Entering into strategic alliances and collaborative partnerships can be competitively valuable because:
A. working closely with outsiders is essential in developing new technologies and new products in virtually every industry.
B. cooperative arrangements with other companies are very helpful in racing against rivals to build a strong global presence and/or racing to seize opportunities on the frontiers of advancing technology.
C. they represent highly effective ways to achieve low-cost leadership and capture first-mover advantages.
D. they are a powerful way for companies to build loyalty and goodwill among customers with diverse needs and expectations.
E. they are quite effective in helping a company transfer the risks of threatening external developments to other companies.
Answer: cooperative arrangements with other companies are very helpful in racing against rivals to build a strong global presence and/or racing to seize opportunities on the frontiers of advancing technology.