Title: Competence building acquisitions: the role of company characteristics and the early stage acquisition process

Authors: Valerie Bannert, Hugo Tschirky

Addresses: ETH-Center for Enterprise Science, Group of Technology and Innovation Management, Swiss Forum for Technology and Innovation Management, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), Zurichbergstrasse 18, CH-8028 Zurich, Switzerland. ' ETH-Center for Enterprise Science, Group of Technology and Innovation Management, Swiss Forum for Technology and Innovation Management, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), Zurichbergstrasse 18, CH-8028 Zurich, Switzerland

Abstract: Corporate acquisitions are increasingly used to build competencies and thus to foster long-term innovativeness. Practice however shows that this objective is hardly met. Thus, this paper aims to explain why competence building acquisitions are particularly difficult to master. Furthermore, different to current research, this paper focuses on explaining which target and acquirer characteristics are conducive to joint long-term innovativeness. These include the characteristics of the competence bases and joint innovation opportunities as well as the target and acquirer|s contextual attributes and their relation. Subsequently, it is shown how these relevant factors should be considered within the early stages of the acquisition process – the strategic planning and the company screening. The explanations and implications for practice will support managers| early decision-making process in internalising competencies and achieving joint long-term innovativeness through corporate acquisitions.

Keywords: acquisition; innovation; fit; corporate context; knowledge; acquisition process; strategic planning; screening; corporate acquisitions; competence building; strategic planning; target identification; early decision making.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTIP.2005.006512

International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning, 2005 Vol.1 No.2, pp.150 - 170

Published online: 18 Mar 2005 *

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