What is the difference between a merger and a joint venture?
In a merger, two (or more) separate corporations (organizations) come together to form one legal entity. There are several legal ways to implement a merger, but regardless of how it is done, the result is one corporation (organization), not the two (or more) that existed previously. This is not the case with a joint venture. Two (or more) organizations can establish a joint venture — project, program, organization, etc. — together, and jointly administer and govern it, while still maintaining their own organizational autonomy. With a joint venture, the partnering corporations (organizations) remain separate.
