The field of mergers and acquisitions and sustainability has been expanding in the last years; consequently, there is a need for a systematic review of the existing body of knowledge. This article aims to fill this gap by providing an overview and synthesis of the research topic. The specific objectives are (1) to assess the academic impact, and (2) to determine the structure of the topic. To achieve these goals, a bibliometric analysis will be carried out through a selection of articles taken from the WoS database from 1900 to 2019. First, the historical evolution of publications will be addressed, the distribution of articles by journal and by individual author, as well as the total number of citations per article. Second, this article will develop networks of co-citations of authors and journals and co-word analysis by using VOS Viewer software. The global results will provide insights into the nature and trends of research on mergers and acquisitions and sustainability.

This paper examines the various contributions of scientific research in the field of dynamic capabilities in the field of family businesses, using a bibliometric approach during the period 2009-2019. The volume of scientific publications found in the Web of Science (WOS) database was equal to 56 articles. The application of bibliometric methods and techniques has allowed to reflect the evolution of the level of publications, active institutions, methodologies employed and main research topics discussed. Taking into account the results obtained, future lines of research are proposed that allow progress in the consolidation of the study of dynamic capacities in the field of family businesses as a scientific discipline

The important influence that incremental innovation has, both on the organization’s results and on the development of disruptive innovations in a synergistic relationship of positive sum, makes it necessary to deepen its study. In the context of absorptive capacity, this paper aims to contribute to the construction of a specific model of routines for more efficient exploitation. The empirical study was carried out in a sample of Spanish manufacturing companies of the PITEC Panel. The results show the superiority of the market as a source of knowledge compared to other sources with more complex knowledge, but not adjusted to the needs of a minor improvement. In addition, the management of external knowledge is a process whose phases are interrelated, so the routines and resources used must contribute to enriching the external knowledge previously acquired and not be redundant. Therefore, that would mean an inefficient allocation of resources for obtaining and exploiting continuous innovation.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effectiveness of legal protection mechanisms to sustain competitive advantage and appropriate technological intellectual capital, taking into account its degree of complexity. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical analysis was conducted on a sample of Spanish biotechnology firms, devoted to human and animal health, having a specific department for carrying on R&D activities from 2001 to 2003. The hypotheses were tested by non-parametric techniques after collecting data by sending a questionnaire as the primary source of information. Findings – The results show that the higher the complexity of technological knowledge, the greater the protection of intellectual capital against imitation. In addition, it is proven that legal protection is an effective means of protection against imitation only when technological knowledge has a low degree of complexity. Research limitations/implications – Within the resource-based view context, our results provide new empirical evidence about the great impact of the complexity of technological intellectual capital on evaluating the effectiveness of legal protection mechanisms and sustaining competitive advantage. Originality/value – This research is of great value for strategic technological decision-making. Although several studies present the theoretical conditions that explain how firms can create imitation “barriers”, the empirical evidence found is very scarce and controversial, especially for the Spanish biotechnology industry. The results obtained here offer new empirical evidence on the resource-based view.