Alliance Brand - Fulfilling The Promise Of Partnering

As pressure continues to build on organisations to achieve more with less, partnering offers tremendous promise as a strategic solution. However, up to 70% of such initiatives fail to meet their objectives. In this book, alliance expert Mark Darby argues that, in the age of the extended enterprise, firms must display a positive reputation and hard results from their alliances in order to attract the best partners and stand out from the growing crowd of potential allies. Building on this, he introduces the Alliance Brand concept, explores its critical success factors, and shows in detail how to apply it in your organisation.


Darby's straightforward advice and comprehensive maps and tools will guide you on the journey to fulfilling the promise of partnering. The results are higher revenues and reduced alliance failure rates, along with lower costs and fewer risks. Alliance brands also have more satisfied staff and partners, and a transparent, audit-friendly process to satisfy increasing governance concerns. This leads to sustainable alliance success, and ultimately 'partner of choice' status in your chosen industries and markets.


That's a compelling return on investment. That's an Alliance Brand.

Mark Darby is Founder & Principal of ALLIANTIST. ALLIANTIST is an alliance solutions provider that enables organisations to get measurable benefits from their partnering and alliance activity. ALLIANTIST helps clients generate a positive reputation and results from their alliance activity, creating real value from the way they work with internal colleagues, alliance partners, suppliers, distributors, customers, and even competitors. Prior to ALLIANTIST Mark led the UK extended enterprise consulting activity for Deloitte, and before that designed and built Reuters first UK and then global alliance programme. He was also instrumental at The Rank Group over eight years with its alliances, strategic sourcing and supplier relationship management activity. Having operated for nearly twenty years across the value chain as advisor, supplier, customer and partner in working with global and international organisations like HP, Deloitte, Reuters, Cisco, IBM, Siebel, Fujitsu, The Rank Group, BT, the UK Public Sector and many small and medium size enterprises, Mark is well placed to share his experience and make a real difference quickly. 

Mark also has an MBA from the University of Reading where he carried out extensive research on alliances. He is a Member of the Institute of Directors, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply as well as a Member of Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP) and ex Board Director of the European branch of ASAP. Mark is also a regular speaker on alliances and has been published in a number of business journals.

Foreword by Jeff Alexander, Seeda.

Acknowledgements.

Preface.

PART I: USING ALLIANCES TO CREATE VALUE.

1. How Value and Advantage Affect Firm Activities.

2. Understanding Alliances. 

3. Forces Driving for Alliances. 

4. What Winning Alliances Look Like.

5. Forces Challenging Alliance Success.

6. Alliance Brand.

PART I SUMMARY.

PART II: HAVING A CAPABILITY TO PARTNER.

7. Clarity on Strategy.

8. Clarity On Core Competences.

9. Ability To Make Effective Strategic Choices.

10. Attractiveness of Assets.

11. Ability to Collaborate Internally and Externally.

12. Ability to Govern Effectively and Manage Complex Relationships.

13 Effectiveness of Alliance Infrastructure.

PART II SUMMARY.

PART III: WINNING WITH ALLIANCES.

14. Phase 1: Pre-Alliance.

15. Phase 2: Pre-Partner.

16. Phase 3: With-Partner Planning.

17. Phase 4: Alliance Launch.

18. Phase 5: With-Partner Delivery.

19. Phase 6: Alliance Reviews.

20. The Journey to Alliance Brand and Winning Alliances.

Appendix: Alliance Brand Quick Test.

References.

Index.