Recipe
Also called: Business Alliance, Buying Club, Collaborative Consumption
See also: Brands Consortium
| Key Partners | Key Activities | Value Propositions | Customer Relationships | Customer Segments | |||||
| Key Resources | Channels | ||||||||
| Cost Structures | Revenue Streams | ||||||||
How: While remaining separate in legal terms, businesses join to pursue a common project around purchasing, research, marketing, or other operational purposes. Typically alliances aggregate their power collectively, but don’t pay ongoing royalties like in a franchise.
Why: Reduce project costs and risk by banding together with one or more partners to achieve economies of scale, combine know-how, and to better use resources of each party. A Joint Venture will most likely carry less risk than a full-blown merger or takeover.
This business model is part of the Business Model Patterns printed card deck.
A collection of business models that will help you understand the key drivers of business model success. The card deck will be ready for purchase in the end of 2023 and is now undergoing rigorous testing.
Reserve your deck!A Joint Venture is a collaboration between two or more parties who come together to achieve a common goal. It is a partnership in the traditional sense, but can be structured as any type of legal entity, such as a corporation, limited liability company, or partnership. The purpose of a Joint Venture can range from a one-time project or deal, to ongoing production or research endeavors. Participants in a Joint Venture are jointly responsible for profits, losses, and costs associated with the venture, which operates as a separate entity from the individual businesses involved.
- Parties combine resources for a specific task or purpose
- Participants are jointly responsible for profits, losses, and costs
- Joint Ventures operate as a separate entity from the individual businesses involved
- Joint Ventures can be formed using any legal structure
- Joint Ventures can involve large and small companies, and encompass one or multiple projects or deals
One common use of Joint Ventures is to partner with a local business in order to enter a foreign market. This allows the participating companies to leverage their respective strengths and resources to navigate unfamiliar territory and achieve success in a new location. Overall, Joint Ventures offer a flexible and mutually beneficial way for companies to join forces and achieve their business objectives.
Applying the Joint Venture business model
There are several reasons why companies might choose to form Joint Ventures.
- Leveraging Resources. One of the primary benefits of a Joint Venture is the ability to pool resources and leverage the strengths of both participating companies. For example, one company might have a highly efficient manufacturing process, while the other has a well-developed distribution network. By combining these resources through a Joint Venture, both companies can benefit from their complementary strengths and achieve their goals more effectively.
- Reducing Costs. Through the use of economies of scale, Joint Ventures can often produce goods at a lower per-unit cost than either company could achieve on its own. This is especially relevant in the face of costly technological advances that may be prohibitively expensive for a single company to implement. Additionally, Joint Ventures may also realize cost savings by sharing advertising and labor expenses.
- Combining Expertise. Another benefit of a Joint Venture is the opportunity to bring together diverse expertise and skill sets. By working together, participating companies can take advantage of each other’s unique strengths and capabilities, ultimately resulting in a stronger, more well-rounded venture.
- Entering Foreign Markets. One common use of Joint Ventures is to facilitate entry into foreign markets. By partnering with a local business, a company can leverage an existing distribution network and navigate the complexities of doing business in a new country. In some cases, Joint Ventures may be the only way for foreign companies to operate in certain countries due to restrictions on foreign businesses.
- Exploring new business opportunities. Opportunity to exploit new business opportunities without bearing the full cost and risk – the ability to pursue new business opportunities without shouldering all of the cost and risk alone. By partnering with another company, both parties can share in the potential rewards as well as the potential challenges.
- Gain broader knowledge. Joint Ventures often start out with a broader base of knowledge and pool of talent than any one party could bring to the table on its own.
While Joint Ventures offer a range of benefits, they also come with their own set of challenges and potential drawbacks.
- Loss of Control. Participating in a Joint Venture requires relinquishing a degree of control to the other parties involved. This can be difficult for some companies, particularly those that are used to making all of their own decisions.
- Shared Goals and Commitment. It is essential that all parties involved in a Joint Venture go into the project with the same goals and an equal degree of commitment. Without this alignment, the venture is likely to face difficulties.
- Conflicting Company Cultures and Management Styles. Extreme differences between the participating companies’ cultures and management styles can be a barrier to success. It is important to establish effective communication and find common ground in order to work together effectively.
- Increased Complexity. Joint Ventures often involve multiple management teams, which can increase the complexity of the venture and make it more challenging to align and make decisions. If one party experiences significant changes in its business structure or leadership, this can also impact the Joint Venture.
Trigger Questions
- How can you ensure a partnership in which benefits are aligned according to profits?
- What things do each partner want that might be at cross purposes with each other?
Examples
BMW & Toyota
Co-operating on research into hydrogen fuel cells, vehicle electrification and ultra-lightweight materials.
Star Alliance
Combining the fare networks of multiple airlines into one convenient international booking platform for consumers.
Related plays
- Innovation Tools & Courses by wrkshp.tools
- Strategic Alliances: How They Work in Business, With Examples by Investopedia
- Joint Venture (JV): What Is It and Why Do Companies Form One? by Investopedia
- Joint Ventures by tutor2u