Influences Of Firm And Macro Level Determinants On The Probability Of Cross Border Mergers And Acquisitions

Master's Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject Business economics - Investment and Finance, grade: 8,5, Erasmus University Rotterdam (Rotterdam School of Management), language: English, abstract: While the influences of macro-level determinants on cross-border transactions have been investigated in several studies before, firm-level determinants have mostly been excluded in those studies. This study finds that firm-level determinants have a substantial influence on the probability a firm’s decision to acquire a company in a foreign country. The result is even more pronounced in transactions where the acquirer’s and the target’s business operations are related to each other. In unrelated transactions, it was found that acquirers are more influenced by domestic and foreign stock market valuations as well as the relative value of their currency. This seems to proof the fire-sale theory as well as the risk reduction through diversification theory. It is concluded that unrelated transactions are more opportunistic, while related transactions are based on firm-specific business strategic reasons. A firm’s amount of excess cash has been included as a firm-level determinant into the probit model of this study. This variable is fairly new to this kind of studies and its results offer deeper insights into the relationship between transaction probability, determinants and relatedness. This study extents the existing body of academic literature on cross-border mergers and acquisitions by investigating firm- as well as macro-level determinants, while simultaneously taking the relatedness between the transaction parties into account. In order to verify the results, further research into this area is strongly encouraged.

This paper assesses whether cross-border M&A decisions exhibit network effects. We estimate exponential random graph models (ERGM) and temporal exponential random graph models (TERGM) to evaluate the determinants of cross-country M&A investments at the sectoral level. The results show that transitivity matters: a country is more likely to invest in a new destination if one of its existing partners has already made some investments there. In line with the literature on export platforms and informational barriers, we find a sizable impact of third country effects on the creation of new investments. This effect is sizable and larger than some of the more traditional M&A determinants, such as trade openness.

Master's Thesis from the year 2020 in the subject Business economics - Investment and Finance, grade: 1,3, University of Bremen, language: English, abstract: The aim of this thesis is to identify country-specific factors that represent determinants for merger and acquisitions. On the one hand, findings on country-specific determinants might be helpful to explain why some countries (e.g. China) receive more cross-border M&As than others (e.g. India). On the other hand, the results reveal which interests transnational companies pursue and how they change. Drawing on this evidence, policy makers and companies may be able to influence the determining factors in order to stimulate or impede inbound investments in form of M&As. During the last three decades, the importance of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as a favourite top-level managerial strategy of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and national champions has increased significantly. The global value of cross-border M&As has grown from around USD 100 billion in 1990 to USD 815 billion in 2018, peaking in 2007 with over USD 1 trillion just before the outbreak of the global financial crisis. This development is not surprising, since the ongoing globalization and the changing global market landscape lead to more complex challenges for companies. In order to face the increasing intensity of competition that accompanies the global integration of markets, cross-border M&As constitute an appropriate way of maintaining competitiveness and creating added value. The acquisition of pre-existing foreign assets enables MNEs not only to exploit synergies and growth opportunities but also to overcome latecomer disadvantages. In addition, M&As offer a time advantage over organic growth strategies such as greenfield investments, which is particularly important considering the dynamic market conditions and the shortening product life cycles. This thesis examines the research question of which country-specific factors determine the volume of inbound cross-border M&As in developing economies. In general, the choice of a cross-border acquisition as an entry mode into a foreign market is influenced by three types of factors: (1) firm-specific factors such as prior acquisition experience, product diversity and core competences; (2) industry-specific factors such as technological, sales and marketing intensity; and (3) country-specific factors such as market size and institutional quality. While firm- and industry-specific factors also play a role in domestic M&As, country-specific factors are a peculiarity in cross-border M&As.

