THE EVOLVING ROLE OF ALLIANCES AND ALLIANCE LEADERSHIP
             THE "NEW ERA OF ALLIANCES"
             We have ample evidence to believe that global business has entered a dynamic, innovative and challenging new era. In this "new era," operational partnerships and business alliances play center stage in organizational and competitive strategies.
             Whether we are driven to this new era by the economic necessity of downsizing, by the vital need for information and innovation(that our companies can no longer generate on their own), or by thought leadership driving the development of new models of operational performance, the result is that organizations of all shapes and sizes across all geographies and industry sectors are building partner-centric business models in
             what we call the "New Era of Alliances."
             In the "New Era of Alliances," companies perfect their ability to focus on core internal competencies and strategic differentiators and then aggressively work to build external partnerships to complement
             and supplement the things they determine to be at their most valuable core. Every organizational function presents opportunities for alliance leverage in this new model. In the process, alliance building and organizational partnering are no longer principally managed by a separate functional group
             or team. Successful organizations in the new model "own" their alliances across organizational functions. Each function has an alliance orientation that ensures that alliance relationships are built and managed by the whole organization.
             "The days of alliances as something companies do are gone. Today, companies are alliances, and their ability to manage those networks will determine industry leadership and transform the competitive landscape in
             Gene Slowinski, PhD, Pharmaceutical Executive Magazine December 1, 2001
             A strategic alliance has been defined as:
             'a relationship of anticip...