Options in Alliances [electronic resource] : Valuing Flexibility in Inter-Firm Collaborations / by Francesco Baldi.

Part I A Real Options-Based Analysis of Synergies Created via Strategic Alliances -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Managing Strategic Alliances in Good and Bad Times -- 3. Classifying Synergistic Growth Options Embedded in Strategic Alliances -- 4. A Real Options-Based Conceptual Framework for Alliance-Making -- 5. A Portfolio Approach to Actively Managing Alliances: the SGO Matrix -- 6. Conclusions -- Part II – Case Studies -- 7. Assessing Strategic Alliances in Bad Times: the Case of General Motors - Fiat -- 8. Bidding for a Strategic Alliance in Good Times: the Case of Chevron - Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.

The real options-based conceptual framework for alliance-making presented here responds to the challenge of developing a new metrics for managing strategic partnerships in the face of uncertainty. Such a framework involves: mapping (and selecting one of) the various staged paths envisioned for the start-up and development of the alliance in terms of strategic options exercisable over the lifetime of the cooperative venture; assessing the incremental, synergistic value of those options (if exercised on the net, tangible and intangible, assets of the venture); anticipating the potential impact of risks on the success/failure of the venture and associated synergistic value erosion; defining the optimal option map for implementing the strategic alliance via potential, successive adjustments to the initial strategy (information loop is closed).