A service ecosystem-informed conceptual framework and research agenda regarding mergers and acquisitions

We expand merger and acquisition (M&A) research by transcending traditional firm-centric, or dyadic, investigation and conceptualize M&As through a service ecosystem (SE) lens. Our approach stems from an adaptive process of knowledge transfer across different domains based on analogical reasoning in which we integrate insights from existing M&A research with the pillars of SE research. The SE lens emphasizes the notion of value as co-created by and for engaged actors; centers value creation on those actors’ access to and integration of resources; and further posits that value co-creation is shaped by institutional arrangements. We develop an SE-informed conceptual framework that builds on SE constitutive elements to reframe M&As as dynamic, networked processes of value co-creation for all engaged actors. In doing so, we lay the foundation for interdisciplinary research and collaboration in M&A scholarship. • We expand M&A research by transcending traditional firm-centric, or dyadic, investigation and conceptualize M&As through a service ecosystem (SE) lens. • An SE-informed framework conceives M&As as set of interdependent actors, with the acquiring firm playing the role of orchestrator. • An SE-informed framework proposes that value emerges from collaborative interactions among actors • An SE-informed framework emphasizes the role of Institutional arrangements, practices that may help to better explain how the market for corporate control works, manage potential conflicts, and ensure alignment.