Question: is a joint venture part of a group

Answer: Yes, In the UK, India, and in many Common Law countries a joint-venture (or else a company formed by a group of individuals) must file with the appropriate authority the Memorandum of Association. It is a statutory document which informs the outside public of its existence. It may be viewed by the public at the office in which it is filed. A sample can be seen at wikimedia.org. Together with the Articles of Association, it forms the ``constitution'' of a company in these countries.