of mental models and knowledge-related asymmetries. The study has been justified by applying multiple case research design which involves examples of successful logistics alliances. Findings – The analysis using case study approach provides a detailed overview how third-party logistics providers develop successful relationships with different industry firms over a period of time which eventually lead to innovations benefiting both the partners. Research limitations/implications – In the paper, a qualitative case study methodology has been adopted which is limited in nature when compared to quantitative approach. Nevertheless, the multiple cases discussed in the paper involve organizations from diverse sectors thus providing a holistic perspective and adding value to the current strategic alliance literature. Practical implications – The complete understanding of the concepts discussed in this paper will help companies revisit their business strategies and identify areas of improvements in their current engagement practices with third-party logistics providers. Originality/value – Many a time, relationships fail to develop into an alliance and research related to the attributes causing these failures might be limited. In the past, though many papers have talked about strategic alliances between third-party logistics providers and customers, little has been discussed about how such relationships evolve into successful strategic alliances.

Ethical strategic alliances for the sustainable recovering of a territory

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Silvestri ◽  
Stefania Veltri
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Social Innovations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze a case study of an ethical strategic alliance operating in a depressed territory belonging to the South of Italy, with the aim to investigate whether an alliance guided by ethic principles could be effective in recovering a territory while pursuing, at the same time, economic aims for the alliance itself and for the whole territory. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a case study approach. The analyses of the case data, including in-depth interviews and documentary evidence, interpreted by the authors and supported by literature review, allow for the main research question to be addressed: “Could ethical networks contribute to recover a territory?”. Findings The case analysis delivers new insights into the relationships between business and ethics. The findings also provide evidence that it is possible, even in a depressed area, to conjugate ethics and business with reciprocal advantages for the organizations and the territory, in the light of the creed of the Magna Grecia, kalokagathìa (the good and the beautiful). Social implications The findings of the GOEL strategic alliance provide evidence of the role that could be played by networks in supporting social innovations, thus highlighting clear implications for policy makers, as there is still scarce empirical evidence available to inform governments on how they can influence, support and facilitate the formation of networks. Originality/value This is one of the few studies adopting an ethical perspective in studying alliances and, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the first study pursuing the aim to investigate how and whether an ethical network can succeed in recovering a depressed territory.

Measuring intellectual capital in a firm belonging to a strategic alliance

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefania Veltri ◽  
Andrea Venturelli ◽  
Giovanni Mastroleo
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Expert System ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scant Attention

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a method to measure intellectual capital (IC) in firms involved in strategic alliances, an area that has received scant attention in the literature, as existing research is focused mainly on organizational level mainly and increasingly on macro-level unit such as regions or nations. There are very few works at the meso-level (i.e. alliances, clusters), and the paper aims to fill this void, by providing researchers and practitioners with a tool capable of combining measurement and management aims, developed at organizational level with the active participation of the researchers. Design/methodology/approach – The method of analysis is based on a model formalized through a fuzzy expert system (FES). The FES are able to merge the capabilities of an expert system to simulate the decision-making process with the vagueness typical of human reasoning, maintaining the ability to still have a numeric value as a response. Its construction requires the participation of experts, whose knowledge of the problem is accumulated in the form of blocks of rules. These features make it possible to formalize the decision-making process related to the IC valuation, handling qualitative and quantitative variables, and exploring the cognitive mechanisms underlying this process. Findings – The outcome of the application is a system designed to measure the intangible performance deriving from participation in a strategic alliance using FES. This study contributes to the broadening of the research community’s understanding regarding the alternative measurement of IC created within strategic alliances. Research limitations/implications – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, IC literature lacks methods expressly designed to measure the incremental value of IC originating from collaboration among firms. From a measurement perspective, the results may be regarded as valuable proof that IC performance within strategic alliances can be measured quantitatively. Practical implications – On the management side, the possibility of retracing the determinants of different IC intermediate indicators composing the final IC index allows strategic alliances managers to use this information for decision-making purposes. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge this is the first study applying FES to measure IC in a firm belonging to a strategic alliance. In the authors’ opinion, fuzzy logic methodology, recently applied in empirical work designed to evaluate IC, represents a reliable methodology because of the “fuzzy” nature of IC.

Knowledge management within a strategic alliances context: past, present and future

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisha Bamel ◽  
Vijay Pereira ◽  
Umesh Bamel ◽  
Giuseppe Cappiello
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Intellectual Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current State ◽  
Literature Reviews

Purpose 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. Design/methodology/approach 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. Findings 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. Originality/value 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.

The Sicilian cooperative system of wine production

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-421
Author(s):  
Valeria Borsellino ◽  
Francesca Varia ◽  
Cinzia Zinnanti ◽  
Emanuele Schimmenti
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Cooperative System ◽  
Agricultural Policies ◽  
Strategic Choices ◽  
Wine Production ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Structural Problems ◽  
Long Run

