Organisations are faced with the reality of having to compete on the global market. It has therefore become critical now more than ever, for managers of these organisations to adopt strategies that will ensure competitive advantage and sustainability into the future. Knowledge has been identified as a strategic asset that can be leveraged to gain this competitive advantage. Unfortunately, the nature of organisations prevents them from having the ability to hire new individuals each time a knowledge gap is identified. Strategic alliances have identified as platforms where knowledge possessed by an alliance partner can be accessed by the other party through the process of knowledge transfer. In order for this process to be effective, both the teaching and the learning partner have to have certain organisational values that promote the transfer of knowledge. This study investigated the organisational values that promoted knowledge transfer in strategic alliances within the context of the construction industry. An additional dimension of knowledge context, i.e. whether knowledge is technical or non-technical, was also investigated to assess if it had a bearing on the organisational values required for knowledge transfer. The study also sought to establish how tensions caused by conflicting values were managed in the context of strategic alliances. The research took the form of an exploratory qualitative study where twelve managers of EPCM/construction companies were interviewed. The insights drawn from the respondents then formed the basis of the research findings. The research identified willingness to learn, willingness to teach, relationship, trust and quality focus as the top five most cited organisational values that are perceived to promote knowledge transfer in strategic alliances. The conflicting organisational values of adaptability and predictability were found to promote technical and non-technical contexts, respectively, and a model was developed on how to effectively manage tensions between alliance partners. Recommendations were then made to managers and academics. / Dissertation (MBA) --University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

In an increasingly volatile business environment, new product introduction is no longer a strategic option but a necessity for companies to sustain competitive advantage and for countries to achieve national economic prosperity. This is particularly true in such emerging economies as People's Republic of China, where traditional manufacturing enterprises are striving to achieve the move from 'Made in China' to 'Created in China'. Focusing on the issue of new product introduction by strategic alliances, I propose a theoretical model on the relationship between procedural justice, cross-functional integration and new product introduction. Albeit the notion that cross-functional integration can greatly facilitate the successful implementation of projects is widely acknowledged, contemporary research on cross-functional integration and new product introduction has paid insufficient attention to the issue of procedural justice. Research on whether, how and when cross-functional integration and new product development could be facilitated or promoted from a justice perspective is still in its infancy. Based on the findings of my field study in 2015-2016, I consider it necessary to take into account the effect of procedural justice in current streams of research on cross-functional integration and new product introduction. I argue firms that establish strategic alliances should pay greater attention to the issue of procedural justice in new product introduction. Moreover, I posit that the relationship between procedural justice and new product introduction is mediated by cross-functional integration. Finally, to address the discrepancies in previous research regarding the relationship between cross-functional integration and new product development, I test the effect of an insufficiently tested moderator, i.e., actual new product introduction strategy, on that relationship. Analyzing data from multiple sources in China, I obtain evidence in support of these arguments, finding procedural justice to exert a positive effect on new product introduction, and cross-functional integration and new product introduction strategy to exert a partial mediating effect and moderating effect, respectively.

Airlines wanting to cooperatively set prices for their international air travel service must apply to the relevant authorities for antitrust immunity (ATI). Whether consumers, on net, benefit from a grant of ATI to partner airlines has caused much public debate. This paper investigates the impact of granting ATI to oneworld alliance members on their price, markup, and various measures of cost. The evidence suggests that implementation of the oneworld alliance without ATI did not have a statistically significant impact on the markup of products offered by the members, and there is no evidence that the subsequent grant of ATI to various members resulted in higher markups on their products. We find evidence suggesting that the grant of ATI facilitated a decrease in partner carriers’ marginal and fixed costs. Furthermore, member carriers’ price did not increase (decreased) in markets where their services do (do not) overlap, implying that consumers, on net, benefit from the grant of ATI in terms of price changes.

