Template-type: ReDif-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Hagedoorn, John Author-workplace-name: MERIT Title: External Appropriation of Innovative Capabilities: The Preference for Strategic Alliances or M&AS Abstract: This paper explores the preferences that companies have as they use alternative external sources of innovative competences such as strategic technology alliances, mergers and acquisitions, or a mix of these. These alternatives are studied in the context of distinct industrial, technological and international settings. Different strategies followed by companies and the role played by routinized sets of preferences are also taken into consideration. The analysis demonstrates that these options are influenced by both different environmental conditions and firm specific circumstances, such as those related to protecting core businesses. Keywords: management and organization theory ; Series: Research Memoranda Creation-Date: 2000 Number: 008 File-URL: https://unu-merit.nl/publications/rmpdf/2000/rm2000-008.pdf File-Format: application/pdf File-Size: 94725 Handle: RePEc:unm:umamer:2000008