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Joint ventures were originated as commercial or maritime enterprises used for trading purposes by merchants of ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Syria. In the United States, joint ventures date back to the 1880's when the rairoads used them for large‐scale projects. In the early 1900's joint ventures were implemented to decrease the risk, financial and otherwise, involved in shipping and gold explorations. More recently, joint ventures have become predominant as a result of technological and economic changes that led from deregulation, globalisation, and increased need for product innovation [p.7].

Intellectual joint ventures can be very useful vehicles for conducting cross‐cultural, international human resource management research as witnessed by the proliferation of these alliances. Challenges to the successful development, operation and goal attainment of intellectual joint ventures inhibit the ability to reap all of the benefits promised from these collaborative efforts. This article identifies and elaborates on challenges or inhibitors to intellectual joint venture success. By focusing on challenges driven by career stage and career anchor asymmetry this article extends earlier research on intellectual joint ventures. In conclusion, recommendations for overcoming or attenuating the effects of these success inhibitors are offered. The dramatic increase in use of intellectual joint ventures in applied social science research is noteworthy. Previous research has identified an intellectual joint venture as a team of researchers from several countries and/or disciplines who jointly conduct research. Current examples of intellectual joint ventures in the field of human resource management include the best international human resource management project, the Cranfield Network on European Human Resource Management Project, the Lund Project on Learning and Training in Organisations (LATIO), the European Managerial Decision‐making Project, the Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness (GLOBE) project, and the European Union Copernicus/Oxford project

Reports the results of an interview and field survey study on management issues in 25 Sino‐foreign joint‐venture companies. Joint ventures are shown to have three special characteristics: transformation, system and management. Compatibility issues, in terms of values, motives, leadership styles, are cultural, social and structural. Proposes three managerial psychology strategies to improve management of joint ventures further. Suggests some useful predictors and criteria for the assessment and evaluation of joint‐venture effectiveness.

Strategic alliances are a growing trend. What makes some succeed where others fail? A key is how the joint ventures are designed at the outset.

This article tests a number of channel behaviour hypotheses in a unique structural arrangement – the joint venture. The results indicate that goal disparity is a significant predictor of conflict and that perceived conflict is related to member satisfaction, manifest conflict, and desire for change. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.

The article discusses the commonalities and differences between the Soviet Union and China in the evolution of the philosophy and practical policy vis‐a‐vis joint ventures with the West. The comparative study is set against the background of the ongoing reform in both countries which seeks to integrate Soviet and Chinese economies into the world economic community. It is emphasised that the terms, impact on the overall economic situation, and prospects of joint ventures with the West in the USSR and China, are determined by the scale, scope and consistency of the implemented reforms which, in their turn, are dependent to a certain extent on the results of business co‐operation with Western firms.

International alliances are becoming an increasingly important and recognized means of conducting business. Once viewed primarily as a strategy to enter foreign markets, alliances have become a very effective way for established businesses to accelerate technological development, enhance productivity and lower investment risks. In many ways joint ventures offer the most attractive form of trade alliance and a significant portion of the international joint ventures are in the service sector. Although, services are generally viewed by academicians and practitioners differently than products, this apparent difference has been neglected in the study of joint ventures formation and operations. Since the basic conditions and scope for services and products differ, one can expect that joint venture partners' interest and management strategies for service joint venture will also differ. Thus, the purpose of this study is to discuss and identify major research issues in studying service joint ventures. Some research propositions in regard to the service joint ventures are developed. Furthermore, future research avenues in international service joint venture operations are delineated.

The past three years have seen an acceleration in the rate with which companies have formed strategic partnerships with foreign firms in both the US and overseas markets. This article examines the theoretical rationale underlying joint ventures and asks what strategic considerations lie behind their formation. Fifteen case examples of joint ventures are presented and analysed to see how the theoretical concepts fit actual situations.

Despite the numerous benefits of adopting international construction joint ventures (ICJVs), effective operation of the joint ventures in Saudi Arabia is impeded by various limitations. Thus, this paper is aimed at determining, analyzing, and prioritizing these major limitations and to propose a strategy that can provide guidance on how best to promote the achievement of efficient joint ventures in international construction in Saudi Arabian construction industry.

Content analysis was augmented by the expert-based assessment process to identify the critical limitations while the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) technique was utilized to analyze and determine the hierarchical structure of the limitations. This is important in order to comprehend and describe the complex relationship between the limitations.

The results identified “selecting unsuitable partner”, “divergent organizational cultures, policies and procedures”, and “poor knowledge of local regulations by foreign partners” as the most critical limitations affecting the efficiency of joint ventures in international construction in Saudi Arabia.

The inclusion of many variables (limitations) increases the complexity of the ISM technique, which compels the researchers to consider reduced number of variables in establishing the ISM structural hierarchy. Other variables that were perceived to be less critical were not included in the development of the ISM structural hierarchy. On the other hand, the structural hierarchy was not validated statistically, and this requires the use of other linear structural relationship techniques like the Structural Equation Modeling to test the validity of the hypothetical ISM structural hierarchy. The proposed strategy to mitigate the limitations presented in this study was not validated, and this requires further study to verify the accuracy of the strategy.

The implications inferred in this study are better performing ICJVs in the execution of mega infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia. The findings and managerial implications of the study are expected to further provide an invaluable guide that can support policymakers and all key stakeholders to establish efficient strategies and suitable measures that can enhance the successful implementation of ICJVs.

The findings of this study provide comprehensive understanding of the limitations affecting the efficiency of ICJVs in Saudi Arabia. This can assist in mitigating the potential impacts of these limitations and to advocate for the achievement of efficient joint ventures in international construction in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, there is a need to further develop a framework that can elucidate on the proposed strategy to promote better performing ICJVs in Saudi Arabia. Also, the further study will seek to investigate the influence of project duration, value, location, or ownership on the performance of the joint ventures in order to generalize the findings to all forms of ICJVs.

This paper analyses the investment patterns of Sino‐British joint ventures in China. The research is based on the data of 551 Sino‐British joint ventures formed over the period of 1983 to 1996. It aims to provide an overview of Sino‐British joint ventures' investment in China and to explain the investment conditions. The article analyses the investment patterns from the dimensions of investment value, geographical location, industry sector and equity ownership. To explain the formation of the patterns, it further explores the host country factors of investment based on the policy framework, economic determinants and business facilitation. It reveals the investment trend, the uneven spatial distribution, the sectoral characteristics and the ownership structure of joint ventures. Suggests that government economic strategy and policies towards FDI are imperative in shaping the investment patterns. Locational advantages, economic growth, industrial structures and reform process are major economic factors influencing the investment decisions. Decentralisation of decision making and local governments' facilitation efforts also play a complementary role in attracting foreign investment.