The international liner shipping industry has been undergoing major structural changes caused by a number of factors. Liner companies have responded to these challenges by engaging in mergers and acquisitions and by forming global strategic alliances. Many of these organizational changes have reportedly been undertaken to achieve, among other things, economies of scale. This paper systematically addresses two questions — whether there are economies of scale in international liner shipping, and if so, what are the implications of those economies for industry structure. To determine whether scale advantages exist, George Stigler's "Survivorship Principle" is used with current data in three phases. All three phases of the study show that increasing returns to scale are present. In each application of the survivorship test, small and medium sized firms experienced significant decline in their share of the industry's capacity, while the largest firms continued to gain market share over the 20-year test period. The existence of economies of scale at both the firm and plant level is most pronounced during the shorter 1987-1997 period, subsequent to significant regulatory changes. The study empirically verifies that economies of scale in liner shipping have been increasing in response to technology-driven productivity growth, regulatory changes, and higher world-wide trade flows. The pursuit of economies of scale also appears to be contributing to the consolidation occurring in the industry today via both mergers and acquisitions, and the formation of global strategic alliances. Lastly, the study discusses the implications of economies of scale on firm structure within the context of current industry economics, and evaluates business strategies presently being pursued. / Master of Arts

No / Purpose ¿ To explore alliance managers' perceptions of the most significant determinants of strategic alliance success in the software sector. Design/methodology/approach ¿ The study is based on 30 key informant interviews and a survey of 143 alliance managers. Findings ¿ While both structural and process factors are important, the most significant factors affecting alliance success are the adaptability and openness of the alliance partners, human resource practices and partners' learning capability during implementation. Alliance partners should pay more attention to operational implementation issues as an alliance evolves, in order to achieve successful cooperative relationships. Research limitations/implications ¿ This research has responded to the call for more empirical study of the underlying causes of successful alliances. It contributes to the ongoing debate about which factors have most impact on strategic alliance outcomes, and complements prior research on several dimensions. First, using selected interview quotations to illuminate the quantitative analysis, it contributes to a deeper understanding of the alliance process, and reduced the ambiguity about which factors are most influential. In particular, the study provides support for those authors who have argued for the relative importance of the alliance implementation process. Second, support has also been found for the prominence of learning capability and the inter-partner learning process as a major component of effective alliance implementation. Third, the results are based on the views of practicing alliance managers, which addresses a recognized gap in the literature. Practical implications ¿ The results send a signal to senior managers contemplating strategic alliances that they should not underestimate the importance of alliance process factors and the role that alliance managers play in achieving successful alliance relationships. This is particularly important, given the high levels of alliance failure reported in the extant literature. Originality/value ¿ While past research on strategic alliances has placed more emphasis on the importance of alliance formation than on implementation, there is an ongoing debate about whether structural, formation factors have more influence on alliance success than implementation or process factors. There has been only limited empirical work examining this interplay between structure and process, particularly from an operations perspective, and very few studies have examined strategic alliances in the software industry.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references.

