Akmal S. Hyder - Böcker

The publication of this book is timely and appropriate because it deals with Eastern and Central Europe (ECE), and alliances with local partners with different attitudes, beliefs and ways of thinking. At the beginning of the 1990s many Western firms entered ECE hurriedly without thinking about the complexities associated with this region. Many promising business ideas failed due to lack of knowledge about the local environment including social, cultural, political and human resource related issues. This book therefore addresses issues in depth as how to reduce the gaps between Western and Eastern firms and how to make the alliances workable and fruitful. Initially motives are focused to assess partners' expectations from the alliances. Once expectations are known, it becomes easier to evaluate performance of the activities. Exchange of complementary resources plays a vital role in the formation, management and development of the relationships. The change of need over time and exchange of resources are seen as a consequence of learning that takes place on the part of alliance partners. Environmental factors are of particular interest in this study as they influence the operations in various ways and many times can directly contribute to the success or failure of the collaborations. It includes topics such as: Exchange of complementary resources; Grouping of Eastern and Central Europe on the basis of success in adopting market economy; Role of environment factors on alliance operations; Scope and consequence of learning on the alliance; and development and benefits of networking.

There is much research into strategic business alliances in emerging markets, but none focuses on this form of collaboration within Europe’s emerging economies. This is a critical absence, as the European transition region is not only different from other European and Western regions but also from other regions with developing economies. Partners in the European transition region have unique cultural and social backgrounds, and consequently, unique ways of doing business. Transformations of Strategic Alliances in Emerging Markets focuses on this important gap. This book, the first of a two-volume set, makes a unique contribution to emerging market research by investigating the transformation of alliances in Eastern and central Europe over the past forty years. It provides a conceptual framework to describe and analyse the formation, development and functional mechanisms of strategic alliances in the European transition region, ultimately offering an in-depth overview of the challenges and opportunities around strategic alliance formation in emerging European markets. Transformations of Strategic Alliances in Emerging Markets, Volume I, is a must-read for academics and postgraduate students of development economics and business administration.