Network Analysis in Alliance Research: A Bibliometric Approach

Given the size and plurality of strategic alliance research in terms of theoretical perspectives, empirical evidence and contextual factors, it has become of great interest to assess the state of the art of this body of research. In order to advance particular areas of research, synthesizing knowledge is one the most important tasks of scholars. Research traditionally relies for this purpose on qualitative literature reviews or quantitative meta-analyses. Although valuable, these methods may suffer from severe drawbacks such as a limited amount of data or selective sampling. In this study, we offer a third way and therefore contribute to the strategic alliance literature by reviewing a comprehensive set of articles from 1900 to 2016. Using techniques like co-citation analysis and pathfinder analysis, this bibliometric network approach discovers and visualizes longitudinal shifts of research topics, authors, and institutions. Therefore, the analysis presents a valuable overview for researchers and practitioners alike about the intellectual foundation of strategic alliance research.