Browsing by Subject "Strategic alliances (Business)"
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Item A case study of interinstitutional cooperation of three private institutions of higher learning in Abilene, Texas(Texas Tech University, 1997-12) Armstrong, Randy L.The research problem was to determine and describe the historical development from 1906 to the present the formal and informal examples of interinstitutional and consortial collaboration of three private, churchrelated institutions of higher learning located in Abilene, Texas. The purpose of this case study was to formulate suggestions that similar institutions could draw on when trying to duplicate or improve comparable collaborative endeavors. It was assumed that knowledge derived from a case study of Hardin-Simmons University. Abilene Christian University, and McMurry University, may contribute to a better understanding of this and other similar interinstitutional collaboration. The methodology consisted of established and accepted precepts of historical research and interviewing techniques. A timeline of interinstitutional cooperation and consortial endeavor among the three subject institutions was formulated using the historical methodology suggested by Gall, Borg, and Gall (1996). A questionnaire based on six research questions was also designed to elicit answers from 35 principal participants who were/are in some way responsible for the creation and evolution of the various consortial relationships and endeavors shared by the subject institutions.Item Competition and collaboration issues in technology development and deployment(2007) Erzurumlu, Sadik Sinan; Gilbert, Stephen M.In today's marketplace firms have to become specialized in specific technological aspects in product development due to intensifying competition. Further, the increasing complexity of offerings make firms become more dependent on other value-chain contributors such as providers of complementary and component technologies. Therefore, in addition to the inherent market of appeal of product, a successful introduction may depend on the firm's interactions with suppliers and even "competitors". These interactions with other firms in the marketplace present a unique set of challenges to firms. In this dissertation, we explore how a firm's approach to interacting with supply chain partners and/or competitors may depend upon how its product provides value to customers. In the first essay, we look into how a firm should design the interdependence between a durable good and a consumable such as a printer and a cartridge and utilize the benefits of an industry of generic consumable suppliers. In the second essay, we analyze the different approaches that firms adopt while commercializing their technologies to competitors in a networked environment (such as telecommunications). We identify the impact of the competitor's development capabilities on the trade-off between the increased competition and network benefits. In the third essay, we explore situations in which firms collaborate to develop a component innovation that they later market individually; they codevelop and jointly market; and they choose to individually develop and market. We consider how competitive strategies between development partners should consider the influence of supplier formation on the investment incentives of an OEM. In summary, this dissertation examines how the management of interactions with supply chain partners and competitors can play an important role in technology development and deployment. Our results highlight key trade-offs and provide insights for managers who are involved in developing and deploying new products.Item The joint-venture paradox: parent-firm characteristics, social cues, and joint venture performance(2005) Stern, Ithai; Henderson, Andrew Duane; Davis-Blake, AlisoneA popular belief in both academic and business quarters is that joint ventures (JVs) are inherently unstable and short lived. This study questions this premise by arguing that the high failure rate of JVs observed in prior studies is in part an outcome of a selection process, in which, paradoxically, out of all possible JVs, the ones that are most likely to be formed are also the ones that are most likely to fail. That happens, I argue, because some of the same factors that increase a firm’s likelihood of joint venturing may actually decrease JV performance. Specifically, drawing on the resourcebased-view of the firm, transaction cost economies, industrial organization economics, and institutional theory, I develop the hypothesis that in technology-intensive industries, where the range of technical know-how needed to stay abreast of rapidly changing developments exceeds the capabilities of any single firm, a potential partner’s age, size, prior success, along with the number of JVs previously created in a firm’s environment increase its propensity to joint venture but decrease its ability to do so successfully. That happens, I argue, because in selecting partners, executives seek readily available markers of legitimacy and capability, which unintentionally steer them to inertial partners that do not adapt well, a vital attribute of new ventures in rapidly changing, technology-intensive industries. In contrast to prior research, which has focused either on factors that influence a firm’s likelihood of joint venturing or on factors that affect JV performance, but not on both simultaneously, I develop a two-stage model, in which I first examine factors affecting a JV’s likelihood of being formed. Then, using a Heckman procedure (Heckman, 1979), I incorporate estimates of parameters from the first model into a second model, in which I use event history analysis to predict JV performance. Data on JVs created in twenty-six technology-intensive industries by publicly traded firms in the United States between 1986 and 2001 strongly supports the study’s premise that paradox exists in JV formation process, in which executives are drawn to partners that lack the flexibility needed to sustain a new venture.Item The Rolodex paradox : the effects of ties to venture capitalists on internet startup survival(2003-08) Hui, Pun Zee Pamsy, 1975-; Davis-Blake, AlisonResearch on interorganizational relationships has established that organizations gain essential information and resources via their network ties. Less studied, however, are the costs and benefits of different types of network ties. This dissertation explores the effects of direct and indirect network ties on the survival of startups. Drawing on research on interorganizational relationships and organizational learning, I argue that direct and indirect ties have different effects on survival. Specifically, while network ties create access to resources, information, legitimacy, and reputation, they also come with maintenance and information processing costs. As the number of direct ties increases they become redundant and contribute diminishing benefits at the margin. At the same time, direct ties involve substantial costs, which will overwhelm the marginal benefits of additional direct ties eventually, leading to unfavorable outcomes. Therefore, the number of direct ties follows a U-shaped relationship with startup failure likelihood. Similarly, as the number of indirect ties increases, redundancy leads to diminishing marginal benefits. In this case, however, the costs of maintaining extra ties are negligible. As a result, having more indirect ties is expected to be associated with lower failure likelihood. Furthermore, agglomeration provides alternative sources of resources and information, and may dampen network effects. I focused on direct ties among U.S.-based business-to-business Internet startups and their venture capitalists (VCs) and two-step indirect ties between Internet startups from 1988 to 2001. I found that direct ties reduced the likelihood of startup failure, as did indirect ties. However, when indirect ties are accounted for, the effects of direct ties disappear, suggesting the mediating role of indirect ties. Having more direct ties benefited startups because they provided connections to more indirect ties. Ultimately, it was the number of indirect ties, and not the number of direct ties, that mattered. In addition, agglomeration introduced intense competition that led to higher startup failure likelihood but did not moderate network effects. These findings confirm that both network ties and agglomeration affect startup failure. More importantly, the results reveal a rolodex paradox – startups that are tied to well-connected others, regardless of the size of their own rolodexes, enjoy lower failure likelihood.