Defense Date
Spring 4-17-2019
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Management
Department
Business Administration
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. Torsten Pieper
Committee Member or Co-Chair
Dr. Joseph Astrachan
Reader
Dr. Anne Smith
Abstract
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are a popular strategy to grow a firm. The prevalent view is that large, publicly traded non-family firms acquire much smaller, usually privately held firms, many of which are family owned. This view neglects, however, that family firms also utilize M&A to grow. Moreover, the vast majority of companies – even the largest – are family controlled. However, we know little about why and how family firms use M&A as a growth strategy. Furthermore, the M&A process – defined as pre-acquisition decision making and post-acquisition integration – is different when families take on the role of the acquirer, rather than the target of the acquisition. To explore this phenomenon, this study used an inductive, grounded theory approach. Data for this study originated from interviews with family firms. Theoretical sampling of family firms that used M&A included 11 firms and 16 informants. Constant comparative method allowed for inductively organizing codes into broader categories and categories into themes. In addition, four M&A experts were interviewed for replication logic. Analysis for this study yielded seven themes, which challenge the generalizability of extant M&A literature to the family firm context. Finally, a M&A process for the family firms included in this study emerged.
Included in
Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons