6WBS0011: Risks and benefits of strategic alliances: Contemporary Issues in Business and Management, Individual Assignment, UOH

Brief For Individual / Team Assignment

This assignment is based around a student selecting ONE of two options as discussed below.

It is strongly advised that before a student makes a final choice, they research carefully to explore a good company to work with and to ensure that there is plenty of good quality, research material available on the business for enhanced discussions.

Option A – Risks and benefits of strategic alliances

Introduction to task

A strategic alliance (SA) is an agreement between two or more organisations to pursue a set of agreed objectives needed while remaining independent organisations. An SA will normally fall short of a legal partnership entity, agency or corporate affiliate relationship. They generally occur when two or more organisations join together to pursue mutual benefits.

Typically, companies form a strategic alliance when each possesses one or more business assets or expertise that will help the other by enhancing both businesses. An SA can develop in area of innovation when it is based on mutually desired outcomes (sharing engine or battery development opportunities in the car industry) or it can be based on combining sales efforts in retail outlets (coffee and eating outlets in book shops).

Partners may provide the strategic alliance with various resources such as products, manufacturing capability, project funding, knowledge, expertise, or intellectual property. The alliance is a cooperation or collaboration which aims for a synergy where each partner hopes that the benefits from the alliance will be greater than those from individual efforts. The alliance often involves technology transfer (access to knowledge and expertise).

The automotive industry is a good example of a sector where strategic alliances appear to be at the bedrock of car, engine, chassis and technological development and these are formed repeatedly between companies that otherwise openly compete with each other for sales around the world.

Task

Students are required to carefully review a strategic alliance within the automotive sector. This could be anything from VW and Ford working to develop a new commercial vehicle through to “lonity” (charging points) working with various car manufacturers in developing an EV car charging infrastructure.

Students may select an SA that has failed or one that has succeeded, but be guided to select one where you can answer all tasks given below fully before continuing.

Within your discussion, you must explore the following:

A. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages that the strategic alliance offers to the parties in your selected SA. (30 marks)

Guidance

Explore these carefully and use good quality academic reference sources for this. Some examples of advantages include the individual business risk reduction and cost savings through sharing the costs, it can offer speedier market access and it can build the image of each company within the alliance. Disadvantages include the risk of SA failure through poor management, lack of commitment and work culture barriers. Whatever areas you discuss, use good academic sources and business examples to exemplify the points you wish to make.

B. Discuss the growth of strategic alliances within the automotive sector as a whole and explain why this has continued to grow (what benefits it offers and what risks does it reduce). Within this, explore the rationale for the expansion and whether this is specific to only certain manufacturers or certain regions around the world. (25% of marks)

Guidance

Use reputable sources to discuss the value of and growth in SA’s within the automotive sector, preferably within the context of global SA’s. Explore whether any global SA’s have grown significantly more than others. Are some auto makers more open to SA’s than others? Explore why this has been the case and review the possible reasons for this (cultural? Lack of corporate trust? etc). As for the above task, use business examples or maps and charts to evidence your understanding. Ensure your references are academic, valid and appropriate for this level of study.

C. Explore the success or failure of your strategic alliance and the reasons for this, using detailed discussions and comparator alliances to exemplify your discussion.

Guidance

This section allows the student to explore the detail of the specific SA that they are reviewing. Before starting the assignment, students should ensure they have enough research material to really explore the relative success or failure and this would normally include some discussion against comparator organisations and SA’s so that a “measure” of the success or failure can be understood by the reader.

D. Presentation & Structure – follows essay structure & keeps to word limit of 1800 words with evidence of an articulate and fluent writing style.

E. Referencing – follows Harvard style for in-text citation & reference list – students should minimally use 10-12 quality academic sources, including recommended and essential reading, and at least TWO journal articles.

Assessment Criteria

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge and Understanding assessed in this assignment:

Discuss, evaluate and apply a given theoretical framework that underpins the research.
Consider and discuss appropriate skills for effective research and critical evaluation.
Identify and analyse selected contemporary issues/concepts in the field of business and management.

Learning Outcomes: Skills and Attributes assessed in this assignment:

Demonstrate advanced research skills by analysing and evaluating contemporary business concepts and/or issues and applying them to the given framework.
Analyse and critically evaluate contemporary business issues/concepts to communicate own views and understandings.
Reflect on selected business scenarios or concepts to assess their impact and outcome on the business.

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