There can be little doubt that acquisitions are a precarious business. Some acquisitions are disasters and can seriously damage the buyer; others transform companies and increase profits dramatically. The appeal is obvious, and yet current research shows that at least half of all acquisitions fail to meet expectations. So, what are the criteria for assessing the potential of a takeover/merger/alliance/partnership and what are the factors involved which determine its success or failure? This practical guide takes you through each of the essential steps of the acquisition process, pointing out all the major danger points where good intentions can lead to disaster. It is backed by Europe’s most comprehensive study into acquisition success or failure. Based on over 350 transactions, the study has been conducted by AMR, Europe’s leading specialist in commercial due diligence. Checklists provide readily accessible information summarising the essential steps in the main stages of the acquisition process. Concise case studies are used to draw out important lessons in each of the major areas which determine success or failure. The practical nature of this guide makes it particularly accessible and useful for senior managers and executives involved in acquisitions who want to grow their businesses profitably and create wealth for their shareholders, as well as advisers specialising in mergers and acquisitions.

Mergers and acquisitions continue to be a primary vehicle of growth for companies around the world. Not only in the United States and Europe, but also in Japan, China, India, Brazil and elsewhere senior executives are making huge bets on the future of their firms. With such intense scrutiny in the world of business, it is not surprising that academic research on mergers and acquisitions has been similarly robust. The topics range from strategy, to organizational integration, culture, leadership, human resource planning, and financial analysis. Similarly, the theories brought to bear to help understand mergers and acquisitions range from upper echelons theory to the resource based view of the firm, competitive analysis, organizational trust, networks, knowledge management, and others.
What makes the Advances in Mergers and Acquisitions series stand out is its focus on all three characteristics that make up this research field---studies from scholars in different countries, with different research questions, relying on different theoretical perspectives. Such a broad, and inclusive, approach to mergers and acquisitions is not easily replicated in academic journals, with much narrower mandates and metrics. The collections published each year provide cutting edge ideas by leading scholars on a global scale. Doing so not only broadens the questions being studied, but also helps researchers consider the inter-relationships among different perspectives. In the final analysis, the best way to build understanding around a topic as diffuse as mergers and acquisitions is to be both integrative, and expansive, in choice of research questions and theoretical underpinnings. Advances in Mergersand Acquisitions offers this unique perspective, not easily found elsewhere, that will help scholars think about mergers and acquisitions in new ways, building our knowledge base on this critical topic. In light of the enormous sums being invested in growth-via-acquisition strategies around the world, academic research on mergers and acquisitions has never been more important.

AB InBev is today's uncontested world leader of the beer market. It represents over 20% of global beer sales, with more than 450 million hectolitre a year flowing all around the world. Its Belgian predecessor, Interbrew, was a success story stemming from the 1971 secret merger of the country's two leading brewers: Artois and Piedboeuf. Based on material originating from company and private archives as well as interviews with managers and key family actors, this is the first study to explore the history of the company through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The story starts in the mid-nineteenth century with the scientific breakthroughs that revolutionised the beer industry and allowed both Artois and Piedboeuf to prosper in a local environment. Instrumental in this respect were the respective families and their successive heirs in stabilizing and developing their firms. Despite the intense difficulties of two world wars in the decades to follow, they emerged stronger than ever and through the 1960s became undisputed leaders in the national market. Then, in an unprecedented move, Artois and Piedboeuf secretly merged their shareholding in 1971, though keeping their operations separate until 1987 when they openly and operationally merged to become Interbrew. Throughout their histories Artois, Piedboeuf, and their successor companies have kept a controlling family ownership. This book provides a unique insight into the complex history of these three family breweries and their path to becoming a prominent global company, and the growth and consolidation of the beer market through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

This thesis analyzes the motivation and performance of 403 acquisitions made by emerging multinational corporations (EMNCs) in Western Europe and North America between 1994 and 2013. The findings indicate that most EMNCs were motivated to acquire in order to obtain access to the upstream and downstream know-how of their target firms. In addition, the thesis' event study results demonstrate that EMNCs on average generated value for their shareholders with their acquisitions over short periods around acquisition announcement. This result is particularly significant since similar studies on buying firms from developed markets have frequently come to the conclusion that acquirers destroy shareholder value.

