Mergers & acquisitions research: A bibliometric study of top strategy and international business journals

Abstract

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are important modes through which firms carry out their domestic and international strategies. This bibliometric review examines the extant published research on M&As in top sixteen leading business journals notable for publishing strategic management and international business research, during a twenty one years period ? from 1980 to 2010. The results of our bibliometric study on a sample of 334 articles on M&As permit us conclude that M&As scholars focus mostly on ?performance? and ?environmental modeling: governmental, social, and political influences on strategy? and that M&A research does not have a specific theoretical ground. We conclude by presenting a broad discussion, and pointing out limitations and avenues for future enquiry.