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to verify whether, besides the traditional organisational models mainly implemented by wine-making cooperatives, more modern and hybrid organisational forms can be profitably applied within an increasingly competitive wine market. Design/methodology/approach The study outlined in this paper deployed a mixed method. Specifically, an archived analysis, a survey and a descriptive case study (including visits, interviews and documentary analysis) were the methodological techniques used in this study, which were “in series but integrated” between themselves. In this paper, the landscape of Sicilian wine cooperatives is described by collating and processing different types of statistical sources, which have been integrated by direct surveys undertaken in 2017. Thereafter, the study focussed on a wine cooperative with a specific business model and a strategic edge by analysing its strategic choices and main structural and governance characteristics. Within this case study, a financial ratio analysis, which was based on 2011-2017 financial statements, was conducted to analyse the profitability, financial balance, capital structure and debt relationships of the wine cooperative. Findings The Sicilian wine cooperative system is still predominantly characterised by partial and vertical integration, implemented by cooperatives which elect to sell mainly bulk wine to wine merchants. In such a context, there is scope for other degrees of integration and strategic inter-firm alliances; the latter includes “vertical quasi-integration”. The study demonstrated how the wine cooperative under investigation is overcoming the structural problems of the regional wine sector and why it is retaining such a strategic alliance with one of the most important Italian wine conglomerates. Indeed, it has acquired greater strength and reliability since its collaboration with the aforementioned wine company. Thus, total revenue and the company’s market share of packaged wine have increased. However, there are still margins for improving sales’ profitability. Research limitations/implications This study has territorial limitations but Sicilian wine cooperatives generally play an important role in the regional, Italian and European wine industries. As such, this research should be considered as an exploratory study, deserving further investigation into different strategic choices within the wine cooperative system by performing cross-case comparisons. Results may also be useful in orienting cooperative strategies in Sicily (or further afield) to small-to-medium wine cooperatives, often lacking specific abilities relating to the distribution, marketing and selling of their wine. Public agricultural policies may also be enlightened by these research pathways. Originality/value The authors contend that their study provides hitherto missing information relating to inter-firm strategic alliances, which wine cooperatives might implement to enhance their competitiveness and survive in the long-run.

Knowledge transfer in Hero Motor Corp Ltd.

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 260-263
Author(s):  
Geeta Rana ◽  
Alok Kumar Goel ◽  
Ajay Kumar Saini
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Influencing Factor ◽  
Transfer Of Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us ◽  
Cross Country

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the issues of knowledge transfer in international strategic alliance within Hero Moto Corp. Ltd., an Indian multinational company. International Strategic alliances have been increasing in numbers in the past decades and transfer of knowledge and its transfer in multinational companies is wider debate. The case explores the complex issues involved in cross-organization and cross-country transfer of knowledge. The company has forged a strategic alliance with the US-based Erik Buell Racing for accessing technology and design inputs. Design/methodology/approach – It presents a structured case study that examines a wide range of knowledge transfer issues of international strategic alliance. Findings – It reveals that a major influencing factor is the national culture of the parents and that of the host country which provides the context with in which alliances are operate. It is also explored the ways in which the multi-parentage of strategic alliances influences their Human Resource Management (HRM) policies and practices. Originality/value – It provides plenty of useful information on an issue that affects virtually every employee and organization.

Resource and Risk Management in the Strategic Alliance Making Process

1998 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. K. Das ◽  
Bing-Sheng Teng
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Alliance Partners ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Relational Risk

Resource-based and risk-based views of strategic alliances have not been adequately reflected in the literature. This paper identifies four types of critical resources that the partners bring to an alliance: financial, technological, physical, and managerial resource. It also suggests two basic types of risk in strategic alliances: relational risk and performance risk. The alliance making process is examined in terms of the interactive effects of resource and risk on the orientations and objectives of the prospective alliance partners. Managerial implications are discussed and future research directions indicated in the form of propositions for empirical testing.

Avoiding alliance myopia: forging learning outcomes for long-term success

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 37-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Mazloomi Khamseh ◽  
Maryam Nasiriyar
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Alliance Portfolio ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Intended Learning Outcomes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for understanding the learning outcomes of strategic alliances. Design/methodology/approach – On the basis of two dimensions of any strategic alliance – that is, similarity or dissimilarity of contribution of partners and explorative or exploitative nature of alliance – the author proposes a framework that recognizes four types of learning outcomes. Findings – The distinction of four types of alliance enables the author to identify their distinctive characteristics and learning outcomes. Originality/value – The paper increases the awareness of managers about the learning outcomes of strategic alliances, which helps managers to consider intended learning outcomes not only in planning, managing and evaluating any individual alliance but also in managing the alliance portfolio.

scholarly journals Collaborative Entrepreneurship for Continuous Innovation: A Strategic Alliance Perspective

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ribin Seo
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Interorganizational Learning ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Resource Pooling ◽  
Collaborative Advantage ◽  
Continuous Innovation ◽  
Alliance Partners ◽  
Collaborative Entrepreneurship

Strategic alliances act as a platform to implement collaborative entrepreneurship while exposing a range of challenges. By capitalizing on entrepreneurial opportunities for continuous innovation, alliance partners can promote the productive utilization of resource-pooling systems and facilitate innovation processes for value co-creation. Simultaneously, the heterogeneity of partners in terms of different motivations and interests interferes with the advancement of collaborative entrepreneurship for resource exchange and orchestration. The objective of this paper is thus to explore how to deal with the potential coordination issues that can make an alliance vulnerable and its returns diminished through a preliminary integrative approach to the interface between collaborative entrepreneurship and strategic alliances. From this approach, three elements that can contribute to leverage values of collaborative entrepreneurship for continuous innovation are identified: social capital, entrepreneurial orientation, and interorganizational learning. Based on the discussion about the functions of each element in the context of alliance partners’ dynamic interactions, a model of analysis on collaborative entrepreneurship for continuous innovation is proposed. Hence, this chapter contributes to a better understanding of how firms can enact collaborative entrepreneurship productively to gain greater benefit from the alliance configuration for collaborative advantage.

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