Issues in the choice of supplier alliance partners

Supplier alliances have been widely touted but there are probably a limited number of situations where they are applicable. This paper develops a mode l of important factors that define which suppliers offer the best choices f or pursuing alliance-like relationships. Some factors relate to the technol ogy of the goods or services being sourced; others relate to the ability to develop mutual goodwill trust with the targeted supplier. The model was de veloped through a combination of extensive literature reviews and a series of interviews with managers in 15 manufacturing and service firms. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.