Strategic determinants for the selection of partner alliances in the Indian tour operator industry: A cross-national study

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the strategic determinants for the selection of partner alliances in the Indian tour operator industry. Using data from 102 UK, USA, Canadian and French tour operators in India, the study revealed that there is a set of partner selection criteria that is of most importance. The study revealed that nationality of the international tour operator is the major characteristic that discriminates partner selection criteria. Alliance performance is positively associated, in a descending order, with tour package formulation efficiency, technological expertise, local operation expertise, and marketing system and status. Thus, the study indicates some clear messages to policy makers and practitioners.

[1]  M. Porter Competition in Global Industries , 1986 .

[2]  W. Davidson Global Strategic Management , 1982 .

[3]  M. Deery,et al.  An investigation of the impact of internal labour markets in the hotel industry , 2004 .

[4]  Harbir Singh,et al.  Learning and protection of proprietary assets in strategic alliances: building relational capital , 2000 .

[5]  D. Ernst,et al.  The way to win in cross-border alliances. , 1991, Harvard business review.

[6]  B. Gerhart,et al.  The Impact of Human Resource Management on Organizational Performance: Progress and Prospects , 1996 .

[7]  J. M. Geringer,et al.  Strategic Determinants of Partner Selection Criteria in International Joint Ventures , 1991 .

[8]  Africa Ariño,et al.  Learning From Failure: Towards An Evolutionary Model of Collaborative Ventures , 1998 .

[9]  Keith D. Brouthers,et al.  Institutional, cultural and transaction cost influences on entry mode choice and performance , 2002 .

[10]  Dirk Holtbrügge,et al.  Management of international strategic business cooperation: Situational conditions, performance criteria, and success factors , 2004 .

[11]  R. Hagen,et al.  Globalization, university transformation and economic regeneration , 2002 .

[12]  Eric W. K. Tsang A preliminary typology of learning in international strategic alliances , 1999 .

[13]  G. Devlin,et al.  Strategic alliances—Guidelines for success , 1988 .

[14]  A. Roger,et al.  Cultural Context and Social Effectiveness in International Joint Ventures 1 , 1994 .

[15]  D. Elmuti,et al.  An overview of strategic alliances , 2001 .

[16]  Jeffrey H. Dyer,et al.  Alliance capability, stock market response, and long‐term alliance success: the role of the alliance function , 2002 .

[17]  V. Shaw,et al.  International Strategic Alliances , 2004 .

[18]  B. Nielsen Determining international strategic alliance performance: A multidimensional approach , 2007 .

[19]  R. Gulati Does Familiarity Breed Trust? The Implications of Repeated Ties for Contractual Choice in Alliances , 1995 .

[20]  R. N. Anantharaman,et al.  Impact of people management practices on organizational performance: analysis of a causal model , 2003 .

[21]  P. Varadarajan,et al.  Strategic alliances: A synthesis of conceptual foundations , 1995 .

[22]  Edward Levitas,et al.  Selecting partners for successful international alliances: Examination of U.S. and Korean firms , 1997 .

[23]  J. Harrison Strategic Analysis for the Hospitality Industry , 2003 .

[24]  Jeffrey H. Dyer,et al.  The Relational View: Cooperative Strategy and Sources of Interorganizational Competitive Advantage , 1998 .

[25]  B. Kogut Joint ventures: Theoretical and empirical perspectives , 1988 .

[26]  R. Allio,et al.  Making alliances work— guidelines for success , 1994 .

[27]  Hemant Merchant Shareholder Value Creation Via International Joint Ventures: Some Additional Explanations (1) , 2002 .

[28]  S. Sengupta,et al.  Impact of Strategic Alliances on Firm Valuation , 1998 .

[29]  A. Millington,et al.  The Strategy of Internationalization and the Success of UK Transnational Manufacturing Operations in the European Union , 1997 .

[30]  Taran Patel The role of dynamic cultural theories in explaining the viability of international strategic alliances: A focus on Indo‐French alliances , 2007 .

[31]  R. Gulati,et al.  Where Do Interorganizational Networks Come From?1 , 1999, American Journal of Sociology.

[32]  Toby E. Stuart Network Positions and Propensities to Collaborate: An Investigation of Strategic Alliance Formation in a High-Technology Industry , 1998 .

[33]  L. Cronbach Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests , 1951 .

[34]  Tain-Jy Chen,et al.  Governance structures in strategic alliances: transaction cost versus resource-based perspective , 2003 .

[35]  E. B. Andersen,et al.  Modern factor analysis , 1961 .

[36]  Rolph E. Anderson,et al.  Multivariate Data Analysis with Readings , 1979 .

[37]  T. Das,et al.  A Resource-Based Theory of Strategic Alliances , 2000 .

