What determines productivity performance of telecommunications services industry? A cross-country analysis

This article investigates the key factors that determine the productivity performance of telecommunications services industry. A simple theoretical model is used to illustrate that the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth is attributable to the effects of scale economies, market competition and technical change. We then examine empirically the effect of various factors on the TFP growth in the industry using panel data in 12 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for the period 1983 through 2003. The empirical results are consistent with the theoretical prediction. A new finding in this article is that higher machinery and equipment (M&E) capital intensity and human capital contribute to higher TFP growth in the telecommunications services industry. The decomposition analysis also suggests that technical change induced by changes in M&E capital intensity and human capital are important sources of productivity performance in the industry across the OECD countries, contributing to about 20–50% and 2–7% of TFP growth, respectively. These findings highlight the importance of improving the conditions for M&E capital investment and the quality of human capital, which in turn could facilitate the adoption of new technologies and enhance the productivity in the industry.     

Effects of M&As on innovation performance: empirical evidence from Chinese listed manufacturing enterprises

With the acceleration of the economic globalisation process, worldwide market competition is becoming increasingly intense. To remain impregnable in face of fierce competition, Merger and Acquisition (M&A) become the important means to obtain technology, gain core competitiveness, and increase market share. Therefore, studying the effects of M&As on innovation performance has a certain practical significance. With a sample of 96 M&A events of Chinese listed manufacturing enterprises from 2004 to 2011, we find that horizontal M&A and conglomerate M&A can reduce innovation performance, while vertical M&A has no significant effect thereon. Technological M&A has a positive effect on the innovation performance of the acquiring firm, while the effect of non-technological M&A thereon is negative. In technological M&As, entered technological M&A will lower innovation performance, complementary technological M&A can increase innovation performance, while upgraded technological M&A has no significant effect on innovation performance.     

Matching Industries between Target and Acquirer in High-Tech Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been regarded as a highly viable option for fostering innovation, gaining new products or services, and gaining access to new markets in high technology firms. This study analyzes several alternative variables that impact M&A choices by analyzing their relationship to the industry of both the acquirer and target. Results support two hypotheses implying that (1) M&A transactions with the same acquirer and target industry are more likely to be acquisitions that delivers a greater final share of the target organization to the acquirer, and (2) acquirers are more likely to invest greater dollar amounts in targets that have the same primary industry.     

Can financial media sentiment predict merger and acquisition performance?

This paper explores whether and how media serves as an information intermediary in the capital market and predicts value creation from mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Using a sample of 288 M&A deals in the U.S. market from 2000 to 2015, this paper examines whether pre-merger news about acquirers correlates to M&A performance. The empirical evidence shows that a positive media attitude before merger announcements has predictive power for stock returns in both the short and long run. Moreover, media pessimism is associated with higher bid premiums, meaning that acquirers must raise the bid price to offset the negative effects produced by the media. These findings suggest that media news contains information relevant to M&A performance and thus has implications for shareholder wealth.     

The effect of heterogeneous beliefs on mergers and acquisitions

This article investigates the effect of heterogeneous beliefs on firms’ mergers and acquisitions (M&A) decisions. Using data of China’s financial market, which is featured with great heterogeneity of belief, we find that heterogeneous beliefs are positively associated with the occurrence of M&A transactions, and firms with greater heterogeneous beliefs are more likely to pay the transactions with stock. Moreover, we show that government intervention, measured by state ownership, weakens the effect of heterogeneous beliefs on firms’ M&A decisions.     

Macroprudential consolidation policy in interbank networks

Can consolidation policy be made consistent with macro-prudential supervision? In this study, we seek to provide new insights on this key-question using a network approach. We study how the resilience of a banking network evolves as we shock an initially homogenous competitive market with a sequence of M&A activities that significantly alter the topology of the network. We study how different M&A treatments impact the structural vulnerabilities that can propagate through the system and we show that the severity of contagion and default dynamics depends on the chosen treatment. The desirability of alternative competitive settings (such as a hub-centered market or a more concentrated and yet symmetric market) are assessed against a homogenous benchmark case. We show that the choice depends crucially on the size of the interbank market and the level of bank capitalization. The existence of a large highly connected hub is beneficial in a capitalized network with a well-developed interbank market, but it can significantly weaken the system’s resilience in a poorly capitalized market. Antitrust and competition authorities should adopt a state-contingent approach to M&A activities according to the market conditions in which banks operate.     

The choice of market entry mode: Greenfield investment,M&A and joint venture

Multinationals may enter a host market by different modes of foreign direct investment (FDI). This paper examines the choice of FDI mode, and shows that the profitability of greenfield investment influences this choice not only directly, but also indirectly since it determines the outside option of potential acquisition targets and joint venture partners. In particular, even if greenfield investment is a viable option, the multinational may prefer a joint venture to M&A, and M&A to greenfield investment, provided that M&A and joint venture both involve sufficiently low fixed costs. The reason is that the profitability of greenfield investment both reduces the acquisition price in the case of M&A, and gives local firms an incentive to agree to a joint venture.     

