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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.

Firms tend to transfer more knowledge in technology joint ventures compared to contractual technology agreements. Using insights from new institutional economics, this chapter explores to what extent the alliance governance association with interfirm knowledge transfer is sensitive to an evolving industry norm of collaboration connected to the logic of open innovation. The chapter examines 1,888 dyad-year observations on firms engaged in technology alliances in the U.S. information technology industry during 1980–1999. Using fixed effects linear models, it analyzes longitudinal changes in the alliance governance association with interfirm knowledge transfer, and how such changes vary in magnitude across bilateral versus multipartner alliances, and across computers, telecommunications equipment, software, and microelectronics subsectors. Increases in industry-level alliance activity during 1980–1999 improved the knowledge transfer performance of contractual technology agreements relative to more hierarchical equity joint ventures. This effect was concentrated in bilateral rather than multipartner alliances, and in the software and microelectronics rather than computers and telecommunications equipment subsectors. Therefore, an evolving industry norm of collaboration may sometimes make more arms-length governance of a technology alliance a credible substitute for equity ownership, which can reduce the costs of interfirm R&D. Overall, the chapter shows that the performance of material practices that constitute innovation ecosystems, such as interfirm technology alliances, may differ over time subject to prevailing institutional norms of open innovation. This finding generates novel implications for the literatures on alliances, open innovation, and innovation ecosystems.

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.

This study examines the determinants of performance of foreign manufacturing subsidiaries in Japan. The study finds that a foreign parent’s size, the subsidiary’s age, and a complicated distribution system influence a subsidiary’s performance. There was little significant change in these determinants over a 20-year period. However, for subsidiaries that survived over the observation period of this study, some determinants changed. We also found that by forming joint ventures with Japanese firms, foreign firms can overcome the obstacle of distribution and circumvent the disadvantage of inexperience. Moreover, the mitigating effects of joint ventures vary, depending on the type of Japanese partner.