Joint Venture
Joint Venture
Joint Venture
JOINT VENTURE
A joint venture (JV) is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a
finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control
over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets. There
are other types of companies such as JV limited by guarantee, joint ventures limited
by guarantee with partners holding shares.
In European law, the term 'joint-venture' (or joint undertaking) is an elusive legal
concept, better defined under the rules of company law. In France, the term 'joint
venture' is variously translated as 'association d'entreprises', 'entreprise conjointe',
'coentreprise' or'entreprise commune'. But generally, the term societe
anonyme loosely covers all foreign collaborations. In Germany, 'joint venture' is
better represented as a 'combination of companies' (Konzern).
With individuals, when two or more persons come together to form a temporary
partnership for the purpose of carrying out a particular project, such partnership can
also be called a joint venture where the parties are "co-venturers".
The venture can be for one specific project only - when the JV is referred to more
correctly as a consortium (as the building of theChannel Tunnel) - or a continuing
business relationship. The consortium JV (also known as a cooperative agreement)
is formed where one party seeks technological expertise or technical service
arrangements, franchise and brand use agreements, management contracts, rental
agreements, for one-time contracts. The JV is dissolved when that goal is reached.
Some major joint ventures include Dow Corning, MillerCoors, Sony Ericsson, Penske
Truck Leasing, Norampac, and Owens-Corning.
A joint venture takes place when two parties come together to take on one project. In
a joint venture, both parties are equally invested in the project in terms of money,
time, and effort to build on the original concept. While joint ventures are generally
small projects, major corporations also use this method in order to diversify. A joint
venture can ensure the success of smaller projects for those that are just starting in
the business world or for established corporations. Since the cost of starting new
projects is generally high, a joint venture allows both parties to share the burden of
the project, as well as the resulting profits.
Since money is involved in a joint venture, it is necessary to have a strategic plan in
place. In short, both parties must be committed to focusing on the future of the
partnership, rather than just the immediate returns. Ultimately, short term and long
term successes are both important. In order to achieve this success, honesty,
integrity, and communication within the joint venture are necessary.
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Preparation
Formulating the JV is a series of steps, one which needs a lot of work and yet, at the
same time, precision. One can here only underline the steps or information that will
be needed by the JV candidate. They are:
the objectives, structure and projected form of the joint venture, including the
amount of investment and financing arrangements and debt
the JV's products, their technical description and usage
alternate production technologies
estimated cost of equipment
estimated product price(s)
costing
market analysis for the product, inside and outside the 'territory'
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analysis of competition
projected sales and methods of distribution
details of offered site, including output projections, transport and warehousing,
testing and quality control, by-products and waste;- supply, utility, and transport
requirements;
estimated technology transfer costs
foreign exchange projections (where applicable)
staff requirements and training
financial projections
environmental impact
social benefit
Partner selection
While the following offers some insight to the process of joining up with a committed
partner to form a JV, it is often difficult to determine whether the commitments come
from a known and distinguishable party or an intermediary. This is particularly so
when the language barrier exists and one is unfamiliar with local customs, especially
in approaches to government, often the deciding body for the formation of a JV or
dispute settlement.
The ideal process of selecting a JV partner emerges from:
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contracts, e.g., for construction projects. They dissolve the JV when that goal is
reached.
Feasibility study
A nascent JV project outlines:
the partners
the objectives and structure of the JV
investment and financing arrangements
product(s) and description and usage, output
production technology
equipment required and costs
technology transfer costs
cost-benefit analysis
market analysis
analysis of competition
details of the site
transport and warehousing
by-products and waste
supply, utility, and transport requirements
foreign exchange projections
staff requirements and training
Its feasibility, besides its profitability, is assessed (in terms of government control
over the JV) by considering it, along with the Articles which will regulate it, by its
strength or weakness factors (for the economy or the country) in aspects such as:
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Company incorporation
A JV can be brought about in the following major ways:
that it is officially separate from its Founders, who might otherwise be giant
corporations, even amongst the emerging countries
the JV can contract in its own name, acquire rights (such as the right to buy new
companies), and
it has a separate liability from that of its founders, except for invested capital
it can sue (and be sued) in courts in defense or its pursuance of its objectives.
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Shareholders' agreement
This is a legal area and is fraught with difficulty as the laws of countries differ,
particularly on the enforceability of 'heads of' or shareholder agreements. For some
legal reasons it may be called a Memorandum of Understanding. It is done in parallel
with other activities in forming a JV. Though dealt with briefly for a shareholders'
agreement,[7]) some issues must be dealt with here as a preamble to the discussion
that follows. There are also many issues which are not in the Articles when a
company starts up or never ever present. Also, a JV may elect to stay as a JV alone
in a 'quasi partnership' to avoid any nonessential disclosure to the government or the
public.
