Rigor and Relevance of IJV Exit Research

International Joint Ventures (IJVs) are a well acknowledged and frequently implemented organizational mode, especially with regard to international market entry strategies, yet they are also prone to conflicts of interests, drawbacks, inefficiencies, and enduring losses. Past research has consequently been dominated by studies that have attempted to identify success factors for managing IJVs based mainly upon archive data. Success or failure is frequently defined on the basis that IJVs have ‘disappeared’ from the data-set. The term IJV-‘exit’ has become the byword for closing down ineffective, failing IJVs while neglecting the fact that such a disappearance may indicate success if, for instance, the initial objectives of partners have been achieved. Beyond such misconceptions, there is no stock-take of what is known about the different types, measures, contexts, and determinants of IJV exit to take research to the next stage. This paper fills this research gap by comprehensively analyzing the IJV exit literature as an integral part of IJV research, while focusing on studies that either apply IJV termination or IJV longevity as a measure of IJV exit. A systematic overview of the contexts and determinants that influence IJV exit is provided. Furthermore, the rigor and relevance of the existing IJV exit literature is evaluated in terms of its methodological, conceptual and theoretical foundation, and major implications for directing future research are proposed.