Strategic motives for international alliance formation

Article Abstract:

This paper considers the strategic motivation for international alliance formation for a sample of UK firms with partners in western Europe, the United States and Japan. The relative importance of a set of strategic motives is identified and related to extant theory. A parsimonious set of strategic motives for the sample studied is provided by means of factor analysis. The paper identifies the main strategic motives for alliance formation by UK firms as intrinsically linked to the market and geographical expansion of the firm and that the main strategic motives are underpinned by the theories of strategic positioning and organizational learning. This study also finds that some of the often suggested motives for alliance formation found in the literature, in particular aspects of risk reduction associated with new projects, appear not to be particularly important motivating factors. Hypotheses are tested on the relationship between the relative importance of individual strategic motives and a number of characteristics of the sample - contractual form of the alliance, relative partner size, primary geographical location of the venture, industry of the alliance and partner nationality. Implications of the findings for future theorizing on alliances and their motives is identified. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Foreign operations, International business enterprises, Multinational corporations, Corporations, Strategic alliances (Business), Corporations, British

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The limits of employee involvement: profit sharing and disclosure of information

Article Abstract:

This article seeks to explore the ways in which profit sharing is used by employers as a means of securing more employee involvement. Although this is the main reason employers have given for introducing profit sharing, and has been a principal obejective of the government's recent initiative over profit-related pay, the evidence suggests that little so far has been achieved. By examining employers' deep seated concerns about some of the implications of profit sharing, particularly those that involve disclosure of information, this article argues that employers are reluctant to pursue such a strategy of involvement because of the risk of stimulating employees to demand greater influence in how the enterprise is managed. This prompts a consideration of the conceptual ambiguity surrounding the notion of employee involvement, and the article concludes that the contradictory implications this entails for employers renders it largely impotent except at the level of rhetoric. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Research, Participatory management, Profit sharing

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Empowerment and accountability: evidence from the UK privatized water industry

Article Abstract:

The impact of empowerment, accountability initiatives adopted for organizational changes are evaluated, by focusing on the United Kingdom's private water industry.

United Kingdom, Water Supply and Irrigation Systems, Management dynamics, Water supply, Water Utilities, Management, Evaluation, Organizational change, Company business management, Power and responsibility

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