During the last three decades, the importance of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as a favourite top-level managerial strategy of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and national champions has increased significantly. The global value of cross-border M&As has grown from around USD 100 billion in 1990 to USD 815 billion in 2018, peaking in 2007 with over USD 1 trillion just before the outbreak of the global financial crisis. This development is not surprising, since the ongoing globalization and the changing global market landscape lead to more complex challenges for companies. In order to face the increasing intensity of competition that accompanies the global integration of markets, cross-border M&As constitute an appropriate way of maintaining competitiveness and creating added value. The acquisition of pre-existing foreign assets enables MNEs not only to exploit synergies and growth opportunities but also to overcome latecomer disadvantages. In addition, M&As offer a time advantage over organic growth strategies such as greenfield investments, which is particularly important considering the dynamic market conditions and the shortening product life cycles. This thesis examines the research question of which country-specific factors determine the volume of inbound cross-border M&As in developing economies. In general, the choice of a cross-border acquisition as an entry mode into a foreign market is influenced by three types of factors: (1) firm-specific factors such as prior acquisition experience, product diversity and core competences; (2) industry-specific factors such as technological, sales and marketing intensity; and (3) country-specific factors such as market size and institutional quality. While firm- and industry-specific factors also play a role in domestic M&As, country-specific factors are a peculiarity in cross-border M&As. According to the research question, the aim of this thesis is to identify country-specific factors that represent det

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2005 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 2.0, New College Durham, course: Strategic Business Management, language: English, abstract: In today’s economy of globalization, technological change, an increase in innovation and shorter product life cycles have led to intensified international competition. The result is an increase in productivity and capital requirements due to high R&D and growing quality costs. Cross-border mergers have become a predominant form of global expansion and a common possibility of adapting to changing market conditions (Buchner, 2002, p. 21). As the described economic development will continue and may become even stronger, the requirement for cross-border mergers exists (Gösche, 1991, p. 153). However, statistics show that the failure rate has been quite high (see p.13, 2.3). The author will investigate critical success factors, that are often neglected and the main cause of failure. By failure the author does not mean a complete failure, but that the merged company has not achieved its expected goals. Based on preliminary research and existing knowledge, the analysis of critical success factors will mainly refer to soft factors. In cross-border mergers cultural issues in the form of organizational and national culture play an important role (Gertsen et al., Cultural Dimensions in International Mergers and Acquisitions, 1998). Furthermore, the author will focus on change management, as mergers bring along major changes that have enormous impact on managers and employees. In this context the effect of knowledge management and communication will also be analysed (Buchner, Der Mensch im Merger, 2002). As these issues will have to be considered at certain stages within the merging process, emphasis will also be laid on due diligence and the integration process (Galpin & Herndon, The Complete Guide to Mergers and Acquisitons, 2000).

This study applies a well-known approach for the analysis of investment projects to the investigation of cross-border mergers and acquisitions between Canadian and American firms in the period 1982-1990. The major purpose of the paper is to document the extent of the contribution of macroeconomic variables, such as exchange rates, bond yields, stock prices, and P/E ratios, to the recent trends in Canada-U.S. and U.S.- Canada cross-border acquisitions, as distinct from industry and firm-specific variables. The results suggest that the levels of the yields on long-term debt securities in both countries and their difference contribute significantly to an explanation of the difference of Canadian acquisitions of U.S. firms and American acquisition of Canadian firms in the period.

This paper presents evidence on the determinants of cross-border mergers and acquisitions in services sectors. It develops a stylized model of mergers and acquisitions that predicts that the incidence of merger and acquisition deals depends, inter alia, on the target economy's size, industrial structure and investment policies, as well as on bilateral transactions costs. These predictions are examined with bilateral merger and acquisition flow data and detailed information on policy barriers from a new database of restrictions on services investment. The analysis finds that: (1) geographical factors affect mergers and acquisitions in services and manufacturing similarly but cultural factors affect mergers and acquisitions in services more than in manufacturing. (2) Controlling for these bilateral factors, restrictive investment policies reduce the probability of merger and acquisition inflows but this negative effect is mitigated in countries with relatively large shares of manufacturing and (to a lesser extent) services in gross domestic product. The same results hold for the number of merger and acquisition deals received. These findings suggest that the impact of policy is state-dependent and related to the composition of gross domestic product in the target economy.