Technology-focused Acquisitions

4Qualitative Study—Acquisitions in the ICT Industry

The objective of this chapter is to address the research questions posed in section 1.2 from a qualitative perspective with a focus on the ICT industry. Concretely, this means—first—providing evidence for and characterizing the distinction of performance- and functionality-focused acquisitions. Second, potential differences in acquisition timing and deal value in regards to this distinction and the underlying mechanisms causing them are to be understood. In other words, the focus is on the how and why of timing and deal value decisions. Close attention is paid to the phenomenon of risk and uncertainty as theory predicts its importance in relation to performance- and functionality-focused acquisitions ...