abstract: In this study I investigate the organizational mechanisms (pathways) through which strategic investors can help a firm improve performance. Many commercial banks in China have recently invited foreign banks as strategic investors since China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), hoping to gain managerial and technological knowhow from the foreign banks. Using Shanghai Pudong Development Bank as a representative example, I conduct an in-depth qualitative analysis about how the joining of Citi Bank as a strategic investor has helped the local Chinese bank improve its financial performance. On the basis of a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, I first develop a theoretical model that describes the organizational mechanisms (pathways) through which foreign strategic investors can influence the local bank’s performance. Specifically, by participation in corporate governance, the foreign strategic investor can have a positive influence over the local bank’s strategy development, operational targets, incentive systems, and organizational culture, which consequently lead to improvements in the local banks operations and financial performance. I then use a case study method to substantiate the logic and the pathways of the model with the detailed information collected from the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and Citi Bank strategic alliance. The results are consistent with the model’s descriptive validity. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Business Administration 2015

Les alliances stratégiques connaissent depuis quelques décennies un fort essor tant en termes de pratiques managériales des entreprises qu’en termes de recherches académiques. Cet essor s’est accompagné de nombreuses controverses sur leurs issues (performances) et sur les facteurs les influençant. Par cette recherche, notre objectif est d’appréhender le phénomène des alliances stratégiques asymétriques en identifiant ses principales caractéristiques et les facteurs susceptibles d’influencer positivement ou négativement sa performance. Dans cette perspective, notre première phase de recherche a consisté en la réalisation d’un état de l’art sur les concepts des alliances stratégiques en général, des alliances asymétriques en particulier et de la performance. Sur cette base, nous avons pu établir huit hypothèses de recherche que nous avons ensuite testé en adoptant une démarche qualitative par étude de 10 cas d’alliances asymétriques. Notre application empirique a concerné les alliances stratégiques entre les PME françaises et les firmes multinationales opérant dans l’industrie aéronautique et a été conduite du point de vue des PME impliquées. L’analyse de nos hypothèses de recherche nous a permis d’obtenir trois résultats principaux : l’existence de liens forts entre les spécificités des partenaires et leurs motifs pour ces alliances; l’existence de liens négatifs importants entre certaines asymétries entre les partenaires (taille, culture organisationnelle et expériences d’alliances) et la performance relationnelle ; et l’existence de liens positifs importants entre la complémentarité des ressources des PME et des multinationales impliquées et leurs résultats quantitatifs (performance financière et apprentissage organisationnel). Nos résultats confortent certaines recherches antérieures sur les caractéristiques et la performance des alliances asymétriques. Ils peuvent aussi faire l’objet de recommandations pratiques aux dirigeants des PME impliquées dans ces relations. / Strategic alliances in recent decades experienced a strong growth both in terms of firms management practices and in terms of academic research. This growth has been accompanied by many controversy concerning their outcomes (performance) and the factors influencing these outcomes. Through this research, our objective is to understand the phenomenon of asymmetric strategic alliances by identifying its main characteristics and factors that may positively or negatively influence its performance. In this perspective, our research first phase consisted of the realization of a state of the art on the concepts of strategic alliances in general, asymmetric alliances in particular and performance. On this basis, we established eight research hypotheses that we tested by adopting a qualitative approach by studying 10 cases of asymmetric alliances. Our empirical application concerned strategic alliances between French SMEs and multinational companies operating in the aviation industry and was conducted from the perspective of SMEs involved. Analysis of our research hypotheses allowed us to obtain three main results: the existence of strong links between partners specificities and their alliances motivation; the existence of significant negative links between between partners asymmetries in terms of (size, organizational culture and experiences) and relational performance; and the existence of significant positive relationship between SMEs and multinationals involved resources complementarity and their quantitative results (financial performance and organizational learning). Our results confirm some previous research concerning of asymmetric alliances characteristics and performance. They can also be objects of practical recommendations to managers of SMEs involved in these relationships.

