Creating a Typology of International Alliances with City-level Distance Measures

Abstract

This chapter describes how micro-locational factors affect international alliance formation. The authors focus specifically on the role of global cities, which are studied from a distance perspective. The authors argue that distances must be apprehended not at the country level but at the city level. The chapter is an attempt to provide a better understanding of the complex, multilevel factors that interact when firms select an alliance partner in a particular location. The authors take an explorative methodological approach through a configurational analysis of international alliances made by American companies in 2015. The main contribution is the proposition of a typology of micro-locational characteristics to help understand international alliance formation at a city level.

Citation

Engsig, J., Nielsen, B.B., Chiambaretto, P. and Ramaroson, A. (2021), "Creating a Typology of International Alliances with City-level Distance Measures", Verbeke, A., van Tulder, R., Rose, E.L. and Wei, Y. (Ed.) The Multiple Dimensions of Institutional Complexity in International Business Research (Progress in International Business Research, Vol. 15), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 311-338. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1745-886220210000015018