Dissertationsthema:
Alliance Decision-Making of SME: Phases and Influence Factors
Betreuer/in: Dr. Ute Rietdorf, Prof. Dr. Utz Dornberger
E-Mail: diaz[at]rz.uni-leipzig.de
Raum: 1.214 

Few firms have all of the resources needed to be competitive. Experience of many countries, such as: Japan, Italia, Korea,  shows how alliances have helped SME to be successful  in today’s fast changing environment; there are however, examples of countries, especially in Latin America,  in which this strategy is still not very popular; what makes SME to be engaged in alliances?, which factors are playing an important role into this decision?. This research tries to find answers to these questions.
Managing alliances is no more difficult than deciding to enter into such a cooperative relationship. Many researchers have studied this decision-making as a strategy of development for large companies but there is still a gap of references to understand this decision as a whole process, particularly focus on SME.
Drawing on extensive literature on social capital, mainly social exchange and economic development theories; this research proposes a framework of alliance decision-making process based on five phases. It also identifies key factors that make SME to be engaged on alliances.

The scope of this study is limited to: not equity alliances and alliances arising only while operating business. The empirical data comes from a sample of Mexican SME.

The innovation of this research is addressed to incorporate the different perspectives from the social capital regarding to social exchange, and economic development into the alliances decision-making, particularly in SME.

This research could be especially attractive to the different actors involved with SME:  government; large enterprises, universities and non governmental organizations,  in order to focus their effort on those phases and/or factors that are weak and that may be potentially developed as a new way of working with SME.