Acquisitions, Node Collapse, and Network Revolution
研究企业收购导致网络节点崩溃这一机制，发现它能快速重构网络，影响收购方和其他参与者的绩效，网络演化方向取决于企业追求内部还是网络协同。
We explore a novel mechanism of network change that occurs when a firm acquires another one and inherits its network ties. Such “node collapse” can radically restructure the network in one transaction, constituting a revolutionary change compared with the incremental effect of tie additions and deletions, which have been the focus of prior research. We explore several properties of node collapses: their efficacy in helping firms achieve superior network positions, the externalities they impose on other network actors, and how they provide exclusive control over both internal and network resources. Using a simulation in which actors compete to acquire one another, we model network dynamics driven by node collapses. We find that node collapses directly affect the performance of the acquirer and indirectly that of other actors, and that the direction of network evolution hinges on the degree to which firms pursue internal versus network synergies through node collapses. This paper was accepted by Olav Sorenson, organizations.