Strategic symbiotic alliances and market orientation: An empirical testing in the Chinese car industry

Based on social capital theory, we test the effect of market orientation on the stability of strategic symbiotic alliances in China. It is predicted that firms' market orientation has a positive effect on social capital, which, in turn, has a positive effect on the stability of the large-small symbiotic alliances. Moreover, social capital also has a positive effect on the sharing of resources among the partners, which should also influence the stability of the alliance. This paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for academics and practitioners of the research.