[38]  Yigang Pan,et al.  Joint Venture Formation of Very Large Multinational Firms , 2000 .

[39]  Jan Kees Looise,et al.  Strategic Alliances: Managing the Dynamics of Fit , 2000 .

[40]  Nigel Evans,et al.  Collaborative strategy:: an analysis of the changing world of international airline alliances , 2001 .

[41]  John F. Mahon,et al.  Strategic alliances: Gateway to the new Europe? , 1993 .

[42]  Michael Jay Polonsky,et al.  Using strategic alliances to develop credible green marketing , 1995 .

[43]  Jaloni Pansiri,et al.  The effects of characteristics of partners on strategic alliance performance in the SME dominated travel sector , 2008 .

[44]  Dima Jamali,et al.  Success and failure mechanisms of public private partnerships (PPPs) in developing countries. Insights from the Lebanese context , 2004 .

[45]  Eero Vaara,et al.  Constructions of cultural differences in post - merger change processes: A sensemaking perspective , 2000 .

[46]  William J. Ritchie,et al.  Interpartner, Parent, and Environmental Factors Influencing the Operation of International Joint Ventures: 15 Years of Research , 2004 .

[47]  Michael D. Olsen,et al.  Literature in strategic management in the hospitality industry , 2004 .

[48]  W. Ouchi,et al.  The Logic of Joint Research and Development , 1988 .

[49]  R. Hall The strategic analysis of intangible resources , 1992 .

[50]  Juan Manuel García-Falcón,et al.  Successful relationships between hotels and agencies. , 2000 .

[51]  Paul W. Beamish,et al.  The internationalization and performance of SMEs , 2001 .

[52]  M. Hitt,et al.  Partner Selection in Emerging and Developed Market Contexts: Resource-Based and Organizational Learning Perspectives , 2000 .

[53]  P. Chathoth,et al.  Strategic alliances: a hospitality industry perspective , 2003 .

[54]  J. Barney Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage , 1991 .

[55]  M. Y. Yoshino,et al.  Strategic Alliances: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Globalization , 1995 .

[56]  T. Das,et al.  Resource and Risk Management in the Strategic Alliance Making Process , 1998 .

[57]  Pawan S. Budhwar,et al.  Human resource management systems and organizational performance: a test of a mediating model in the Greek manufacturing context , 2006 .

[58]  Andrew C. Inkpen,et al.  Knowledge Management Processes and International Joint Ventures , 1998 .

[59]  J. Holloway,et al.  The Business of Tourism , 1989 .

[60]  Douglas G. Pearce Supplier Selection in the New Zealand Inbound Tourism Industry , 2007 .

[61]  J. M. Geringer,et al.  Joint Venture Partner Selection: Strategies for Developed Countries , 1988 .

[62]  V. Shaw,et al.  The influence of behavioural and organisational characteristics on the success of international strategic alliances , 2004 .

[63]  G. Hofstede,et al.  Culture′s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values , 1980 .

[64]  Todd Saxton,et al.  The Effects of Partner and Relationship Characteristics On Alliance Outcomes , 1997 .

[65]  O. Williamson,et al.  Markets and Hierarchies: Analysis and Antitrust Implications. , 1977 .

[66]  P. Burns,et al.  Tourism : a new perspective , 1995 .

[67]  James W. C. Tomlinson,et al.  The Joint Venture Process in International Business: India and Pakistan , 1970, The Journal of Asian Studies.

[68]  Niren M. Vyas,et al.  An analysis of strategic alliances: forms, functions and framework , 1995 .

[69]  Timothy J. Wilkinson,et al.  Strategic alliances: Choose your partners , 1995 .

[70]  A. Millington,et al.  Transnational Joint Ventures Between UK and EU Manufacturing Companies and the Structure of Competition , 1995 .

[71]  C. Cooper Tourism - Principles and Practice , 1993 .

[72]  John W. Clarr Cooperative Strategies in International Business , 1990 .

[73]  O. Williamson / STRATEGIZING, ECONOMIZING, AND ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION , 1991 .

[74]  Harbir Singh Managing for Joint Venture Success , 1986 .

[75]  Hui-Mei Chen,et al.  The performance of marketing alliances between the tourism industry and credit card issuing banks in Taiwan , 2005 .

[76]  J. Hennart,et al.  A transaction costs theory of equity joint ventures , 1988 .

[77]  J. Jarillo Entrepreneurship and growth: the strategic use of external resources , 1989 .

[78]  David P. Lepak,et al.  Human Resource Management, Manufacturing Strategy, and Firm Performance , 1996 .

[79]  Beverly B. Tyler,et al.  Understanding the differences in Korean and U.S. executives' strategic orientations , 1997 .