Theory of Alliances: Partnership and Partner Characteristics

SUMMARY Alliances have been referred to by many other terms such as symbiotic marketing, horizontal integration, collaboration, or strategic partnerships. There is a lot of literature on alliances, although most of that has generally focused upon the nature of alliances, e.g., formality, symmetry, and number. Much less has been written about the characteristics of the alliance partners, e.g., strategic goals, administrative structures, range of activities, etc. There are also very few empirical studies in this area. Based on the limited empirical evidence that is available, the author will integrate partnership and partner characteristics to develop a comprehensive theory of alliances. Such an integration will considerably enhance development of alliance theory as well as help potential partners better understand themselves and their partnerships.