For the last four decades, researchers in various disciplines have been trying to explain the enduring paradox of the growing activity and volume of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) versus the high failure rate of M&A. This handbook will stimulate scholars to focus on new research directions.The contributors explore how underlying concepts and methodologies can make an important contribution towards understanding M&A and their performance. This authoritative volume presents research that incorporates multidisciplinary, multi-level, multi-stage and cross-cultural models and analyses, and also focuses on such issues as process-content, knowledge transfer, due diligence, performance measures, communication, trust, grief, integration approaches, individual values, change management, and consulting. Scholars interested in research on strategy as well as Masters and PhD students on mergers and acquisitions courses will find much of value in this compilation. Contributors include: M.F. Ahammad, N.M. Ashkanasy, Z.R. Bachar, A.F. Buono, K.M. Ellis, P.-G. Hourque, P. Junni, M.H. Kavanagh, B.T. Lamont, M.L. Mark, O. Meglio, E. Metais, P.H. Mirvis, A.L. Ranft, T.H. Reus, A. Risberg, R.M. Sarala, A.-M. Soderberg, G.K. Stahl, S. Tarba, E. Vaara, P. Very, Y. Weber

"Advances in Mergers and Acquisitions" brings together a series of articles on this topic from academics around the world with the expressed purpose of enhancing our knowledge of the entire M&A process, from strategic analysis to integration. It is the diversity of perspectives in particular that creates an opportunity to learn from others, each article representing an important piece of the overall puzzle, with the ultimate goal being to boost our understanding of the determinants, process, and consequences, of mergers and acquisitions.

Part of a series that explains and discusses the unsatisfactory outcomes that result from many poorly conceived mergers, and bringing together academics from various disciplines, this title presents papers that integrate the disparate but growing body of literature on mergers and acquisitions.

A comprehensive introduction to today's M&A strategies Make the Deal is a direct and accessible guide to striking a powerful M&A deal. Merging business, finance, and law, this insightful examination of M&A strategy is designed to help you understand M&A negotiations and the ways in which the final outcome affects your financial future. A general overview of an acquisition agreement framework segues into a more detailed discussion of different deal structures, including stock sales, mergers, asset sales, and complex structures, giving you the information you need to know when each one applies best in practice. You'll gain insight into real-world negotiations and the delicate balancing act that occurs as each party attempts to maximize value and minimize risk, and learn the potential pitfalls that can occur. Negotiation statistics and samples from actual contracts back the war stories throughout, and reinforce the idea that there's no single perfect solution. As a topic of study, M&A is constantly evolving; in practice, it changes at the speed of light. Staying ahead of the market is the single most critical element of making the best deal, and the strategy that worked for one deal most likely won't work for the next. Instead of simply providing a list of strategies that have worked in the past, this book shows you why they worked, so you can tailor your strategy specifically to your next deal. Learn how M&A contract terms affect economic outcomes Examine the techniques and mechanics of today's acquisition agreements Develop a legal framework that supports your business strategy Follow the ups and downs that arise in real-world cases A successful M&A transaction requires both attention to detail and a big picture view, combined with skill, intellect, and ingenuity. Make the Deal brings it all together to show you how to run the table and come away with a win.

Family firms are of particular importance for many economies. We know little about family firm buyouts and how they are different from non-family firm buyouts. Oliver Ahlers investigates this under-researched topic. After a comprehensive literature review on family firm buyouts, the focus of his book is on the key steps of the investment process such as family firm valuation and negotiations between PE investors and family sellers. Additionally, it is investigated how "soft factors" such as trust, reputation or commitment could play an important role when PE and family firms interact. Throughout the book, differences between family and non-family firm buyouts are highlighted.

