Breaking Up is Never Easy: Planning for Exit in a Strategic Alliance

摘要

Everyone knows how to get into a relationship, but getting out is not so easy. In the pop music song, Paul Simon claimed there were fifty ways to leave your lover, but how much do we know about leaving our corporate alliances? In the last three decades we have witnessed an explosion in'the number of strategic alliances, which we define as cooperative ventures focused on co-development, co-production, and co-marketing that entail risk- and reward-sharing between collaborating parties. The number of alliances continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. For instance, in 2000 alone, approximately 10,200 alliances were formed worldwide. Not only does the number of alliances continue to grow, but so does their significance to the allied firms. A study conducted by Accenture reports that about 25% of executives said alliances account for at least 15% of their market value. Similarly, Partner Alliances reports that 82% of Fortune 1000 CEOs believe alliances will be responsible for more than 26% of their companies' revenues.