Exploring the intersection of sustainability performance and M&A activity: A review of the literature

This study adopts a bibliometric and content analysis to investigate extant literature on the link between sustainability and M&A. Findings from the analysis of 96 papers show that the extant literature is fragmented and interdisciplinary, with many authors from Chinese and Australian institutions analyzing primarily Chinese and US firms. Preferred outlets either are in the field of general management or specialized in finance. From a methodological perspective, quantitative studies represent by far the majority of the analyzed sample. Several avenues for further research are addressed. • Literature in this field is fragmented and interdisciplinary. • Chinese and US companies are the most investigated ones. • Quantitative approaches overtake qualitative ones.