Functional and contextual dimensions of INVs’ alliance partner selection

Abstract

Prior research on the selection of international alliance partners calls for investigation of the potential specificity of selection criteria for evaluating partners for alliances with different objectives or functions. The present study responds to this need and contributes to the development of the field of international entrepreneurship by examining the relation between the alliance function and the criteria chosen. We studied three alliance functions: R&D, production, and marketing. Second, for each alliance function, we analyzed the criteria selected within two contexts: developing countries and those that consider emerging markets in their partner choice set. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 25 executives from INVs in two major North American biotechnology clusters, representing 239 alliances. 65.7% of these were signed with international partners. Results indicate that, aside from compatibility/complementarity of resources (R&D and production alliances), all criteria used within a single function are unique to that function. Furthermore, these criteria differ somewhat when the potential partners considered by a firm include those from both emerging and developed markets, compared to firms that limit potential partners to those in developed markets contexts. Finally, the study reveals that respondent firms integrate country, industry, and market attractiveness factors with partner selection criteria for marketing alliances. This suggests that, for many firms, market choice and partner selection are not successive steps. The study's originality lies in its focus on the relationship between alliance function and partner selection criteria used by INVs as well as within different contexts.Keywords: partner selection, alliance, emerging markets, developed countries, biotechnology, selection criteria, alliance function French AbstractDes études précédentes portant sur la sélection des partenaires pour des alliances internationales soulèvent le besoin d'examiner la spécificité des critères de sélection dans l'évaluation des partenaires pour des fonctions différentes. Cet article répond à ce besoin et contribue au développement du domaine de l'entrepreneuriat international en analysant la relation entre l'objectif et les critères choisis pour trois types d'alliances : recherche et développement, production et marketing. Pour chaque fonction, les critères sont aussi analysés dans deux contextes : les entreprises qui limitent leurs partenaires à des pays développés et celles qui considèrent les pays en émergence. Des entrevues semi-structurées ont été réalisées auprès de 25 dirigeants de nouvelles entreprises internationales en biotechnologie de Montréal et de Boston, totalisant 239 alliances, dont 157 internationales. Les résultats indiquent que, mis à part la complémentarité et la compatibilité, tous les critères utilisés à l'intérieur d'une fonction lui sont spécifiques. Les critères peuvent diverger lorsque les partenaires potentiels proviennent de marchés émergents en plus de...

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