A Turning Points Analysis of Cross-Border Merger and Acquisition Negotiations

Despite the recent increase in Cross-Border Merger and Acquisition (CBMA) activity, research has repeatedly determined that over 70 percent of CBMAs fail to deliver the promised results, with evidence pointing to ineffective negotiation process management as one of the crucial factors explaining CBMA failure. We perform a turning points analysis of nine negotiations between automobile manufacturers. The findings indicate that negotiation outcomes are significantly influenced by substantive and strategic elements internal to the negotiation process. In addition, coalition building is shown to be a critical process leading to successful outcomes in the CBMA negotiations. Implications of the findings for negotiating practice are discussed, including how researcher-practitioner collaborations can be conducted.