Mixed Methods: A Relevant Research Design to Investigate Mergers and Acquisitions

Abstract

For several years, scholars studying mergers and acquisitions (M&A) regret their incapacity to fully capture and understand this complex phenomenon. Several authors have called for multidisciplinary approaches to improve our research. We believe that, instead of focusing on theories and multidisciplinarity, a complementary line of attack could be to put into question the methods used to study M&As. The purpose of this chapter is to show how mixed methods research can be a relevant design to open the black box of M&A and improve our understanding of M&A integration processes. Indeed, a key feature of mixed methods research is its methodological pluralism or eclecticism, which frequently results in superior research compared to mono-method research. In this chapter, we first define mixed methods research; we then review the literature on M&A using mixed methods and finally show the pros and cons of this research design to advance our understanding of M&A.

Citation

Rouzies, A. (2013), "Mixed Methods: A Relevant Research Design to Investigate Mergers and Acquisitions", Advances in Mergers and Acquisitions (Advances in Mergers and Acquisitions, Vol. 12), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 193-211. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-361X(2013)0000012011