The scope and governance of technological alliances

We analyze the determining factors for expanding the scope of alliances, as well as the consequences of this expansion on the type of governance. We understand as expanded scope the coordination of production and/or marketing activities related to the products or services obtained from the technology that was the purpose of the alliance. We argue that the need to secure the access to external resources is the main driver for expanding alliance scope. We also argue that the adoption of the joint venture as a type of governance in expanded scope alliances is explained by the appropriation risks caused by the expansion. An empirical study of a database with more than 4,000 technological alliances promoted by firms from the European Union confirms the hypotheses proposed. (C) 2012 ACEDE. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.