Table 2 Category of influencing factors.
From: Causes of conflicts in standardization alliances related to the Belt and Road Initiative
Category | Influence factors | Brief description |
|---|---|---|
Internal level of alliance | Target difference | Target difference refers to different alliance members have different stakes and thus differ in what they want to achieve. |
Demand difference | There are differences in the development goals, backgrounds, cognition, and needs of alliance members. | |
Technical capabilities difference | The differences in technical capabilities not only reflect in the quantity and quality of technical resources but reflect in how enterprises combine and coordinate technical resources. | |
Cultural difference | Cultural difference span both company and country levels, manifesting in language, decision-making approaches, and values, significantly impacting the operation of standardization alliances. | |
Cognitive difference | Alliance members differ in the process of acquiring knowledge or processing information. | |
Value pursuit difference | There are differences in the basic beliefs and goals of alliance members in the pursuit of business success. | |
Information asymmetry | Information asymmetry makes it difficult for enterprises to accurately assess the resources, capabilities, and interests of alliance partners, which increases the probability of opportunistic behaviors. | |
Lack of trust | The trust relationship between individuals plays a decisive role in the establishment of long-term stability in the alliance. Lack of trust can induce dissatisfaction among members, low work efficiency, etc. | |
Poor communication | Lack of communication among alliance members may lead to information asymmetry, leading to decision-making mistakes, and induce a crisis of trust. | |
Unbalanced resources input | The unbalanced input of resources, including equipment, intellectual property, technical standards, or talents may lead to internal tension and dissatisfaction among alliance members, potentially impeding the overall achievement of the alliance’s goals. | |
Unreasonable benefits distribution | The alliance is built based on common interests. If the distribution of benefits is unreasonable, the collapse or disintegration of the alliance is likely to occur. | |
Resource dependency | Enterprises that are highly dependent on their partners’ resources, will be in a weak position in the alliance. Resource dependence may lead to unbalanced input resources and cause dissatisfaction. | |
Unreasonable contribution evaluation | The contribution evaluation and compensation mechanism of the alliance plays a decisive role in the fairness and rationality of the distribution of benefits. | |
External environment of alliance | Political risks | Political risks refer to the risk of losses caused by conflicts between races, religions, interest groups, and countries, as well as changes in power. |
Impact of financial factors | Financial factors, like economic downturns, natural disasters, and currency fluctuations, may trigger changes in the enterprises’ own demands and strategic objectives, impacting their capacity and commitment to participate in the alliance. | |
Policy changes | The policy is a guideline for the development of enterprises. Policy changes have a direct impact on a firm’s demand and the goal of the alliance. |
