(Edições Universitárias Lusófonas, 2009) Hannibal, Martin; Rasmussen, Erik S.
This paper presents a case study of the two similar sized, new, technology-based firms
acting as alliance partners in the Mobile commerce industry. The analysis describes
how the alliance dynamics in our case study relate to seminal research in the field of
business alliance formation. Contrary to the established predictions we find that the
negative influence on alliance performance described as a consequence of the
dissolved routinized alliance pattern by seminal authors is not present. At the same
time, the case study shows that internalization of complementary assets does not by
necessity result in dissolution of the business alliance as argued from a resource and
competence based perspective.
