AN OUTLINE OF HARD AND SOFT PARTNERSHIPS IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Abstract

This research is in two sections. The first promotes the possible types of partnerships and emphasis is placed on business relations. It also introduces the phenomenon of a ТРР (Trans-Pacific Partnership). It defines the characteristics of hard and soft partnerships. The second part develops a set of tools for the analysis and evaluation of partnerships. For this purpose, two matrices are proposed. The first is for researching the issue of international levels with two vectors. The second matrix discusses intercompany partnerships which involves three dimensions: the type of partnership, the level of internationalization and the size of the companies.