What Changes and Opportunities Does Big Data Analytics Capability Bring to Strategic Alliance Research? A Systematic Literature Review

Strategic alliance theories have been studied widely over the past few decades. However, their key arguments may face new limitations and challenges brought by emerging technologies such as big data analytics capability (BDAC). This paper aims to identify the challenges BDAC brings to strategic alliance theories and the associated changes to strategic alliance research. Specifically, this paper systematically reviews and identifies how BDAC challenges the key arguments in the strategic alliances’ theories through the lens of three stages of strategic alliances: formation, governance and achieving alliance performance. Meanwhile, this study also finds some changes in strategic alliance research brought by BDAC. Finally, this study proposes promising directions for future research on strategic alliances under the influences of BDAC.