ABSTRACT
Significant changes have been taking place within the international business environment since the early 1980s. One of the most striking areas of change involves the prevailing patterns in global competition. In particular, the nature of global competition is being transformed by the growing number of strategic alliances among firms from different countries as well as within countries. Although such ventures are intrinsically difficult to manage and involve sensitive technology protection issues, many experts argue that as business risks soar and international competition grows more intense, alliances among firms from different countries will continue to expand as a “natural” strategic response to the multiple uncertainties and growing turbulence in the emerging global business setting. 1
