This set includes articles from the four main fields which have influenced the study of Mergers and Acquisitions: Economics, Finance, Strategic Management and Human Resource Management. Featuring the key papers by individuals who shaped the field, the collection presents these formative pieces in thematically grouped sections, including coverage of: * Perspectives on the modern business corporation and the role of mergers and acquisitions: historical, financial, strategic and management * Causes of mergers and acquisitions activity * Performance impact of mergers and acquisitions activity * Public policy and the corporation The set features a comprehensive index and original introductory material.

The process of identifying and evaluating a target firm, completing a deal after its negotiation and announcement, and then integrating a target firm after legal combination is a multi-year process with uncertain returns to acquiring firms. Research on mergers and acquisitions (M&As) is progressing rapidly yet it remains fragmented across multiple research perspectives that largely examine different acquisition phases separately and coincide with a focus on different research variables. As a result, research fragmentation means that a researcher in one area may be unaware of research from related areas that is likely relevant. This contributes to research silos with M&A research displaying different traditions, starting points, and assumptions. Mergers and Acquisitions: A Research Overview summarizes the frontier in M&A research and provides insights into where it can be expanded. It undertakes the needed integration and reconciliation of research in order to derive practical knowledge for managing acquisitions from beginning to end, providing a summary of what is known and its implications for future research. This concise overview reconciles and integrates the state of the art in our understanding of mergers and acquisitions, providing an essential first stopping point in the research journey of students and scholars working in this area.

Master's Thesis from the year 2013 in the subject Business economics - Controlling, grade: 1,3, University of Cologne (Seminar für allgemeine BWL und Controlling), language: English, abstract: “Warren Buffett swallows Heinz: Sauce for the sage” – a typical takeover announcement was published lately on 14th February 2013. Warren Buffett, a well known inves tor, acquired along with the financial investor 3G Capital the H. J. Heinz Company for $ 28 billion. This is likely to become the largest transaction in the food industry. The company's stock price rose more than 20.0 percent after the publication which is a very characteristic reaction to deal announcements. Hence, the important question is, if transactions, such as the takeover of the H. J. Heinz Company, affect the corporate performance consistently. In general, the core idea about mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is to generate additional future growth if for example organic growth is limited. If two companies merge or a target is bought by another company (the acquirer), shareholders believe in synergy effects. These are revenue enhancements, cost reductions, tax gains and reduced capital requirements leading to business growth and thus to a higher value of the new company. However, it is questionable if this theory can also be experienced in the real world. Ever since the effects of M&A have been analysed, the market of the United States (US) was used as data source. This is plausible due to the fact that the very first information was well recorded for US companies. It is remarkable that literature contributes very little research on Europe, although the number of announced European transactions is comparable to those of the US. For example, in 2007 the European deals volume overtook the one from the United States of America (USA) for the first time. Moreover, research on single European countries almost never exists or only rarely. One exception is the United Kingdom (UK) with an early takeover history beginning in the 1960s. However, European countries should be analysed separately because of its high diversity regarding the accounting framework, the corporate governance or the legal and regulation structure. For instance, Germany is characterised by conservative accounting principles and a high regulation by the banking sector. These issues may also influence the M&A decision making process.

These ten chapters explore sequential aspects of the M & A process, from the pre-combination phase, to issues that should be taken into account when considering a merger or acquisition, to post-merger integration concerning the determinants of acquisition performance.

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 book explores how underlying concepts and methodologies contributes towards understanding M&A and its performance.