• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.19-37
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• 2015

Forming interfirm collaborative relationships has become a key aspect of a firm's marketing strategies to create value for customers and achieve greater firm performance. While empirical findings are mixed in previous studies, this study is an effort to identify boundary conditions for the benefits of marketing alliances. We investigate internal and environmental factors that may magnify or constrain the effect of marketing alliances on firm profitability. Given the complementary relationship between marketing and R&D activities, we focus on a firm's R&D intensity as an internal factor that may magnify the value of marketing alliances for firm performance. For environmental factors, we focus on industry turbulence and industry competitiveness. Industry turbulence refers to the degree to which industry market conditions change quickly and unpredictably, whereas industry competitiveness refers to the degree to which a firm faces competition in the industry. By testing these factors, we are intended to reveal boundary conditions that determine the value of marketing alliances for firm profitability. The analysis of firms in the diverse industries shows that while the main effect of marketing alliances on firm profitability is not significant, it becomes more positive when R&D investment is more intensive or when industry environment is more turbulent. The results of this study imply that just forming more marketing alliances may not be enough to increase firm profitability. Our findings imply that marketing alliances become more effective in a dynamically changing industry environment. That is, firms can cope with industry uncertainties more effectively by forming marketing alliances. At the same time, the moderating effect of R&D intensity implies that the internal investments in R&D magnify the effect of marketing alliances on firm profitability. The findings of this study contributes to the existing alliance literature in three aspects. First, this study enhances our understanding of the contingent value of marketing alliances by testing both internal and external factors that may influence the effectiveness of marketing alliances. Second, this study responds to the need for research that investigates actual performance resulting from interfirm relationships. Third, while previous studies primarily focused on a specific industry, this study extend previous findings of the boundary conditions for the benefits of marketing alliances in a broader context.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.99-106
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• 2016

Purpose - The antecedent to the relationship between the effect of the characteristics of strategic alliances and the performance of container liner shipping companies has been investigated in this study as container liner shipping companies' strategic alliances. It affects positively and negatively home, partner, and the third parties' performance in container liner shipping companies. Extensive literature reviews on shipper's strategic alliances reveal that strategic alliances in financial and non-financial performance of container liner shipping companies show the performance such as economic effects, business performance, global supply chain management performance, customer satisfaction, and forward integration and backward integration performance. The purpose of this study is to test empirically that the relationship between the characteristics of strategic alliances and financial and non-financial performance in container liner shipping companies. Structured equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis were used to test the hypothesis using AMOS statistics program. Most previous researches focused on the relationship between the characteristics of strategic alliances and alliance types. There are few empirical studies that focus on business performance data because it is difficult to collect data in container liner shipping companies. However, this research measures financial and non-financial performance differently compared with the previous researches focusing on the characteristics of strategic alliances and alliance types measurements. Research design, data, and methodology - The conceptual model for the study is based on the studies of Lim (2010), Chen & Zhen (2009), and Wang & Meng (2014). The model is built around the factors of characteristics of strategic alliances and business performance. Cost, marketing, and service factors are regarded as proxy for the characteristics of strategic alliances. The financial and non-financial performance are regarded as proxy for the performance of strategic alliances. Based on the analysis of one hundred cases such as forwarder, shipper, and liner shipping companies, this study uses structural equation modeling to verify the effects of the characteristics of strategic alliances on business performance. Conclusions - This study provides container liner shipping companies to get some policy and practical implications in terms of the characteristics of strategic alliances and business performance. First, the cost factor for alliances characteristics has a positively significant influence on the financial and non-financial performance of strategic alliances. The cost factor relationship between high and low performance group does not have a significant difference on the performance of strategic alliances. Second, the marketing factor of alliances characteristics has a positively significant influence on the financial and non-financial performance of strategic alliances. The high performance group's marketing factor has a great non-financial performance than low performance group, but the low performance group's marketing factor has a grater financial performance than high performance group factor does. Third, the service factor of alliances characteristics has a negative influence on the non-financial performance of strategic alliances. The high performance group's service factor has a great non-financial performance than low performance group. Based on the findings from this study, related implications and future avenues deserve to be discussed.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.41-62
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• 2003

This study investigated the current status and characteristics of strategic alliances attempted by domestic internet businesses. Specifically, this study surveyed competitive environmental characteristics of partner companies involved, alliance period, types of partner companies, motives of alliances, types of alliances, success and failure factors and satisfaction toward the alliances. Major findings were: first, alliances between portal companies and content producers; portal companies and internet services; e-commercial sites and internet services were the most frequent partnerships engaged. Second, the most important motive for and type of the strategic alliance were: 'the commercialization and marketing of new product' and 'joint distribution and marketing agreement' respectively. Third, the most important factor for the successful alliance was 'a close examination of partners' core business value and competence'; and the factor most hindering the successful alliance was 'a discrepancy on capabilities of partners' core personnel. Finally types of internet business were significantly related to perceived satisfaction toward strategic alliance.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.211-231
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• 2011

RYUTSUKEIRETSUKA(Vertical Marketing System) developed by the Japanese Leading Manufacturers began to turn weak with the presence of the large- scaled retail enterprises since 1980’s. Therefore the alliances between major manufacturers & large distributors that were in the conflict relations for a long time began to progress. In accordance with this change in the distribution channel practice, the stance of the distribution channel theory in Japan had also changed. As the normative researcher group who had been critical to RYUTSUKEIRETSUKA and sympathetic to the task of merchant judged that it would disappear sooner or later, they considered positively the alliances between major manufacturers & large distributors which the latter were in dominant position. On the other hand, even the empirical researchers who supported the affirmative function of RYUTSUKEIRETSUKA changed their standpoint. They recognized the new channel practice, in other words the vertical alliances between the power companies, would be the frontier of research in accordance with the impetus of positivism in terms of the Marketing methodology. Thus, researchers of distribution channel theory in Japan who supported the normative approach become few and even changed to hurry to absorb in the empirical research, while moving the main focus of the research from RYUTSUKEIRETSUKA to the Alliances. In the long run, the distribution channel theory which was regarded as the leading principle of the Japanese Marketing has just made the methodological paradigm shift. The author suggests a critical viewpoint against the current Japan’s academism with the assumption that RYUTSUKEIRETSUKA has negative aspects.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-21
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• 2004