This study offers insight into the perceived leadership behaviour of sales managers in a pharmaceutical organisation in South Africa. The study specifically investigated the extent of the relationship between leadership behaviour of sales managers and motivation of sales teams during the implementation of strategic alliances. The study followed a mixed methods approach and had a correlational research design. The population in this study was the fifty four (54) sales representatives and their respective sales managers of the six sales teams identified, who are directly responsible for implementing strategic alliances. The population was demarcated into six (6) sales teams with each team reporting to a separate sales manager. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The quantitative data were analysed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r). The qualitative component was analysed using a content analysis. The findings of the correlation analysis suggest that an overall positive and moderate relationship exist between autocratic leadership behaviour of sales managers and the motivation of sales teams. A similar relationship exists between team leadership and extrinsic motivation. A positive and weak relationship exists between directive and supportive leadership and motivation. Similarly, a positive and weak relationship exists between team leadership and intrinsic motivation. However, the extent to which these relationships exist varies between the sales teams. The findings of the content analysis indicate that task-oriented leadership behaviour may exert the strongest motivator for sales teams when implementing strategic alliances. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This Study Project attempted to understand and analyse the key elements of strategic alliances in order to develop a practical model and structured approach for business to successfully justify, identify, assess, select, implement and manage alliances that will create maximum value for all parties involved and enhance the likelihood of alliance success. The objective was to obtain an end-ta-end and integrated picture of how to successfully apply strategic alliance as a business tool in today's dynamic and challenging business environment. The study showed that companies of today are facing an overwhelming number of external and internal challenges and pressures. These challenges are putting increased pressure on companies' resources, skills, management and other capabilities to develop new strengths and deliver products and services quicker and at a lower cost. Traditional methods of addressing these challenges, such as internal resource development or acquisition of a business that possesses the required capabilities, are proving to be inadequate and often force companies to sacrifice essential elements such as: speed to market, organisational agility and control. Strategic alliances offer an alternative. Strategic alliances can offer significant advantages for companies who are lacking in particular competencies or resources by securing these through links with partners who possess complementary skills or assets and may also offer easier access to new markets and opportunities for mutual synergy and learning. Alliances will avoid the permanency of strategies such as mergers and acquisitions and enable two-directional exchange of resources and competencies as apposed to the pure financial nature of outsourcing. The first step in the alliance process is the formulation of the alliance strategy. The alliance strategy will dictate which partner and alliance form is most appropriate, what the company expects to get out of the alliance and how risks will be managed. The alliance strategy is a building block or extension of the corporate strategy and must be aligned with the mission, goals and objectives that were set by the strategic process. The formulation of the alliance strategy must be based on an analysis of the external market circumstances and the company's internal resources and competitive capabilities. By defining an alliance strategy the company ensures that all alliances-related activities are consistent and structured. Once the strategic alliance strategy, objectives and format has been determined the company can start to identify and select a partner that has got the ability and competency that is required by the alliance and at the same time has got a similar need to be involved in the alliance. Partner selection requires a structured process to ensure that the alliance strategy and selected form is translated into and represented by key business attributes or areas that are affected by the alliance. The organisation must be clear about what its strategic objectives are and what the partner profile is it is looking for. These objectives are linked to criteria or requirements that the potential partner must comply to, in order to meet the alliance objectives. The partners are now ready to determine how each organisation will engage with the other to reach common objectives of the alliance. This is achieved through a process of negotiation and work definition. The negotiation is 'non zero-sum based' which