Does Culture Affect Behavior and Performance of Firms? The Case of Joint Ventures in China

This study applies a resource-based view of the firm to analyze data from a sample of 898 joint-venture firms in China, including both joint ventures established by overseas Chinese and by firms from Western cultures. It is hypothesized that culture could influence the timing of entry of joint ventures, their investment preferences, and performance. ANOVAs and regressions were conducted, and the results suggest the impact of cultural as well as technological resources. This paper concludes with a discussion on the implications of the findings.© 2001 JIBS. Journal of International Business Studies (2001) 32, 115–131