Digital Commons Network^™

Acquiring Small And Medium-Sized Companies: A Study Of Corporate Decision Behavior, Daniel Joseph Power

Faculty Publications

This field research study investigated corporate acquisition decisions made by managers in U.S. manufacturing and conglomerate firms. The introductory chapters review organizational decision theories and empirical research on organizational and acquisition decision making. The thesis presents and investigates hypotheses for two descriptive models: a prediction model and a decision-process model. Through mail questionnaires, data were gathered about 28 acquisitions completed between October 1, 1979 and March 31, 1980. Managers were asked for retrospective information about decision activities and for a current assessment of the acquired company's performance . Twenty-six companies made the acquisitions: nine very large companies with 1979 sales …