An analysis of Chinese acquisitions of Italian firms in the manufacturing sector

Outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) from emerging economies has begun to increase significantly and has been growing at a faster pace than FDI from the developed world. This research seeks to assess the impact of Chinese acquisitions and their implications for the Italian firms in the luxury manufacturing sector. This paper presents a cross-case analysis of two Chinese acquisitions in order to provide some in-depth insights into the strategic drivers moving the Chinese firms to invest in the luxury manufacturing sector, the post-acquisition benefits and challenges as well as the distinctive integration strategies. The study contributes to our understanding of how emerging market firms acquire and integrate firms from advanced economies, and how such acquisitions contribute to the acquiring firms' performance and competitiveness. To this end, strategic drivers, post-acquisition benefits and challenges as well as integration strategies were identified.