Define a strategic alliance and identify and differentiate between three broad categories of ...

 A strategic alliance exists whenever two or more independent organizations cooperate in the development, manufacture, or sale of products or services. The three broad categories of alliances include nonequity alliances, joint ventures and equity alliances. In a nonequity alliance, cooperating firms agree to work together to develop, manufacture, or sell products or services, but they do not take equity positions in each other or form an independent organizational unit to manage their cooperative efforts. Rather, these cooperative relations are managed through the use of various forms of contracts. In an equity alliance, cooperating firms supplement contracts with equity holdings in alliance partners. In a joint venture, cooperating firms create a legally independent firm in which they invest and from which they share any profits that are created.

Enough said, this helped my grade so much