Influence of relational factors on international joint venture performance

The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of relational factors (trust, cooperation, commitment and satisfaction) on international joint venture (IJV) performance. Although relationships, interaction and networks in business markets have been well documented, there is a lack of research analysing relationships between international joint venture partners. A joint venture parent company needs to understand how to interact with their partner, in order to prevent possible conflict. China’s recent entry into the World Trade Organisation, underlines the importance of understanding the influence relational factors have on performance. Twenty-five parent companies have been investigated for the purpose of this study. The influence of relational factors is analysed alongside other important variables investigated in previous studies into IJV performance.