Strategic alliances are increasing at a rapid rate. It is good for business, good for the consumer. A strategic alliance is similar to a joint venture. Everyone remains in his or her own entity, yet come together for a single purpose or period of time to create something that could not otherwise be created.
There are cautions and rightly concerns one must consider before entering into a strategic alliance with other people. For instance, evaluating each partner's value and capabilities for alliance is mandatory before agreeing to an alliance. The who, what, when, where and whys all need clarification with failsafe boundaries.
There are many considerations when developing a strategic alliance, here are six main areas along with questions that you will want to answer to help you determine your own readiness for an alliance.
1. Assessing contributions. What do you or each partner bring to the alliance? What is each person's purpose and goals?
2. Agreeing to the terms. This has three parts: (1) area of interest, (2) net benefits, and (3) joint operations. What interest is yours and what is theirs. Strategic interests must be similar and materials or services comparable. Economic interest must have enough benefits for each to remain committed and minimize trade. There must an operational agreement.
3. Agreement on task and skills. Who is the apprentice on what? Who will be name master on what? Who is going to specifically be responsible to complete what task? Who is going to learn what? What is the division of duties?
4. Defining and measuring progress. Who is going to define or handle sales? What target market will be pursued and when? What is the process chart for a new product or service? How will the revenue be generated and distributed? What will occur if the measurements aren't met?
5. Progress and time. Who is tracing the progress and the time invested? Is the time to be contributed equal or is there a trade-off for other resources? Who and when will the progress reports be regularly discussed and completed? Is there going to be a board that will monitor equality and fairness?
6. Points of tension. When there are points of tension, and there always is so don't kid yourself that there never will be, is an outside source going to be the arbitrator? When tension occurs does it need to be expressed in writing first and then discussed? Is there a cool-down period that is required? Who is going to sign off on checks, balance the checkbook, and monitor cash flow?
So many questions, so little time. Yes, I understand, however, this one time you want to stop and open time, address these questions, and any others might need to be addressed.
? Copyright 2004, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.
Catherine Franz, a eight-year Certified Professional Coach, Graduate of Coach University, Mastery University, editor of three ezines, columnist, author of thousands of articles website: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://www.abundancecenter.com
limousine service Round Lake .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareIf you own the mid-size business and actively work in... Read More
You have invested a lot of time and energy on... Read More
No matter what product or service you provide you will... Read More
A menu is the foundation of any restaurant; Guests will... Read More
Businesses tend to avoid doing their annual business plan thinking... Read More
Succession planning, like any business acumen, is both an art... Read More
Would you like to jumpstart your online or offline business... Read More
Remember Chux? The disposable diaper that took the market by... Read More
There is a story, about a business owner who wasn't... Read More
The goal of almost every business owner is to generate... Read More
Making money doesn't make your reputation... your reputation makes you... Read More
Most companies that are worthy of raising venture capital have... Read More
Is there really anything as a problem? Does chaos or... Read More
The University of Exeter in the United Kingdom recently published... Read More
"Most great plans aren't. They are just nice, high-level ideas."That's... Read More
Regroup?is this a new management trend? Not a chance! Regroup... Read More
You know you need a business plan. You probably realize... Read More
Richard L. Daft one of the country's recognized academic leadership... Read More
Franchised companies often require what some believe to be excessive... Read More
Do you work in or own a business that's affected... Read More
If you're a solo professional like I am, you know... Read More
All investors greatly desire and are motivated by a clear... Read More
Twice a year, Bill Gates goes to a remote island... Read More
ACTION PLANNING: Action Planning is a process to develop strategies... Read More
When someone mentions business planning we have been conditioned to... Read More
St. Charles cheap limo service ..From time to time there seems to be a flurry... Read More
There's nothing automatic about corporate growth, particularly in the information... Read More
I. INTRODUCTIONThe term resilience, which is of frequent use in... Read More
One of the difficulties we face in our industrialized age... Read More
Businesses tend to avoid doing their annual business plan thinking... Read More
Are you frustrated by the lack of growth in your... Read More
Growing your own small business can be one of the... Read More
"Begin with the end in mind," says Stephen Covey in... Read More
Why cut costs now? Efforts are multiplying to cut costs... Read More
If you own a mobile franchise business and wish to... Read More
Writing a business plan to help you direct and manage... Read More
Many of us are discouraged by the networking events that... Read More
With a heightened awareness of opportunity, ideas can often be... Read More
Many of Ohio's downtown areas are in need of upgrading... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains fits multiple services market niche and healthcare... Read More
Whether you are seeking capital for your company or are... Read More
Before becoming a netpreneaur, I was an entrepreneur. First, I... Read More
What do Mark Victor Hansen, Robert Allen, Anthony Robbins, Andrew... Read More
Six Sigma is becoming a proven approach for businesses and... Read More
One Research Scientist at the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Imaging Systems laboratory... Read More
Writing a business plan for a franchised outlet of a... Read More
When looking at Akron carefully one cannot help but notice... Read More
Have you ever done a SWOT analysis? No, it's not... Read More
No matter what business you plan to start in your... Read More
1. Largest Selection -One way that you can make your... Read More
Strategic Planning |