Strategic Alliances & Marketing Partnerships (gaining Competitive Advantage Through Collaboration And Partnering)

Reviews " ‘Partner or perish’ has been a recognized mantra at Xerox for many years, reflected in our partnerships with Fuji-Xerox, at PARC and many others; in today’s economic climate partnering is ever more relevant and important. This book provides vital and practical understanding of how firms can optimize the quality of their collaboration with suppliers, channels, alliances and customers to achieve productive and effective partnerships. The Gibbs and Humphries Partnering Types represent an innovative perspective in the challenging environment of corporate organizational development where it provides a powerful step forward in both management theory and technique." Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO, Xerox "As the trend to outsourcing continues to grow, so too does the complexity of the supply/demand network. The difference between success and failure in today’s marketplace is increasingly determined by the way that the interfaces in these networks are managed. New ways of working with supply chain partners are clearly required. In this original and thought-provoking book the authors provide practical guidance as to how relationships in the supply chain be managed more effectively." Professor Martin Christopher, Cranfield School of Management The pressures to compete in a global economy force businesses to work collaboratively. While the rewards for partnering can be greater in value than those which a firm could accomplish independently, many alliances fail, which suggests a lack of the necessary knowledge and skills to establish a successful partnership. Strategic Alliances and Marketing Partnerships will help you to understand how partnerships function and how you can manage them more effectively and efficiently. Based on solid research and dealing with key topics such as supply chain management, marketing channels and relationship management, it identifies the factors that determine partnering excellence. Whatever the nature of the relationship -outsourcing, strategic alliances or co-manufacturing-there are eight distinctive relationship types identified by the authors to help managers optimize business-to-business partnerships. With case studies from prominent global organizations such as Wal-Mart, Toyota, General Motors and Dell, Strategic Alliances and Marketing Partnerships with help you to understand the problems that affect partnering and make effective decisions to improve both the relationship and productivity. According to a recent study, most companies surveyed nowadays recognize that alliances are of very high importance to the realization of their strategic objectives. However, the dramatically high failure rates of business partnering-estimated at over 50 per cent-suggests that companies often lack the skills and knowledge to determine the best strategic fit, negotiate win-win agreements, align organizational cultures and get people to work together productively. Based on ground-breaking research Strategic Alliances and Marketing Partnerships identifies the key factors that determine partnering excellence and will help you to optimize your business-to-business partnerships. It will help you to understand how partnerships function and how you can manage them more effectively and efficiently-whaterver the nature of the relationship. Using case studies it explores key topics including • The strategic value of partnering • The evolution of supply chain networks, marketing channels and strategic alliances • The obstacles and drives of successful partnerships • Relationship marketing • Understanding partnership and alliance dynamics • Evaluating partnership performance Strategic Alliances and Marketing Partnerships also includes eight distinctive relationship types, defined by the authors, to help you to identify and assess the nature of you own partnerships, maximize their value and ensure their success. About Author: S Richard Gibbs is a recognized expert in marketing channels and has held senior positions in major companies including Xerox and Novell Inc. His PhD from the University of Gloucestershire followed an MBA from Henley Management College, and he continues to conduct research into how firms gain competitive advantage through marketing partnerships. Andrew Humphries is currently CEO of SCCI Ltd which specializes in measuring commercial relationship performance. Following a career in the UK Royal Air Force as Head of Defence Aviation Logistics, he gained a PhD from Cranfield School of Management and an MBA from the Open University.