关键词: 合作, 信心, 契约, 信任

Abstract: Leveraging external sources of innovation by alliance is an important way to upgrade for Chinese enterprises; however the risks attending the cooperation among partners prevent the formation of the alliance. On the basis of an in-depth study of two alliance cases, this paper develops a theory of alliance formation. This theory can provide insights into how both sides of the alliance achieve agreement for the first-time cooperation under the environment characterized by high uncertainty and transaction-specific investment. In particular, this paper shows that when the contract is not enough to control the opportunism risk, both sides of the alliance turn to the trust to reduce uncertainty. The complementary relation between contract and competence trust can enhance the cooperation confidence, but the strong outcome control of the contract will squeeze out the necessity of the behavior trust.