This unique book focuses on the link between different types of culture (national, corporate, professional) and the success of strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions. Over the past decades we have seen a significant increase in the number of strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions. Despite this proliferation many recent studies have reported high failure rates. This failure is often attributed to cultural differences between partners, which has led to a growing body of literature on the subject. To date, most of these studies have focused on national and corporate culture, whereas this book also places particular emphasis on the importance of culture at the professional level. The authors clearly show that all three levels of culture may have a profound impact upon the ultimate success or failure of alliances, mergers and acquisitions. Researchers in the field of international business, strategic management, and strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions will find this book to be of invaluable interest. Managers in multinational corporations and international business students should also not be without this important resource.

Empirical research shows that two thirds some claim even four fifths of all acquisitions fail. Bad acquisitions can spell disaster for a company, but if successful, they can lead to healthy growth, enhanced competitiveness and a world market position. Despite the vast amount of academic and practical research on M&A, there are still no adequate theories to explain this continued trend of failure. In fact, although success factors have been broadly researched and are well known, most work still concentrates on them without concomitantly touching upon the necessary governance structure which enables their effective deployment. This is crucial. In order to determine what constitutes an effective board and governance structure, extensive qualitative fieldwork was carried out through discussions with some of the most renowned international CEOs and Chairmen. From this, two in-depth analyses of prominent cases are made, one of extraordinary success and the other of integral failure. The business leaders' management approaches are scrutinised, revealing significant differences between what worked and what did not, and recommendations are derived for improved corporate governance. The author's conclusions sharply illustrate the limits and challenge the inadequacies of current business practice, revealing gaps between mainstream theory and the reality of the boardroom.Due to his innovative approach, the study is praised by practitioners for itsadditions to strategic management understanding and its provision of effective tools for boards and managers."

Hardbound. Enormous amounts of money are made and lost through activities related to Mergers, Acquisitions, Demergers, Buyouts and Alliances. It is a major management pre-occupation in many organisations in both the private and public sectors, in almost all parts of the world. Yet there is a vast difference between those organisations who appear to manage these processes successfully and those who do not. As a result there is a particularly critical role for more effective learning. This subject area has been extensively covered by Long Range Planning and this volume brings together a substantial selection of the key papers published by the Journal on the subject over the past 30 years. This is a volume of articles based on the research, case studies and practical experience of leading authorities that stand the test of time. It is a volume that should be read and digested by anyone concerned with any aspect of this particularly challenging area.

The Deal Paradox explores what successful dealmaking looks like in the age of digital transformation, drawing on interviews with top dealmakers and M&A experts sharing their stories, triumphs, and challenges. Taking a dynamic storytelling approach, The Deal Paradox navigates the transition from traditional and ingrained methods to new techniques, showing how AI, big data, and machine learning can be used to generate new opportunities and enable diversity. It walks through the attributes and skills needed in this new landscape and how M&A professionals can build them into their approach, from finding and executing deals to making sure they deliver the desired outcomes. The Deal Paradox draws on 60 years' combined experience of cutting-edge deal making, built on landmark deals ranging from Morgan Stanley's IPO at the height of the 1980s banking boom and Kraft's takeover of Cadbury to key tech deals including the GBP1bn sale of financial data intelligence company Acuris to ION. Chapters are richly illustrated throughout with real-world examples featuring organizations such as Apple, Google, BP and SoftBank Vision Fund.

Merger Masters presents revealing profiles of monumentally successful merger investors based on exclusive interviews with some of the greatest minds to practice the art of arbitrage. Michael Price, John Paulson, Paul Singer, and others offer practical perspectives on how their backgrounds in the risk-conscious world of merger arbitrage helped them make their biggest deals. They share their insights on the discipline that underlies their fortunes, whether they practice the "plain vanilla" strategy of announced deals, the aggressive strategy of activist investment, or any strategy in between on the risk spectrum. Merger Masters delves into the human side of risk arbitrage, exploring how top practitioners deal with the behavioral aspects of generating consistent profits from risk arbitrage. The book also includes perspectives from the other side of the mergers and acquisitions divide in the form of interviews with a trio of iconic CEOs: Bill Stiritz, Peter McCausland, and Paul Montrone. All three took advantage of M&A opportunities to help build long-term returns but often found themselves at odds with the short-term focus of Wall Street and merger investors. Told in lively, accessible prose, with bonus facts and figures for transaction junkies, Merger Masters is an incomparable set of stories with plenty of unfiltered lessons from the best managers of our time.