means that one company's gain is not at the loss of the other company. The alliance business plan is developed during this stage and acts as the blueprint of the future alliance operations. During this stage it is crucial that the leadership of the two companies is actively involved and visible in the process. Managing strategic alliances introduces a complex combination of new management challenges that often need to be coordinated and addressed. It is the alliance management's responsibility to establish a relationship of trust between the companies, address cultural issues and ensure that there is a continuous process of two-way learning. These solutions and the original alliance agreement will however be temporary because the alliance is founded upon relationships that have a dynamic of their own and are subject to the influence of external changes bearing on the alliance, which requires that the alliance needs to transform and adapt to these changes on a regular basis. Strategic alliances are certainly not a new concept in South Africa. But the adoption rate of strategic alliances seem to be slow compared to world standards and opportunities for both local and international alliances have not been capitalised on. Alliances can enable South African companies to remove unnecessary duplication between companies, access international skills and technology, build on synergies and reach global markets in a cost effective and swift way. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING:Die doel van hierdie Studie Projek was om die sleutelkomponente van strategiese alliansies te ontleed en te verstaan om sodoende 'n praktiese model en gestruktureerde benadering vir besigheid te ontwikkel om alliansies suksesvol te kan regverdig, identifiseer, analiseer, selekteer, implementeer en bestuur om maksimum waarde vir alle partye betrokke te skep asook die alliansie se waarskynlikheid van sukses te verhoog. Die doelwit was om 'n geintegreerde end-tot-end beeld te verkry van hoe om strategiese alliansies suksesvol aan te wend as 'n besigheidsgereedskapstuk in vandag se dinamiese en uitdagende besigheidsomgewing. Die studie het gewys dat besighede van vandag 'n oorweldigende aantal eksterne en interne uitdagings en druk moet verwerk. Hierdie uitdagings sit toenemende druk op maatskappy hulpbronne, vaardighede, bestuur en ander bevoegdhede om nuwe sterkpunte te ontwikkel en produkte en dienste vinniger en teen laer koste te verskaf. Tradisionele metodes hoe om hierdie uitdagings te adresseer soos interne hulpbronontwikkeling of aanskaffing van 'n besigheid wat die nodige bevoegdheid besit, is bewys om onvoldoende te wees en forseer maatskappye gereeld om essensiële elemente soos: tyd na die mark, organisasie buigbaarheid en beheer op te offer. Strategiese alliansies bied 'n alternatief aan. Strategiese alliansies kan maatskappye wat 'n tekort het aan spesifieke vaardighede of hulpbronne, betekenisvolle voordele bied deur middel van 'n skakel met 'n vennoot wat oor komplementerende vaardigehede en hulpbronne beskik asook makliker toegang gee tot nuwe markte en geleenthede gebasseer op sinergië en kennis uitruil. Alliansies sal die permanentheid van strategië soos samesmeltings en aanwendings vermy en maak tweerigting uitruil van hulpronne en vaardighede moontlik teenoor the suiwer finansiële natuur van besigheid uitfaseer. Die eerste stap in die alliansie proses is die formulering van die alliansie strategie. Die alliansie strategie sal dikteer waarom een vennoot en alliansie vorm beter is as enige ander beskikbare opsie, wat die maatskappy verwag om uit die alliansie te kry en hoe risiko's bestuur sal word. Die alliansie strategie is 'n bou blok of verlenging van die korporatiwe strategie en moet belyn wees met die missie en doelwitte wat bepaal is gedurende die strategiese proses. Die formulering van die alliansie strategie moet gebasseer wees op 'n analiese van die eksterne markomstandighede en die maatskappy se interne hulpbronne en kompeternde vaardighede. Die definering van die alliansie strategie verseker dat alle alliansie-verwante aktiwiteite konsikwent en gestruktureerd gedoen word. Sodra die strategiese alliansie strategie, doelwitte en alliansie formaat bepaal is kan die maatskappy begin om 'n vennoot te identifiseer en te selekteer wat beskik oor die vermoë en vaardigehede wat benodig word deur die alliansie en terselftertyd ook 'n soortgelyke behoefte het om betrokke te raak by die alliansie. Vennootseleksie vereis 'n gestruktureerde proses om te verseker dat die alliansie strategie en geselekteerde form omgeskakel word in 'n en verteenwoordig word deur sleutel besigheidskenmerke of areas wat geaffekteer word deur die alliansie. Die besigheid moet duidelik wees oor wat die strategiese doelwitte is en wat die vennoot profiel is wat verlang word. Hierdie doelwitte word verbind aan kriteria of vereistes waaraan die voornemende vennoot moet voldoen om te verseker dat die alliansie doelwitte bereik word. Die venote is nou reg om te bepaal hoe elke organisasie met die ander sal handel om sodoende die ooreengekome doelwitte van die alliansie te bereik. Dit sal bereik word deur 'n proses van onderhandeling en werk definisie. Die