Precursors of merger and acquisition success in the health care service sector: An integrated framework of inquiry

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) fail more often than they succeed, at a high cost to the human and financial capital of organizations. This modified Delphi study examines the health care service sector from an integrated framework of inquiry, exploring the specific actions that an organization may take during the three phases of M&A pre-acquisition, post-acquisition integration, and the post-acquisition performance evaluation. It also explores the importance of an M&A process to the overall outcome of a transaction. Understanding that M&A are complex, multi-faceted transactions and that the key to successful understanding of the phenomenon lies in a multivariate approach, this study also explores the perception of a group of industry experts regarding the importance of a systems approach on the M&A process.