In practice, managers of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) draw their attention more and more to speed of integration within their M&A strategies. In a paradoxical manner, M&A research on speed of integration is still in its infancy and remains underdeveloped. Empirical findings reach from positive over negative to non-significant relationships between speed and M&A success. Carolin Proft develops a research model which encompasses task integration speed and human integration speed as independent variables influencing the dependent variable of M&A performance. She clarifies the question of how the success factor speed can be used as a tool to enhance M&A success. Based on the data collected from 101 German speaking companies she proves that task integration speed negatively influences M&A performance while human integration speed promotes M&A success. The present study is unique as it quantitatively demonstrates that the two types of integration occur at different levels of speed. Therefore, the M&A success significantly depends on the chronology of the two types of integration.

Managing Cultural Differences examines the cultural and organizational complexities which arise during mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures and alliances. More than 50% of all corporate alliances fail, and those concluded across cultural divides are even less likely to succeed. These failures can be due to the executives concentrating on the financial strategic aspects of the deal at the expense of cultural, organizational and execution aspects.

As a result of a 5-year research, Piero Morosini found that national cultural differences are not necessarily detrimental to cross-border mergers and alliances, but rather if handled effectively can actually enhance corporate performance. Managing Cultural Differences demonstrates that superior 'execution skills' can lead to the successful implementation of overseas alliances. It is based on rigorous research methods, backed up with indepth interviews with Senior Executives and real world case studies of leading multinationals. The book explains the strategic relationship between national cultural differences, execution and the performance of global and corporate alliances.

The unique findings in this book are a reflection of the author's background that has combined academia and management. Piero Morosini is a Research Fellow at the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Process Center, USA and a Managing Consultant at Andersen Consulting Strategic Services Group in Milan. He was formerly a consultant for McKinsey & Co and has had extensive international experience with JP Morgan and Flemings. Morosini has published in leading academic journals such as European Management Journal and Journal of International Business Studies.

This book focuses on the 11 men, lawyers and bankers, who are responsible for the creation of Wall Street's merger industry. It specifically concentrates on the events and personalities who dominated Wall Street during the takeover battles of the 1970s and 1980s. Lawyers Joe Flom and Marty Lipton, the godfathers of modern M&A, educated bankers on takeover laws and regulations as well as tactics. Flom and Lipton were also superlative businessmen who built their own firms to become Wall Street powerhouses. The two men drew into their orbit a circle of bankers. Felix Rohatyn, Ira Harris, Steve Friedman, Geoff Boisi, Eric Gleacher and Bruce Wasserstein were close to Lipton. Robert Greenhill and Joe Perella were close to Flom.

"M&A Titans" provides insight into the culture of the different investment banks and how each of the bankers influenced the firms they worked in as they became more powerful. Some such as Gleacher, Harris, Wasserstein, Perella and Greenhill clashed with the men running their firms and left. Others such as Friedman and Boisi stayed and profoundly influenced how the firm did business. The career of Michael Milken, perhaps the notorious name on Wall Street in the 1980s, is also examined as well as the actions and tactics of his firm, Drexel Burnham Lambert. Milken and Drexel paved the way for the growth of private equity and helped popularize attacks on management by investors such as Boone Pickens and Carl Icahn.

