The contributions of this book are threefold. First, the three empirical studies of strategic alliances in biotechnology research add to an already considerable literature on the pharmaceutical industry and its evolving structure. Second, the approach to understanding these increasingly pervasive strategies exemplifies the utility of moving away from theoretic ‘silos’ towards multi-theoretic analysis. This approach can be usefully juxtaposed with contrasting arguments about how management research might achieve more depth and maturity, as outlined in more detail below. The third contribution of the book is to relate a pluralist perspective to the work of Isaiah Berlin. This section of the book not only provides a stronger ontological foundation for Mark's effort, but introduces a philosophical depth that has been missing from most discussions of management theory around the world. All in all, this is a fresh, ambitious and welcome agenda. Though complex, the book is brief enough to be accessible to many readers; I encourage you to be one.

The empirical study begins with the puzzle of why alliances continue to flourish despite widely agreed statistics showing that at least half of previous efforts have failed, often miserably. Those interested in alliances, especially their strong role in the pharmaceutical industry, will be interested in the (disguised) descriptions of three specific connections. None of these collective efforts fulfilled its initially stated purpose; the most apparently successful was terminated the most quickly.