Paralleling the rise of cross-border mergers and
acquisitions (M&As) over the last decades, the academic study of the
international dimensions and challenges of cross-border M&A has
increased. This has led to a conceptual distinction between domestic
M&As on the one hand, and cross-border M&As on the other hand.
Our two ethnographic case studies on domestic mergers enable us to
contradict this well-established assumption. We observe domestic mergers
to be impacted by cross-border dimensions. These influences bear
particular relevance on the merging organizations’ employees’ experience
of the merger. In this light, the employee experience is deemed an
international vs. domestic one. This leads us to posit that both
academics and practitioners engaged with M&As need to bear caution
with respect to the established domestic vs. cross-border divide. Our
main contribution claims that in a globalized environment, purely
domestic M&As are a myth. This finding bears important implications
on the practice and theorizing on M&As and international management
at large.