The ultimate guide to successful M&As no matter how the economy's doing No one has written about the true root causes of the recent large M&A failures and why the mergers that were supposed to save the companies and the economy did not work. Material Adverse Change not only shows the sequence of events that led to some M&A failures, but provides a detailed review of the root causes and personality traits that drove the outcomes. By looking at the true motivations behind the deals, we can learn a lot about what works and common pitfalls that need to be overcome. * Provides an inside look on why recent, highly publicized deals were allowed to happen * Explores the factors behind motivating CEOs to put their careers on the line to acquire * Offers recent M&A case studies that took place during the Great Recession, including Bank of America's purchase of Merrill Lynch and Kraft's purchase of Cadbury Large M&A transactions have become a much more important element to the state of the global economy. Material Adverse Change provides practical advice on how to avoid the mistakes made by others and then to apply the practices deployed to make successful deals.

Consolidation activities such as mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been one of the major strategies adopted by Indian firms to withstand global competition. M&As experienced a substantial increase in value and volume during the post-liberalization era, facilitated by the presence of foreign subsidiaries in the Indian market as well as competitive pressure on domestic firms. The increased foreign investment through M&As brought new dimensions to the fore such as the implications on technological performance, efficiency, and more importantly, competition in the Indian market. The Globalisation of Indian Business: Cross Border Mergers and Acquisitions in Indian Manufacturing provides an in-depth analysis of these issues, specifically aiming to understand whether the M&As strategies helped the firms to achieve their desired objectives in terms of improvement in technology, efficiency and market power in the context of the increase of M&As in India, using appropriate statistical and econometric techniques. The book is of additional importance in the context of the recently implemented Competition Act, replacing the thirty year old MRTP Act in India. The new Act aims to maintain competition and protect consumers' interests without harming that of the producers'. Based on the analysis, broadly, the study cautions the regulators to rethink the efficiency defence argument and become more vigilant on the creation of monopolies. On the other side, it suggests firms should reconsider their post-merger integration strategy since consolidation has not led to a sustainable increase in market share of the surviving firms.

Clear, practical, step-by-step guidance through the nonprofit merger process

Using real-world examples, case studies, and enduring frameworks, "Nonprofit Mergers and Alliances, Second Edition" offers clear, practical, step-by-step guidance through the merger and alliance development process.

From assessing feasibility and planning for implementation to post-merger integration, this ground-breaking work points out pitfalls and offers insightful commentary in every chapter.Provides a comprehensive framework for designing and implementing effective collaborations of all kindsOffers the tools needed to effectively collaborate with potential partnersShows how nonprofit mergers are fundamentally different from for-profit mergers-and why board members need to know thisFocuses on the needs of the nonprofit sector, including cultural compatibility and compassionate management practicesShows nonprofit managers and board members how to make their way through the merger process without repeating Wall Street's mistakes

Insightful and realistic, "Nonprofit Mergers and Alliances, Second Edition" equips you with the tools and knowledge you need to create effective collaborations.

In January 2000, America Online and Time Warner announced the largest merger in U.S. history, a deal that would create the biggest media company in the world. It was celebrated as the marriage of new media and old media, a potent combination of the nation's No. 1 Internet company and the country's leading entertainment giant, the owner of such internationally renowned brands as Warner Bros., HBO, CNN, and "Time" magazine.
But only three years later, nearly all the top executives behind the merger had resigned, the company had lost tens of billions of dollars in market value, and the U.S. government had begun two investigations into its business dealings.
How did the deal of the century become an epic disaster?
Alec Klein has covered AOL Time Warner for "The Washington Post" since the merger. His reporting on the company led to investigations by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission. In "Stealing Time, " he takes readers behind the scenes to show how a clash of cultures set the stage for a spectacular corporate collapse. AOL's Steve Case knew it was only a matter of time before the Internet bubble of the late 1990s would burst, grounding his high-flying company. His solution: Buy another company to keep his own aloft. Meanwhile, Time Warner's Jerry Levin was enamored of new technology but frustrated by his inability to push his far-flung media empire into the Internet age. AOL and Time Warner seemed like a perfect match.
But the government forced the two companies to make concessions, and during the yearlong negotiations technology stocks tumbled. AOL executives lorded it over their Time Warner counterparts, who felt they were being acquired by brash, young interlopers with inflated dollars. The AOL way was fast, loose, and aggressive, and Time Warner executives -- schooled in more genteel business practices -- rebelled. In the midst of clashing cultures and conflicting management styles, AOL's business slowed and then stalled. Worse yet, AOL came under government scrutiny, and when the company conducted its own internal investigation, it admitted that it had improperly booked at least $190 million in revenue. The Time Warner rebellion gathered momentum.
This is a riveting story of ambition, hubris, and greed set amid the boom-and-bust years of the technology bubble. It is filled with outsized personalities -- Steve Case, Jerry Levin, Bob Pittman, Ted Turner, and many more. Based on hundreds of confidential company documents and interviews with key players in this unfolding drama, "Stealing Time" is a fascinating tale of the swift rise and even swifter fall of AOL Time Warner.

