Abstract

Despite the amount of research in the field of mergers and acquisitions, there still exists a significant gap in the literature. In fact, there is strong debate regarding the knowledge of the key determinants of post-merger performance. One side argues that the determinants are unknown to us and powerless in predicting performance whereas the other side asserts that many are captured in our understanding of the complicated process of mergers. Therefore, this study seeks to evaluate both sides of this debate and provide a better understanding of the conceptual framework of M&A. In addition, this study seeks to identify some of these still unknown determinants and generate a benchmark for future study to help facilitate their identification and research.