Chinese Cross-border Acquisitions Research Articles

Experiential learning, institutional quality and Chinese state-owned firms’ cross-border acquisitions

PurposeState-owned firms play important roles in Chinese cross-border acquisition (CBA) activities. However, compared with private firms, state-owned firms have a lower likelihood of acquisition completion and take longer to complete a deal. This paper aims to determine why this phenomenon exists and how state-owned firms can overcome the constraints of their identity.Design/methodology/approachBy integrating organizational learning theory with institutional theory, this paper attempts to answer the research questions from a legitimacy perspective. Employing Chinese CBA data from 1982 to 2014, the authors use a logit model and a random effects model to test the hypothesis.FindingsThe results show that a state-owned identity easily causes legitimacy concerns among host country regulatory agencies; thus, it may result in longer and more uncertain evaluation behaviors, which lead to a lower likelihood of CBA completion and a longer deal duration. Only experience with failed acquisitions can increase CBA completion probability. Furthermore, in very complex decision-making environments, such as that surrounding deal duration, only specific types of experience (i.e. experience of failed international acquisitions) can trigger learning behavior, whereas general experience (i.e. failed acquisition experience) has little influence. Favorable bilateral relationships may not improve the completion rate and efficiency of state-owned firms, but high-quality host country institutions lead to a higher likelihood of CBA completion among state-owned firms; however, this may be not conducive to decreasing the time needed to complete an acquisition deal.Originality/valueFirst, by discussing the completion rate and duration of CBAs conducted by state-owned firms and analyzing the factors that influence them, this paper enriches and develops the theory of organizational overseas mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Second, by adopting a legitimacy perspective and integrating institutional theory, the authors theorize how state-owned status influences firms’ M&A completion rate and time and test the hypotheses empirically; thus, this paper improves and deepens institutional theory. Third, by discussing how different types of experience (i.e. successful experience vs failed acquisition experience) influence the acquisition completion rate and duration and how general experience and specific types of experience affect these two dependent variables differently, this paper explains how state-owned firms can learn effectively from experience, contributing to organizational learning theory.

Does political ideology matter in Chinese cross-border acquisitions?

Although the “parties-do-matter-hypothesis” has been recognized, we know little about the micro-level effect of the political ideology on cross-border acquisition (CBA). This study investigates the impact of the political ideology of a governing party in host countries on Chinese multinational enterprises' (CMNEs) CBAs. Drawing on the concept of organizational legitimacy from neo-institutionalism, we build a theoretical framework to explain this impact and the conditions that influence the magnitude of this impact. By using the data of country-level political ideology and CBAs conducted by CMNEs from 1995 to 2017, our findings show that the rightwing ideology of the governing party in a host country has a negative influence on CMNEs’ CBA completion, and the magnitude of this negative influence is conditional on host countries’ economic and political conditions. Specifically, the negative effect is weaker in host countries in an economic recession, with a higher level of democracy, and with a minority government.

Fleeing from systemic risk at home through cross-border acquisitions

PurposeViewing the domestic downside risk as a “pushing” factor for outward foreign direct investment (OFDI), this study aims to examine the surge in Chinese cross-border acquisitions (CBAs) between 2008 and 2017, a unique window when private firms in China were allowed to conduct CBAs.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the effect of down-side risk on cross-border acquisition performance by using the sample of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2008 to 2017. Specifically, this study considers three kinds of systemic risk, systematic risk and idiosyncratic risk, and respectively examines their impact on CBAs activities; this study also investigates their subsequent results after CBAs activities. The contingency effect of state ownership on the above relationship is also discussed.FindingsThe findings reveal that pre-CBA systemic risk explains the volume of CBA activities; CBAs are followed by a reduction in systemic risk; the interactions between systemic risk and CBAs decrease with the level of state ownership; and the above results do not hold for traditional risk measures (i.e. systematic risk and idiosyncratic risk).Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by revealing the role of systemic risk as a “pushing” factor in the context of OFDI and suggesting an alternative explanation for CBAs from China: Chinese firms (especially private firms) took advantage of the rare opportunity between 2008 and 2017 given by the government to transfer assets overseas through CBA.

