Post-M&A Innovation in Indian firms – An Empirical Investigation

A large number of studies have examined the antecedents of post-M&A performance especially in the case of cross-border acquisitions. However the literature on post-M&A innovation is very limited. Furthermore, not many studies examining M&As in the Indian context have been published in leading journals. We try to fill this gap by conducting an empirical study on postM&A innovation. We analyzed a sample of 85 domestic M&As by Indian firms during the period between 2000 and 2015. We found a positive relationship between relative absorptive capacity of the acquirer and post-M&A innovation performance. Size of the firm positively moderated the relationship between relative absorptive capacity and post-merger innovation performance. The M&A activities between firms in the same industry increased post-merger innovation performance.