Entrepreneurship & Strategic Alliance Literatures

The purpose of this report is to examine the nexus between the entrepreneurship and strategic alliance literatures and to explore research opportunities related to this particular relationship. Cooney (2005) notes that over the past 15 years entrepreneurship has received increased attention as a body of research builds which suggests that fast growth firms are more likely to have been founded by entrepreneurial teams. Simultaneously, Marino, Strandholm, Steensma, and Weaver (2002) note that strategic alliance portfolios are increasingly popular in that they provide both entrepreneurial firms and small-to-medium sized enterprises (MSEs) with a buffer against environmental uncertainty and access to critical resources by extending the range of alliance networks and increasing the number and variety of agreements in their portfolios.

The report will be presented in four subsequent sections. The next section will discuss background information that is relevant to entrepreneurship as one of the more interesting frontiers for research on alliance phenomenon. The following section will then present research objectives. The research methodology will be explicated. The methodology will include a review of key literature and themes. Finally, the report will offer a summary, conclusion, and recommendations.

Entrepreneurship is a subject that has received a great deal

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fine a strategic alliance as an organizational and leadership construct wherein partners are willing and motivated to act in concert, sharing core competencies. To a greater or lesser degree, most alliances result in the virtual integration of the parties through partial equity ownership, through contracts that define rights, roles, and responsibilities over a span of time or through the purchase of non-controlling equity interests. The fundamental purpose of an alliance, said Pekar and Margulis (2003, p. 21), "is to facilitate collaboration and varying degrees of integration between companies without necessitating a merger or an acquisition, though it can often lead to a merger or acquisition." Entrepreneurship is understood as defined above, focusing on making the most of commercial opportunities, innovating, and capitalizing on core competencies, either on the individual or the corporate level (Burns, 2005). Entrepreneurs can be understood either from the perspective of the individual who takes the idea, creates a business plan, acquires resources, and then goes into business. It can also be understood as a corporate set of activities which refers to the ability of a large organization to capitalize upon its resources an
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 5303
Approximate Pages = 21 (250 words per page)