Navigating networks: A literature review of strategic alliances

International business management students are trained to become future international business managers, necessitating a thorough education including current and relevant information to be able to live up to their professional responsibilities. This study evaluates the quality of international business management textbooks in imparting knowledge about strategic alliances, a critical aspect of international business management. Nineteen textbooks were examined using a two-step approach: first, a theoretical framework was established based on academic papers and specialized literature; second, the relevant sections of the textbooks were identified and coded into a self-developed deductive-inductive category system. Through evaluative qualitative content analysis, a framework was developed to assess the alignment of textbook content with current, correct, and relevant information on strategic alliances. The findings reveal that while international business management textbooks generally provide information slightly below medium alignment with the current state of research, they exhibit variability in quality across different categories. Furthermore, some textbooks excel, while others perform poorly, indicating disparity in content quality. This study underscores the importance of ensuring that educational materials adequately prepare future international business managers with up-to-date and accurate information on strategic alliances, so they can make well-considered research-based decisions.