Over the past two decades, significant literature has been dedicated to research studies on construction partnering and related issues, and a plethora of underlying theories and industrial practices on partnering application have been reported. This paper aims to explore, analyze, and summarize the research trend of partnering related studies in construction using desktop search method from several leading construction-related journals. On the basis of an extensive and rigorous literature review, a series of partnering related journal articles published from 1989 to 2009 were analyzed in terms of the annual number of partnering related publications, the level of contributions made by various institutions and regions, and the research focus on their studies. A critical analysis of the reported literature revealed that, in general, the number of partnering related publications in these journals has been increasing from 1989 to just before 2007 when the number of publications peaked. The findings might imply that partnering is becoming more and more important to the construction industry at large. This study also indicated that researchers from the United States published the largest number of partnering related papers on a regional basis, followed by those from the United Kingdom, Hong Kong (China), Sweden, Australia, Mainland China, and Korea. Research topics published in these journals tend to focus on partnering conceptual models, reviews of partnering development and application, potential benefits of and barriers to implementation, critical success factors, and partnering performance measurement and evaluation, together with use of partnering across the construction supply chain, while the quantitative research techniques applied to this field of study involve primarily regression analysis, analytic hierarchy process (AHP), analytic network process (ANP), fuzzy set theory, and balanced scorecard method.

Purpose -This paper aims to systematically and critically explore the research trend of construction joint ventures (CJVs) in some selected leading construction journals over the past two decades between 1993 and 2012. It is also expected that some valuable insights into the extended application of JVs to facilities service management and maintenance could be generated from the research findings.Design/methodology/approach -A powerful search engine "Scopus" was selected to identify those journals that have published CJV related articles. Papers related to CJVs, as retrieved from the selected journals, were firstly classified based on their relevance to CJV study and were then analyzed in terms of the annual number of CJV related publications, research focus of CJV studies and the applied research methods and techniques. Future research directions are suggested to enrich and add value to the extant literature about CJVs.Findings -An apparent increasing trend of research on CJVs has been witnessed over the past two decades. A critical analysis of the two-decade research outputs indicated that research topics of CJVs published in the selected journals consist of several key areas: (1) theory and model development; (2) motives, benefits and other strategic demands of application; (3) performance measurement or management; (4) risk assessment or management; (5) influential factors for practice; (6) problematic issues and challenges in practice; and (7) Managerial practices of CJVs in the industry. This study also identified that the research methods employed in CJV studies are predominantly questionnaire survey, case study, literature review/analysis, and interview. Research techniques applied in CJV studies were classified into seven main groups, with rank-order analysis, structural equation modelling and regression analysis being the three mostly adopted analytical tools.Research limitations/implications -The critical review of CJV literature reveals several inherent limitations of the existing research and practices of CJVs, The research findings also help visualize future research directions associated with the identification of barriers to the adoption and successful operation of CJVs, investigation of the appropriateness and effectiveness of CJV contracting strategies, and exploration into possible strategies for improving the industrial applications in future. This is the Pre-Published Version. Journal of Facilities Management (Final Accepted Manuscript), Volume 12, Issue 2, May 2014, Pages 118-141 2 Originality/value -Joint Ventures have been extensively used in the construction sector, which calls for the need of more rigorous and meaningful research to guide the appropriate and effective use of it. The findings of this taxonomic review could provide useful insights towards researchers into shaping their research foci under the umbrella of CJVs to suit the demands of both the literature base and the real construction market.

As an effective way of completing technically complex buildings or large-scale infrastructure projects, a joint venture contracting approach has recently been widely used in the construction industry. However, numerous unfavorable results can occur in practice when undertaking construction joint ventures (CJVs). The contribution of this paper is its exploration of the potential obstacles to CJV practices and identification of the root causes of failure. First, through a literature review, semistructured interviews, and a questionnaire survey, seventeen variables were identified; the top three obstacle variables were (1) inconsistent management styles, (2) incompatible organizational cultures, and (3) organizational policy differences. Second, four grouped factors were extracted: (1) unfair and noneffective management; (2) lack of communication, understanding, and mutual trust; (3) policy, management style, and organizational cultural differences; and (4) potential conflicts beyond the CJV partnership. Finally, several strategies were proposed. The research findings could not only contribute to knowledge of CJVs but also provide valuable insights into promoting broader, better applications of CJV projects and contributing to their success.

Purpose-This paper aims to explore the applicability of construction partnering in Mainland China, and to provide useful suggestions and possible implications for decision-makers to adopt this collaborative approach to project procurement. Design/methodology/approach-Document analysis was first employed to identify the favourable conditions and potential difficulties in partnering application in Mainland China. A series of face-to-face semi-structured interviews targeting on academic experts and industrial practitioners were undertaken to solicit their perceptions on the benefits and difficulties of implementing partnering in Mainland China, coupled with their overall assessment of the applicability of and suggestions for partnering implementation in the region. Findings-The results of document analysis indicated that the cultural roots of cooperation and mutual trust, together with the increasing needs for improving the current state of project performance in Mainland China, underpin the application of partnering in the construction market although its application and generalisation still encounter some significant difficulties. The perceived benefits, potential barriers and effective strategies for partnering application in Mainland China were determined from the interviewees. The interview results further supported the applicability of construction partnering and provided constructive and practical suggestions for possible implementation in the Mainland Chinese construction industry. The partnering approach has been evaluated as practicable and appropriate in this study for the construction industry of Mainland China. Research limitations/implications-Although it is essential to base the analysis of partnering applicability on a qualitative study, an empirical quantitative investigation of the benefits and difficulties of partnering application could further reinforce the quality of analysis. Future research could look into the project-based assessment of partnering application in terms of the perceived benefits and potential difficulties of, and success factors for partnering implementation in Mainland China. Practical implications-Policy-makers aiming for the introduction of the partnering approach could be equipped with stronger confidence from the favourable cultural environment and industrial needs. Restrictions to partnering application underlying in the current working culture could be mitigated when appropriate strategies are taken by the initiators of the partnering approach. Originality/value-The increased worldwide attention to construction partnering has shed light on the construction industry of Mainland China to achieve better value for money in project procurement and management. This paper has provided valuable reference for decision-makers to consider the adoption of partnering based on the qualitative analysis of the applicability of partnering in the construction industry of Mainland China.