Strategic alliances : fit or failure

Strategic alliances have come to form a structural element within present day economic systems. In spite of a considerable increase in the number of alliances, in practice these are quite often less successful than initially anticipated by the partners involved. These two observations formed the immediate motivation for our research into strategic alliances. The objective of this research was the development of a practical framework for companies, that structures and objectifies the decision making process pertaining to a strategic alliance, thus enhancing the quality of the decision. An essential assumption here, was that the strategic and organisational aspects of a strategic alliance are closely related. In the literature there was a lack of clarity on the question of what actually is a strategic alliance. A supplementary objective was therefore the clear definition of strategic alliances.