Chinese cross-border acquisitions: stylised facts and new directions

PurposeChinese multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) unprecedented, aggressive cross-border mergers and acquisitions (CBMAs) have led to several studies examining Chinese CBMAs, which importantly has also led to some degree of “theorising”. This study aims to undertake a “non-theoretical” fact-finding exercise before any theorising and empirical “causal” examination for a better understanding of the phenomenon (the rise of Chinese CBMAs).Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a “stylised facts” approach which documents “empirical regularities” concerning Chinese CBMAs and thus guides new research questions.FindingsSeveral facts are documented. Firstly, both the value and frequency of Chinese CBMAs are catching up to greenfield investments, with CBMA deals being larger in scale but lower in frequency. Secondly, Chinese CBMAs show a global reach away from the regional orientation of their early years. Thirdly, Chinese MNEs are possibly transforming their value chain with industrial upgrading as an aim. Fourthly, Chinese “full” acquisitions of targets have surged, especially in OECD countries, suggestive of Chinese MNEs’ “radical” acquisition approaches.Originality/valueThe gathered facts lend support to the view of the need for such fact-finding exercises to explicate and shed “new” light on the phenomenon (beyond our “current” views/beliefs). An understanding of the underlying trends beyond bare facts can also identify new knowledge, which can in turn provide new directions for research.

Do guanxi and harmonious leadership matter in the sociocultural integration by Chinese multinational enterprises in The Netherlands?

PurposeThe study aims to examine the effects of guanxi and harmonious leadership on acquisition performance and the role of sociocultural integration as a mediating mechanism impacting the above links, with a focus on Chinese cross-border acquisitions in The Netherlands.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through survey questionnaire with 91 respondents who work in Dutch-acquired companies. Regression analysis was used for exploring the relationship.FindingsThe study finds that both guanxi and harmonious leadership are positive to acquisition performance, and sociocultural integration represents a significant mediating mechanism by which guanxi and harmonious leadership can result in improved acquisition performance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to culture research by emphasizing the clarification of specific Chinese cultural values and cultural practices in cross-border acquisitions and examining the role of guanxi and harmonious leadership in acquisition performance. Meanwhile, this study helps to unveil Chinese cross-border acquisitions in The Netherlands by examining the mediating force – sociocultural integration.

Patent- and trademark-seeking outward foreign direct investment by Chinese firms: The role of business group affiliation

AbstractWe examine the relationship between business group affiliation (BGA) of Chinese firms and their foreign acquisitive behavior in terms of technology and brand-oriented strategic assets. Drawing on new internalization, business group, and international business theory, we assert that Chinese business group affiliated firms will more likely pursue foreign acquisitions to seek strategic assets including patents but less likely to pursue foreign acquisitions to seek trademarks. Patents have non-location-bounded (NLB) properties that mean they can be exploited by the business group—not just the firm—back in the domestic market, while trademarks have location bounded (LB) properties that mean they are less easy to exploit by a business group domestically. Using a sample of 779 Chinese cross-border acquisitions between 2006 and 2015, we find support for arguments relating to the differences in relative attractiveness of targets holding patents vs. trademarks for Chinese firms linked to business groups. We discuss how this better helps us understand emerging market MNEs and related theory.

Cross-border acquisitions and the performance of Chinese publicly listed companies

Based on resource dependence theory, agency theory, and institutional theory, we develop an integrated conceptual framework for motivations, moderators, and performance of Chinese cross-border acquisitions. We then use a unique dataset, which covers the 2003–2016 period, to examine how market-seeking, resource-seeking, and managerial self-interest motivations of cross-border acquisitions influence the performance of China’s manufacturing sector publicly listed companies (PLCs). Analysis of the aggregated data shows strong support for market-seeking motivation for cross-border acquisitions. But we only find weak support for resource-seeking motivation. Our analysis also reveals the underlying agency problem thus supporting the managerial self-interest motivation for cross-border acquisitions. Disaggregated data analysis shows that all cross-border acquisitions are driven by market-seeking motivation, whereas resource-seeking is the main driver of acquisitions by state-owned and low-tech PLCs. Acquisitions by China’s private-owned PLCs and medium/high-tech PLCs are also motivated by managerial self-interest in free cash flow, which leads to the principal-agent conflict.

Returnee managers as an asset for emerging market multinational enterprises: Chinese cross-border acquisitions (2008–2017)

Returnee managers, a scarce human resource for emerging market multinational enterprises in the past, are becoming increasingly abundant, and their value is at risk of diminishing. The analysis of Chinese cross-border acquisitions (2008–2017) reveals that only returnee managers from the same country in which an acquisition is targeted facilitate the acquisition, whereas the others fail to make a difference. The impacts are stronger when the acquiring company has less international experience and when the target country has a weak institutional environment. Thus, returnee managers as an asset should be deployed where they are most needed and least substitutable.

