Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

Working Papers,
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Department of Industrial Economics

No 2012/04: Researching Mergers & Acquisitions with the Case Study Method: Idiographic Understanding of Longitudinal Integration Processes

Lars Bengtsson () and Rikard Larsson
Additional contact information
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

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

JEL-codes: L20; M10

29 pages, March 16, 2012

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