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The role of strategic alliances in complementing firm capabilities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

John Rice ,
Tung-Shan Liao ,
Nigel Martin  and
Peter Galvin
John Rice
Affiliation:
Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
Tung-Shan Liao
Affiliation:
Yuan Ze University, Chungli City, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Nigel Martin
Affiliation:
The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Peter Galvin
Affiliation:
Northumbria University, Newcastle, England, UK
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Abstract

Strategic alliance research emerged to explain alliance formation based upon transaction cost minimisation and opportunism reduction. Later research, and early research from Japan, emphasised the role of alliances in facilitating the transfer of knowledge between organisations. Most recently, alliance research has focussed on the development of shared, potentially idiosyncratic, resource stocks. This paper builds on this recent research, testing the proposition that alliances are important vehicles allowing firms to access or acquire external resources, hence shoring up capability gaps and building new capabilities as required during firm, product and industry life cycles. Using a sample from Australian manufacturing small-and-medium-sized enterprises, the paper reveals that alliances employed by firms can be viewed as initiatives to either fill a gap in the firm's resource stock or to exploit a perceived opportunity in its operational and strategic environment.

Keywords

strategic alliancesresource based viewcontingencyknowledge searchrisk aversionefficiency seeking
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 18 , Issue 6 , November 2012 , pp. 858 - 869
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2012

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