Cultural Distance and Cross Border Strategic Alliances: Applied Management Project

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, University of Bedfordshire, course: MSc International Business & Management, language: English, abstract: In the environment of Global Markets, the concept of International Joint Ventures (IJV) is appearing as a common phenomenon and there is a huge number of corporations who are successful in experiencing considerable growth and expansion through this strategic form of alliances. This report is made in accordance with context of cultural differences in an approach to investigate the phenomenon that to measure the degree of influence of cultural differences on the performance of International Joint Venture (IJV) at both context (National Level Culture & Organisational Level Culture). Cuplan (2002) described International Joint Venture as a process which involves the inclusion of two or more companies from different countries who come together on the single platform with the intension of contributing each other resources and capabilities in creating a separate Business Unit. The process involved in this strategic alliance can be evaluated and analysed through various ways but the best approach is Culpan (2002) approach, this approach viewed each stage from the context of decision making involved in it. From the perspective of this appropriate approach the process of International Joint Venture (IJV) is made up of four different phases (Initial, Formation, Operation and Outcome). The Joint Venture named Alcatel-TCL was also made with the intension of becoming Global Leader in the mobile handset manufacturing. The focus was more on the two aspects (Design and Technology). Moreover, the secondary focus was on the integration of four components (Development Targets, Management System, and Operational Decisions & Staff Treatment). But, after 8 months (17-May-2005) the Joint Ventured was dissolved and both companies had decided to carry on their operations on the Individual basis. Generally it has been realised that the cultural distance existed at the organisational level was the prominent cause of given Joint Venture dissolution. And within the organisational context, the difference existed among both companies in term of open vs. Closed system orientation was the only factor which made difficult for the Alcatel-TCL to sustain for a long period of time.