My apologies for cross-postings...attached is a call for contributions that is also described below.
---------------
I am editing a book on book on Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) with Annette Risberg and Olimpia Meglio for Routldege's as part of its companion series (see http://www.routledge.com/books/series/ROUTCOMPS). Routledge defines a companion as a prestige reference work providing an overview of a whole subject area or subdiscipline. It is an edited collection surveying the state of the discipline, and we want the companion to be organized around issues that are important for M&A processes. We believe a better understanding of M&A will result from studying lower level contexts along with new or different methodological approaches. Resting on this assumption, this companion aims at proposing a different journey into this multifaceted phenomenon by focusing on issues rather than on functional perspectives. A range of contributions exploring a variety of M&A issues employing a variety of research methods are requested in four general areas.
The first part addresses the substantive domain of M&As and it will examine both enduring issues and emerging issues in M&A literature. By organizing the section this way we hope to cover what are the most important topics and contributions to the field as well as new topics and lenses. Notional chapters would cover the following topics:
• Acquisition preparation
· Target Screening (i.e., complementary resources, relatedness, etc.)
· Acquisition experience or capability
· Relationship between alliances and acquisition
• Acquisition integration
· Employee engagement
· Acquisitions as an adaptation strategy
· M&A goals and performance
The second part examines M&A issues that arise in specific research settings and subjects that M&A can help frame. Notional chapters would cover the following topics:
• The context of M&A
· University mergers
· Family firms
· Emerging country acquisitions
· High-technology or knowledge intensive acquisitions
· Cross-border M&As
• M&A as a research setting
· Innovation and knowledge transfer
· Employee commitment
· Organizational failure
· Corporate governance
The third part outlines methodological challenges and implications for academic research examining M&As. Within this section, contributions are expected to focus on methods of inquiry. Notional chapters would cover the following topics:
• Methodological challenges
· Examining cross-border merger using mixed methods
· Narrative methods while studying mergers and acquisitions
· Process approaches to the study of mergers and acquisitions
· Interactions of variables in designing empirical research on M&As
• Methodological implications
· Risk and benefit of cross-sectional event studies; case studies; and/or events studies
· Challenge of using multi-industry research and/or multi-method research
The fourth part identifies key concepts used in M&A research in an attempt to rejuvenate the field. Key concepts like performance, success, failure, culture, relatedness, and identity routinely appear M&A studies, but it does not mean they are becoming less important or less interesting. Notional chapters would cover the following topics:
• What does M&A performance mean
• Firm identity and the integration
• Impact of Ambiguity
• Reputational impacts of M&A
• Speed and depth of integration
Timeline
Interested contributors should submit an extended abstract (1,500 words) outlining their topic and targeted section of the book by 31 December 2012 to: M&Acompanion.ikl@cbs.dk.
For planning, accepted abstracts will be identified by February 2012, and initial submission of the full chapter (double-blind reviewed) will need to be completed by 30 August 2013.
If you have questions, please e-mail me david.king@marquette.edu or M&Acompanion.ikl@cbs.dk
Respectfully,
Dave
David R. King, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Management