Factors influencing turning points in cross-border Merger and Acquisition negotiations between automobile manufacturers

Keywords: turning points; international business negotiations; automotive; complex negotiations; negotiation process; case study

Abstract: The complexity generated by the possible number of interacting factors in international business negotiations renders theory development problematic; by integrating both the macro-strategic and the micro-behavioral paradigms of International Business negotiations analysis, the turning points framework allows to overcome the main limitations to complex negotiation analysis providing a conceptual causal model that describes the connection between negotiation process and outcomes. The research question that we intend to address is: Which factors influence the occurrence and consequences of turning points in cross-border merger and acquisition negotiations between automobile manufacturers? The analysis is based on a small-N comparative study aimed at identifying the factors that influence the occurrence of turning points and the causal relationships that exist among departures, precipitants and consequences based on the turning points framework. It is anticipated that departures in cross-border merger and acquisition negotiations between automobile manufacturers are mainly generated by internal (both substantive and procedural) precipitants.