“All marriages are happy. It’s the living together afterwards that causes all the trouble.” - Raymond Hull, Canadian Playwright. Although Mergers and Acquisitions are common, no merger is termed as successful until post merger integration is successful. During M&A, two companies that function uniquely are fused together, and the Information Technology group is expected to consolidate two different systems efficiently. This integration should be well-executed, and without any disruption to business or customers. Every merger is different, and can have innumerable reasons for failure, ranging from poor implementation strategies to cultural or attitudinal problems. One of the reasons, many Post-Merger Integration activities fail, is due to the Information Technology complexity and inadequacy to address the issues, it brings to the table. This thesis aims at studying the importance of post-merger Information Technology (IT) integration and developing an IT strategy for the integration. There are no scientific guidelines laid out for a post-merger IT integration and each company employs its own methods. Hence the author has researched and developed a post-merger IT integration framework that can give definitive approach and assist in seamless integration. This framework includes practices that can be followed for a smooth IT transition and checklist to ensure successful integration. Lastly the author presents two cases of M&A that illustrate the importance of IT integration, namely, Sallie Mae- USA Group and HP-Compaq. Sallie Mae & USA Group was a huge success due to its successful IT integration implementation while HP-Compaq merger was a disappointment for the lack of understanding the importance of IT integration. From these two cases, the author has also derived the usefulness of the proposed framework. Author has also presented another case of Oracle-Sun merger, which does an analysis of the IT integration carried out by the two companies. It would not be unwise to say, that IT plays an ever increasing pervasive role in today’s organizations, hence a successful merger demands successful IT integration. / text

Vad innebär det att jobba med integration i ett fusionerat företag? Studien som denna avhandling bygger på syftade till att utforska, skildra och reflektera över hur en ledningsgrupp strävade efter att uppnå socio-kulturell integration. Resultatet illustreras genom påvisandet av hur nya referensramar skapades i den pågående kommunikationen på integrationsmöten i ett nordiskt konfektyrföretag. På dessa möten försökte ledningsgruppen, som bestod av medarbetare med olika nationell, funktionell och organisatorisk hemvist, att skapa en ny gemensam kultur. En paradox uppstod då företagsledningen hade för avsikt att bevara de gamla kulturerna, samtidigt som de ville skapa något nytt. Kultur har i denna studie betraktats som en social referensram vilket möjliggör att man kan tala om kultur i förhållande till andra föreställningar i integrationsprocessen. Genom analys av integrationsdiskursen med hjälp av begreppet föreställningsramar, framträdde ett flertal i integrationsprocessen aktiva föreställningsramar. Dessa visar hur ledningen rörde sig mot en gemensam föreställningsram under integrationsprocessen. Med tiden framträdde en gemensam föreställning: the one company frame. Denna föreställningsram drevs på ett djupare plan av människors vilja att tillhöra och skapa mening i det som hände, något som beskrivs i the faith frame. På mötet utmanades dock the faith frame av the game frame som betonar den konkurrensmässiga aspekten av affärsverksamhet. Avhandlingen avslutas med en diskussion om hur förståelsen för integrationsprocessen skulle kunna ökas genom att tydligare erkänna konkurrens som ett inslag i integration. / What does it mean to integrate an organization after a merger? The purpose of the study on which this thesis is based was to explore, depict and reflect on how a management group strived to achieve socio-cultural integration. The findings are illustrated by applying the idea of framing to the on-going communication at integration meetings in a Nordic confectionery company. At these meetings, the management group - with different national, functional and organizational backgrounds - worked with creating a new, shared culture. Paradoxically, the intention of the managers was to keep their old cultures at the same time as they wanted to create something new. In this text, culture has been regarded as a frame of reference. This makes it possible to talk about culture in relation to other constructs in the integration process. The use of the frame concept in the analysis of the integration discourse revealed different frames at work, and how people observed in the study moved towards a shared frame of reference during the integration process. Over time, there was frame alignment at the integration meetings towards a one company frame. On a deeper level, the one company frame seemed to be motivated by people’s desire to belong in the new company and to make sense of what was going on. This was expressed in the faith frame. At the integration meetings, the faith frame was challenged by the game frame. The game frame enhanced the competitive aspect of business. It is suggested that recognition of the competitive aspects of integration could increase our understanding of the integration process.