Some of the issues in a shareholders' agreement are:
Valuation of intellectual rights, say, the valuations of the IPR of one partner
and,say, the real estate of the other
the control of the Company either by the number of Directors or its "funding"
The number of directors and the rights of the founders to their appoint Directors
which shows as to whether a shareholder dominates or shares equality.
management decisions - whether the board manages or a founder
transferability of shares - assignment rights of the founders to other members of
the company
dividend policy - percentage of profits to be declared when there is profit
winding up - the conditions, notice to members
confidentiality of know-how and founders' agreement and penalties for disclosure
first right of refusal - purchase rights and counter-bid by a founder.
There are many features which have to be incorporated into the Shareholders
Agreement which is quite private to the parties as they start off. Normally, it requires
no submission to any authority.
The other basic document which must be articulated is the Articles which is a
published document and known to members.
This repeats the Shareholders Agreement as to the number of Directors each
founder can appoint to the (see Board of Directors). Whether the Board controls or
the Founders. The taking of decisions by simple majority (50%+1) of those present
or a 51% or 75% majority with all Directors present (their alternates/proxy); the
deployment of funds of the firm; extent of debt; the proportion of profit that can be
declared as dividends; etc. Also significant is what will happen if the firm is dissolved;
one of the partner dies. Also, the 'first right' of refusal if the firm is sold, sometimes
its puts and calls.
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Often the most successful JVs are those with 50:50 partnership with each party
having the same number of Directors but rotating control over the firm, or rights to
appoint the Chairperson and Vice-chair of the Company. Sometimes a party may
give a separate trusted person to vote in its placeproxy vote of the Founder at Board
Meetings.[8]
Recently, in a major case the Indian Supreme Court has held that Memorandums of
Understanding (whose details are not in the Articles of Association) are
"unconstitutional" giving more transparency to undertakings.
Chinese Law
It is interesting to study the joint-venture laws of China because they are of recent
vintage and because such a unique law exists.
According to a report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
2003, China was the recipient of US$53.5 billion in direct foreign investment, making
it the world's largest recipient of direct foreign investment for the first time, to exceed
the USA. Also, it approved the establishment of nearly 500,000 foreign-investment
enterprises.The US had 45,000 projects (by 2004) with an in-place investment of
over 48 billion.
Until 1949, no guidelines existed on how foreign investment was to be handled due
to the restrictive nature of China toward foreign investors. SinceMao
Zedong initiatives in foreign trade began to be applied, and law applicable to foreign
direct investment was made clear in 1979, the first Sino-foreign equity venture took
place in 2001.The corpus of the law has improved since then.
Companies with foreign partners can carry out manufacturing and sales operations
in China and can sell through their own sales network. Foreign-Sino companies have
export rights which are not available to wholly Chinese companies, as China desires
to import foreign technology by encouraging JVs and the latest technologies.
Under Chinese law, foreign enterprises are divided into several basic categories. Of
these, five will be described or mentioned here: three relate to industry and services
and two as vehicles for foreign investment. Those 5 categories of Chinese foreign
enterprises are: the Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Ventures (EJVs), Sino-Foreign Co-
operative Joint Ventures (CJVs), Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises (WFOE),
although they do not strictly belong to Joint Ventures, plus foreign investment
companies limited by shares (FICLBS), and Investment Companies through Foreign
Investors (ICFI). Each category is described below.
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less than US$3 million, equity must constitute 70% of the investment;
between US$3 million and US$10 million, minimum equity must be US$2.1
million and at least 50% of the investment;
between US$10 million and US$30 million, minimum equity must be US$5 million
and at least 40% of the investment;
more than US$30 million, minimum equity must be US$12 million and at least 1/3
of the investment.
There are also intermediary levels.
The foreign investment in the total project must be at least 25%. No minimum
investment is set for the Chinese partner. The timing of investments must be
mentioned in the Agreement and failure to invest in the indicated time, draws a
penalty.
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Chinese person which can hire labor directly as, for example, a Chinese national
contactor. The minimum of the capital is registered at various levels of investment.
Other differences from the EJV are to be noted:
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Liberalization of policy
India's basic outlines of industrial development were framed by Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru in 1956, making the private sector a participant in development, but giving the
public sector a dominant position.
However, by the early 1990s, the situation in the world economies turned: Japan
entered a phase of stagnancy of growth, the pace of the "Asian tigers" slowed, as did
the European economy. But, also, the country's balance of payments crisis.
To counteract these effects a new policy was born in July 1991, the reformed New
Industrial Policy (NIP). It and later modifications (further liberalization) streamlines
procedures, deregulated industrial licensing, and vastly expanded the role for the
private sector, while shrinking the Public Sector. Also, anti-trust laws (the Monopoly
and Restrictive Practices Act) were trimmed and customs duties for industrial goods
slashed. The restrictive Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) was replaced by
the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
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The above two parties subscribe to the shares of the JV company in agreed
proportion, in cash, and start a new business.
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Articles of Association
Introduction
The Articles of Association determine how a company is run. It is a set of 'by-laws'
which form the 'constitution' of the Company. It is often required by Law to be part of
the Joint- Venture agreement. Some clauses relating to the following may be absent.
