Strategic Alliances

• 1AHow many licensing agreements with other businesses does your firm currently hold?
• 1A1How many of them are only with businesses smaller or equal in size to yours?
• 1BHow many export or import trading agreements with other businesses does your firm currently hold?
• 1B1How many of them are only with businesses smaller or equal in size to yours?
• 1CHow many franchise agreements with other businesses does your firm currently hold?
• 1DHow many marketing agreements with other businesses does your firm currently hold?
• 1D1How many of them are only with businesses smaller or equal in size to yours?
• 1EHow many distribution agreements with other businesses does your firm currently hold?
• 1E1How many of them are only with businesses smaller or equal in size to yours?
• 1FHow many production agreements with other businesses does your firm currently hold?
• 1F1How many of them are only with businesses smaller or equal in size to yours?
• 1GHow many product or service-based research and development agreements with other businesses does your firm currently hold?
• 1G1How many of them are only with businesses smaller or equal in size to yours?
• 1HHow many process-based research and development agreements with other businesses does your firm currently hold?
• 1IHow many purchaser or supplier, such as Total Quality Management, agreements with other businesses does your firm currently hold?
• 1I1How many of them are only with businesses smaller or equal in size to yours?
• 1JHow many outside contractor agreements lasting more than ONE year does your firm currently hold with other businesses?
• 1J1How many of them are only with businesses smaller or equal in size to yours?
• 2Though you currently have no such agreements, did you ever have one?
• 3In what year was your first such agreement, also called an alliance, formed?
• 4What type of an agreement or alliance was it?
• 5Do you have a current alliance or agreement that is more than one year old?
• 6In what year was your most recent such alliance formed?
• 7What type of alliance was it?
• 8Did you make an equity investment in the alliance?
• 9Did your alliance partner make an equity investment in the agreement?
• 10Prior to forming the alliance, did you EVER have a social or business relationship with your alliance partner?
• 10aDid the relationship include a prior alliance?
• 10bHow many years have you known this alliance partner?
• 11If this alliance were dissolved today, would your firm’s NON-RECOVERABLE investment in cash and other assets, such as technology or market knowledge, be:?
• 12How has the experience with this alliance been to date? Would you say it has been:?
• 13Have the financial returns from this alliance been:?
• 13aDo you expect the financial returns for the duration of the alliance to get:?
• 14How has the alliance performed compared to your expectations for it?
• 15How much has this alliance improved your ability to compete? Would you say it has improved your ability:?
• 16How does this alliance compare to other alliances you have been involved in? Is it:?

Volume 4, Issue 4, 2004
ISSN 1534-8326

William J. Dennis, Jr.
NFIB Research Foundation