Connecting the micro- and macro-level: Proposition of a research design to study post-acquisition synergies through a social network approach

The paper discusses the contribution of social network analysis to study synergy creation following an acquisition. As the approach allows for a multi-level analysis, addressing the macro- and the micro-level of analysis as interactive settings, it offers an exciting alternative to prevailing research on mergers and acquisitions. We present a research design building on the combination of structural and qualitative interview data to study the evolution of synergy creation throughout the acquisition process. We build on a case study to highlight the concrete process of data collection, processing, and analysis. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.