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Lesson#27

Managing Joint Ventures

MODES OF ENTRY INTO INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

Managing Joint Ventures

As there are good business and accounting reasons to create a joint venture (JV) with a company that
has complementary capabilities and resources, such as distribution channels, technology, or finance,
joint ventures are becoming an increasingly common way for companies to form strategic alliances. In a
joint venture, two or more "parent" companies agree to share capital, technology, human resources, risks
and rewards in a formation of a new entity under shared control.

Important Factors to be Considered Before a Joint Venture is Formed

• screening of prospective partners
• joint development of a detailed business plan and shortlisting a set of prospective partners based
on their contribution to developing a business plan
• due diligence - checking the credentials of the other party ("trust and verify" - trust the
information you receive from from the prospective partner, but it's good business practice to
verify the facts through interviews with third parties)
• development of an exit strategy and terms of dissolution of the joint venture
• most appropriate structure (e.g. most joint ventures involving fast growing companies are
structured as strategic corporate partnerships)
• availability of appreciated or depreciated property being contributed to the joint venture; by
misunderstanding the significance of appreciated property, companies can fundamentally
weaken the economics of the deal for themselves and their partners.
• special allocations of income, gain, loss or deduction to be made among the partners
• compensation to the members that provide services

Joint venture decay and failure:

• Joint ventures seem to have a life cycle
• At a certain point in the life span of the joint venture, the high level of mutual interest which
prevailed at the time of its formation grows weaker
• There are several principal causes of failure or difficulty in joint venture partnerships
– the failure of strategic vision
– the failure to evaluate the intentions and capabilities of the local partner
– a classic error is made in the choice of a distributor
– believing gabout the partner/s without seeing
– failure to understand the strategic logic of one’s own partner
– haste in negotiation
– lack of organizational support for the JV
– staff not prepared to deal with the political and cultural complexity of the local government

Drivers behind successful joint ventures:

• Pick the right partners
• Establish clear objectives from the beginning
• Bridge cultural gaps
• Top management commitment and respect
• Incremental approach works best

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