Merger and acquisition strategies a. are nearly always superior alternatives to forming alliances or partnerships with these same companies. b. are a particularly effective way of pursuing a blue-ocean strategy and an outsourcing strategy. c. may offer considerable cost-saving opportunities and can also be beneficial in helping a company try to invent a new industry. d. seldom are superior alternatives to forming alliances with these same companies because of the financial drain of using the company's cash resources to accomplish the merger or acquisition. e. are one of the best ways for helping a company strongly differentiate its product offering and use a differentiation strategy to strengthen its market position.