Handbook of Strategic Alliances

Covers the research on strategic alliances and serves to lay out a research agenda on collaborative strategy and alliance management. The handbook also covers the theoretical foundations that guide work on inter-firm collaboration, ranging from sociological perspectives to real options theory to diverse traditions within organizational economics.

The Handbook of Strategic Alliances covers state-of-the-art research on strategic alliances and serves to pave the road for future alliance research. Little is understood about the specific managerial challenges involved in establishing and operating alliances from their initial setup and throughout their life cycle. The Handbook is intended to fill this gap by looking inside some of the "black boxes" that have been acknowledged in the alliance literature but seldom opened. Leading scholars and practitioners from around the globe chart the alliance literature, its evolution, current state, and future course. An in-depth look at cross-border alliances is examined; followed by an examination of new alliance forms in the new economy, entrepreneurial networks, and collaborations between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. The Handbook concludes with the examination of methodological issues addressing the prospect for interdisciplinary research.  

Key Features

• Covers the theoretical foundations that guide work on inter-firm collaboration, ranging from sociological perspectives to real options theory to diverse traditions within organizational economics
• Opens the "black boxes" of alliance management across the life-cycle phases
• Examines cross-border alliances followed by an examination of new alliance forms in the new economy, entrepreneurial networks, and collaborations between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations
• Reviews existing methodologies with an emphasis on describing unconventional research and its promise for further advancement in the field  

The introduction of theory interfaces, empirical challenges, unconventional methodologies, and "black box" phenomena are what makes Handbook of Strategic Alliances the perfect resource for students and professional in the areas of Management, Strategy, International business, Organization Behavior / Human Resource Management, Economics, and Sociology.