An examination of the success of post-merger IT integration

Abstract

IT integration is one of the most critical and complex tasks in a merger-and-acquisition (M&A) project. Many studies on M&A have focused on the technological and organizational issues of IT integration. However, existing researches remain sparse in explaining the assessment of the performance of post-merger IT integration. The success of IT integration from merging with other companies can be viewed differently by different stakeholders such as the CEOs, the CIOs, the business managers, the customers of the merged companies, and therefore the standards used vary from process enhancement to customer satisfaction. The objective of this research is to examine the success of post-merger IT integration from both strategic and operational viewpoints and to track the integration performance using a wide range of business measures. It is hoped that the resultant measurement of IT integration can provide a useful benchmark for evaluating IT integration after business investment in M&A projects. © (2012) by the AIS/ICIS Administrative Office All rights reserved.