IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/aif/journl/v5y2021i4p80-104.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Diversifying or Focused Acquisition? The Influence of CEOs Temporal Focus on Corporate Acquisition Target Choice and the Moderating Role of Corporate Governance

Author

Listed:
  • Nuru M. Ahmed

    (Business school, University of International Business and Economics, Chaoyang District, Beijing, P.R. China.)

  • Jianfeng Wu

    (Business school, University of International Business and Economics, Chaoyang District, Beijing, P.R. China)

Abstract

Why an acquiring firm chooses a target over others is a question yet not investigated well. Using a multi-dimensional temporal focus framework and upper echelon theory, we proposed that a firm’s choice for diversifying or focused acquisition is predicted by the CEO’s temporal focus. Furthermore, this link is contingent on corporate governance (compensation). The result from the analysis of 302 M&A deals from semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries revealed that CEOs with high future/present focus are more likely to make a diversifying acquisition than focus acquisition, while present-focused CEOs are more likely to make a focused acquisition over diversifying takeover. With a high stock option, future-focused CEOs will be more eager to make diversifying acquisitions, while past-focused CEOs’ likelihood of making a focused acquisition is reduced. Also, with high stock ownership, the interest of future and present-focused CEOs for diversifying takeover will reduce, while CEOs with high past focus will more tend to make a focused acquisition.