A substantial amount of work in the field of strategic management has attempted to explain the antecedents and outcomes of organizational learning. Though multinational corporations simultaneously engage in various types of tasks, activities, and strategies on a regular basis, the transfer of organizational learning in a multi-task context has largely remained under-explored in the literature. To inform our understanding in this area, this dissertation aimed at synthesizing findings from two parallel research streams of corporate development activities: strategic alliances and acquisitions. Structured in the form of two empirical studies, this dissertation examines: 1) the strategic outcomes of alliance experience of previously allying partners in terms of subsequent acquisition attempts, and 2) the performance implications of prior alliance experience for acquisitions. The first study draws on the relational view of inter-organizational governance to explain how various deal-specific and dyadic characteristics of a partnership relate to partnering firms’ post-alliance acquisition attempts. This model theorizes on a variety of relational mechanisms to build a cohesive theory of inter-organizational exchanges in a multi-task setting where strategic alliances ultimately lead to a firm’s decision to commit further resources. The second study applies organizational learning theory, and specifically examines whether frequency, recency, and relatedness of different dimensions of prior alliances, beyond the dyad-level experience, relate to an acquirer’s superior post-acquisition performance. The hypotheses of the studies are tested using logistic and ordinary least square regressions, respectively. Results analyzed from a sample of cross-border alliance and acquisition deals attempted (for study I) and/or completed (for study II) during the period of 1991 to 2011 generally support the theory that relational exchange determines acquiring firms’ post alliance acquisition behavior and that organizational routines and learning from prior alliances influence a future acquirer’s financial performance. Overall, the empirical findings support our overarching theory of interdependency, and confirm the transfer effect of learning across these alternate, yet related corporate strategies of alliance and acquisition.

This report is based on two different approaches that companies could use in order to develop their business. These approaches are: Social Media Marketing and Strategic Alliances. A detailed theory study explains what these approaches are and how they are used. This study was done from a startup company’s point of view. Startup companies are also called startups and the results found are based on how these two approaches are and could best be utilized by startups.The results indicate that the majority of startups does not utilize the possibility of a business partnership, other than small “deals” made startup to startup. The startups however who are in a business partnership right now or are in the early stage of implementing one could not go into details of what said partnership were, but that terms and conditions had been set.Another result is the correlation between the two different approaches. Social media marketing is one of the first things that startups uses and if marketing and sales are operating at a good level then strategic alliances, or some other business partnership, could be exploited mainly in order to reach mainstream customers. Another result is also the order of how startups usually aims their business. This is described in chapter 4 where figure 3.0 visualizes these aims.Also found is that startups should use social media platforms in order to expose themselves. They should make a strategy revolving their exposure and have a Social Media Manager responsible for implementing the strategy. It’s also important for a company that uses social media as a marketing tool to have a clear message towards its consumers and employees - a cohesive profile amongst all social media. Also, the strategizing procedure is connected to the specific company, meaning that every single company needs to make its own social media strategy.

本論文之研究動機乃基於個人在醫藥相關領域多年的工作經驗，了解台灣製藥業現正處於內需小、廠商多、競爭愈來愈激烈且相互分食之市場環境，加上在現行醫療健保體制及政府相關政策(如cGMP制度)的影響下，尚需面對台灣未來加入WTO可能之衝擊，台灣製藥廠商如何依公司資源優勢尋求聯盟，以提升競爭力，使得企業能夠永續經營，是本研究之動機所在。基於上述之研究動機，本研究以台灣製藥業者為對象，探討下列的問題：(1)聯盟動機與聯盟型態之關係；(2)組織特性與聯盟型態、聯盟管理之關係；(3)聯盟型態與聯盟管理、聯盟績效之關係；(4)聯盟管理與聯盟績效之關係。本研究欲達成之目的有：(1)解析出台灣製藥業所採行之策略聯盟方式，及其如何經由不同之聯盟，以提升企業競爭力；(2)藉由本研究之發現，提供產業內的其他業者於日後進行策略聯盟時之參考。 本論文之研究架構，係由個人之實務經驗，加上參考相關之文獻推導而成，並依架構中各變數之關係設計出問卷，以問卷與訪談併用之方式，鎖定台灣製藥業四家知名企業為訪談對象，推展出四大類命題：聯盟動機、組織特性、聯盟型態及聯盟管理。 經由第五章之個案分析發現，台灣製藥廠商之聯盟方式主要以研究發展聯盟、生產聯盟及共同行銷聯盟為主；在策略聯盟中以降低風險及資源互補為主要動機；另在分析過程中亦發現，學理所稱聯盟管理為影響聯盟績效之重要因素，此點對台灣製藥業而言亦得出相同結果。研究中同時發現，台灣製藥廠商雖已逐漸重視國際化課題，然國際化發展策略及整體規畫仍嫌不足。 在研究過程中，已儘量追求結構之完整，逐步撰寫、推導對台灣製藥業現行策略聯盟之分析，惟仍不免有許多主客觀因素，形成本研究之限制。在後續研究上，建議後續研究者可針對本土規模相當之大型製藥公司間如何進行合作、研擬製藥業相互專業分工或轉型之道、或分析國際化的最佳步驟與途徑等，為台灣製藥業找出值得發展的新契機。