Cultural heterogeneity, acquisition experience and the performance of Chinese cross-border acquisitions

Using data over the 2010-2015 period, we investigate the effect of cultural heterogeneity and cross-border acquisition experience on post-acquisition performance of Chinese publicly listed companies (PLCs). We find that between and within cultural heterogeneity has a negative and statistically significant effect on post-acquisition performance, but the effect of acquisition experience on post-acquisition performance is positive. We find that the dynamic marginal effects of cultural heterogeneity and acquisition experience on post-acquisition performance of Chinese PLCs are contingent on the scale of acquisition. Chinese PLCs can improve their post-acquisition performance by overcoming the issues arising from cultural heterogeneity, accumulating acquisition experience, and exploiting economies of scale. However, in the case of state-owned PLCs, prior cross-border acquisition experience can adversely affect the performance of new cross-border acquisitions.

How Does Cultural Distance Matter in Long-term Value Creation of Cross-border Acquisitions?

ABSTRACT This article explores the role of cultural distance on long-term value creation for Chinese acquirers based on a sample of Chinese cross-border acquisition (CBA) activities from 1999 to 2017. Our finding suggests that the long-term value creation after CBA is impeded by a greater cultural distance, and such a negative correlation is more prominent among acquirers in service or strategic emerging industries. However, this negative relationship can be mitigated by the capability of prior international acquisition experience in culturally similar countries or top managers’ overseas education experience. Through drawing upon institution-, resource/capability- and industry-based views, this article takes a step toward understanding the role of cultural distance in emerging-market enterprises' (EMEs)’ international acquisitions in the long run.

Strategic-Asset-Seeking Foreign Direct Investment by Chinese Firms

We examine the relationship between business group affiliation of Chinese firms and their foreign acquisitive behaviour in terms of technology and brand-oriented strategic assets. Drawing on new internalization theory and the business group literature, we assert that Chinese business group affiliated firms will more likely pursue foreign acquisitions to seek patents but less likely to pursue foreign acquisitions to seek trademarks. Patents have non-location-bounded (NLB) properties which mean they can be exploited by the business group – not just the firm - back in the domestic market, while trademarks have location bounded (LB) properties which mean they are less easy to exploit by a business group domestically. Using a sample of 779 Chinese cross-border acquisitions between 2006 and 2015, we find support for our hypothesis relating to patents but not for trademarks. Additional tests identify the importance of private-ownership and the presence of an R&D centre within the business group as determinants of member firms’ patent- and trademark seeking through foreign acquisition. The findings reveal the importance of a key home country effect – business group affiliation – on how firms in emerging economies seek strategic assets abroad as part of their drive to overcome latecomer disadvantages and technological backwardness.

Experiential learning for Chinese companies to complete cross-border acquisitions: the case of Chinese acquirers

PurposeIn a contribution to the emerging research examining Chinese cross-border acquisitions (CBAs), the authors observe experiential learning applications for enhancing M&A completions. By emphasizing knowledge transfer, the authors reveal how target-to-target industry similarity and bidder-to-target cultural distance affect learning outcomes.Design/methodology/approachUsing a binary logistic regression model, the authors examine a sample of CBA attempts announced by Chinese companies from January 2002 to December 2012 to identify the variables that affect the completion of CBAs.FindingsThe authors find that foreign acquisition experience but not domestic acquisition experience enhances subsequent acquisition attempts, especially when prior and focal target companies share the dominant industrial logic. Learning transfer is negatively affected when target countries are more culturally distant from China, but learning benefits appear to increase under strong bidder-to-target cultural distance.Originality/valueBy investigating learning in the precompletion stage in Chinese outward CBAs, the authors complement research that uses postacquisition performance to assess learning. The authors’ more fine-grained characterization reveals that acquisition experience increases knowledge transfer through experiential learning. Furthermore, the authors show that dominant industrial logic and cultural distance are underexplored contextual conditions, although they interact with foreign and domestic experience to affect the completion of CBAs.

신흥국 기업 최고경영자의 정치적 연계가 국제인수합병 시 기업가치에 미치는 영향: 중국기업의 해외인수 분석

신흥국 기업 최고경영자의 정치적 연계가 국제인수합병 시 기업가치에 미치는 영향: 중국기업의 해외인수 분석

Chinese Cross-Border Acquisition Strategies in Japan – Changing from a Resource-Driven to a Market-Driven Approach

The aim of this research is the investigation of strategic behavior of Chinese investors in Japan when making cross-border acquisitions in recent times. While previous literature on acquisitions tended to show that Chinese acquirers were merely resource-driven, i.e. their main purpose was to acquire products, brands, and knowledge to be transferred back to the (Chinese) home market, our study suggests that the behavior of many Chinese firms has changed lately. In a pivotal study with 39 Chinese bidders taking over Japanese targets, we find that their strategy has become increasingly market-driven instead. As far as industry-wise acquisitions are concerned, Chinese firms are taking over Japanese hotels and recreation facilities in recent years for the purpose of providing services to Chinese tourists.

