IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbvent/v23y2008i4p465-481.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Financial slack and venture managers' decisions to seek a new alliance

Author

Listed:
  • Patzelt, Holger
  • Shepherd, Dean A.
  • Deeds, David
  • Bradley, Steven W.

Abstract

We examine two distinct perspectives to analyze the role of financial slack in the decisions of technology venture managers to seek strategic alliances. According to the capabilities perspective, financial slack provides managers with the ability to maximize the benefits from acquiring missing capabilities through alliance formation, whereas according to the resource dependence perspective, financial slack buffers the managers' motivations to seek alliances as a reaction to external environmental scarcity. Drawing on an experimental design and data on 1632 decisions nested within 51 managers, we find support for a combined perspective demonstrating that managerial discretion in the form of financial slack moderates how internal capabilities and context encourage managers to seek alliances. We discuss implications of our work for the alliance literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Patzelt, Holger & Shepherd, Dean A. & Deeds, David & Bradley, Steven W., 2008. "Financial slack and venture managers' decisions to seek a new alliance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 465-481, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:23:y:2008:i:4:p:465-481
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883-9026(07)00057-2
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bruce Kogut, 1988. "Joint ventures: Theoretical and empirical perspectives," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(4), pages 319-332, July.
    2. David L. Deeds & Dona Decarolis & Joseph E. Coombs, 1998. "Firm-Specific Resources and Wealth Creation in High-Technology Ventures: Evidence from Newly Public Biotechnology Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 22(3), pages 55-73, April.
    3. Jeff S. Armstrong & Michael R. Darby & Lynne G. Zucker, 2003. "Commercializing knowledge: university science, knowledge capture and firm performance in biotechnology," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, issue Sep, pages 149-170.
    4. Lerner, Josh & Merges, Robert P, 1998. "The Control of Technology Alliances: An Empirical Analysis of the Biotechnology Industry," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 125-156, June.
    5. Deeds, David L. & Decarolis, Dona & Coombs, Joseph E., 1997. "The impact of firmspecific capabilities on the amount of capital raised in an initial public offering: Evidence from the biotechnology industry," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 31-46, January.
    6. Gautam Ahuja, 2000. "The duality of collaboration: inducements and opportunities in the formation of interfirm linkages," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 317-343, March.
    7. Justin Tan & Mike W. Peng, 2003. "Organizational slack and firm performance during economic transitions: two studies from an emerging economy," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(13), pages 1249-1263, December.
    8. Kathleen M. Eisenhardt & Claudia Bird Schoonhoven, 1996. "Resource-based View of Strategic Alliance Formation: Strategic and Social Effects in Entrepreneurial Firms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 7(2), pages 136-150, April.
    9. Lerner, Josh & Shane, Hilary & Tsai, Alexander, 2003. "Do equity financing cycles matter? evidence from biotechnology alliances," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 411-446, March.
    10. Josh Lerner & Robert P. Merges, 1998. "The Control of Technology Alliances: An Empirical Analysis of the Biotechnology Industry," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 125-156, June.
    11. Tailan Chi, 1994. "Trading in strategic resources: Necessary conditions, transaction cost problems, and choice of exchange structure," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(4), pages 271-290, May.
    12. Julia Porter Liebeskind & Amalya Lumerman Oliver & Lynne Zucker & Marilynn Brewer, 1996. "Social networks, Learning, and Flexibility: Sourcing Scientific Knowledge in New Biotechnology Firms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 7(4), pages 428-443, August.
    13. Michael A. Hitt & David Ahlstrom & M. Tina Dacin & Edward Levitas & Lilia Svobodina, 2004. "The Institutional Effects on Strategic Alliance Partner Selection in Transition Economies: China vs. Russia," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(2), pages 173-185, April.
    14. David J Teece, 2008. "Capturing Value from Technological Innovation: Integration, Strategic Partnering, and Licensing Decisions," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Technological Know-How, Organizational Capabilities, And Strategic Management Business Strategy and Enterprise Development in Competitive Environments, chapter 12, pages 237-252, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    15. Rothaermel, Frank T., 2001. "Complementary assets, strategic alliances, and the incumbent's advantage: an empirical study of industry and firm effects in the biopharmaceutical industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(8), pages 1235-1251, October.
    16. David B. Audretsch & Erik E. Lehmann, 2004. "Financing High-Tech Growth: The Role Of Banks And Venture Capitalists," Schmalenbach Business Review (sbr), LMU Munich School of Management, vol. 56(4), pages 340-357, October.
    17. Yuri Mishina & Timothy G. Pollock & Joseph F. Porac, 2004. "Are more resources always better for growth? Resource stickiness in market and product expansion," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(12), pages 1179-1197, December.
    18. Deeds, David L. & Hill, Charles W. L., 1996. "Strategic alliances and the rate of new product development: An empirical study of entrepreneurial biotechnology firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 41-55, January.
    19. Donna Marie DeCarolis & David L. Deeds, 1999. "The impact of stocks and flows of organizational knowledge on firm performance: an empirical investigation of the biotechnology industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(10), pages 953-968, October.
