The process of identifying and evaluating a target firm, completing a deal after its negotiation and announcement, and then integrating a target firm after legal combination is a multi-year process with uncertain returns to acquiring firms. Research on mergers and acquisitions (M&As) is progressing rapidly yet it remains fragmented across multiple research perspectives that largely examine different acquisition phases separately and coincide with a focus on different research variables. As a result, research fragmentation means that a researcher in one area may be unaware of research from related areas that is likely relevant. This contributes to research silos with M&A research displaying different traditions, starting points, and assumptions. Mergers and Acquisitions: A Research Overview summarizes the frontier in M&A research and provides insights into where it can be expanded. It undertakes the needed integration and reconciliation of research in order to derive practical knowledge for managing acquisitions from beginning to end, providing a summary of what is known and its implications for future research. This concise overview reconciles and integrates the state of the art in our understanding of mergers and acquisitions, providing an essential first stopping point in the research journey of students and scholars working in this area.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are events that attract considerable interest from academics and practitioners, and much research has been conducted into their impact on individuals, organizations and societies. Yet, despite all the existing research and the varied theoretical and methodological approaches employed, there remains more to learn about M&As. The Routledge Companion to Mergers and Acquisitions takes a detailed look at this multifacted subject using a novel framework of four domains - substantive issues, contextual issues, methodological issues and conceptual issues. Drawing on the expertise of its international team of contributors, the volume surveys the state of the field, including emerging and cutting-edge areas such as social network analysis and corporate branding. This Companion will be a rich resource for students, researchers and practitioners involved in the study of M&As, and organizational and strategic studies more widely.

Corporate restructuring (acquisitions, alliances and divestment) is a visible form of corporate strategy. For example, firm investments in buying and selling assets exceed the gross domestic product of the majority of nations. Most research in this area examines acquisitions, but informing practice is limited by examining acquisitions in isolation or using a narrow focus. For example, a lingering problem is that average acquisition performance is consistently around zero, suggesting a need to identify practically relevant relationships. In addressing this need, research on three fundamental questions is covered: 1) How do acquisitions relate to other corporate strategy options?; 2) What helps to predict acquisition performance?; and 3) What are persistent acquisition research issues? The first question is intended to overcome a research limitation that acquisitions are often examined independent of other corporate strategies, including internal development, alliances, and divestment. The second question addresses novel relationships associated with the primary focus of acquisition research in examining what drives acquisition performance. The third question reflects on the underlying complexity of the phenomenon that makes it a challenge to identify what drives acquisition performance. Overall, the intent of presenting ideas on these fundamental questions is to illustrate promising areas for future research. This book presents the latest state of knowledge on the topic and will be of interest to researchers, academics, and advanced students in the fields of strategic management, international business, and organizational studies.

This book integrates two different but equally prominent themes in the management field: mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). It explores questions such as whether strategic goals overlap or conflict with sustainability choices, what the strategic and sustainability tensions are confronting expanding companies, and whether these companies can grow and be socially responsible for a variety of stakeholders. The authors provide a fresh perspective on the study of acquisitions, aiming to inspire the M&A field and using examples from different global and institutional contexts in both developed and developing economies. This ground-breaking book addresses the gap that has existed between acquisitions on the one hand and social responsibility and sustainability on the other, for an integrative perspective on enacting M&As and achieving the triple people-planet-profits bottom line.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are events that attract considerable interest from academics and practitioners, and much research has been conducted into their impact on individuals, organizations and societies. Yet, despite all the existing research and the varied theoretical and methodological approaches employed, there remains more to learn about M&As. The Routledge Companion to Mergers and Acquisitions takes a detailed look at this multifacted subject using a novel framework of four domains - substantive issues, contextual issues, methodological issues and conceptual issues. Drawing on the expertise of its international team of contributors, the volume surveys the state of the field, including emerging and cutting-edge areas such as social network analysis and corporate branding. This Companion will be a rich resource for students, researchers and practitioners involved in the study of M&As, and organizational and strategic studies more widely.

It is time that Congress, DOD and the Army end the confusion surrounding the usage of Federal troops within the United States and that they create an effective strategy for the timely integration of Federal forces with local and state efforts after a natural or man-made disaster occurs. This thesis lays out five major recommendations for policy makers. First, the Federal military must learn to efficiently support the National Guard, rather than prepare to assume their duties and responsibilities. Second, the Posse Comitatus Act, in its current form, has outlived its usefulness. The PCA must be updated to distinguish between combat and non-combat Federal forces. Third, a domestic War Powers Act is needed to lower the partisan politics surrounding the usage of Federal troops, while establishing checks and balances to prevent Presidential abuse. Fourth, Congress should spell out in clear language the dominant role local and state authorities have in responding to disasters. Federal organizations cannot respond fast enough to fill this role. Last, the Army must designate the Combined Arms Center (CAC) as the Army proponent for Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) operations, and make CAC responsible for managing all DOTMLPF related issues.