IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormnsc/v55y2009i8p1321-1337.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Arms Race or Détente? How Interfirm Alliance Announcements Change the Stock Market Valuation of Rivals

Author

Listed:
  • Joanne E. Oxley

    (Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E6, Canada)

  • Rachelle C. Sampson

    (Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742)

  • Brian S. Silverman

    (Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E6, Canada)

Abstract

Most prior event studies find that the announcement of a new alliance is accompanied by a positive stock market response for the partners. This result has usually been interpreted as evidence for the prevailing view that alliances are effective vehicles for partners to acquire or access new skills and thus become stronger competitors. However, partners should also earn positive abnormal returns if alliances are used to shape competitive interactions, attenuating competitive intensity industry-wide. In this study, we disentangle these different mechanisms by examining how alliance announcements affect the stock market's evaluation of allying firms' rivals: if an alliance is expected to make partner firms more competitive, this should lead to negative abnormal returns for partners' rivals; if an alliance is expected to facilitate a reduction in competitive intensity, this should lead to positive abnormal returns for rivals. Results from an event study analysis of research and development alliances in the telecommunications and electronics industries during 1996-2004 provide evidence consistent with competition attenuation in some alliances. Our research thus challenges the increasingly narrow focus on learning and resource accumulation through alliances, and calls for broader consideration of the roles and effects of collaboration, both for individual firms and for industry structure.