Universiẗat, Diss.--Wuppertal, 2006.

The thesis is covering an analysis of a concrete acquisition case from CEE. Based on the review of theory a conceptual framework was created and then applied to the acquisition case in order to analyze the process of post-merger integration. As a result, recommendations were created for similar future transactions.

The problem areas of the 'human side' of mergers andacquisitions as well as post-merger integration are focusedupon in this study. An extensive review of merger-relatedliterature points to the problematic nature of this area oforganisation. Through the analysis of two international casemergers, their post-merger integration processes and theirproblem areas, the nature and causes of these problem areas areinvestigated. The results of the investigation indicate thatexpectations influence mergers and post-merger integration.What seems to be expected of mergers, post-merger integration,of the management of these processes as well as the involvedparties plays a role in the interpretation of and reaction tomerger-related occurrences. If expectations of a merger or anyof its specific features are not met, attitudes towards themerger can get increasingly negative. This evidentlynecessitates 'expectation management' within mergers and theirpost-merger integration processes. KEY WORDS: merger, acquisition, post-merger integration,'human side' of organisations, expectation, experience, casestudy, emergent theory / <p>NR 20140805</p>

Background: In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition of the significance of mergers and acquisitions (M&amp;As) involving family businesses, highlighting their pivotal role in the business landscape. Notably, in the M&amp;A literature, the issue of employees’ trust in the organization emerges as a crucial component in facilitating a successful post-M&amp;A integration. However, existing theories of organizational trust in the post-merger integration process, where the outcome of M&amp;As is ultimately determined, may only partially apply to the distinctive dynamics inherent in family business M&amp;As. This divergence can be attributed to the unique characteristics displayed by family businesses. Hence, this thesis aims to address this research gap by comprehensively examining how organizational trust can be applied in the context of family business M&amp;As.  Purpose: Our research aims to explore how organizational trust influences the post-merger integration process of family businesses. The objective of this dissertation is to offer insights to family businesses concerning M&amp;A endeavors, specifically focusing on the post-merger integration phase, by highlighting the crucial role of organizational trust and its consequential influence on the overall M&amp;A outcome. As a result, the fundamental research question of this thesis is as follows: “How does organizational trust influence the post-merger integration process of family businesses?”  Method: As for the methodology, by leaning towards internal realism as our ontological standpoint and social constructionism as our epistemological standpoint, a more comprehensive understanding of organizational trust in the post-merger integration process of family businesses is achieved. This qualitative study applies the abductive approach as it facilitates the exploration of the phenomena in question and the modification of existing theories by combining previously established knowledge and new observations. A multiple case study is conducted, and data is collected through 12 semi-structured in-depth interviews to reach our aim.  Conclusion: Through combining existing literature and qualitative data, a comprehensive framework on organizational trust is created that is specifically tailored to the context of family businesses that have undergone an M&amp;A and that highlights the significance of the following elements of organizational trust: ability, openness, visibility, and benevolence. This framework holds considerable value as it not only entails visibility as an element, which is novel to the literature, and represents, hence, our main contribution, but it also elucidates how family businesses can leverage their unique characteristics to effectively preserve and nurture employees’ organizational trust even in the aftermath of M&amp;As. By recognizing and harnessing their unique attributes, such as longevity and emotional involvement, family businesses can transform these inherent qualities into strategic assets that sustain employees’ organizational trust, ultimately facilitating a smoother post-merger integration process and an overall successful M&amp;A.

