9. From Coopetition by Cooperation to Consolidation. Contemporary Challenges of University Mergers and Acquisitions

Consolidations, acquisitions, and mergers of entities are very widespread managerial practices in the business sectors. They usually lead to increased efficiency and competitiveness of business entities, although they may also be aimed at limiting competitiveness through monopolization or oligopolisation. In the case of higher education institutions, mergers in most countries take place on the basis of an autonomous decision of the merger partners, often with the involvement of central and local authorities, employees of the universities themselves and other stakeholders. Universities are also subject to consolidation processes, both in the private and public sectors—in recent decades the number of mergers between universities around the world has increased significantly. The aim of the article is to identify the processes of coopetition, cooperation, and consolidation of universities in Poland. The article focuses on the complexity of mergers and acquisitions in the higher education sector. The research methodology is based on qualitative research—a comparative analysis of a case study of universities.