Reshma Shah

Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh

PhD

Marketing

University of Southern California

MBA

Marketing and Strategy

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

BSc

Business Administration

Factors influencing partner selection in strategic alliances: The moderating role of alliance context

2008

The growth of alliances has generated considerable interest in this topic among both academics and practitioners. While multiple factors may affect alliance success, partner selection emerges as one of the most influential. Previous studies on alliances present general models that assume the factors (e.g., trust, commitment, complementarity, financial payoff) that drive partner attractiveness and, in turn, the likelihood of selection, are consistent across varying alliance projects and situations. In contrast, the present study proposes a contingency approach grounded in management control theory that suggests the criteria managers use in choosing alliance partners will vary by alliance project type. Specifically, it introduces a framework that addresses when and why managers select partners with certain, specific characteristics. The results of the present study strongly support hypotheses that the critical criteria for assessing alliance partner attractiveness and selection vary depending on the differential levels of process manageability and outcome interpretability inherent in a strategic alliance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

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Till death do us part…but not always: Six antecedents to a customer's relational preference in buyer–seller exchanges

2003-06-01

Since its emergence in the early 1990s as marketing's newest paradigm or school of thought, research in the area of relationship marketing has been proliferating. From the customer's perspective, initial attempts to become lifelong partners with key sellers or suppliers were appealing. However, as these propositions multiply in number and carry with them increasing burdens in terms of time and commitment, customers are reticent to enter into long-lasting relationships with all sellers. In this paper, we consider relationship formation from the customers' perspective and examine the antecedents to a customer's preference for a relational exchange orientation versus a transactional exchange orientation. Our belief is that, depending upon a set of contextual factors surrounding the exchange, customers will opt for a relational orientation with suppliers in some cases and for a more transactional orientation in others.

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Determinants and outcomes of plan objectivity and implementation in category management relationships

2001-01-11

Category management holds great potential, but has several inherent barriers that can impede category performance. This study examines factors thought to impact category performance because of the critical role category management plays at the end of the supply chain in Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) relationships between manufacturers and grocery retailers. Two central factors, category plan objectivity and implementation of the plans, as well as five factors antecedent to objectivity and implementation, were identified through a qualitative study of retailer and supplier category managers. The interrelationships of these factors were tested in an empirical study of 128 supplier category managers.

As a direct effect on performance, implementation of category plans had a stronger impact on category performance than did the objectivity of the plans. The retailer’s trust in the category management process was found to be a critical component on the implementation of category plans. Preplanning agreement between the retailer and the supplier was found to impact both objectivity and implementation. The internal conflict between supplier’s brand management and sales/category managers had only a minor impact on objectivity, and that effect was mediated by the supplier’s overall opportunism. Several theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

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