Determinants Of Partner Opportunism In Strategic Alliances: A Conceptual Framework

The authors propose an extended definition of partner opportunism and three categories of the determinants of partner opportunism based on a review of the literature. These categories comprise economic factors (equity involvement, asymmetric alliance-specific investments, mutual hostages, and payoff inequity), relational factors (cultural diversity and goal incompatibilities), and temporal factors (alliance horizon and pressures for quick results). The framework of determinants makes clear how the various determinants of partner opportunism may be differentially salient in the three major alliance types, namely, equity joint ventures, minority equity alliances, and non equity alliances.