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A joint venture is an association of two or more than two persons/companies who have
combined for the execution of a specific transaction and divide the profit or loss in the agreed
ratio. Example: A and B have undertaken the job of construction of a school building. Such an
association for some specific purpose will be termed as a joint venture and each one of them will
be termed as a co-venturer/ venture capitalist. The venture will be over as soon as the transaction
is over i.e. the school building is completed. Joint venture agreements can be made for other
similar transactions, e.g,
Joint consignment of goods
Underwriting of shares or debentures issued by a company
Purchasing and selling of a specific property
Production of a motion picture
Construction of huge projects
On account of this lesson, joint venture is also sometimes termed as a ‘temporary partnership’.
Historically, joint ventures used to finance the sale or exchange of a cargo of merchandise in a
foreign country. In an area when marine transportation and foreign trade involved many hazards,
individuals (venturers) would bend together to undertake a venture of this type. The capital
required usually was larger than a person could provide, and the risks were too high to be borne
alone. Because of the risks involved and the relatively short duration of the project, no net
income was recognized until the venture was completed. At the end of the voyage, the net
income or net loss was divided among the venturers, and their association was ended.
In its traditional form, the accounting for a joint venture did not follow the accrual basis of
accounting. The assumption of continuity was not appropriate; instead of the determination of
net income at regular intervals, the measurement and reporting of net income or loss is usually
postponed to the completion of the venture.
80,000 80,000
The APB concludes that the equity method best enables investors in corporate joint ventures to
reflect the underlying nature of their investment in those ventures. Therefore, investors should
account for investments in common stock of corporate joint ventures by the equity method. The
equity method uses the following accounting procedures:
The cost of acquisition (original investment in common stock) is recorded by
increasing investment account.
The investor’s investment account is increased as the joint venture earns and
reports income
Thmhujvyunfje investor’s investment account is decreased whenever dividend is
collected
A recent version of the corporate joint venture is the limited liability company (LLC) joint
venture, which is the version of limited liability partnership. The venturers are responsible for
their own activities.
In the stockholders equity accounts of the joint venture, each venturer’s account is credited for
the amount of cash or non-cash assets invested. The fiscal year of the joint venture may or may
not coincide with the fiscal years of the venturers, but the use of the accrual basis of accounting
and periodic financial statements for the venture permit regular reporting of the share of net
income or loss allocable to each venturer.
The accounting records of such a corporate joint venture include the usual ledger accounts for
assets, liabilities, stockholders’ equity, revenue, and expenses. The entire accounting process
should conform to GAAP, from the recording of transactions to the preparation of financial
statements.
Example 1.23: Arthur Company and Beatrice Company each invested Br 600,000 and 400,000
interests, respectively for 60% and 40% interest in an unincorporated joint venture named ARBE
on January 2, 2006. The condensed financial statements other than cash flows for ARBE joint
venture for 2006 were as follows.
Income Statement
ABRE Company (A Joint Venture)
Income Statement
For the Year ended December 31, 2006
Revenue..................................................................................Br 2,000,000
Less: Costs and expenses....................................................... 1,500,000
Net Income............................................................................. 500,000
Division of Income:
Arthur Company (60%)......................................................... Br 300,000
Beatrice (40%)....................................................................... 200,000
Total Net Income................................................................... 500,000
Balance Sheet
ABRE Company (A Joint Venture)
Balance Sheet
December 31, 2006
Assets: Liabilities and Venturers’ Capital:
Current Assets...................................Br 1,600,000 Current Liabilities...............................Br 800,000
Other Assets...................................... 2,600,000 Long-term Debt.............................. 1,900,000
Venturers’ Capital:
Arthur Company............900,000
Beatrice Company.........600,000 1,500,000
...............
Total Assets.......................................Br 4,200,000 Total Liabilities and Capital................ Br
4,200,000