Equity ownership and management control in sino-foreign joint venture hotels

This article investigates the ownership-control relationship among China international joint ventures in the hotel industry. The findings indicate that equity ownership by foreign partners strongly affects their control over staffing and strategic management activities. This relationship is robust among hotels of different size and star ratings. However, these relationships, though they are not as strong as suggested, can be mediated by country effect. Foreign partners from Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan tend to acquire higher level of ownership and control on joint venture hotels in China, whereas foreign partners from the United States, Canada, and Europe are not. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Ltd.