Foci and Forms of Problematic Integration in the Context of Infertility

Individuals struggling to conceive or maintain a pregnancy experience considerable stress; however, little is known about its sources. An analysis of 160 infertility narratives, guided by problematic integration (PI) theory, revealed three forms and eight foci of PI or sources of stress specific to the infertility experience. Participant accounts of diverging expectations and desires regarding pregnancy testing and prenatal loss, ambivalence about finances and treatment decisions, and uncertainty about the causes of their infertility and the likelihood of treatment success fit nicely within the PI framework; however, the narrators’ descriptions of relational uncertainty and the various uncertainties involved in adoption did not fit as well, suggesting the need for further theoretical development and refinement.

Could the pre-M&A performances predict integration risk in cross-border M&As?

Purpose Due to the high failure rate of the M&A strategy, this paper aims to raise the question of whether the pre-M&A performances could predict integration success in cross-border M&As with the aim of reducing the integration risk. Cross-border M&A is considered an important strategy for gaining access to foreign markets, but at the same time, cross-border M&As involve a high risk for failure, particularly due to the problematic integration stage in cross-border M&As. Design/methodology/approach The study presents a research model that includes six pre-M&A performances – the revenue and profitability of the acquirer and the target, the revenue ratio and profitability ratio – with the aim of analysing if the pre-M&A performances could predict integration success. The sample of the study includes 68 public firms that were engaged in cross-border M&As from 13 countries. The database of the study is based on 272 annual reports (10-K) of the public companies that are included in the sample. Findings The results show that the revenue and profitability of the acquirer and the target predict integration success. However, the revenue ratio predicts integration success, but not the profitability ratio. The results also show that a larger target leads to a complicated integration process that ends in a failure of the integration stage, while a larger acquirer could help to facilitate the integration stage. The study also indicates that buying a small target in relation to the acquirer decreases the risks of the integration stage. Moreover, the pre-performances of the acquirer more predict integration success compared to the pre-performances of the target. Originality/value The study suggests that buying an inefficient target creates opportunities for removing redundancies, while buying profitable target may hinder the possibilities for eliminating duplicate jobs and operations. This mixed effect highlights the challenges in implementing of M&A strategy in cross-border-M&As.

If my cholesterol is…then I foresee…: patient accounts of uncertainty

The author examines the talk of patients with high cholesterol as they discuss their experiences of adding a statin to their treatment regimen. The primary objective was to understand patients’ expectations of statins, and their beliefs and feelings as they continued or discontinued use, and to better understand why adherence to a statin regimen is particularly low. While numerous studies report reasons for nonadherence, few apply theory to provide plausible explanations. Analysis of the focus group data revealed three major themes. First, patients do not view high cholesterol as serious in light of other major health problems like diabetes and cancer within the household. Second, patients believe statins are effective in lowering cholesterol but risky. Third, many patients do not understand how high levels of cholesterol are produced in the body and how statins interrupt that process. Problematic integration theory is used to explain the uncertainty patients experience when given a diagnosis of high cholesterol, the use of statins to control it, and the quality of information received about both cholesterol and statins.