Στην παρούσα διπλωματική γίνεται μία παρουσίαση διεθνών ερευνών που αφορούν μελέτες περιπτώσεων μικρομεσαίων αγροτικών επιχειρήσεων στην Ευρώπη. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, αφορούν την επίδραση των στρατηγικών συμμαχιών για επιτυχημένη διεθνοποίηση των μικρομεσαίων αγροτικών επιχειρήσεων. Επίσης, παρουσιάζονται οι σημαντικότεροι παράγοντες που καθιστούν τις συμμαχίες αυτές βιώσιμες. Τέλος, όσον αφορά την Ελλάδα, αναφέρονται τα σημαντικότερα προβλήματα που υφίστανται στις συνεργασίες μεταξύ αγροτικών μικρομεσαίων επιχειρήσεων και εμποδίζουν τις εταιρίες να αποκομίσουν το μέγιστο όφελος από της συνέργιες αυτές. Συγκεκριμένα, στη διπλωματική εργασία παρουσιάζονται τα παρακάτω τρία άρθρα: 1. Does Network Matter in International Expansion? Evidence from Italian SMEs (Luca Petruzzellis and Antonia Rosa Gurrieri, NOTA DI LAVORO 65.2008, JULY 2008) 2. Determinants of sustainable business relationships in selected German agri-food chains (Nikolai Reynolds, Christian Fischer, Monika Hartmann) 3. Agrifood SMEs in Greece: the role of collective action (Chrysoula Lamprinopoulou and Angela Tregear, Mitchell Ness). / -

臺灣大學校院策略聯盟之研究 摘要 本研究定位在對大學校院競合與階段性策略的宏觀分析，並從教育行政相對位置，檢視大學校院邁向卓越發展的路徑；主要目的係先以文獻探討與文件分析的角度，回顧影響高等教育質量改變的關鍵發展史，探討臺灣大學校院整體之發展理路；其次探討策略聯盟的基本理念與價值；再就策略聯盟的理論基礎進行論述，大學校院建立策略聯盟重要功能的因素，析論策略聯盟的相關模式等，並透過德懷術、深度訪談與小樣本立意抽樣方式等質化與量化的實徵研究，以及藉由檢視先進國家對大學校院策略聯盟的發展與困境，了解臺灣大學校院推動策略聯盟之現況，俾評估當前推動的時機與合理可行的模式雛型，另亦對國際間策略聯盟的趨勢，有簡潔深入的觀察。 從本研究文獻探討發現，世界各主要國家-美國、英國、日本、加拿大，以及澳洲等國的高等教育趨勢，大學校院間不再只是全然競爭的關係，而是轉而為共同生存及發展，展開自發性活動與人為網絡之連結，大學除維持其文明思辯與市場競爭外，似有朝向「活性化」、「個性化」發展的跡象；因此，現階段建構大學校院間，或與其他機構間的策略聯盟合作機制與平臺，以發揮多樣性機能，成了必然的選項與關鍵課題，積極推動策略聯盟實質內容，將更有利於現階段大學校院的發展。 關鍵詞：大學校院、策略聯盟