Cross-country comparisons have been at the heart of the field of international business, both in a theoretical and practical sense. Nevertheless, these kind of comparisons are ever difficult because the interpretation and understanding of concepts and dimensions used for comparison can be different across different countries. In order to prevent comparing the figurative apples with pears, the understanding of some concepts has to be examined in more detail. The first part of this paper addresses this issue by outlining the understanding of community across different societies. Four countries are evaluated, China and South Korea are found to have a similar in- versus out-group understanding of community whereas Sweden and South Africa have a more open idea of community. The second part focuses on the more practical aspect of the field of international business. The development of a new community, through social integration processes, after a merger or acquisition is important for the performance of the said merger or acquisition. Therefore, it is examined how the different understanding of community could have an impact on the performance of mergers or acquisitions. However, no statistical evidence is found for the expectation that performance differs across the acquirers from different nations. Thus, the effect of having a different understanding on the performance of mergers and acquisitions does not become clear in this paper.

Ein Großteil der globalen Merger & Acquisitions (M&A) finden im Dienstleistungssektor statt. Der Integrationsprozess ist ausschlaggebend für den Erfolg einer M&A. Allerdings tritt die erhoffte Wertschöpfung bei einem Großteil der fusionierten Unternehmen nicht ein. Gerade im Dienstleistungssektor ist das Know-How der Organisation in den Prozessen gebündelt und bildet dadurch den Unternehmenswert, daher kommt der Prozessharmonisierung (PH) eine essentielle Bedeutung für das Gelingen der Post Merger Integration (PMI) zu. Eine effiziente PH und die Etablierung eines gemeinsamen Managementsystems wird in der PMI erschwert durch die oft angespannte Situation des Change Prozesses. Zeitdruck, kulturelle Unterschiede, Interessenskonflikte sowie weitere Störfaktoren können das Vorhaben beeinträchtigen. Insbesondere die Integrationsansätze Absorption und Symbiose erfordern eine neue vereinheitlichte Unternehmensstruktur und beeinflussen Managementsystem und Prozesslandschaft eines Unternehmens erheblich. Gleichzeitig gewinnt die Digitalisierung zunehmend an Bedeutung, so dass im Rahmen der PH eine Modernisierung hinsichtlich Industrie 4.0 / Qualität 4.0 geprüft werden sollte. Die vorliegende Arbeit fasst 10 Einzelbeiträge zum Themenbereich PH in fusionierten Dienstleistungsunternehmen im Zeitalter Industrie 4.0 zu einer kumulativen Dissertation zusammen, mit dem Ziel eine Methode zur PH in der PMI zu entwickeln. Der Forschungsmethode des Design Science Research folgend bauen die Einzelbeiträge aufeinander auf, beginnend mit einer systematischen Literaturanalyse, gefolgt von einer Anforderungsanalyse unter Nutzung der Mixed-Methods-Forschung und der Entwicklung und Anwendung eines Artefakts. Als Artefakt präsentiert die vorliegende Arbeit eine Methode, bestehend aus dem Vorgehensmodell ProMerge! mit zugehörigem Tool ProMergeTool!, das fusionierte Organisationen bei der PH in der PMI methodisch unterstützt. Die Anwendbarkeit und Praxistauglichkeit der Methode wird in einem realen Anwendungsfall demonstriert.:VORWORT I ABSTRACT II INHALTSVERZEICHNIS III ABBILDUNGSVERZEICHNIS V TABELLENVERZEICHNIS VI ABKÜRZUNGSVERZEICHNIS VII 1 MOTIVATION UND PROBLEMSTELLUNG 1 2 FORSCHUNGSDESIGN 3 2.1 WISSENSCHAFTSTHEORETISCHE POSITIONIERUNG 3 2.2 FORSCHUNGSZIEL 4 2.3 FORSCHUNGSMETHODE 5 3 ANFORDERUNGEN AN DAS ARTEFAKT 7 4 AUFBAU DER DISSERTATION 9 4.1 ÜBERBLICK 9 4.2 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG DER EINZELBEITRÄGE 11 4.2.1 Bedarfe zur Prozessharmonisierung in fusionierten Dienstleistungsunternehmen im Zeitalter Quality 4.0 11 4.2.2 Methodologies for process harmonization in the post merger integration phase - a literature review 12 4.2.3 Prozessharmonisierung in der Post Merger Integration – Qualitätskriterien für den Integrationsprozess 13 4.2.4 Process Harmonization Phase Model in Post Merger Integration 13 4.2.5 Significance of Quality 4.0 in Post Merger Process Harmonization 14 4.2.6 Successful Post Merger Process Harmonization in the Triangle of Methodologies, Capabilities and Acceptance 16 4.2.7 Mixed Methods approach as requirements analysis of a method for process harmonization in Design Science Research 17 4.2.8 Creating a Method for Post-Merger Process Harmonization 18 4.2.9 Evaluating a Method for Process Harmonization 19 4.2.10 Prozessharmonisierung in der Post-Merger-Integration mit ProMerge! und ProMergeTool! - ein Anwendungsbeispiel 20 5 DISKUSSION UND FAZIT 21 5.1 DISKUSSION DER ERGEBNISSE 21 5.1.1 Gestaltung als Artefakt 21 5.1.2 Problemrelevanz 22 5.1.3 Suchprozess zur Gestaltung des Artefakts 22 5.1.4 Design Evaluation 22 5.1.5 Kommunikation der Forschungsergebnisse 23 5.1.6 Rigorosität der Forschung 23 5.1.7 Forschungsbeitrag 24 5.2 WISSENSCHAFTLICHER BEITRAG 24 5.3 PRAKTISCHER BEITRAG 25 REFERENZEN 27 ANHANG 1: FRAGEBOGEN FÜR EXPERTENINTERVIEWS 30 ANHANG 2: FRAGEBOGEN QUANTITATIVE ANALYSE 31 ANHANG 3: PROMERGE! 36 ANHANG 4: PROMERGETOOL! - AUSSCHNITTE 37 6 EINZELBEITRAG 1 40 7 EINZELBEITRAG 2 41 8 EINZELBEITRAG 3 42 9 EINZELBEITRAG 4 43 10 EINZELBEITRAG 5 44 11 EINZELBEITRAG 6 45 12 EINZELBEITRAG 7 46 13 EINZELBEITRAG 8 47 14 EINZELBEITRAG 9 72 15 EINZELBEITRAG 10 91

