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The purpose of this paper is to unpack the black box of post-merger and acquisition (M&A) integration of reverse M&A by Chinese multinational enterprises (MNEs).

This research adopts multiple cases of Chinese reverse M&A. Data are collected using the approaches of in-depth interviews, storytelling and narratives.

This research identifies various antecedents underlying Chinese post-M&A integration, such as asymmetries in resources, capabilities, vision and status between Chinese MNEs and acquired firms. The post-M&A integration process of Chinese reverse M&A consists of a top-down effortless integration initiated by Chinese MNEs with both benefits and problems, and a bottom-up reverse integration conducted by acquired firms.

By linking the pre-M&A phase and the post-M&A phase, this research builds a new model of post-M&A integration of Chinese reverse M&A from an indigenous Wu Wei paradigm. The new model counterpoises extant literature, shifting from the task and efficiency-focussed view to the people and harmony-focussed view.

This study investigates the extent to which structural equivalence between acquiring and target firms is associated with post-merger and acquisition (M&A) performance—a relationship that is proposed to be moderated by industry-level vertical relatedness between acquiring and target firms.

Applying social network analysis and regression, this study analyzes a buyer–supplier relationship network dataset of 279 M&A deals completed between 2010 and 2017 to test the hypotheses. Structural equivalence is measured as the proportion of common customers and suppliers between an acquiring firm and a target firm.

Supporting a view about the importance of supply chains in explaining M&As outcomes, the results suggest that the structural equivalence in the supplier network is positively associated with post-M&A firm performance. The results also show that the effect of the structural equivalence in the customer network is moderated by vertical relatedness between two merging firms (i.e. structural equivalence contributes to post-M&A performance when vertical industry relatedness is high).

This study contributes to the M&A and supply network literature by investigating the performance implications of structural equivalence in supplier and customer networks, demonstrating the importance of taking a supply chain view when explaining M&As outcomes. Specifically, the authors suggest considering structural equivalence as a new type of relatedness between merging firms (i.e. relatedness in network resources in explaining post-M&A performance). It also indicates how industry-level vertical resource relatedness, which is about relatedness in internal resources between the two firms, could interact with firm-level network resource relatedness, which is about relatedness in external supply chain resources between the two firms, in affecting post-M&A performance.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of diversity management on postmergers and acquisitions (M&A) performance. Building on prior literature, it investigates whether a firm ability to harmonize people with different backgrounds and to deal with uncertainty and dynamics in the diverse work environment will affect post-M&A performance either directly or through its interactions with acquirer-target characteristics.

This paper used panel regression analysis on a sample of 218 M&As conducted by listed large US firms across industries.

Results show that the diversity management of an acquiring firm positively influences post-M&A performance. This paper also finds support for diversity management having a more significant moderating role where merged firms have a bigger size difference and higher industry relatedness.

The primary contribution of this study is in testing and finding evidence to support the claim that diversity management is a useful factor in predicting post-M&A performance. The success of post-M&A integration should be considered alongside the extent of firm capabilities to manage internal diversity.

The purpose of this study is to follw the process perspective approach in post-M&A (mergers and acquisitions) integration studies, with a focus on human resource function, to make the research literature relevant to HR integration process up to date.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, limited systematic literature review and study in this interface has previously been published.

Therefore, this conceptual study filled in the research gap by pointing out a clear framework on HR integration in cross-border post-acquisitions, reviewing both the content and process of HR integration. This paper contributes to future research on the HR integration process perspective in theoretical directions.

It addresses the gap in research and opens the avenues for M&A researchers to consider HR as the strategic partner during M&As and to study HR aspects in an integrated process perspective view. This approach complements socialized reviews and it suggests a process perspective on how to dispersed themes and interrelate topics. It provide a clear process perspective helps to develop a concurrent research agenda, which can guide future work in the field.

The main aim of this study is to perform a case study to understand the information systems (IS) integration strategy of two high-tech companies after merger and acquisition.

The authors perform a case study on the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of two high-tech companies to illustrate the IS integration activities in the M&A processes.

This study summarizes 26 fields from the IS integration process in the post-M&A period. These 26 fields highlight the challenges when standardizing the integrated system and the impacts on work routines as well as cultural resistance.

This study shows that the success of IS integration in the M&A context is determined by identifying critical functions and leveraging the pre-M&A know-hows of both companies. Furthermore, standardization may not be the first priority during the integration process. It is also beneficial to keep the uniqueness of the systems of both companies which reduces the concerns of potential resistance of the IT personnel. This study also has managerial implications. The findings suggest that identifying and prioritizing relevant fields in the context of a cross-business IS integration would improve the resource allocation decision and the effectiveness of post-integration evaluation.

