Post-Acquisition Integration Strategies– Some illustrative evidence from Chinese acquisitions of Italian luxury firms

Abstract

Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) from emerging economies has begun to increase significantly and has been growing at a faster pace than FDI from the developed world. This research seeks to assess the impact of Chinese acquisitions and their implications for the Italian firms in the luxury sector. By relying on two in-depth case-studies, this paper presents a cross-case analysis of four Chinese acquisitions in order to provide some in-depth insights into the post-acquisition integration strategies implemented by the Chinese investors in the luxury Made in Italy sector. The study contributes to our understanding of how emerging market firms implement post-acquisition integration strategies when acquiring firms from advanced economies. To this end, the benefits and challenges associated with the post-acquisition integrations strategies implemented by the Chinese investors were identified. Keywords: OFDI, Chinese acquisitions, Post-acquisition strategy, Integration strategy, Made in Italy, luxury manufacturing sector