Mariana Dodourova

Motivation, achievements and failure of strategic alliances: The case of Swedish auto-manufacturers in Russia

Purpose – A large number of industrial manufacturers are forming various types of alliances in a bid to improve their competitive position. The number of strategic alliances has almost doubled in the past ten years and is expected to increase even more in the future. However, while many organisations often rush to jump on the bandwagon of strategic alliances, few succeed. The failure rate of strategic alliances is projected to be as high as 70 percent. Interestingly, marriage relationships are found to have similar failure rate. In spite of the high failure rate of strategic alliances, very little is known about the potential failure factors and their possible correlation with alliance motivation and objectives. This paper aims to examine the importance that industrial manufacturers place on various motives for alliance formation and the potential reasons for alliance failure.Design/methodology/approach – This is in the form of a case‐ and survey‐based study of two large Swedish auto‐manufacturers in Russ...

Alliances as strategic tools: A cross‐industry study of partnership planning, formation and success

Purpose – Despite the fact that most studies have been pointing to high failure rates, collaboration remains increasingly popular as an organisational form of economic activity, particularly in technology‐intensive industries. This paper aims to present a cross‐industry qualitative study of the motives and drivers, the decision‐making process, and the success/failure factors of partnership formation.Design/methodology/approach – The results of interview data collected in the computer, telecommunications and media industries (CTMI) indicate that the need to utilise the full value‐creation potential of the firms resources has greatly contributed to the increasing popularity of partnerships in these industries.Findings – Behavioural characteristics, e.g. commitment, coordination and communication among others, are found to play a more significant role in explaining overall partnership success compared with organisational characteristics such as structure and control mechanisms.Originality/value – The study ...

Industry dynamics and strategic positioning in the wireless telecommunications industry: the case of Vodafone Group plc

Examines firm strategic positioning and industry dynamics in the wireless telecommunications industry, and the relationship between the two. The study tracks how a firm adjusts resources and capabilities over time to cope with the shifts affecting its industry. Offers insights on what factors drive collaboration of telecommunications firms across industrial borders. The study is based on data on the collaborative relationships of Vodafone Group Plc over a three‐year period. An examination of the motivation, resource contribution and partner industry of Vodafone’s collaborative relationships is provided, to illustrate the complexity of firm strategic responses to the processes shaping the industry. Investigates the key motives and resource needs that have driven Vodafone in its collaborative agreements, and how the company has repositioned itself for the changing environmental demands. Identifies and analyzes the relative importance of a set of collaborative motives in relation to partner industry and reso...

Research on effectiveness of technology transfer in technology alliances: evidence from Turkish SMEs

ABSTRACT Many SMEs homed in newly industrialised countries are successful international players despite limited technological infrastructure and R&D resources. This study bridges a gap in the extant literature by examining the relationships between characteristics of partnership relationships, knowledge sharing and the effectiveness of technology transfer in partnerships between SMEs in developing countries and firms from developed countries. By studying data from Turkish SMEs and using partial least squares structural equation modelling, we find that explicit knowledge sharing forms the basis of technology transfer. Moreover, our findings demonstrate that explicit knowledge sharing is strongly contingent upon formalised technical support while trust and technical support seemed to be important antecedents of tacit knowledge sharing.