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Cultural divergence in merging family businesses

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  • Bjursell, Cecilia

Abstract

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is one of the strategic options available for business growth, and there is an increased research interest in the topic and its relevance to family firms. In this article, post-merger integration is discussed by looking at ownership, family and management as three separate value systems at work in the process. The interplay between these aspects influences what people perceive as organizational culture in terms of norms and values in a specific setting. The paper builds on a field study of two family businesses in a Nordic setting, including over 200 interviews and 40Â h of video. The paper contributes to the emerging knowledge about M&A in family business. Furthermore, it contributes to the field of M&A by highlighting that ownership could be included as an aspect in cultural studies to better understand post-merger integration.

Suggested Citation

  • Bjursell, Cecilia, 2011. "Cultural divergence in merging family businesses," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 2(2), pages 69-77, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:fambus:v:2:y:2011:i:2:p:69-77
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    3. Reddy, Kotapati Srinivasa, 2015. "The State of Case Study Research in Mergers & Acquisitions: A Review of the Literature in Different Management Streams," MPRA Paper 63939, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2015.
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    5. Worek, Maija & De Massis, Alfredo & Wright, Mike & Veider, Viktoria, 2018. "Acquisitions, disclosed goals and firm characteristics: A content analysis of family and nonfamily firms," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(4), pages 250-267.
    6. Grundström, Christina & Öberg, Christina & Öhrwall Rönnbäck, Anna, 2012. "Family-owned manufacturing SMEs and innovativeness: A comparison between within-family successions and external takeovers," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 3(3), pages 162-173.

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