Partnerkonflikter vid ojämn ägarfördelning i internationella joint ventures

The purpose of the study was to obtain a deeper understanding of inter-partner conflicts in international joint ventures (IJVs) with unequal power positions. The purpose was addressed by the following research questions; (1) When the power between IJV partners are unequally distributed, what specific inter-partner conflicts are likely? (2) When the power between IJV partners are unequally distributed, what is particularly relevant to consider for minority owners to avoid inter-partner conflicts? The research questions were explored with an inductive case study approach. Analyzed data consisted of semi-structured interviews, mail conversations and formal documents, such as contracts and statutes.The results show that inter-partner conflicts are expressed in contractual term specificity, contingency adaptability, and obligatoriness. The theoretical implication is that involved people and the environment can further trigger inter-partner conflicts emerging from contractual issues. It becomes relevant to choose the right venture partner and carefully select key IJV persons, make comprehensive analyses before the development of contracts, and match the contract with the environment.The practical implication for minority owners is that they need to determine what they want to achieve with the IJV and carefully review partners before joining a partnership. It is important to consider in the design of the contracts which key persons to be included and select legal representatives who are familiar to the counterparty and the environment the contracts will work in. Furthermore it is needed to create a balance in the contracts that allows both parties to feel that the influence in the IJV is equivalent to one’s ownership.Validerat; 20150517 (global_studentproject_submitter