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Equal ownership split in international joint ventures: performance implications in an emerging market

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Abstract

Are equal ownership splits advantageous for international joint ventures (JVs) in an emerging economy? Following a regression discontinuity approach, this study addresses the question by investigating subsidiary-level financial performance and considers an inherent endogeneity issue. Using panel data of international JVs in China, we compare the performance of equal ownership, minority, and majority JVs. We find that equal ownership JVs generate financial advantages over minority- or majority-foreign-owned JVs and other ownership types when a foreign partner possesses limited knowledge of the host country. Moreover, we find that the financial benefits of an equal ownership split are more salient for JVs located in regions with less developed institutions.

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Funding

Jon Jungbien Moon acknowledges funding support provided by Korea University Grant. The authors acknowledge that the paper benefited from comments provided by seminar participants at the 2019 Academy of Management Annual Meeting.

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  1. Korea University Business School, Korea University, 145 Anam-Ro, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Korea

    Hyo Eun Cho, Jon Jungbien Moon & Insik Jeong

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Correspondence to Jon Jungbien Moon.

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Cho, H.E., Moon, J.J. & Jeong, I. Equal ownership split in international joint ventures: performance implications in an emerging market. Asian Bus Manage 21, 205–230 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41291-020-00126-y

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