[pt] Considerando-se o modelo de negócios que norteia as operações das organizações, algumas indústrias apresentam características peculiares que as tornam distintas quando comparadas com as demais indústrias do mercado brasileiro. O setor de telecomunicações é um bom exemplo. Neste segmento, após o processo de privatização, observou-se a ocorrência de intensas transformações, com a existência de um cenário multifacetado, de competição, onde uma empresa pode ser classificada simultaneamente como cliente, fornecedora e concorrente de uma outra organização. Vale ressaltar a rápida obsolescência tecnológica, o que faz com que os participantes deste segmento antecipem movimentos estratégicos na disputa por parcela de mercado, a fim de atingirem suas metas financeiras. Neste contexto, o estabelecimento de alianças e redes estratégicas é uma realidade, onde as parcerias se apresentam com diversas características, conforme os objetivos previamente definidos. Esta pesquisa tem por finalidade avaliar as implicações estratégicas das alianças e redes na obtenção de vantagem competitiva no setor de telecomunicações brasileiro. Para tal, foi realizado um estudo de casos múltiplos com três empresas representativas do setor: a Embratel, a Oi e a Vivo. Além disso, estudou-se a influência das alianças sob a ótica de uma empresa fornecedora de equipamentos de telecomunicações, no caso, a Alcatel- Lucent. Para a realização da pesquisa, adotou-se a estratégia de triangulação dos métodos (YIN, 1996), que se baseia na investigação documental, no levantamento de percepções com a utilização de questionário estruturado, além do levantamento de percepções complementares por intermédio de entrevistas. Na etapa de tratamento e análises dos dados, utilizou-se o modelo genérico-integrativo de Macedo-Soares (2000) e o modelo SNA (Macedo-Soares, 2002) para a análise relacional. Os resultados evidenciaram a importância das alianças e das redes na implementação das estratégias das operadoras. Além disso, foram identificados os fatores organizacionais das empresas que possibilitam capitalizar as suas forças, reduzindo as fraquezas, de forma a explorar as oportunidades e minimizar as ameaças existentes no ambiente externo. / [en] When the business models that guide the operations of organizations are taken into account, some industries present different characteristics which distinguish them from others, this is the case in the Brazilian market too, as can be seen in its telecommunication sector. After privatization took effect, intense transformation in this segment became more than visible in a multifaceted competitive scenario simultaneously classifying companies as customers, suppliers and competitors of another organization. It is worthwhile to emphasize that rapid technological obsoleteness forces the stakeholders in this sector to predict strategies to fight for market-share so that they can reach their financial targets. In these circumstances, coalition and strategic networks do play an important role seeing that due to their predefined goals the partnerships involved have different features. The aim of this research is to evaluate the strategic implications of allies and networks as a way to gain competitive advantage in the Brazilian telecommunication market. As a result, a study of multiple cases, using three companies, Embratel, Oi and Vivo was performed. Besides this, the influence of agreements with a supplier of telecommunication equipment, Alcatel- Lucent was also carried out. In order to accomplish this undertaking, the triangular strategy of methods (YIN, 1996), which is based on systematic investigation of documents and perceptions using a structured questionnaire as well as complementary follow-up interviews were performed. Data were analyzed using the Macedo-Soares generic integrated model (2000) while the SNA model (Macedo-Soares, 2002) was applied to the relational analysis. The results demonstrated the importance of alliances and the implementation of the market players´ strategic networks. In addition to this, organizational factors of the companies, which allow them to capitalize on their strengths, consequently reducing their weaknesses so as to exploit opportunities and minimizing existing external threats, were identified.