Recently, many internet firms have opted the strategic alliances with other on/off-line firms in order to gain and sustain their competitive advantages. Previous research on market reaction to such alliances, however, shows mixed results. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to analyze the announcement effects of the alliances among internet firms in the stock market. Focusing on on-line firms that have been outside the scope of previous research, this study applied the event study methodology and examined the cumulative abnormal returns(CAR) for 245 alliance announcements between October 1998 and May 2002. Further, this study conducted a survey to categorize various types of announcements and 40 usable returns has been analyzed. The notable results from this study include: 1) The strategic alliances announcements do not have statistically positive effects on stock prices of the announcing firms. 2) Contrary to the results of the previous research, the CARs associated with marketing alliances are higher than those with technology alliances. 3) The degree of fitness among firms' disposition, their alliance purpose, and alliance type chosen influences the performance of their alliances.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.71-91
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to identify the major determinants of performance of the R&D alliances, with an aim toward raising the success rate in cooperative relationships. In particular, this study assesses whether the success factors of purchasing relationship identified in the literature apply equally to SMEs in Korea. The results of this study indicate that inter-firm cooperation, experienced cooperation, and efficiency of government support have positive impacts on the purchase rate of new products. On the other hand, R&D intensity and resources of competencies of the firm do not influence it. Additionally, market attractiveness does not moderate the effects of the five independent variables on the purchase. The extracted determinants according to the results of surveys give valuable and practical hints to the SMEs when they make a decision on their R&D alliances with large enterprises.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.483-490
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• 2009

In recent years, shipping and ports industries are faced with enormous changes like globalization, market liberalization and borderless businesses. To cope with this competitive environment, a certain form of cooperation among ports is necessary to provide high quality of services and lower costs to establish their market power against shipping companies. The purpose of this study is to identify the motivation of the strategic alliances between ports and demonstrate the level of importance using Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP). Among four motivations of the strategic alliances which are strategic motivation, economic motivation, operational motivation and marketing motivation, economic motivation is the most important factor for ports alliances than other factors. This is because economic motivation among strategic alliances allow ports in the same market to rationalize supply and demand, thus avoiding unnecessary over-supply and over-competition and also can reduce service costs by using comparative advantages of each partner which make costs cheaper.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.181-205
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• 2006

After introduced in 1980's, the Frequent Flyer Program(FFP) was one of the most successful marketing tools in the airline industry and it has become a major linkage pin of strategic alliances for airlines despite of legal constraint. Further, the world air transport market progresses rapidly from a one-to-one alliance to a global alliance among groups due to fierce competition of the markets. In this study, I first examine the trends and the characteristics of global alliance groups. Further, I analyze the types of airline strategic alliances in the FFP, and present management strategy of the FFP for national flag carriers based on the collected data. It is suggested that airlines, including the two major Korean airline companies, consider the advantages of strategic alliances on the FFP in a rapidly changing management environment.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.142-155
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• 2011

By developing attitude transfer model, this study examined the co-marketing alliance effect between fashion and other industries (i.e., service and product brands) based upon the information integration theory. In addition, it examined the product tangibility/intangibility effects of partner brands by controlling stimuli: two alliance cases of fashion and service brands and two alliance cases of fashion and product brands. A total of 1,037 Korean women aged 20 to 39 were surveyed to compare the prior- and post- attitudes toward fashion/partner brands under four fictitious co-marketing alliance cases. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), multi-group CFA, structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, and multi-group SEM analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses. The results demonstrated that the prior-attitude toward fashion brand partially affected the alliance attitude, and the co-marketing alliance was affected by prior-attitudes partner brands. The result of multi-group SEM analysis supported the significant differences between service and product brands as alliance partners, which might refer to the effect of product tangibility, existing in brand alliance contexts. The alliance evaluation affected the subsequent evaluations on each participating brands. This study empirically provides the conceptual structure of how consumer attitudes toward the participating brands interact with the attitudes toward alliance and offer practical insights. Specifically, upon employing the manipulated co-marketing alliances cases, this study demonstrates the partnering effect according to product tangibility of partner brands.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.875-887
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to provide the fashion industry in Korea with materials that could enhance its international competitiveness by suggesting marketing strategies for fast fashion brands after taking product, price, place, and promotion into consideration. The product strategy should focus on developing products that accurately reflect the general market trend and consumer demand, selecting optimal materials, and pursuing internal production. This, coupled with strategic cooperation with designers, will ensure reliable quality and enhance the brand image. The pricing strategy should place greater emphasis on reducing production costs. Diverse task outsourcing and design competition, for instance, can lower the cost of design development. The place strategy should be set according to the operation of a systematic and efficient distribution system based on SPA, an automatic delivery system, sales or return system, speed control system, and a value chain that consists of horizontal business alliances. The promotion strategy should be run under the central control of the headquarters using various unique VMDs. Furthermore, online marketing campaigns, spectacular fashion shows, design competitions, catalogue marketing campaigns, and other new sales promotion schemes could all be introduced.