Impact of Mergers and Acquisitions on Firms’ Export Competitiveness

Abstract

This article attempts to examine the impact of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) on export competitiveness of firms in Indian pharmaceutical industry. It finds that the wave of M&A has positive influence on both incidence and extent of export competitiveness. In addition, incidence of exports is positively influenced by market share and efforts towards creating marketing and distribution related complementary assets as well. On the other hand, the extent of export intensity is also higher for firms with larger market share, greater marketing and distribution-related efforts, innovation and foreign technology purchase. However, advertising and financial performance do not cause any significant impact on export competitiveness. It is, therefore, suggested that policies and regulations relating to M&A, innovation and sourcing foreign technology need a fresh look with greater industry-specific flexibilities. There is also a need for integration of different policies and regulations in areas like FDI, intellectual property, and so on.