L’objectif central de cette recherche est d’explorer la question de la longévité d’une alliance coopétitive. Cette question est largement analysée dans les approches portant sur les alliances tandis qu’elle n’est pas véritablement abordée dans les approches portant sur la coopétition. Or, la dimension temporelle pose une question spécifique lorsque l’on aborde une situation de coopétition. Par définition, la stratégie de coopétition suppose la simultanéité de la compétition et de la coopération. Souvent, ces deux forces se trouvent découplées - par un partage des lieux sur lesquels elles se situent, sur les activités qu’elles réalisent, sur les niveaux qu’elles concernent - sans que le concept de coopétition soit dénaturé. Toutefois, la question de la simultanéité demeure un principe fondamental du concept, lui-même, de coopétition. Cette simultanéité nous semble difficile à instaurer sur la durée. Est-elle soutenable ? Nous considérons les apports des chercheurs portant sur la longévité des alliances et des alliances entre concurrents puis sur les situations de coopétition pour tenter de mettre en évidence les facteurs qui peuvent avoir un effet sur la durabilité des alliances coopétitives. À tel propos, nous soutenons que les similarités de taille, pouvoir, management et culture entre les partenaires, permettent à l’alliance de se prolonger dans le temps. Nous réalisons l’analyse de cas approfondie de l’alliance SEVEL, joint-venture entre PSA et FIAT (50%-50%) qui dure depuis quarante ans. Dans ce cas, les partenaires sont placés en situation de coopération pour la production et en situation de concurrence pour la commercialisation des modèles sous leurs marques propres. Au-delà de la longévité exceptionnelle de cette alliance, nous tentons d’analyser la durabilité de la coopétition en situant précisément les moments au cours desquels les partenaires se trouvent en concurrence et en coopération.Nos résultats dérivent d’une riche analyse documentaire, de l’analyse de contenu de 22 entretiens semi-directifs et des statistiques descriptives d’une base de données de 457 alliances du secteur automobile mondial. Les personnes interrogées soutiennent que dans l’automobile les entreprises ne s’engagent pas pour des projets sur le long terme et que la longévité est expliquée principalement par la performance des résultats de l’alliance. L’analyse quantitative met en évidence que, dans ce secteur, beaucoup d’alliances s’arrêtent de manière précoce. Toutefois, un nombre important d’alliances arrive à dépasser la dixième année de vie, notre mesure de longévité. En ce qui concerne la symétrie des partenaires, notre deuxième objectif, les entretiens font émerger l’idée que cette variable aide les partenaires à continuer leurs projets de coopétition mais elle n’est pas le seul facteur explicatif de la longévité. Les statistiques descriptives soulignent, finalement, que les alliances les plus durables sont celles dans lesquelles les partenaires participent de manière égalitaire au projet coopétitif. / In this research, we focus our attention on the coopetitive alliance longevity. This question has been analyzed in the alliances approaches, while it is not really addressed in approaches of coopetition. In this research, we argue that the temporal dimension poses a specific question when we focus on a coopetition situation. Coopetition strategy supposes the simultaneity of competition and cooperation. Often, these two forces are decoupled by a sharing of places where they are located, on activities or on the levels they concern (individual, organizational, inter-organizational) without the concept of coopetition being denatured. However, the question of simultaneity remains a fundamental principle of the concept itself of coopetition. However, this simultaneity seems difficult to implement over time. Is it sustainable?We consider the contributions of researchers on the longevity of alliances and on the alliances between competitors then, on the coopetition situations and we try to highlight the factors that can have an effect on the sustainability of coopetitive alliances. In this regard, we argue that the similarities in size, power, management and culture between the partners allow the alliance to extend over time. To answer to our research question, we carry out the in-depth case analysis of the SEVEL alliance, a 50%-50% joint venture between PSA and FIAT that has lasted forty years. In this case, the partners are placed in a situation of cooperation for production and in a situation of competition for the commerce of the models under their own brands. Beyond the exceptional longevity of this alliance, we try to analyze the sustainability of coopetition by precisely locating the moments in which the partners are exactly in competition and cooperation.Our results derived from a rich archive analysis, a content analysis of 22 semi-structured interviews and descriptive statistics from a database of 457 alliances in the global automotive industry. Our interviewees argue that in the automotive industry, companies do not commit to long-term projects and that longevity is explained by the performance of the alliance results. Quantitative analysis shows that, in this sector, many alliances stop early. However, a significant number of alliances happen to exceed the tenth year of life, our longevity measure. Concerning the “symmetry of the partners”, our second objective, the interviews defend the idea that this variable helps the partners to continue their coopetition projects but it is not the only explanatory factor of longevity. Finally, descriptive statistics highlight that the most durable alliances are those in which the partners participate equally in the coopetitive project.

This research investigates the antecedents and consequences of relational capabilities in the context of strategic alliance projects between MNE subsidiaries and local suppliers in the Thai manufacturing sector. The need to understand the relational capabilities approach is recognised in management literature, especially the ambiguous effects of the relational and economic dimensions, on relational capabilities in cross-cultural alliance projects. In particular, academics have highlighted the importance of relational capabilities, trust and transaction cost factors in that they play important roles in determining alliance success, especially in the context of cross-cultural alliances. A theoretical framework is developed which, first, explores the antecedents and barriers of relational capabilities and second, examines the multiple mediation effect of these on the link between inter-organizational conditions and alliance performance. The research design is aligned with quantitative methodology. The theoretical frameworks were tested using the data obtained from 156 strategic alliance projects between MNE subsidiaries and local suppliers in the Thai manufacturing sector with hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrapping technique. The empirical results indicate that inter-personal trust, inter-organizational trust and asset specificity are antecedents of relational capabilities, while HR distance between alliance partners is not a barrier of these capabilities. Moreover, the empirical outcomes in relation to the indirect effect of the relational and economic dimensions on alliance performance through knowledge sharing routines and complementary capability are supported. However, the remaining hypotheses pertaining to the expectation that effective governance mechanisms are mediators on those relationships are rejected. This is explained by the fact that trust-based relationships are so deeply embedded in the Thai manufacturing sector that they predominate over such mechanisms. The contribution of this research is twofold: first, in terms of academic advancement, it combines the arguments of trust and TCE to provide a holistic view in explaining antecedents and consequences of relational capabilities. Second, in terms of practical contribution, it improves the understanding of practitioners both purchasing managers of MNE subsidiaries and sales managers, regarding the alignment of trust and asset specificity with relational capabilities to achieve better performance in cross-cultural strategic alliance projects.