Integration of purchased CSR: a comparative case study on acquisitions of B-corps
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2022-07-11
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en
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Abstract
This research is focused on the phenomenon of multinational organizations (MNCs) acquiring organizations with highly developed CSR practices called certified B Corporations (B-corps). This paper studies how compatibility between organizations and acquisition motivation relate to the integration of acquired CSR practices in the MNC. By selecting four “fast-moving consumer goods” industry MNCs and their B-corp acquisitions, a cross-case comparison was created to analyze how compatibility and acquisition relate to MNCs’ post-acquisition B-corp CSR practice integration. The comparison between the cases indicates that purchasing B-corp CSR practices results in integrating, sustaining or losing the acquired practices. Further indicating through the comparison that acquisition motivations related to long-term CSR development goals results in an integration of acquired B-corp CSR practices. A focus on short-term benefits of acquired CSR practices without explicit long-term CSR development goals results in sustaining the acquired practices within the B-corp. And a lack of CSR acquisition motivations results in the loss of the acquired B-corp practices. While also suggesting that the pre-existing CSR compatibility between the MNC and B-corp is of importance to consider when aiming to understand CSR practice integration in acquisitions. This paper aimed to contribute to literature on the purchasing of CSR by MNCs by increasing the time frame in which these acquisitions occurred. While also exploring the subject with concepts from the merger and acquisition literature in order to gain more insights in a novel phenomenon in practice.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen