Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/25271 
Year of Publication: 
2008
Series/Report no.: 
SFB 649 Discussion Paper No. 2008,029
Publisher: 
Humboldt University of Berlin, Collaborative Research Center 649 - Economic Risk, Berlin
Abstract: 
This paper addresses the key determinants of merger failure, in particular the role of innovation (post-merger performance) and technology (ex-ante selection) when firms decide to separate. After a brief review of the existing literature we introduce a model of process innovation where merged firms exibit intra-merger spillover of knowledge under different market regimes, depending on whether firms integrate vertically or horizontally. Secondly, we describe an ideal matching pattern for ex-ante selection criteria of technological partnering, abstracting from financial market power issues. In a final section we test the model implications for merger failure for M&A data from the US biotechnology industry in the 90s. We find that post-merger innovation performance, in particular with large spillover, increases the probability of survival, while we have no evidence that market power effects do so in long run. Additionally, we find extensive technology sourcing activity by firms (already in the 90s) which contradicts the notion of failure and suits well the open innovation paradigm.
Subjects: 
merger failure
innovation performance
technology
open innovation
biotechnology
JEL: 
O30
L22
L25
C78
L65
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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