Suggested Citation

  • Joanne E. Oxley & Rachelle C. Sampson & Brian S. Silverman, 2009. "Arms Race or Détente? How Interfirm Alliance Announcements Change the Stock Market Valuation of Rivals," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(8), pages 1321-1337, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:55:y:2009:i:8:p:1321-1337
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.1090.1022
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1090.1022
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/mnsc.1090.1022?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David J. Teece, 2003. "Competition, Cooperation, and Innovation Organizational Arrangements for Regimes of Rapid Technological Progress," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Essays In Technology Management And Policy Selected Papers of David J Teece, chapter 16, pages 447-474, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    2. Tarun Khanna, 1998. "The Scope of Alliances," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 9(3), pages 340-355, June.
    3. Joseph A. Clougherty & Tomaso Duso, 2009. "The Impact of Horizontal Mergers on Rivals: Gains to Being Left Outside a Merger," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(8), pages 1365-1395, December.
    4. McConnell, John J & Nantell, Timothy J, 1985. "Corporate Combinations and Common Stock Returns: The Case of Joint Ventures," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 40(2), pages 519-536, June.
    5. Eckbo, B. Espen, 1983. "Horizontal mergers, collusion, and stockholder wealth," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(1-4), pages 241-273, April.
    6. Saxonhouse, Gary R, 1976. "Estimated Parameters as Dependent Variables," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 66(1), pages 178-183, March.
    7. Richard P. Rumelt & Dan Schendel & David J. Teece, 1991. "Strategic management and economics," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(S2), pages 5-29, December.
    8. Megna, Pamela & Klock, Mark, 1993. "The Impact on Intangible Capital on Tobin's q in the Semiconductor Industry," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(2), pages 265-269, May.
    9. Hagedoorn, John, 2002. "Inter-firm R&D partnerships: an overview of major trends and patterns since 1960," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 477-492, May.
    10. Duysters, Geert & Hagedoorn, John, 1996. "Internationalization of corporate technology through strategic partnering: an empirical investigation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 1-12, January.
    11. Berg, Sanford V & Friedman, Philip, 1981. "Impacts of Domestic Joint Ventures on Industrial Rates of Return: A Pooled Cross-Section Analysis, 1964-1975," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 63(2), pages 293-298, May.
    12. Pierre Dussauge & Bernard Garrette & Will Mitchell, 2000. "Learning from competing partners: outcomes and durations of scale and link alliances in Europe, North America and Asia," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(2), pages 99-126, February.
    13. Susan E. Feinberg & Anil K. Gupta, 2004. "Knowledge spillovers and the assignment of R&D responsibilities to foreign subsidiaries," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(8‐9), pages 823-845, August.
    14. Claire Crutchley & Enyang Guo & Robert S. Hansen, 1991. "Stockholder Benefits From Japanese-U.S. Joint Ventures," Financial Management, Financial Management Association, vol. 20(4), Winter.
    15. Austin, David H, 1993. "An Event-Study Approach to Measuring Innovative Output: The Case of Biotechnology," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(2), pages 253-258, May.
    16. Jeffrey J. Reuer, 2001. "From hybrids to hierarchies: shareholder wealth effects of joint venture partner buyouts," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 27-44, January.
    17. Stillman, Robert, 1983. "Examining antitrust policy towards horizontal mergers," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(1-4), pages 225-240, April.
    18. Andrew C. Inkpen & Adva Dinur, 1998. "Knowledge Management Processes and International Joint Ventures," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 9(4), pages 454-468, August.
    19. Peter J. Lane & Michael Lubatkin, 1998. "Relative absorptive capacity and interorganizational learning," Post-Print hal-02311860, HAL.
    20. Gary Hamel, 1991. "Competition for competence and interpartner learning within international strategic alliances," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(S1), pages 83-103, June.
    21. Joanne E. Oxley & Rachelle C. Sampson, 2004. "The scope and governance of international R&D alliances," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(8‐9), pages 723-749, August.
    22. Nakamura, Masao & Shaver, J. Myles & Yeung, Bernard, 1996. "An empirical investigation of joint venture dynamics: Evidence from U.S.-Japan joint ventures," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 521-541, June.
    23. A. Craig MacKinlay, 1997. "Event Studies in Economics and Finance," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(1), pages 13-39, March.
    24. Bernard Garrette & Pierre Dussauge & Will Mitchell, 2000. "Learning from competing partners: outcomes and durations of scale and link alliances in Europe, North America and Asia," Post-Print hal-00458812, HAL.
    25. Su, Han Chan & Kensinger, John W. & Keown, Arthur J. & Martin, John D., 1997. "Do strategic alliances create value?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 199-221, November.
    26. Michael L. Katz, 1986. "An Analysis of Cooperative Research and Development," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 17(4), pages 527-543, Winter.
    27. McGahan, Anita M. & Silverman, Brian S., 2006. "Profiting from technological innovation by others: The effect of competitor patenting on firm value," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 1222-1242, October.
    28. Jeffrey J. Reuer & Mitchell P. Koza, 2000. "Asymmetric information and joint venture performance: theory and evidence for domestic and international joint ventures," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(1), pages 81-88, January.
    29. Michael L. Katz & Janusz A. Ordover, 1990. "R&D Cooperation and Competition," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 21(1990 Micr), pages 137-203.
    30. J. Randall Woolridge & Charles C. Snow, 1990. "Stock market reaction to strategic investment decisions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(5), pages 353-363, September.
    31. Jasjit Singh, 2007. "Asymmetry of knowledge spillovers between MNCs and host country firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(5), pages 764-786, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stienstra, Miranda, 2020. "The determinants and performance implications of alliance partner acquisition," Other publications TiSEM 7fdee0c2-d4d2-4f5b-95e3-2, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    2. Li, Dan, 2013. "Multilateral R&D alliances by new ventures," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 241-260.
    3. Reuer, Jeffrey J. & Zollo, Maurizio, 2005. "Termination outcomes of research alliances," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 101-115, February.
    4. Xiu-Hao Ding & Rui-Hua Huang & Dong-Lin Liu, 2012. "Resource allocation for open and hidden learning in learning alliances," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 103-127, March.
    5. M. V. Shyam Kumar, 2010. "Differential Gains Between Partners in Joint Ventures: Role of Resource Appropriation and Private Benefits," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(1), pages 232-248, February.
    6. Steffen Runge & Christian Schwens & Matthias Schulz, 2022. "The invention performance implications of coopetition: How technological, geographical, and product market overlaps shape learning and competitive tension in R&D alliances," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(2), pages 266-294, February.
    7. Müller, Dirk, 2010. "Alliance Coordination, Dysfunctions, and the Protection of Idiosyncratic Knowledge in Strategic Learning Alliances," EconStor Preprints 41039, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    8. Duso, Tomaso & Pennings, Enrico & Seldeslachts, Jo, 2010. "Learning dynamics in research alliances: A panel data analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 776-789, July.
    9. Bouncken, Ricarda B. & Fredrich, Viktor & Kraus, Sascha & Ritala, Paavo, 2020. "Innovation alliances: Balancing value creation dynamics, competitive intensity and market overlap," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 240-247.
    10. Ding, Xiu-Hao & Huang, Rui-Hua, 2010. "Effects of knowledge spillover on inter-organizational resource sharing decision in collaborative knowledge creation," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 201(3), pages 949-959, March.
    11. Glaister, Keith W. & Husan, Rumy & Buckley, Peter J., 2003. "Learning to manage international joint ventures," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 83-108, February.
    12. Jing Li & Charles Dhanaraj & Richard L. Shockley, 2008. "Joint venture evolution: extending the real options approach," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(4), pages 317-336.
    13. Li, Zhengyu, 2016. "Essays on knowledge sourcing and technological capability : A knowledge structure perspective," Other publications TiSEM b8ff31fc-c57b-4bc3-b5a4-0, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    14. Dovev Lavie & Randi Lunnan & Binh Minh T. Truong, 2022. "How does a partner's acquisition affect the value of the firm's alliance with that partner?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(9), pages 1897-1926, September.
    15. Kavusan, Korcan & Noorderhaven, Niels G. & Duysters, Geert M., 2016. "Knowledge acquisition and complementary specialization in alliances: The impact of technological overlap and alliance experience," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(10), pages 2153-2165.
    16. Nemeth, Alexander, 2012. "A framework of international joint ventures exit: A resource dependence and learning perspective," Freiberg Working Papers 2012/02, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    17. Liu, Chia-Ling (Eunice) & Ghauri, Pervez N. & Sinkovics, Rudolf R., 2010. "Understanding the impact of relational capital and organizational learning on alliance outcomes," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 237-249, July.
    18. Dan Li & Lorraine Eden & Michael A. Hitt & R. Duane Ireland & Robert P. Garrett, 2012. "Governance in Multilateral R&D Alliances," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(4), pages 1191-1210, August.
    19. García-Canal, Esteban & Sánchez-Lorda, Pablo, 2007. "One more only if it is one of us. The number of partners and the stock market reaction to domestic and international alliance formation in EU telecom firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 83-108, February.
    20. Cuypers, I.R.P., 2009. "Essays on equity joint ventures, uncertainty and experience," Other publications TiSEM 8dc79e86-c625-467f-a450-8, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:55:y:2009:i:8:p:1321-1337. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.