There is a paradoxical realism as the number of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&amp;As) increases on a global scale, despite the fact that organizations’ failure rate to generate the expected value from these cross-border M&amp;As remains high. Researchers have argued that these failures have been connected to the post-merger integration (PMI) process in which multiple challenges are imposed. However, the findings within the area are both limited and scattered, and researchers have emphasized the need to enhance the understanding of how different sociocultural factors impact the integration process of merging organizations in an international context.   Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate how sociocultural factors impact the PMI process in cross-border M&amp;As. The empirical data was collected through a qualitative multiple case study from a Swedish company that has conducted numerous cross-border M&amp;As. Four acquisitions in different international settings were examined, and 16 interviews were carried out with employees from both the case company and the acquired firms.   The findings demonstrate that sociocultural factors on four different levels need to be considered; national, company, team and individual. Interestingly, the findings highlight that there is no apparent connection concerning the level of psychic distance between national cultures and the challenges imposed in the PMI process, as previously suggested by research. However, national culture still matters, but this study suggests that the most substantial impact on the PMI process derives from sociocultural factors on a company cultural level. This is surprising as most research on culture has been focusing on the national level, and this suggests that future research should shift focus to incorporate and investigate additional levels of culture as well.

Universiẗat, Diss.--Oldenburg, 2006.