国际管理HAPTER 7答案.doc

CHAPTER 7 Global ALLIANCES AND STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION CHAPTER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Discuss the reasons that companies embark on cross-border strategic alliances. What other motivations may prompt such alliances? The text notes five motives for cross border alliances: 1) to avoid import barriers, licensing requirements and other protectionist legislation; 2) to share the costs and risks of the research and development of new products and processes; 3) to gain access to specific markets; 4) to reduce political risk while making inroads into a new market; and, 5) to gain rapid entry into a new or consolidating industry, and to take advantage of synergies. 2. Discuss the problems inherent in developing a cooperative alliance in order to enhance competitive advantage while incurring the risk of developing a new competitor. Technology transfer is inevitable in alliance relationship. An alliance partner can quickly learn all it needs to know about a new technology from its partner. Once that happens, it no longer needs its partner in order to conduct business. In essence, the first of the partners to fully learn the other’s technology or business practices obsoletes the venture. The text calls this the “race to learn.” 3. Why are there an increasing number of mergers with companies in different industries? Give some examples. What industry do you think will be the next for global consolidation? There are a variety of reasons. In some cases, companies in different industries still can share resources in ways that create operating synergies. In other cases, companies can capitalize on the intangible resources of its new partner—resources like brand names and proprietary processes. Sometimes cross border mergers and acquisitions accompany the deregulation of industry, as it did in telecoms. If so, a likely candidate will be insurance, financial services and banking, all of which are undergoing substantial deregulation in world markets. What are the common