Achieving competitive advantage and financial sustainability through acquisition and restructuring strategies

Abstract

Acquisition and restructuring strategies are some of the growth and retrenchment strategies that firms employ with the aim of achieving competitive advantage in form of superior financial sustainability position. In this study, we set out to provide a descriptive framework for acquisition and restructuring strategies as corporate level strategies and to investigate the ability of these strategies to help organizations improve their financial sustainability. Acquisition was recommended as an effective diversification strategy due to its benefit of increasing barriers to entry. Horizontal and vertical integration were particularly recommended as effective market development strategies by way of acquisition of unique resources and competitors' market share. However, few authors also discouraged acquisition strategy on the grounds of increase in external reliance for critical resources. Restructuring strategies were recommended as an effective part of a turnaround strategy as opposed to being implemented in isolation.