onderhandelinge is nie gebasseer op wen en verloor nie, wat beteken dat een maatskappy se wins is nie die ander maatskappy se verlies nie. Die alliansie besigheidsplan word ontwikkel gedurende hierdie fase en dien as 'n uitleg vir die toekomstige alliansie funksies. Dit is krities dat die maatskappye se leiers aktief betrokke raak by die proses op hierdie tydstip. Die bestuur van strategiese alliansies stel bekend 'n komplekse kombinasie van nuwe bestuur uitdagings wat gekoordineer en geadresseer moet word. Dit is die verantwoordelikheid van die alliansie bestuur om 'n verhouding van vertroue tussen die organisasies te vestig, kulturele probleme te adresseer en te verseker dat daar 'n deurlopende proses van twee-rigting kennis uitruil is. Hierdie oplossings asook die oorspronklike alliansie ooreenkoms sal egter tydelik wees as gevolg van die feit dat die alliansie gebasseer is op verhoudinge wat dinamies is en afhanklik is van eksterme veranderinge wat 'n invloed het op die alliansie en vereis daarom dat die alliansie gedurig moet aanpas by die veranderinge. Strategiese alliansies is glad nie 'n nuwe konsep in Suid Afrika. Die aanneem tempo van strategiese alliansies in vergelyking met wêreld standaarde is egter heelwat stadiger en geleenthede vir beide plaaslike en internasionale alliansies is nog nie op gekapitaliseer nie. Alliansies stel Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye in staat om onnodige duplikasie tussen mekaar te verwyder, toegang te kry tot internasionale vaardighede en tegnologie, te bou op sinergië en wereld markte te bereik in 'n koste effektiewe en spoedige wyse.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / Crowdsourcing is a new phenomenon, giving companies the ability to tap into the wisdom of crowds in order to solve complex problems, often at a fraction of the cost. In this document, the viability of crowdsourcing from the supply side is investigated with a market research questionnaire at the core of the research. Firstly, an overview of the current online crowdsourcing landscape is given with a focus on the big players, followed by a literature study on the motivation of solvers and their associated compensation needs. Because of the nature of crowdsourcing, an assumption is made that knowledge workers will be the biggest contributors in the form of solvers; this presumption is demonstrated by analysing responses to the questionnaire. The following research question is answered: What are the needs and profile of the solvers (supply side) of an internet platform that uses the principle of crowdsourcing to solve complex problems? It also answers the questions of many online crowdsourcing enthusiasts with regards to the typical solver and what their needs are, specifically with regards to compensation structures on these platforms. The typical solver profile was found to be predominantly male between the ages of 19 and 37, with a tertiary education or busy earning a degree of some sort and a strong will to become wealthy through applying this knowledge. These typical solvers have a primary objective to earn money with 100 per cent of the incentive paid to one „winner‟. They will participate more than three times even if they do not „win‟ the challenge and expect to earn more that R1 000 but less than R10 000 per day for this type of work. Certain limitations of the study are also addressed, like the clear self-selection bias and difficulty to generalise the findings to a well-defined group of people, as became evident from analysing questionnaire findings.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Many multi-business unit organisations are not adequately prepared to deal with and capitalise on the opportunities that exist because they have a multi-faceted company structure. Increasingly, organisations are combining their efforts to exploit business opportunities and collaboration is becoming a key strategic tool. Collaboration provides ways to tap into competencies and organisational knowledge that might otherwise be trapped in business units. It is essential that these pockets, or silos, of excellence be harnessed to promote value-creating activities. The focus of this case study is on GEA Group Companies operating within the ambit of Sub-Saharan Africa. These companies exhibit a classical multi-business unit organisation with many opportunities for intra- as well as intercompany collaboration. Informal channels for collaboration may exist, but if GEA is able to collaborate more effectively internally, growth and value creation opportunists will be easier to exploit. This study has investigated the state of the current business models of the various GEA Group companies as well as the current collaboration efforts that are in place. The study has also explored the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the various business models as well the key factors influencing collaboration efforts within GEA. Based on the results of interviews and surveys that evaluated the business models and intercompany collaboration efforts, recommendations for improvements are made and an intercompany collaboration model proposed for GEA companies in Sub-Saharan Africa.