Researching Mergers & Acquisitions with the Case Study Method: Idiographic Understanding of Longitudinal Integration Processes

Lars Bengtsson (lars.bengtsson@bth.se) and Rikard Larsson
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Lars Bengtsson: CSIR, Blekinge Inst of Technology, Postal: CSIR, School of Management, Blekinge Inst of Technology, 371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden
Rikard Larsson: Lund University, Postal: Department of Business Administration, School of Economics and Management, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

No 2012/04, Working Papers from Blekinge Institute of Technology, Department of Industrial Economics

Abstract: The purpose with this paper is to highlight the comparative advantages of using case study research to contribute to the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) field and provide some recommendations how this can be done well. Based on three reviews of the case study methodological literature, influential M&A case studies, and the methodological case survey of 55 M&A cases, we conclude that the case study method is a powerful, yet much underutilized method in M&A research. Even though there seem to be perhaps more than 20 times as many M&A surveys as case studies (Haleblian at al, 2009), we find that especially influential M&A case studies contribute unique value to M&A research in terms of the rich idiographic understanding of the complex combination and especially integration processes where the longitudinal, multi-aspect, and multi-level strengths of the case study method excel.

Keywords: Mergers and acquisitions; idiographic research; case studies; integration process (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L20 M10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 29 pages
Date: 2012-03-16
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-com and nep-ind
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Published in Handbook of Research on Mergers and Acquisitions, Weber, Yaakov (eds.), 2012, chapter 7, pages 172-202, Edward Elgar Publishing.

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