The Effect Of Takeover Activity On Corporate Research And Development

It is widely thought that increases in corporate mergers and acquisitions of the sort which the United States has experienced in the recent past lead to a reduction in such long term investment activities as R&D because of a shortened horizon on the part of managers. This paper uses a newly created dataset containing all acquisitions of publicly traded firms in the manufacturing sector in the last ten years to answer some basic questions which pertain to this issue. I find that the firms involved in acquisitions and mergers where both partners are in the manufacturing sector have roughly the same pattern of R&D spending as the sector as a whole and that the acquisition itself does not cause a reduction in R&D activity on the part of these firms. Moreover, the R&D capital thus acquired is valued more highly by the acquiring firm than by the stock market. On the other hand, I also find that the substantial increase in the number and size of acquisitions made by privately held firms in the eighties is concentrated primarily on firms with low R&D intensity which also are in non-R&D intensive industries. Because the pattern of low investment in R&D is longstanding, and because the firms taken over have less rather than more R&D capital than the industry as a whole, it seems unlikely that the recent increase in takeover activity has had a significantly negative effect on R&D spending in these industries

The takeover boom that began in the mid-1980s has exhibited many phenomena not previously observed, such as hostile takeovers and takeover defenses, a widespread use of cash as a means of payment for targeted firms, and the acquisitions of companies ranking among the largest in the country. With the aim of more fully understanding the implications of such occurances, contributors to this volume consider a broad range of issues as they analyze mergers and acquisitions and study the takeoveer process itself.

The debate about the effects of corporate restructuring on industrial investment in research and development has important implications for public policy, since research and development is vital to the nation's ability to compete in the global marketplace. Researchers worry that debt service will cut research and development funds; financiers argue that restructuring improves corporate efficiency without affecting research and development expenditures. This book eminated from a symposium sponsored by the Academy Industry Program. The speakers represented a range of opinions from government, Wall Street, industry, and academia. In addition to helping all sides in the dialogue learn something of the others' needs and expectations by presenting various points of view on the issue, the discussions identify areas in which more research is needed to guide policy decisions.

Combining the experiences of those who have participated in mergers and acquisitions with those who have studied the phenomena, this book offers the reader a unique opportunity to access and to assess the current merger wave engulfing our economy. These articles illustrate the diverse concerns a discussion of this issue encompass, and why development of a consensus public policy has not been achieved. Contents: Perspective of an Acquisitions Veteran, A Common Sense Approach to Mergers and Acquisitions, The Impact of Acquisitions on the SCM Corporation 1966-1986, Managing a First Rate Investment into a Major Corporate Disaster: The European Health Spas Story, Sustainable Growth and Business Combinations, Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestiture...Effects on Workers, Acquisition and Divestiture Strategy: The Stockholders' Perception, The Consequences for Stockholders of Fending Off Unfriendly Takeovers: The Case of UNOCAL versus Mesa Partners II, The Impact of Mergers and Acquisitions on Research and Development Expenditures, The Causal Factors in U.S. Merger Movements, Mergers & Acquisitions: A Classical Tale, Mergers in Higher Education.

"The content of this book is based on the final report of a research project carried out by an international team of researchers for the European Commission's Directorate General for Research"--copyright p.

Finally! A comprehensive volume on the management of corporate acquisitions that summarizes contemporary research, and that moves what we know about acquisition management a step further. The book encompasses innovative works from several countries, related to a variety of issues; managerial motives, the role of acquisitions in competitive strategy, as well as organizational and political processes. Unlike several other works on acquisitions, this book emphasizes the most critical issue faced by managers today; how to manage successfully already acquired companies and operations. Both researchers, managers and students of strategy and organization will find this book an important supplement.