- Research Article
- Published:
Alliance motivations, control mechanisms and alliance performance: Evidence from China
Frontiers of Business Research in China volume 3, pages 103–119 (2009)
Abstract
Strategic alliance can aid firms to build and sustain their competitive advantages. Firms set up strategic alliance mainly for two purposes: resource acquisition and capability learning. Formal control and social control are two widely adopted control mechanisms to secure the effectiveness of strategic alliance. In this study, we construct a model to analyze the choice of control mechanisms based on alliance motivations and the influence of control mechanisms on alliance performance. Based on a survey of 607 Chinese firms, we find that when resource acquisition is the key motivation behind alliance, formal control should be enhanced. Whereas when capability learning is the main purpose of alliance, social control becomes a better choice. Furthermore, this research also finds that the impact of both formal control and social control on alliance performance are nonlinear. Suggestions are provided on how to effectively use control mechanisms to attain the purposes of strategic alliance and on how to use control mechanisms to enhance alliance performance.
摘要
企业为了不同的目标 (资源获取和能力学习) 建立战略联盟, 而有效的联盟 控制机制 (正式控制和社会控制) 是实现目标的重要保证. 从企业间战略联盟的动 机出发, 提出了实现不同的联盟目标所应采取的控制方式, 并研究了不同的联盟控 制方式对于联盟绩效的影响. 通过中国企业间联盟的数据的实证检验, 发现当资源 获取是联盟的主要动机时, 正式控制应当被增强; 而当能力学习是联盟的主要动机 时, 社会控制则是更好的选择. 同时, 还发现正式控制和社会控制对联盟绩效的影 响是非线性的.
References
Amit R, Schoemaker P J H (1993). Strategic assets and organizational rent. Strategic Management Journal, 14(1): 33–46
Armstrong J S, Overton T (1997). Estimating non-response bias in mail surveys. Journal of Marketing Research, 14: 396–402
Barney J B (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17: 99–120
Churchill G A (1979). A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs. Journal of Marketing Research, 16: 64–73
Das T K, Teng B S (1998). Resource and risk management in strategic alliance making process. Journal of Management, 24(1): 21–42
Dyer J H (1997). Effective inter-firm collaboration: How firms minimize transaction costs and maximize transaction value. Strategic Management Journal, 18: 535–556
Dyer J, Singh H (1998). The relational view: Cooperative strategy and sources of inter-organizational competitive advantage. Academy of Management Review, 23(4): 600–679
Fornell C, Larcker D F (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18: 39–50
Fryxell G E, Dooley R S, Vryza M (2002). After the ink dries: The interaction of trust and control in U.S. based international joint ventures. Journal of Management Studies, 39(6): 865–886
Gencturk E F, Preet S A (1995). The use of process and output controls in foreign markets. Journal of International Business Studies, 26: 755–786
Geringer J M, Herbert L H (1990). Measuring performance of international joint ventures. Journal of International Business Studies, 3: 249–265
Grewal R, Tansuhaj P (2001). Building organizational capabilities for managing economic crisis: The role of market orientation and strategic flexibility. Journal of Marketing, 65: 67–80
Hitt M, Dacin M, Tina L E, Arregle J, Borza A (1996). Partner selection in emerging and developed market contexts: Resource-based and organizational learning perspectives. Academy of Management Journal, 43: 449–467
Hitt M A, Hoskisson R E (1996). The market for corporate control and firm innovation. Academy of Management Journal, 39(5): 1084–1119
Leidner A (2001). Knowledge management and knowledge management system: Conceptual foundations and research issues. MIS Quarterly, 25(1): 107–132
Lovett S, Simmons L, Kali R (1991). Guanxi versus the market: Ethics and efficiency. Journal of International Business Studies, 30(2): 231–248
Luo Yadong (2002). Contract, cooperation, and performance in international joint ventures. Strategic Management Journal, 23: 903–919
Mjoen H, Tallman S (1997) Control and performance in international joint ventures. Organization Science, 18(3): 257–274
Nunnally J C (1978). Psychometric Theory (2nd edition). New York: McGraw-Hill
Penrose E T (1959). The Theory of the Growth of the Firm. New York: John Wiley
Steensma H K, Lyles M A (2000). Explaining IJV survival in a transitional economy through social exchange and knowledge based perspective. Strategic Management Journal, 21(8): 831–852
Tarun K (1998). The dynamics of learning alliances: Competition, cooperation, and relative scope. Strategic Management Journal, 19: 193–210
Teece D J, Pisano G, Shuen A (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18: 509–533
Uzzi B (1997). Social structure and competition in inter-firm networks: The paradox of embeddedness. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(1): 37–69
王 蔷 (Wang Qiang) (2000). 战略联盟内部的相互信任及其建立机制 (Mutual trust and its mechanism within strategic alliance). 南开맜理评论, (3)
张 延峰, 刘 益, 李 垣 (Zhang Yanfeng, Liu Yi, Li Yuan) (2002). 国内外战略联盟理论研究评论 (A review of domestic and foreign studies on strategic alliance theory). 南开맜理评论, (2)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
__________
Translated and revised from Nankai guanli pinglun 南开맜理评论 (Nankai Business Review), 2007, (5): 4–11
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Su, Z., Xie, E. & Li, Y. Alliance motivations, control mechanisms and alliance performance: Evidence from China. Front. Bus. Res. China 3, 103–119 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11782-009-0006-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11782-009-0006-2