business alliances
Inter-company strategic bonds
Business alliances are formal partnerships between companies that remain independent while cooperating toward shared goals.
Unlike mergers, each company retains its identity.
Alliances may involve joint ventures, shared research, cross-licensing, or coordinated marketing: The airline's business alliances let passengers book seamlessly across partner carriers.
Strategic alliances often form to enter new markets or combine complementary strengths.
- contractual agreementEnforceable mutual promise
- dealAgreement or distribution
- handshake dealUnwritten mutual commitment
- partnerOne who shares activity
- associationGroup with shared aim
cross-selling · co-branding · co-ownership · synergy · trade association · skin in the game · entrepreneurship · profit-sharing · mutual benefit · win-win situation · chamber of commerce · guilds · licensing agreement · consortium · affiliates · ventures · competitive advantage · power move
business alliancesgoing it alone
Acting independently, unassisted
sole proprietorship · self-reliance · sole proprietorships · bootstrapping · vertical integration
business alliancesdivestiture
Disposal of assets
split-ups · demergers · disintegration · spin-offs · unbundling