The issue of mergers and acquisitions is of growing concern in many industries dominated by family ownership. Nevertheless there are few empirical studies of mergers and acquisitions involving family firms. While the few studies performed deal with how family owned companies respond to takeovers, this study will focus on family businesses as the acquiring firm. The empirical findings demonstrate that the family ownership logic of a family firm has concrete consequences for the acquisition process. Compared to traditional literature on mergers and acquisition, which has a focus on control by exchanging management in the acquired organization, the acquirers in this study worked in an alternative way when acquiring family owned businesses. The basis for their approach was trust in the acquired managers´ ability to manage the company for the long run.

Sharma (2004) made a call for further efforts to explore the linkages between family business studies and other disciplines in order to propel the family business field toward establishing a niche and identity within the research community. The aim of this study is to enhance knowledge on mergers and acquisitions in family firms, at the same time as we are using the M&A literature to reflect on the specifics of the family firm. The purpose of this study is to explore management of acquired family businesses, with special attention to family ownership logic. Suggestions for further research both regarding mergers and acquisitions within the family business field and the theoretical construct family ownership logic will be discussed.