The primary purpose of this chapter is to offer a conceptual/theoretical understanding of post-M&A integration rationales and/or actions which pose a challenge to acquired firm customers in acquisitions of knowledge-intensive firms, and thus trigger M&A value destruction. The approach takes the form of a literature overview and conceptual development. As a step toward developing a more elaborate understanding of a customer-centered perspective, this conceptual study identifies five key factors that may lead to value leakage/destruction for acquirers’ of knowledge-intensive firms. Specifically, it identifies acquisition motive, specific acquired firm employees other than the engineers and scientists, size of the acquired firm customer-base, M&A customer compatibility, and the acquirer’s own customers’ behavior as integration rationales and/or actions which pose a challenge to acquired firm customers. In addition, the chapter offers a theoretical framework that serves as an analytical tool, and can thus be used as a foundation for future empirical work on analyzing acquirers’ destruction of value in knowledge-intensive acquisitions through the neglect of acquired firm’s customers. This study does not claim to have provided exhaustive list of all factors regarding acquirer’s integration rationales and/or actions that influence acquired firm customers. Nonetheless, for researchers seeking to build a more comprehensive framework relating to the impact of acquirer’s integration rationales and/or actions on acquired firm’s customers, this framework may serve as a solid foundation for achieving that goal. For practitioners, this study points to the importance of knowledge held by acquired firm customers and the need to maintain such customer relationships in order to avert acquirer’s post-M&A value destruction. In addition, acquirers may also recognize that post-M&A integration changes required following M&A should not be restricted to only the firm’s internal activities and resource deployment but should extend to how the firm interacts or relates with other external value creation actors. This chapter contributes by highlighting and stimulating a discussion on the important role of acquired firm customers in acquisitions of knowledge-intensive firms in informing our understanding of the sources of M&A value leakage/destruction.

We present an empirical investigation into how customers and competitors respond to merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, using data obtained from business-to-business customers of logistics industry acquisitions. We draw on the M&A and marketing literatures to develop a set of hypotheses about how customer loyalty may be affected by a supplier's involvement in an acquisition, including the influence of competitors reactions. Our data confirm that customers purchase behaviours can be affected by M&A activity, both positively and negatively, and we find support for a causal chain whereby post-acquisition integration actions cause changes in key customer relationship variables, which in turn drive changes in customer loyalty. Our results also provide empirical evidence of the significant role that competitors responses can play in reducing customer loyalty following an acquisition. We identify a number of factors that appear to influence the magnitude of competitors reactions, namely the scale and scope of the acquisition, the form of post-acquisition integration pursued and the ‘stickiness’ of existing customers. The implications of our findings for future research, as well as for executives engaged in M&A activity, are discussed.

The purpose of this study follow a process perspective approach to examine post M&A integration studies focusing on HR function and to make the research literature relevant to HR integration.

Data is gathered from a systematic literature review of sixty six peer-reviewed empirical and theoretical articles published in forty one journals between 1990 and 2018. These predominantly use qualitative methods and include case studies, conceptual studies, interviews, surveys, literature reviews and mixed methodology. Each paper is then sorted into three areas of research focus, integration, change management and HR strategy, and the main findings noted.

A conceptual framework for the content and process in HR integration in cross-border M&A’s is presented consisting of three stages : pre-integration (preparation), HR integration and integration outcome.

This framework can be used to help managers and policy makers to profit from potential synergy in this situation, to support HR interventions at all stages of the M&A including screening, planning and negotiation and to deal with some of the more difficult cultural impacts of cross-border M&A’s.

This paper has an original approach as it considers a gap in the research and enables researchers to examine HR as a strategic partner during M&As within an integrated process perspective.

This study aims to address a significant gap in the literature by exploring the individual nature and microfoundation perspective of cultural friction during the integration phase following cross-border mergers and acquisitions (CBMAs). It focuses on the role of face, a pivotal facet of interactions within Asian organizations, elucidating its importance in post-M&A integration outcomes.

Using a conceptual approach, this study draws on three bodies of literature, namely, cultural friction, microfoundations and face concerns. It reconsiders cultural friction as a microfounded construct and introduces face concerns as a pivotal element to understanding the challenges faced by managers at the forefront of CBMAs involving Asian companies. The conceptual approach is illustrated with examples for the world of practice.

This research makes two significant contributions to the fields of CBMAs and cultural friction. First, it demonstrates the relevance of the concept of cultural friction at the individual level, shedding light on the complex post-CBMA integration process. Second, this study demonstrates the critical role of face concerns in the sociocultural integration following CBMAs. This is underexplored in extant literature.

The crucial role of face is well known to those working in Asia. Yet academic inquiry remains underdeveloped on this issue for CBMAs. The friction derived from face concerns provides additional insights into the nature of the cultural challenges confronting managers during sociocultural integration and elucidates the micro-mechanisms influencing individuals’ responses to cultural friction. This research responds to calls to examine the human side of M&As uncovering previously neglected issues within intercultural managerial encounters.

In this chapter, we examine the role of M&A (mergers and acquisitions) leadership by conducting a review of recent empirical studies on M&A leadership. Our aim is to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge concerning M&A leadership. More specifically, we examine how M&A leadership has been studied (i.e., study methods, data sources), where M&A leadership has been studied (i.e., geographic distribution, industries, level of analysis), which leadership M&A outcomes and M&A leadership perspectives have been examined, and finally, how M&A leadership influences post-M&A outcomes. This allows us to identify main areas of interest and provide suggestions for further research.