Suggested Citation

  • Nuru M. Ahmed & Jianfeng Wu, 2021. "Diversifying or Focused Acquisition? The Influence of CEOs Temporal Focus on Corporate Acquisition Target Choice and the Moderating Role of Corporate Governance," International Journal of Science and Business, IJSAB International, vol. 5(4), pages 80-104.
    • Handle: RePEc:aif:journl:v:5:y:2021:i:4:p:80-104
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ijsab.com/wp-content/uploads/707.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://ijsab.com/volume-5-issue-4/3728
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yu Yu & Nita Umashankar & Vithala R. Rao, 2016. "Choosing the right target: Relative preferences for resource similarity and complementarity in acquisition choice," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(8), pages 1808-1825, August.
    2. Richard A. D'Aveni & Giovanni Battista Dagnino & Ken G. Smith, 2010. "The age of temporary advantage," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(13), pages 1371-1385, December.
    3. Laurence Capron & Jung‐Chin Shen, 2007. "Acquisitions of private vs. public firms: Private information, target selection, and acquirer returns," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(9), pages 891-911, September.
    4. Ishii, Joy & Xuan, Yuhai, 2014. "Acquirer-target social ties and merger outcomes," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(3), pages 344-363.
    5. Mateev, Miroslav & Andonov, Kristiyan, 2018. "Do European bidders pay more in cross-border than in domestic acquisitions? New evidence from Continental Europe and the UK," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 529-556.
    6. Vasilescu, Camelia & Millo, Yuval, 2016. "Do industrial and geographic diversifications have different effects on earnings management? Evidence from UK mergers and acquisitions," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 33-45.
    7. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    8. Crowe, Ellen & Higgins, E. Tory, 1997. "Regulatory Focus and Strategic Inclinations: Promotion and Prevention in Decision-Making," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 117-132, February.
    9. Chen, Sheng-Syan & Ho, Kim Wai & Lee, Cheng-few & Yeo, Gillian H. H., 2000. "Investment opportunities, free cash flow and market reaction to international joint ventures," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(11), pages 1747-1765, November.
    10. Cho, Sam Yul & Arthurs, Jonathan D., 2018. "The influence of alliance experience on acquisition premiums and post-acquisition performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 1-10.
    11. Marlin, Dan & Geiger, Scott W., 2015. "A reexamination of the organizational slack and innovation relationship," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(12), pages 2683-2690.
    12. Renneboog, Luc & Vansteenkiste, Cara, 2019. "Failure and success in mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 650-699.
    13. Philip T. Roundy & Ye Dai & Mark A. Bayer & Gukdo Byun, 2016. "Motivated to change? TMT regulatory focus and strategic change," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 39(7), pages 803-829, July.
    14. Lee, Kyeong Hun & Mauer, David C. & Xu, Emma Qianying, 2018. "Human capital relatedness and mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(1), pages 111-135.
    15. Pasi Kuusela & Thomas Keil & Markku Maula, 2017. "Driven by aspirations, but in what direction? Performance shortfalls, slack resources, and resource-consuming vs. resource-freeing organizational change," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(5), pages 1101-1120, May.
    16. Bharat N. Anand & Tarun Khanna, 2000. "Do firms learn to create value? The case of alliances," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 295-315, March.
    17. Fuad, Mohammad & Gaur, Ajai S., 2019. "Merger waves, entry-timing, and cross-border acquisition completion: A frictional lens perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 107-118.
    18. Biao Luo & Changyue Luo & Jiajia Ge & Dongli Zhang, 2016. "The moderating effects of slack on the relationship between ambidextrous strategy and performance: evidence from high-tech firms in China," Journal of Business Economics and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(5), pages 734-748, September.
    19. Wu, Jianfeng & Tu, Rungting, 2007. "CEO stock option pay and R&D spending: a behavioral agency explanation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 60(5), pages 482-492, May.
    20. Daher, Mai M. & Ismail, Ahmad K., 2018. "Debt covenants and corporate acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 174-201.
    21. Shao-Chi Chang & Ming-Tse Tsai, 2013. "The effect of prior alliance experience on acquisition performance," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(6), pages 765-773, February.
    22. Mazur, Mieszko & Salganik-Shoshan, Galla, 2019. "The effect of executive stock option delta and vega on the spin-off decision," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 132-144.
    23. Yiwei Fang & Dawei Jin & Xian Sun & Haizhi Wang, 2015. "New evidence on alliance experience and acquisition performance," Studies in Economics and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(1), pages 53-73, March.
    24. Akbar Zaheer & Exequiel Hernandez & Sanjay Banerjee, 2010. "Prior Alliances with Targets and Acquisition Performance in Knowledge-Intensive Industries," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(5), pages 1072-1091, October.
    25. Peter Wright & Mark Kroll & Jeffrey A. Krug & Michael Pettus, 2007. "Influences of top management team incentives on firm risk taking," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 81-89, January.
    26. Harbir Singh & Cynthia A. Montgomery, 1987. "Corporate acquisition strategies and economic performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(4), pages 377-386, July.
    27. Shipp, Abbie J. & Edwards, Jeffrey R. & Lambert, Lisa Schurer, 2009. "Conceptualization and measurement of temporal focus: The subjective experience of the past, present, and future," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 110(1), pages 1-22, September.
    28. Meglio, Olimpia & King, David R. & Risberg, Annette, 2017. "Speed in acquisitions: A managerial framework," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 415-425.
    29. Bae, Sung C. & Chang, Kiyoung & Kim, Doseong, 2013. "Determinants of target selection and acquirer returns: Evidence from cross-border acquisitions," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 552-565.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Leonhard Brinster, 2021. "The role of related strategic alliances before mergers and acquisitions," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(10), pages 1-33, October.
    2. Renneboog, Luc & Vansteenkiste, Cara, 2019. "Failure and success in mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 650-699.
    3. Le, Trinh Hue & Oliver, Barry & Tan, Kelvin Jui Keng, 2022. "Nowhere to hide: Response of corporate restructuring activities to mandatory segment disclosure," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    4. Niklas Kreilkamp & Sascha Matanovic & Maximilian Schmidt & Arnt Wöhrmann, 2023. "How executive incentive design affects risk-taking: a literature review," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(7), pages 2349-2374, October.
    5. Zhaozhao He & Han Yu & Lijing Du, 2020. "Cohabitation before marriage: do prior alliances enhance post-merger performance?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1315-1349, May.
    6. Cheng‐Wei Wu & Jeffrey J. Reuer, 2021. "Acquirers’ Reception of Signals in M&A Markets: Effects of Acquirer Experiences on Target Selection," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(5), pages 1237-1266, July.
    7. Shaikh, Ibrahim A. & O'Brien, Jonathan Paul & Peters, Lois, 2018. "Inside directors and the underinvestment of financial slack towards R&D-intensity in high-technology firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 192-201.
    8. Ilya R. P. Cuypers & Youtha Cuypers & Xavier Martin, 2017. "When the target may know better: Effects of experience and information asymmetries on value from mergers and acquisitions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(3), pages 609-625, March.
    9. Stienstra, Miranda, 2020. "The determinants and performance implications of alliance partner acquisition," Other publications TiSEM 7fdee0c2-d4d2-4f5b-95e3-2, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    10. Alessandri, Todd M. & Pattit, Jason M., 2014. "Drivers of R&D investment: The interaction of behavioral theory and managerial incentives," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 151-158.
    11. García-Canal, Esteban & Valdés-Llaneza, Ana & Sánchez-Lorda, Pablo, 2014. "Contractual form in repeated alliances with the same partner: The role of inter-organizational routines," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 51-64.
    12. Renneboog, Luc & Vansteenkiste, Cara, 2019. "Failure and success in mergers and acquisitions," Other publications TiSEM 9baa3ffc-67cb-4647-9da5-a, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    13. J. Samuel Baixauli-Soler & Maria Belda-Ruiz & Gregorio Sanchez-Marin, 2017. "An executive hierarchy analysis of stock options: Does gender matter?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 737-766, October.
    14. Dovev Lavie & Randi Lunnan & Binh Minh T. Truong, 2022. "How does a partner's acquisition affect the value of the firm's alliance with that partner?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(9), pages 1897-1926, September.
    15. Aseem Kaul & Brian Wu, 2016. "A capabilities-based perspective on target selection in acquisitions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(7), pages 1220-1239, July.
    16. Hossain, Mohammed Sawkat, 2021. "Merger & Acquisitions (M&As) as an important strategic vehicle in business: Thematic areas, research avenues & possible suggestions," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    17. Balachandran, Balasingham & Faff, Robert, 2015. "Corporate governance, firm value and risk: Past, present, and future," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(PA), pages 1-12.
    18. Li, Dan & Miller, Stewart R. & Eden, Lorraine & Hitt, Michael A., 2012. "The Impact of Rule of Law on Market Value Creation for Local Alliance Partners in BRIC Countries," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 305-321.
    19. Baixauli-Soler, J. Samuel & Belda-Ruiz, Maria & Sanchez-Marin, Gregorio, 2015. "Executive stock options, gender diversity in the top management team, and firm risk taking," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 451-463.
    20. Wen Shi & Xiaogang Bi, 2023. "Buddhism and M&A performance: Evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(4), pages 4505-4531, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:aif:journl:v:5:y:2021:i:4:p:80-104. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Farjana Rahman (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.