Proven strategies and tactics to manage the integration of acquired and/or merged companies

"Mergers & Acquisitions Integration Handbook" is a comprehensive resource to help companies create a scalable post merger or acquisition integration process and framework that accelerates operating and business benefit goal realization.Includes tools, templates, forms, examples and checklists to provide a no nonsense "handbook" style approach to managing an effective integration.Helps integration managers quickly get up to speed on various integration challenges, including guidance on developing detailed operational and functional integration plans to support flawless execution.Reveals how to avoid integration failure by establishing an in-house integration management office to handle integration projects.Includes a sample integration playbook that can be used to create a core competency within companies to support ongoing integration activity.

Botched integration is the number one reason mergers fail. "Mergers & Acquisitions Integration Handbook" shows you how to develop, execute and implement merger integrations and business strategies to realize your organization's mergers and acquisitions goals.

A complete how-to guide to a 100% financed business… How to Buy a Great Business with no Cash Down Bestselling author Dr. Arnold Goldstein has successfully purchased 12 companies—including retail stores to printing plants—and he did it without investing any money of his own! Using his proven formula for success, he also has guided hundreds of other enterprising but financially limited people into their own 100% leveraged businesses. Now, the master of the "No Cash Down" takeover is ready to help you too. In this important new book, he reveals all his secrets, including how to successfully find, qualify, evaluate, structure, finance, negotiate, and take over any type or size business…using little or no cash of your own. In How to Buy a Great Business With No Cash Down, you’ll

• Get over 50 proven "no cash down" techniques, strategies, and formulas that insure success through each phase of the buy-sell process
• Discover how to prospect the very best no-cash deals
• Learn how to avoid costly errors and common pitfalls
• Find out how to calculate what a business is worth
• Get all the same handy checklists, forms, and sample agreements the author uses
• Learn how to attract the right investment partners
• Discover how to negotiate a winning deal…each and every time!
• Find out how to quickly sell the business for an unbelievable profit

The striking feature of the takeover market in the US in recent years has been the lightning pace of changes in strategy due to innovations in takeover defense. This book explains in a clear and authoritative manner the best strategies and the traps from the standpoints of both bidders and targets.
The takeover business has become giant and complex with its own special jargon. It is highly regulated by federal and state laws. Ingenious business and legal strategists are constantly generating new methods of thrust and parry to advance their clients causes. This book guides the reader through this complex area. The authors base their advice on what they, their clients and the takeover markets have found to be the most important strategic and legal consideration.
The complete text of the main contracts in the highly controversial Time-Warner deal is reproduced with a full explanation clause by clause of the legal and business negotiating problems faced by both sides. Comparisons with other acquisition transactions illustrate for the specialist and the non-specialist exactly what is going on in acquisition negotiations. Other appendices contain a detailed glossary and key statutes and rules. The book is an unmatchable source for all those involved in or contemplating acquisitions, takeover financing or takeover defense in the U.S.

This is a book about acquisitions and their performance. It looks at the different ways in which companies from the major acquiring countries (UK, USA, Japan, Germany, and France) set about integrating the acquisitions they make in the UK. The book illustrates different national styles at work, but also shows how common many management practices have become around the world.