As with outsourcing, strategic alliances causes often fears. While with outsourcing people fear to lose a part of their organization, with strategic alliances they fear to lose control.

So, the final decision on an upcoming alliance touches the heart of an enterprise and belongs - like strategies in general - to the most difficult decisions of an entrepreneur. But their is no doubt: strategy does not only matter. Strategy (plus strict realization) is a must for successful development.

Strategic alliances are a powerful measure to reach, what one partner alone can not reach. And not every strategic alliance needs to be a merger.