Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) Integration Mode for Enhancing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Performance

Sammanfattning: This thesis addresses the critical issue of incorporating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations in the context of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) integration. As companies face increasing pressure to align their business strategies with sustainable practices, understanding how different MA integration modes can facilitate the implementation of ESG enhancements within merged companies becomes imperative. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of two MA integration modes, absorption integration, and symbiotic approach, on enhancing ESG performance. Using a multiple case study approach, four MA cases from Orbis and Nordic Compass databases were examined. The findings reveal that the absorption integration leads to more efficient and effective implementation of ESG strategies compared to the symbiotic approach. The results contribute to the existing knowledge by highlighting the crucial relationship between post-merger integration (PMI) approaches and the improvement of ESG practices.