P1: C-175-Adams
Adams WL040/Bidgoli-Vol III-Ch-29 July 11, 2003 11:50 Char Count= 0
STRATEGICALLIANCEAPPROACH TOENHANCEMENT OFDEPARTMENTSWITHIN ACOMPANY 343assets uncovered during 2002 created an unprecedented
economic turmoil. Executives, accustomed to comfort-
able corporate salaries, suddenly found themselves with-
out jobs. Lack of corporate opportunities caused several
senior executives to develop creativity in marketing them-
selves as strategic partnering consultants. This arrange-
ment as the newest form of a management team has lead
to an attractive alternative and creation of a win/win cir-
cumstance for companies and individuals. Talented exec-
utives have been able to work for several companies at
once, using the best of their own resources and have been
able to choose their schedules, work habits, and compa-
nies for whom they want to work. For executives who
chose to work through consulting companies, many were
able to make more money and experienced greater flex-
ibility in how and when they worked. Larger companies
have benefited by being able to hire extremely talented in-
dividuals, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time executive
employee, participating in a sort of “executive” time-share
with other companies. Companies can bring in the best
people as a brain “tank” for less money and the consul-
tants are glad to be there. Establishing an environment
surrounded by excited and appreciative new individuals
creates enthusiasm as well, throughout the organization
and for long-time employees. Charrettes can be formed
in a short amount of time using the most cutting-edge in-
formation and executives, and can lead a company out
of a tremendous upheaval toward new successes. This
paradigm shift being experienced by many companies to-
day seems to be creating the new ideal business model.
Although this type of business arrangement is a fairly re-
cent one, these partnerships seem to be established for the
long-term gain.Enhancing Marketing through
the Use of Strategic Partners
Marketing, branding, advertising, and public relations
have followed the rest of the business world in becom-
ing increasingly more complex and competitive. Most
large corporations previously created marketing solutions
through their own employees, sometimes as a human re-
sources department function or within their marketing
group. The Internet and sophisticated systems of market-
ing have created a need for a focused understanding and
knowledge of marketing as a complete system of tools and
branding that will constantly update and change accord-
ing to rapid changes in market conditions. Public rela-
tions firms have had to reorganize drastically in recent
years to be able to handle the complexity of maintaining
market share in a global market, using the Internet as well
as all other forms of media. The statistics and effects of
certain marketing techniques seem to reinvent themselves
daily. The interests and desires of customers tire easily as
massive groups use the Internet. Web sites experiencing a
great amount of traffic will many times change their look
once a day to keep customer interest, and several com-
panies change the front page of their Web site upon each
computer visit.
Creating strategic alliance partnerships between mar-
keting companies and businesses as a means of revenue
sharing has been a boost for many marketing companiesas well as for their host businesses. Traditionally, mar-
keting companies billed for work performed and were
left out of the windfall of financial success that came
from growing start-up companies. As companies develop
best of the best branding, some have decided to form
a revenue-sharing process with marketing companies as
an incentive to help build market share. The company
needing marketing benefits from an alignment with a
great marketing company at an early discounted rate
while it is small and trying to build growth. As market
share increases, the marketing company’s revenue shar-
ing increases exponentially, a benefit that previously was
not an option for payment. This type of arrangement
could build residual future incomes as well for the mar-
keting company, depending on the particular contract
agreement.Enhancing Supply Chains through
the Use of Strategic Partners
In a news release of October 1997 on Boeing’s Corporate
Web site, Boeing created a revolutionary partnership to
obtain a large U.S. Army contract. By forming a partner-
ship with Apache, Lockheed Martin, and Army Depot, a
repair work company, they were able to combine cost sav-
ing “support costs while bolstering the Apache’s readiness
capabilities” (Boeing, 1997).
In 2000, Gateway Computers and CollegeCapital cre-
ated a partnership that would expand the market of
each company while providing resources to each of their
customers. Gateway, as a means of creating distinction
from competitors, wanted to create software solutions
as an added incentive to purchase Gateway Computers.
By adding CollegeCapital’s membership to the sale of a
computer to a student’s family, Gateway was able to add
greater value to the computer purchase. CollegeCapital
developed mass purchase discounts for individual student
memberships in exchange. The exposure for CollegeCap-
ital in Gateway Country Stores created a dynamic growth
to their market. By combining marketing campaigns, both
companies benefited from each other’s endorsements to
their perspective customers. CollegeCapital was able to
provide computer discounts to students through special
pricing incentives from Gateway, and the customers were
able to obtain better pricing, a better overall product, and
ease of delivery. Both companies benefited from obtaining
a greater percentage of sales and market share and were
able to create cost savings in many support areas where
only one company’s resources were needed. Teams of em-
ployees from each company were shared and excellent
ideas formed by the diversity that was created in bring-
ing the expertise of employees together from completely
separate companies and corporate cultures.Enhancing Delivery through
the Use of Strategic Partners
There was a time when the doctor would come to the home
of an ill patient, prescribe medication, and then deliver it
to the patient. Of course, the doctor had a limited choice
of medications contained in the little black bag, the down-
side of a simple solution.