PROBLEMS IN STRATEGIC ALLIANCES – SHOULD WE TERMINATE THE COLLABORATION? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM NORTH-WEST REGION ROMANIA

This paper examines the problems facing the firms in their strategic alliances and the decision “alliance termination” for the problematic relationships. The study is based on qualitative data resulting from interviews with top level managers and executives in ten Romanian firms. We observed that the main problems facing the firms in our sample were: the insolvency, the less seriousness of some partners and the own rules imposed in the collaboration by the large firms. Moreover, the managers in our study argued that one collaboration should end when: the objectives were not met (or are on the way to not be accomplished), the partner becomes more unserious, and when there is a drop in the relational attributes (e.g. trust, honesty). The paper contributes to the literature on strategic alliances, specifically to the alliance problems and alliance termination topics. It has also managerial utility for latter stages in managing strategic alliances.