University of Twente Student Theses
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Post-acquisition inclusive business identity & sustainable growth
Boriglione, V. (2020) Post-acquisition inclusive business identity & sustainable growth.
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| Abstract: | An inclusive business looking for resources to achieve sustainable growth can benefit from being acquired by a large commercial incumbent. However, the commercial dominance of the acquiring incumbent can gradually overshadow the acquired business’ inclusive identity, depending on the degree of post-acquisition integration. This situation, referred to as post-acquisition ‘mission drift’, can be managed by the inclusive business by applying successful tension management practices. The purpose of this master thesis is therefore to examine how inclusive businesses can manage the tension between an inclusive and a commercial business identity to ensure sustainable growth and inclusiveness after being acquired by a commercial enterprise. Three cases have been examined, one for each identified degree of post-acquisition integration: full integration, partial integration, and separation / no integration. Sustainable growth was not achieved in any of the cases, with two cases even reporting unsustainable growth. This indicates that being acquired is not favorable for an inclusive business, as sustainable growth from an increased resource base is assumed to be the main driver behind being acquired. However, further research is needed to substantiate this claim, presumably on the inclusive business’ post-acquisition debt financing structure. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 85 business administration, organizational science |
| Programme: | Business Administration MSc (60644) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/83104 |
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