We argue that firms engaged in international acquisitions can benefit from foreign acquisition, domestic acquisition, and international joint venture experiences, but that their learning process is prone to biases. Only once companies learn what part of their knowledge about national cultures and entry modes can successfully be applied to new settings will they become truly successful abroad, in terms of both the rate and the frequency of their foreign acquisitions. The hypotheses were tested using negative binomial regression and hazard rate models on data on 1038 foreign acquisitions of 25 firms over a period of more than three decades. Journal of International Business Studies (2007) 38, 1170–1186. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400318

(1966 to 2006).

We investigate why some acquirers value targets’ technological relatedness (i.e. similarity and complementarity) more than others. We propose that the importance of technological relatedness as a target selection criterion is influenced by the extent to which an acquirer Top Management Team is divided into subgroups based on managers’ demographic characteristics (i.e. faultlines). That is because an acquirer Top Management Team’s understanding of technological relatedness depends on the team’s information processing capabilities, driven primarily by Top Management Team faultlines. Our analysis of 94 realized acquisitions among 2082 potential acquisition matches in high-technology industries shows that while both technological similarity and complementarity increase the likelihood of an acquisition match, only the impact of technological complementarity is affected by Top Management Team faultlines. Specifically, we find that Top Management Teams with moderately strong divisions between subgroups pay more attention to technological complementarities between their firm and potential acquisition targets than Top Management Teams with very strong or weak divisions.

Purpose. This study aims to identify the impact of the Special Olympics' Unified Sports program on the personal development of its participants. Methods. A qualitative method was used, which included gathering data by interviewing individual athletes and unified teams, by collecting individual personal histories and by use of connection charts from five European countries that participate in the Unified Sports program. A total of 221 data samples were recorded. Results. Athletes reported improvements in their abilities on the field as well as increased fitness and technical ability. They emphasized the importance of team-work and trust between athletes. Improvements in confidence, self-esteem and communication skills were also reported by athletes. Partners also reported a positive change in attitude towards people with intellectual disabilities. Friendships were a central and vital aspect of taking part in the teams. Friendships developed between athletes and partners. Athletes reported increased access to community "places" such as sports facilities and social venues. Conclusions. Unified Sports is an exciting initiative that holds much promise in transforming the life experiences of young athletes with intellectual disabilities. The impact of the Unified Sports program on the personal development of participants applies to all areas of human functioning -physical, mental and social. Our evaluation suggests that its concepts and modes of operations transcend national boundaries and cultures at least within a European context.

Context. Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience many negative, seriously aggravating disease symptoms, and hence, research studies are utmost required to improve their coping with symptoms. Our research is an attempt to show ways to increase participation of patients with MS in the treatment and treatment planning process, as well as in managing the symptoms of the disease.Objectives. To examine the relationship between perception of MS impact and treatment efficacy beliefs in patients with MS and the extent to which self and illness appraisals can be regarded as mediator variables in this relationship.Methods. The cross-sectional study included 278 MS patients who completed the Treatment Beliefs Scale, Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants were collected with a self-report survey.Results. Illness perception and general self-efficacy mediated the relationship between perception of MS impact and treatment efficacy beliefs under the control of age and time from diagnosis. The standardized indirect effects for illness perception and general self-efficacy were À0.131 95% CI [À0.2029, À0.0739] and À0.086 95% CI [À0.1663, À0.0165], respectively. Conclusion.Our results indicate that worse perception of physical condition in patients with MS is associated with more negative treatment efficacy beliefs, and that this association is mediated by self-efficacy and illness perception. To inhibit the increase of negative treatment efficacy beliefs, health care specialists can work on improving self-efficacy and illness appraisals.