Improving Merger Process Management Skills Over Time: A Comparison Between the Acquisition Processes of Jaguar and of Land Rover by Ford.

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate what the critical factors underpinning successful merger and acquisition process management are and how organisations can improve their skills on managing these key factors. To do so, this paper examines similarities and differences between Ford's acquisition of Jaguar in 1989 and its acquisition of Land Rover eleven years later. It confirms past results of the literature that learning plays an important role, investigates major aspects of organisational learning, but additionally identifies the crucial factors for merger success. It concludes that, from experience, organisations gain specific execution skills that are essential to the management of merger processes.