From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A joint venture (often abbreviated JV) is an entity formed between two or more parties to undertake economic activity together. The parties agree to create a new entity by both contributing equity, and they then share in the revenues, expenses, and control of the enterprise. The venture can be for one specific project only, or a continuing business relationship such as the Sony Ericsson joint venture. This is in contrast to a strategic alliance, which involves no equity stake by the participants, and is a much less rigid arrangement.

Organizations can also form joint ventures, for example, a child welfare organization in the Midwest initiated a joint venture whose mission is to develop and service client tracking software for human service organizations. The five partners all sit on the joint venture corporation's board, and together have been able to provide the community with a much-needed resource.

The phrase generally refers to the purpose of the entity and not to a type of entity. Therefore, a joint venture may be a corporation, limited liability company, partnership or other legal structure, depending on a number of considerations such as tax and tort liability.

Joint ventures are common in the oil and gas industry, and are often cooperations between a local and foreign company (about 3/4 are international). A joint venture is often seen as a very viable business alternative in this sector, as the companies can complement their skill sets while it offers the foreign company a geographic presence. Studies show a failure rate of 30-61%, and that 60% failed to start or faded away within 5 years. (Osborn, 2003) It is also known that joint ventures in low-developed countries show a greater instability, and that JVs involving government partners have higher incidence of failure (private firms seem to be better equipped to supply key skills, marketing networks etc.) Furthermore, JVs have shown to fail miserably under highly volatile demand and rapid changes in product technology.^{[citation needed]}

Some countries, such as the People's Republic of China and to some extent India, require foreign companies to form joint ventures with domestic firms in order to enter a market. This requirement often forces technology transfers and managerial control to the domestic partner.

Majority of joint ventures fail in Asia due to cultural differences, as was the case with the alliance between Renault, a French car company, and Nissan. Joint ventures fail due to various reasons, including the lack of communication and the distribution of power between management.

Internal reasons

1. Build on company's strengths
2. Spreading costs and risks
3. Improving access to financial resources
4. Economies of scale and advantages of size
5. Access to new technologies and customers
6. Access to innovative managerial practices

Competitive goals

1. Influencing structural evolution of the industry
2. Pre-empting competition
3. Defensive response to blurring industry boundaries
4. Creation of stronger competitive units
5. Speed to market
6. Improved agility

Strategic goals

1. Synergies
2. Transfer of technology/skills
3. Diversification

• One1mobile between One1 and Netalizer
• AutoAlliance International between Ford Motor Company and Mazda
• Cingular between SBC (now AT&T Inc.) and BellSouth
• Bank DnB NORD between DnB NOR and NORD/LB.
• Equilon between Texaco and Royal Dutch Shell
• Strategic Alliance between Northwest Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• LG.Philips Components between LG Group and Royal Philips Electronics
• NUMMI between General Motors and Toyota
• Penske Truck Leasing between GE and the Penske Corporation
• Sony Ericsson between Sony and Ericsson
• TNK-BP between BP and TNK (Tyumen Oil Co.)
• Verizon Wireless between Verizon Communications and Vodafone
• CW Television Network between CBS Corporation and Time Warner
• The Baseball Network between ABC, NBC, and Major League Baseball
• The Prime Time Entertainment Network from the Prime Time Consortium, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Domestic Television and the Chris-Craft group of independent stations.
• The XFL between NBC and World Wrestling Entertainment
• The Nokia Siemens Networks between Nokia and Siemens AG
• The Balfour Beatty Skanska JV between construction contractors Balfour Beatty and Skanska
• Shell-Mex and BP between Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum (1931-1975)

• Cornell Law School's Joint Venture Info Page Contains legal information and relevant definitions regarding joint venture partnerships.
• Joint Venture Marketing Discussion Joint Venture Marketing networking community and discussion forum.
• Joint Venture Marketing on the Internet Definition and discussion of online joint ventures.