Where this the case, it is assumed that the provisions as laid out in the in Company
Law apply. The Articles can cover a medley of topics, mot all of which is required in a
country's law. Although all will not be discussed, it can cover:
Valuation of intellectual rights, say, the valuations of the IPR of one partner
and,say,the real estate of the other
The appointments of directors - which shows whether a shareholder dominates
or shares equality.
directors meetings - the quorum and percentage of vote
management decisions - whether the board manages or a founder
transferability of shares - assignment rights of the founders or other members of
the company
special voting rights of a Chairman,and mode of election
dividend policy - percentage of profits to be declared when there is profit
winding up - the conditions, notice to members
confidentiality of know-how and founders' agreement and penalties for disclosure
first right of refusal - purchase rights and counter-bid by a founder.
Some agreements mention that the Articles of Association as given in Company Law
apply to the agreement except where specifically differing; and others say, explicitly,
that they do not bind that the agreement and that it contains all legally acceptable
bye-laws. The typical Articles in an Indian Public Sector Company are given in.
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A Company is essentially run by the shareholders, but for convenience, and day-to-
day working, by the Directors. The shareholders elect the directors at the Annual
General Meeting (AGM), which is statutory. Thus, the Board of Directors (BOD).
The number of directors depends on the size of the Company and statutory
requirements. The Chairperson is generally a well-known outsider but he /she may
be a working Executive, typical of an American enterprise. The Directors may or may
not be employees of the Company.
There are usually some major shareholders who form the company. Each usually
has the right to nominate, without objection of the other, certain number of directors
who become nominees for the election by the shareholder body at the AGM. The
Treasurer and Chairperson is usually the privilege of one of the JV partners (which
nomination can be shared). Shareholders can also elect Independent directors -
persons not associated with the promoters of the company. person is generally a
well-known outsider but he /she may be a working Executive. The Directors may or
may not be employees
Once elected, the BOD manages the Company. The shareholders play no part till
the next AGM. or EGM. The Objectives and the purpose of the Company are
determined in advance by the shareholders and the Memorandum of Association
(MOA) - which denotes the name of the Company, its Head- Office, its Directors and
the main purposes of the Company - for public access. It cannot be changed except
at an AGM or Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) and statutory allowance. The
MOA is generally filed with a 'Registrar of Companies' who is an appointee of the
Government. For their assurance the shareholders, an Auditor is elected at each
AGM. The MOA is currently dispensed with in many countries.
The Board meets several times each year. At each meeting there is an 'agenda'
before it. A minimum number of Directors (a quorum) is required to meet. This is
either determined by the 'bye-laws' or is statutory. It is Presided by the Chairperson
or in his absence, by the Vice-Chair. The Directors survey their area of responsibility.
They may determine to make a 'Resolution' at the next AGM or if it is an urgent
matter, at an EGM. The Directors who are the electives of one major shareholder,
may present his/her view but this is not necessarily so - they may have to view the
Objectives of the Company and competitive position. The Chair may have to 'break'
the vote if there is a 'tie'. At the AGM, the various Resolutions are put to vote.
The AGM is called with a notice sent to all shareholders. A certain quorum of
shareholders are required to meet. If the quorum requirement is not met, it is
canceled and another Meeting called. If it at that too a quorum is not met, a Third
Meeting is called and the members present, unlimited by the quorum, take all
decisions.
Decisions are taken by a show of hands; the Chair is always present. When a
decision made by a show of hands is challenged, it is done by a count of votes.
Voting can be taken in person or by marking the paper sent by the Company. A
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person who is not a shareholder of the Company can vote if he/she has the 'proxy',
an authorization from the shareholder. Each share carries the votes assigned to it.
Some votes maybe for the decision, others not. Two types of decision, known as
the ordinary resolution and the other a special resolution, can be tabled at a
Director's meeting. The Ordinary Resolution requires the endorsement by a majority
vote, sometimes easily met by partners' vote. The special resolution requires 60%,
70% or 80% of the vote as stipulated by the 'constitution' or the very same bylaws of
the Company. Shareholders other than partners are required to vote. The matters
which require the Ordinary and special resolution to be passed are enumerated. A
typical Articles of Association is shown in the Nestle S.A. or Nestle Ltd.
Dissolution
The JV is not a permanent structure. It can be dissolved when:
Global competition
Global competition is used to describe the worldwide market, and the struggle of
different companies or businesses to prevail over the other. Global competition can
help with providing good companies that are constantly trying to please the
consumers.
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• While the core deal would be between Starbucks and Tata Global Beverages,
it will work with other Tata Group firms such as Tata Coffee and Taj Catering.
For instance, Tata plans to sell its mineral water brand Himalayan at
Starbucks outlets in markets outside India. And the venture will leverage
group firms' properties for setting up Starbucks outlets.
• The deal comes a year after the Seattle-based firm signed an deal to buy
green coffee beans from Tata Coffee's Coorg facility and explore opening
retail shops in the country. Starbucks manages over 17,000 stores in more
than 57 countries and sells a wide variety of coffee and tea products along
with food items, primarily through retail stores.
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Bibliography
Wikianswers.com
Wikipedia/jointventure.com
Jointventure.com
Marketing managemnet by kotler killer
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