Abstract
The field of mergers and acquisitions and sustainability has been expanding in the last years; consequently, there is a need for a systematic review of the existing body of knowledge. This article aims to fill this gap by providing an overview and synthesis of the research topic. The specific objectives are (1) to assess the academic impact, and (2) to determine the structure of the topic. To achieve these goals, a bibliometric analysis will be carried out through a selection of articles taken from the WoS database from 1900 to 2019. First, the historical evolution of publications will be addressed, the distribution of articles by journal and by individual author, as well as the total number of citations per article. Second, this article will develop networks of co-citations of authors and journals and co-word analysis by using VOS Viewer software. The global results will provide insights into the nature and trends of research on mergers and acquisitions and sustainability.
Highlights
Merger and acquisition processes (M&A) as a field of study has attracted great attention from both business leaders and scholars in different disciplines over the last few years
Until 2006, research had focused on issues related to the management of M&A processes, the achievement of cost and productivity effectiveness, and strategy
In order to fulfill this objective, we have carried out a bibliometric study to assess the academic impact as well as to determine the intellectual structure of the research topic
Summary
Merger and acquisition processes (M&A) as a field of study has attracted great attention from both business leaders and scholars in different disciplines over the last few years. Current and traditional literature on these processes acknowledges the role of sustainability as a prerequisite for success. While the definition of mergers and acquisitions is very specific in nature, sustainability remains an open concept that encompasses three interconnected pillars: environmental, economic, and social [1,2]. The environmental pillar aims to preserve resources for future generations [3]. Firms should contribute to the external context in terms of prosperity. The social pillar refers to the provision of value to society [2,4]
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