Alliance portfolio management and sustainability of entrepreneurial firms

Abstract

The aim of the present work is to testify whether the alliance portfolio management capability has an impact on entrepreneurial firms' sustainability. A moderating mediation model has been applied to a sample consisting of 101 entrepreneurial firms listed in New OTC Market (Over the Counter Market) in China. Based on the research design, second-hand data and first-hand data were used. The findings reveal that the two dimensions of the alliance portfolio management capability, i.e., partnering proactiveness and relational governance, can trigger a higher value of the alliance portfolio and result in the sustainable growth of entrepreneurial firms. What is more, when the board of directors has centralized power, the alliance portfolio management capability will increase the value of the alliance portfolio and improve the sustainability of entrepreneurial firms. Unlike the previous literature, this study discovers the internal mechanism between the alliance portfolio management capability and firms' sustainability in the context of entrepreneurship. The theoretical condition of this relationship is provided from the perspective of the board of directors.