A frequent choice for market entry to China is the international joint venture (IJV) with a
Chinese partner. This is regarded as an adequate market entry if complex technological
knowledge is to be transferred to the new location. However IJVs also represent an easy way
for local partners to absorb technological knowledge without authorization. Michael Hoeck
investigates the character and the degree of technology transfer into IJVs using the example
of German industrial firms in China. The two central questions that are investigated are What
factors influence the sophistication of the technological endowment that an IJV in China
receives from its German parents? and In what way do strategic considerations regarding
inter-firm cooperation and knowledge sharing influence the foreign investor's technology
transfer behaviour?. The study results - derived from theoretical and empirical analysis -
presents novel insights to both researchers and practitioners.