Confucius Institute and the Completion of Chinese Cross-Border Acquisitions

As a global platform for cultural exchange, the Confucius Institute (CI) has effectively promoted sustainable development among countries and regions. However, existing literature has mostly drawn insights from the national macro-level to study the roles played by CIs, whereas the potential of CIs to influence corporate behaviors has not received extensive attention. This study expands the research on CIs from the national macro-level to the enterprise micro-level by exploring the effect of CIs on the likelihood of acquisition completion. Using data from 1695 Chinese cross-border acquisitions from 2006 to 2017, we find that establishment of CIs can significantly increase acquisition completion likelihood. Furthermore, the level of influence of CIs on acquisition completion depends on country- and firm- level factors. At the country level, the positive effect of CIs on completion likelihood intensifies when cultural distance between host countries and China is great. At the firm level, the acquirer’s past cross-border acquisition experience moderates the effects of CIs, which are more beneficial to firms with no previous successes. In addition, we have made some further analyses, and find that the presence of CIs not only helps to increase the likelihood of acquisitions completion, but also helps to shorten the acquisition durations. The role of CIs in cross-border acquisition completion likelihood do not depend on the types of Chinse enterprises, which indicates that CIs, unlike government agencies, do not offer additional help for SOEs.

Boundary spanners, HRM practices, and reverse knowledge transfer: The case of Chinese cross-border acquisitions

This paper investigates the role of boundary spanners in reverse knowledge transfer in EMNEs’ cross-border acquisitions. Applying a micro-foundational approach and building on boundary spanning as theoretical perspective, we conducted case studies of acquisitions by Chinese companies in Germany and the UK. We find reverse knowledge transfer is a collective endeavour that relies on both the ability and motivation of individual boundary spanners as well as team-based international collaborations. We propose a conceptual framework of reverse knowledge transfer with two mechanisms—enabling and materializing. Their successful implementation depends not only on the personal characteristics of boundary spanners, but on supportive HRM practices.

The organization of knowledge transfer in the context of Chinese cross-border acquisitions in developed economies

This article investigates how Chinese multinational enterprises (MNEs) organize knowledge transfer through cross-border acquisitions in developed economies, by employing an organizational learning perspective, and investigating Chinese acquisitions in the German industrial sector. Engaging in several activities (e.g., establishment of R&D centers, joint ventures, and staff deployment, etc.), Chinese enterprises ultimately aim for stimulating the interaction between the acquired target and the parent company. Challenging the conventional wisdom, knowledge transfer also happens reciprocally. The absorptive and disseminative capacities of both partners, along with the knowledge characteristics, and the intercultural issues, moderate the effectiveness of knowledge transfer.

Impact of host‐country corruption on U.S. and Chinese cross‐border acquisitions

AbstractDoes corruption in a target country create a similar effect on cross‐border acquisitions (CBAs) by firms from a developed and a developing country? This article empirically examines the relationship between corruption and CBAs by firms from China and the United States. Based on a combined sample of 10,236 completed acquisitions over the period of 1990–2006, the authors find that both Chinese and U.S. firms make a significantly greater number of acquisitions in less corrupt countries. However, unlike the U.S. CBAs, we find a significantly positive relationship between the transaction value of Chinese CBAs and the level of perceived corruption in the target country. It is suggested that having been schooled in weaker institutions themselves, Chinese firms may find it easier to deal with corrupt conditions in target countries, giving them an advantage over firms from less corrupt countries. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Completion of Chinese overseas acquisitions: Institutional perspectives and evidence

This study investigates how institutional factors influence the likelihood that Chinese overseas acquisition deals are completed. We argue that a Chinese firm to succeed in a cross-border acquisition is an outcome of the multi-level institutional contingencies. Using a data set containing 1324 announced Chinese cross-border acquisition deals over the 1982–2009 period, the study finds that the likelihood of a Chinese firm to succeed in a overseas acquisition is lower, if (1) the target country has a worse institutional quality, (2) the target industry is sensitive to national security; and (3) the acquiring firm is a state-owned enterprise. In addition, the study finds host country's institutions moderate the effect of the two firm-level factors: the learning experience and state-owned ownership.