The impact of acquisition announcements on acquiring firms' alliance partners: A research review and compositive research model for retail industry

Purpose - This study addresses an acquisition's impact on a firm's strategic relationship based on findings of existing academic studies and theoretical assertions. Through examining existing research results and theoretical grounds for an acquisition's impact on various stakeholders, this study indirectly approaches the impact on stakeholders including alliance partners. Research Design and Methodology - This research identified a variety of related theoretical foundations and empirical studies. Research objectives of prior studies mainly focused on merging firms and direct participants of acquisition activity. In addition, academic attention on the impact on rival firms has recently been growing. However, little research on alliance partners was found. Prior studies simultaneously employed event study methodology and cross-sectional analysis to make further theoretical contributions. Conclusions - Based on the findings of prior studies, this research proposed a complementary research model for future academic inquiry into the impact of an acquisition on an alliance partner's return and for predicting an acquisition announcement's effect on alliance partners.