Read the overview below and complete the activities that follow. Collaborative agreements with foreign companies in the form of strategic alliances or joint ventures are widely used as a means of entering foreign markets. They are also used as a means of acquiring resources and capabilities by learning from foreign partners. They are used to put together powerful combinations of complementary resources and capabilities by accessing those resources and capabilities of a foreign partner. The Case Study below provides an example of a strategic alliance that Walgreens participated in with Alliance Boots. What was this partnership designed to achleve and why would it make sense for a company like Walgreens? Read the case below and answer the questions that follow. Walgreens pharmacy began in 1901 as a single store on the South Side of Chicago and grew to become the largest chain of pharmacy retallers in America. Walgreens was an early pioneer of the "self-service" pharmacy and found success by moving quickly to build a vast domestic network of stores after the Second World War. This growth-focused strotegy served Wolgreens well up until the beginning of the twenty-first century, by which time it had nearly saturated the U.S. market. By 2014, 75 percent of Americans lived within five miles of a Walgreens. The company was also facing threats to its core business model. Walgreens relies heavily on pharmacy sales, which generally are paid for by someone other than the patient, usually the government or an insurance company. As the government and insurers started to make a more sustained effort to cut costs, Walgreens's core profit center was at risk. To mitigate these threats, Walgreens looked to enter forelgn markets. Walgreens found an ideal international parther in Alliance Boots. Based in the United Kingdom, Alliance Boots had a global footprint with 3,300 stores across 10 countries. A partnership with Alliance. Boots had several strategic advantages, allowing Waigreens to gain swif entry into foreign markets as well as complementary assets and expertise. First, it gave Walgreens access to new markets beyond the saturated United States for its retal pharmacies, Second, it provided Walgreens with a new revenue stream in wholesale drugs. Alliance Boots held a vast European distribution network for wholesale drug sales; Walgreens could leverage that network and expertise to build a similar model in the United States. Finally, a merger with Alliance Boots would strengthen Walgreens's existing business by increasing the compary's market position and therefore bargaining power with drug companies, In light of these advantages. Walgreens moved quickly to partner with and later acquire Alliance Boots and merged both companies in 2014 to become Walgreens Boots Alliance. Walgreens Boots Altance, inc. is now one of the world's largest drug purchasers, able to negotiate from a strong position with drug companies and other suppliers to realize economies of scale in its current. businesses. The market has thus far responded favorably to the merget. Walgreens Boots Alliancels stock has more than doubled in value since the first news of the partnership in 2012. However, the company is still struggling to integrote and faces new risks such as currency fluctuation in its new combined position. Yet os the pharmaceutical industry continues to consolidate. Walgreens is in an undoubtedily stronger position to continue to prow in the future thanks to its strategic international acquisition. Note: Developed with Katherine Coster. Sources: Company io-K Form, 2015. "When to Change e Winning Strategy" Harvard Business. Aevlew, July 25, 2012, Bilion on Aliance Boots Steke: The Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2012