Ard-Pieter de Man

The partner selection process: steps, effectiveness, governance

Selecting the right partner is important for creating value in alliances. Even though prior research suggests that a structured partner selection process increases alliance success, empirical research remains scarce. This paper presents an explorative empirical study that shows that some steps in the partner selection process are more important than others. We also find evidence that a structured partner selection process contributes more to alliance success than an informal process. Another finding is that companies tend to focus on early phases of the partner selection process whereas the data suggest that paying attention to later phases is more important. Finally, alliances are more likely to be successful when the partners pay attention to the legal dimension of their partner selection process. Taking a legal perspective and providing an adequate governance structure for the selection process may diminish conflict between partners and increase success.

Porter on national and regional competitive advantage

In the last decade, the issue of competitiveness has captured an important position on the agenda of politicians and policymakers. The growing strength of Asian firms on the world market has been debated at some length in both the USA and in Europe. In the USA the focus of the debate was on the trade deficit and the weak performance of American firms compared to their Japanese competitors. In the European countries competitiveness became a buzzword in the discussions about rising unemployment. An increase in competitiveness was not only seen as a remedy against the lay-offs in mature industries but was believed to spur growth rates in new hightech sectors as well.