When cultures clash: a case study of the Texaco takeover of Getty Oil and the impact of acculturation on the acquired firm

Book · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6982830

Altendorf, D M

Historical surveys of merger and acquisition performance indicate that corporate combinations often do not result in the sought after financial success. An ethnographic case study of the Texaco takeover of Getty Oil was undertaken. Based on the in-depth open-ended interviews, field notes, historical accounts, corporate documents, and organizational symbols, data were analyzed using qualitative techniques explicated by Geertz and Glaser and Strauss. The analysis explored cross cultural contact, employee interpretations resulting in related behavioral and performance outcomes, and the factors influencing the type of acculturation observed. Theoretical properties emerged from descriptive accounts. An integrated theory was developed suggesting that the form of acculturation that occurs in the combination of two or more firms is a direct consequence of culture differences and the interpretations that the employees make of these differences. Different occurrences - events, strategies, and activities - contributed to corporate culture clash and organizational change. Results also indicated that how meaning is created and managed affects cross cultural contact, employee assessments, and acculturation. Related propositions were generated and implications for future research discussed.

• Research Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6982830
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
MANAGEMENT
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
INDUSTRY
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
020700* - Petroleum- Economics
Industrial
& Business Aspects
294002 - Energy Planning & Policy- Petroleum
290200 - Energy Planning & Policy- Economics & Sociology