Title: Brand and product integration in horizontal mergers and acquisitions

Authors: Dung Anh Vu, Yongjiang Shi, Mike Gregory

Addresses: Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, CB3 0FS, UK. ' Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, CB3 0FS, UK. ' Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, CB3 0FS, UK

Abstract: This paper aims to understand integration of brands and products after Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As). The paper identifies four different strategies for integrating brands and products: |Choice|, |Growth Maximisation|, |Harmonisation| and |Foundation|. These strategies act as strategic directions for firms to follow and to integrate brands and products in post-horizontal M&As in order to create and deliver value and competitiveness. Each main integration strategy contains a set of different sub-strategies (18 in total) which aim to achieve the same objective set by its umbrella integration strategy. The paper also builds the linkage between the integration sub-strategies and the two currently-in-use views – positioning and resource-based – from the strategic management perspective. Through in-depth case studies and analyses, a broader view towards |brand| is developed and discussed in which the successful management of brands requires paying close attention to both the external customer franchise and the internal organisational system and culture.

Keywords: brands; products; brand-product integration; horizontal M&A; value creation; competitiveness; mergers and acquisitions; strategic management; brand management.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2010.031277

European Journal of International Management, 2010 Vol.4 No.1/2, pp.79 - 119

Published online: 27 Jan 2010 *

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