We take a broad product markets approach to examine whether pooled purchasing is a source of value creation in diversifying acquisitions. We find that our proxies for the merging firms' change in purchasing concentration are positively related to the combined wealth effect of merging firms,...

An extensive empirical literature in strategy and finance studies the performance implications of corporate diversification. Two core debates in the literature concern the existence of a diversification discount and the relative importance of industry relatedness and market structure for the...

We investigate the relationship between product diversification and performance in the Dutch property-liability (P&L) insurance industry for the period 2007-2018. We employ a two-step approach: we first investigate the drivers of diversification and, as a second step, we investigate the impact...

Recent research questions the existence of a conglomerate discount. This study addresses two of the most important explanations for the conglomerate discount and finds evidence in support of an economically and statistically significant discount. The first explanation is that the risk-reducing...

This paper studies the diversification and refocusing strategies of firms in the last three decades. The 1980s were characterized by a trend towards greater focus. This trend slackens in the 1990s to be replaced by a surge in the number of newly listed single-segment firms. From 2000 to 2007...

We document a strong decline in corporate-diversification activity since the late 1970's, and we develop a dynamic model that explains this pattern, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The key feature of the model is that synergies endogenously decline with technological specialization,...

Once a preferred strategy, diversification has gradually been deinstitutionalized in the United States over the past several decades. We argue that changes that occurred in a closely related domain — graduate business education — are important in understanding variation in de-diversification...

The business environment for many firms is changing rapidly and is becoming increasingly uncertain due to the disruption caused by new digital technologies, deregulation, new business models, and the threat of new competitive entrants. This dynamic competitive environment increases the level of...

Baby Boomers and other business owners are divesting their Small and Mid-Sized Enterprises (SME) for several reasons. Absent a well-planned Business Succession Plan, decades of knowledge, innovation, and wealth can be lost both to stakeholders and society alike. Although Succession Planning has...

Baby Boomers and other business owners are divesting their Small and Mid-Sized Enterprises (SME) for several reasons. Absent a well-planned Business Succession Plan, decades of knowledge, innovation, and wealth can be lost both to stakeholders and society alike. Although Succession Planning has...