Cross-border M&A and post-merger integration behaviour: the case of global technology companies

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Project Leader(s)
Dr. Björn B. Schmidt

Project Partner(s)
To be determined

Staff
n.a.

Duration
Currently in planning phase

Funding Body / Own Project
Own Project

Project Description
Despite the significance of organically developed innovations, M&A appears to be a vital ingredient of the growth and in particular innovation strategies of leading technology companies. As such, many of the heavyweights in global technology have been consistently acquiring and integrating larger as well as smaller companies in various international markets. Google, for example, has acquired up to 200 companies since its founding in foreign geographies such as Israel, Canada, Brazil and Western Europe.
 
This study is based on a number of M&A case studies where a leading technology company such as Google and Amazon has acquired an innovative company outside of the United States and integrated that innovative company into its own legal and operational structure.
 
Against this background, this study aims to answer these (and potentially other) research questions:

1. What are the motives underlying the M&A activity of leading technology companies?
2. What types of acquisitions can be identified?  
3. How are the motives and types explained by existing M&A theory and literature?
4. Which approaches do leading technology companies usually take when integrating an innovative company? 
5. How do leading technology companies tackle the inherent problem of integrating agile and potentially smaller innovative companies? 
6. How do leading technology companies deal with the specific challenges of cross-border M&A and in particular of post-merger integration across borders? 

 
Project Publications
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Link
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