    20. John Hagedoorn, 1993. "Understanding the rationale of strategic technology partnering: Interorganizational modes of cooperation and sectoral differences," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(5), pages 371-385, July.
    21. Dean A. Shepherd, 1999. "Venture Capitalists' Assessment of New Venture Survival," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 45(5), pages 621-632, May.
    22. Noam Wasserman, 2003. "Founder-CEO Succession and the Paradox of Entrepreneurial Success," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(2), pages 149-172, April.
    23. Lerner, Josh, 1995. "Patenting in the Shadow of Competitors," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 38(2), pages 463-495, October.
    24. Frank T. Rothaermel & David L. Deeds, 2004. "Exploration and exploitation alliances in biotechnology: a system of new product development," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3), pages 201-221, March.
    25. Coombs, Joseph E. & Mudambi, Ram & Deeds, David L., 2006. "An examination of the investments in U.S. biotechnology firms by foreign and domestic corporate partners," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 405-428, July.
    26. Lerner, Joshua, 1994. "Venture capitalists and the decision to go public," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 293-316, June.
    27. Parker, Simon C., 2006. "Learning about the unknown: How fast do entrepreneurs adjust their beliefs?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 1-26, January.
    28. George, Gerard & Zahra, Shaker A. & Wood, D. Jr., 2002. "The effects of business-university alliances on innovative output and financial performance: a study of publicly traded biotechnology companies," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 577-609, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Simon J. D. Schillebeeckx & Sankalp Chaturvedi & Gerard George & Zella King, 2016. "What do i want? The effects of individual aspiration and relational capability on collaboration preferences," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(7), pages 1493-1506, July.
    2. Friebe, Christian A. & Flotow, Paschen von & Täube, Florian A., 2013. "Exploring the link between products and services in low-income markets—Evidence from solar home systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 760-769.
    3. Alexander McKelvie & Johan Wiklund, 2010. "Advancing Firm Growth Research: A Focus on Growth Mode Instead of Growth Rate," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(2), pages 261-288, March.
    4. Manolova, T. & Shirokova, G. & Tsukanova, T. & Edelman, L., 2014. "The impact of family support on young nascent entrepreneurs's start-up activities: A family embeddedness perspective," Working Papers 6381, Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University.
    5. Morgan, Horatio M., 2013. "Equity-based Financial Slack and New Venture Performance: Evidence from matched single-founder ventures," MPRA Paper 50325, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Mingfeng Tang & Hao Huang & Grace Walsh & Maribel Guerrero, 2023. "The impact of entrepreneurial overconfidence on incubator effectiveness," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 416-440, February.
    7. Tom Vanacker & Veroniek Collewaert & Ine Paeleman, 2013. "The Relationship between Slack Resources and the Performance of Entrepreneurial Firms: The Role of Venture Capital and Angel Investors," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(6), pages 1070-1096, September.
    8. Riepe, Jan & Uhl, Kristina, 2020. "Startups’ demand for non-financial resources: Descriptive evidence from an international corporate venture capitalist," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 36(C).
    9. Lars Schweizer & Erik Monsen & Holger Patzelt, 2008. "Anreize und Motivation für unternehmerisches Handeln in etablierten Firmen," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 60(7), pages 671-692, November.
    10. Lin, Ya-Hui & Chen, Chung-Jen & Lin, Bou-Wen, 2018. "The dual-edged role of returnee board members in new venture performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 347-358.
    11. Xuemei Xie & Jiuchang Lv, 2018. "Female technology entrepreneurs: resource shortages and reputation challenges – a view of institutional support," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 379-403, June.
    12. Judith Behrens & Holger Patzelt, 2016. "Corporate Entrepreneurship Managers’ Project Terminations: Integrating Portfolio–Level, Individual–Level, and Firm–Level Effects," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(4), pages 815-842, July.
    13. Edelman, Linda F. & Manolova, Tatiana & Shirokova, Galina & Tsukanova, Tatyana, 2016. "The impact of family support on young entrepreneurs' start-up activities," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 428-448.
    14. Morgan, Horatio M., 2013. "Equity-based Financial Slack and New Venture Performance: Evidence from matched single-founder ventures," MPRA Paper 50291, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Khurshid, Hamid & Snell, Robin Stanley, 2021. "Examining mechanisms for creating shared value by Asian firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 122-133.
    16. Lebedev, Sergey & Sun, Sunny Li & Markóczy, Lívia & Peng, Mike W., 2021. "Board political ties and firm internationalization," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(3).
    17. Barbara Bird & Leon Schjoedt & J. Robert Baum, 2012. "Editor's Introduction. Entrepreneurs’ Behavior: Elucidation and Measurement," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(5), pages 889-913, September.
    18. Haeussler, Carolin & Patzelt, Holger & Zahra, Shaker A., 2012. "Strategic alliances and product development in high technology new firms: The moderating effect of technological capabilities," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 217-233.
    19. Basu, Sandip & Phelps, Corey & Kotha, Suresh, 2011. "Towards understanding who makes corporate venture capital investments and why," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 153-171, March.
    20. Hanisch, David N. & Rau, Sabine B., 2014. "Application of metric conjoint analysis in family business research," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 72-84.

