Overview of Mergers and Acquisitions

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The overview of mergers and acquisitions and literature review
The topic of mergers and acquisitions has been increasingly investigated in the literature in the last two decades (Appelbaum et al., 2007) in response to the rise in M&A activities as well as the increasing complexity of such transactions themselves(Gaughan, 2002). With the purpose of setting an M&A context for the thesis topic, we will explore M&A activities in terms of its definition and classification, motivations, post-merger integration.

1.1 The connotation of mergers and acquisitions.
Mergers and acquisitions , in the broad sense, may imply a number of different transactions ranging from the purchase and sales of undertakings, concentration between undertakings, alliances, cooperation and joint ventures to the formation of companies, corporate succession/ ensuring the independence of business, management buy-out and buy-in, change of legal form, initial public offerings and even restructuring(Picot, 2002, p.15). However, Nakamura(2005) explains that using a broad definition of M&A could lead to confusion and misunderstanding as it entails everything from pure mergers to strategic alliance. Therefore, this thesis adopts the definition of M&A in a narrower sense as clarified below.
-Mergers is the combination of two or more companies in creation of a new entity or formation of a holding company.(European Central Bank,2000, Gaughan,2002, Jagersma,2005)
-Acquisition is the purchase of shares or assets on another company to achieve a managerial influence (European Central Bank, 2000, Chunlai Chen and Findlay, 2003) not necessarily by mutual agreement (Jagersma 2005).

1.2 The classification of M&A
In the view of M&A transactions from the perspective of the value ch...

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... to have M&A.

1.5.4 Enter markets quickly
The reason why enterprises have transnational M&A is that they can enter host countries’ markets quickly and have time efficiency. Enterprises can not only acquire local resources prior but also get the profit of market structure efficiency.

1.5.5 Management-motivated M&A
Enterprises will take over other enterprises that have low managerial effectiveness when their managerial capacities exceed need. In this way, acquirers can take full advantage of surplus resources to achieve management synergy and improve enterprises’ value.
Under the market economy conditions, there are many external factors that motivate enterprises have M&A such as changes of industrial structure, changes of business circle and government’s administration intervention. The most fundamental motivation for M&A is the pursuit of profit maximization.

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