But it is far from unique.
Corporate alliances break up all the time.
The dirty laundry is seldom as much on display as in the Ford-Firestone spat, but the reasons behind the breakups are often the same. A peek inside the firestorm may suggest ways to avoid costly alliance divorces. Analysts and researchers have had a much tougher time laying their hands on this elusive variable. The best research now suggests that trust in alliances is not at all like trust in personal relationships, no matter how catchy the comparison might sound. Unlike personal trust in a real marriage, organizational trust in corporate relationships cannot rest on emotions, but must rely on careful alignment of business interests and on the governance of the alliance.