    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. Haeussler, Carolin & Patzelt, Holger & Zahra, Shaker A., 2012. "Strategic alliances and product development in high technology new firms: The moderating effect of technological capabilities," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 217-233.
    2. Devarakonda, Ramakrishna & Reuer, Jeffrey J. & Tadikonda, Harsha, 2022. "Founder social capital and value appropriation in R&D alliance agreements," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(4).
    3. Rothaermel, Frank T. & Deeds, David L., 2006. "Alliance type, alliance experience and alliance management capability in high-technology ventures," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 429-460, July.
    4. Jeffrey J. Reuer & Ramakrishna Devarakonda, 2017. "Partner Selection in R&D Collaborations: Effects of Affiliations with Venture Capitalists," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(3), pages 574-595, June.
    5. Stuart, Toby E. & Ozdemir, Salih Zeki & Ding, Waverly W., 2007. "Vertical alliance networks: The case of university-biotechnology-pharmaceutical alliance chains," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 477-498, May.
    6. Wilfried Zidorn & Marcus Wagner, 2012. "Too Much of a Good Thing: The Role of Alliance Portfolio Diversity for Innovation Output in the Biotechnology Industry," DRUID Working Papers 12-10, DRUID, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy/Aalborg University, Department of Business Studies.
    7. Marcus Wagner & Wilfried Zidorn, 2017. "Effects of extent and diversity of alliancing on innovation: the moderating role of firm newness," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 919-936, December.
    8. Frank T. Rothaermel & Andrew M. Hess, 2007. "Building Dynamic Capabilities: Innovation Driven by Individual-, Firm-, and Network-Level Effects," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(6), pages 898-921, December.
    9. Coombs, Joseph E. & Mudambi, Ram & Deeds, David L., 2006. "An examination of the investments in U.S. biotechnology firms by foreign and domestic corporate partners," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 405-428, July.
    10. Fabio Sorrentino & Francesco Garraffo, 2012. "Explaining performing R&D through alliances: Implications for the business model of Italian dedicated biotech firms," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 16(3), pages 449-475, August.
    11. Czarnitzki, Dirk & Hottenrott, Hanna, 2012. "Collaborative R&D as a strategy to attenuate financing constraints," ZEW Discussion Papers 12-049, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    12. Daniel Nepelski & Vincent Roy & Annarosa Pesole, 2019. "The organisational and geographic diversity and innovation potential of EU-funded research networks," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 359-380, April.
    13. Colombo, Massimo G. & Grilli, Luca & Piva, Evila, 2006. "In search of complementary assets: The determinants of alliance formation of high-tech start-ups," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 1166-1199, October.
    14. Manuela N. Hoehn‐Weiss & Samina Karim, 2014. "Unpacking functional alliance portfolios: How signals of viability affect young firms' outcomes," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(9), pages 1364-1385, September.
    15. Raphael Greiner & Siah Ang, 2012. "Biotechnology collaborations: does business model matter?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 16(3), pages 377-392, August.
    16. 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.
    17. Ng, Desmond W., 2011. "Thinking Outside the Box: An Absorptive Capacity Approach to the Product Development Process," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 14(3), pages 1-28, September.
    18. repec:pab:wpbsad:16.01 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Neil A. Thompson & Andrea M. Herrmann & Marko P. Hekkert, 2018. "SME Knowledge Commercialization Through Public Sector Partnerships," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(03), pages 1-27, June.
    20. Holger Patzelt & Dean A. Shepherd, 2008. "The Decision to Persist with Underperforming Alliances: The Role of Trust and Control," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(7), pages 1217-1243, November.
    21. Fariss–Terry Mousa & Richard Reed, 2013. "The Impact of Slack Resources on High–Tech IPOs," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 37(5), pages 1123-1147, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:eee:jbvent:v:23:y:2008:i:4:p:465-481. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusvent .

    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.