The Effect of Mergers and Acquisitions on the Technological Performance of Companies in a High-tech Environment

A large part of the literature from industrial organization and management expects that, compared with unrelated M&As, related M&As show superior economic performance because of synergetic effects that follow from economies of scale and scope. The current contribution takes the debate on the effect of different M&As somewhat further by studying the effect of M&As on the technological performance of companies. In this study the technological performance of M&As is related to a hightech sector, i.e. the international computer industry. The main result of this research is that the so-called strategic and organizational fit between companies involved in M&As seem to play an important role in improving the technological performance of companies     

The Strategic Management of Mergers and Acquisitions in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Developing a Resource-based Perspective

There is a growing recognition within resource-based theory that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can play an important role as a means of transferring otherwise non-marketable resources and capabilities. However, this resource-based view has yet to consider in detail the management process issues involved. This paper looks at three cases from the pharmaceutical industry and seeks to begin the development of a resource-based perspective on the management of M&A.     

上市公司市值管理的有效性研究*——基于企业并购绩效的实证分析

在不完美市场和信息不对称的背景下,企业并购能否通过协同效应带来有效的市值管理？本文选取了在2007—2010年期间发生并购的A股上市公司,检验了并购的价值创造和市值管理有效性之间的联系,并做了分组检验。实证结果表明,对企业未来三年经营绩效有正协同效应的并购可以为上市公司带来更高的市值管理效用。分组检验结果进一步显示,投资者更为关注异地并购、同行业并购、民企并购以及股权分散型企业并购。这些并购类型的市值管理更为有效。     

Becoming an acquirer and becoming acquired

This paper considers mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Finland. We explain the likelihood that a firm acquires or is acquired by another firm. We try to find out whether the incidences of M&A are influenced by the firms' R&D activity, measured by the calculated R&D stock. We obtained a very robust result, which says that R&D stock increases the probability that a firm acquires in all industries. In the nonprocessing industries, R&D stock similarly increases the probability that a firm is acquired by another. In the processing industries, the firm's own R&D stock has, however, zero impact on the likelihood that another firm buys a firm concerned. We interpret these results indicating that M&A are used as instruments to transmit knowledge from one firm to another. In the nonprocessing industries, it is evident that knowledge capital cumulated in the target is the main motivation for the purchase. Then a buyer's own R&D—which also increases the probability of the trade—signals that a buyer is efficient in absorbing the purchased new technology. In the processing industries, the motive for acquisition is different. We discovered that in the processing industries, technology is rather transmitted from the buyer's firm than to the purchased firm. It looks like that, in these industries, the firms have decreased their unit costs by means of their R&D activity, and so through M&A, the appeared unit cost differences have been levelled.     

Born to flip. Exit decisions of entrepreneurial firms in high-tech and low-tech industries

This paper examines the way that the exit behavior of entrepreneurial firms is shaped by their innovative capabilities, and the technology environment in which they operate. We distinguish between exit by closing down activity and exit by merger or acquisition (M&A). Using a large sample of Dutch manufacturing firms, we explore the relationship between firm exit, age and innovative capabilities, in high and low innovation intensive industries. We find that for entrepreneurial firms, innovation may go some way towards compensating for the liability of newness, but also makes them more attractive M&A targets. More specifically, entrepreneurial firms in high-tech industries do not seem to improve their chances of survival by innovating; when technological change is rapid, innovation, especially in products, is necessary to participate in the innovation race in an industry, but is not sufficient to guarantee survival. In contrast, in low-tech industries, process innovation is a critical condition for the survival of entrepreneurial firms. In this context, entrepreneurial firms that are able to bring new product ideas, introducing ‘exceptional’ variations into a stable environment, are most likely to exit by M&A, thereby transferring their knowledge and capabilities to the incumbent firms.     

Cross-border mergers and acquisitions and the role of trade costs

Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have increased dramatically over the last two decades. This paper analyses the role of trade costs in explaining the increase in the number of cross-border M&As. In particular, we distinguish horizontal and non-horizontal M&As and investigate whether trade costs affect these two types of mergers differently. We analyse this question using industry data for 23 OECD countries for the period 1990-2001. Our findings suggest that while in the aggregate trade costs affect cross-border merger activity negatively its impact differs importantly across horizontal and non-horizontal mergers. The impact of trade costs is less negative for horizontal mergers, which is consistent with the tariff-jumping argument.     

Can M&A activities act as a predictor of the performance of economic growth or stock prices?

One of the important issues with regard to the relationship between M&As (mergers and acquisitions) and economic growth or stock prices is whether such activities can act as a predictor of these two variables' performance, or whether these variables have resulted in significant impacts on M&A activities. The aim of this paper is to use the method proposed in Kónya (2006) to carry out a causality test among M&A activities, economic growth and stock prices, because the causal relationships that may be uncovered by this would be meaningful for both policymakers and stockholders. This paper uses quarterly data from six OECD countries for the period from April 1980 to March 2010. The bootstrap panel Granger causality test that this work applies also considers cross-sectional dependency and slope heterogeneity simultaneously. The findings of the paper are as follows. There is significant, one-way causality from stock prices to M&A activities, and thus changes in stock prices lead M&A activities. With real GDP as the control variable, for all the countries surveyed, except Australia, stock prices lead M&A activities. As for the impact that economic growth has on M&A activities, we conclude that, when using stock prices as the control variable, there is almost no lead-lag relationship between economic growth and M&A activities, except for in Japan.     

Fractional integration and cointegration in merger and acquisitions in the US petroleum industry

This article employs methodologies based on fractional integration and cointegration to analyse the time-series properties of merger and acquisitions (M&A) activity and crude oil prices in the US from 1980 to 2012. Our results indicate that an increase in the crude oil price produces a significant increase in the M&A data between 2 and 3 months after the initial shock.     

Technology-acquiring cross-border M&As by emerging market firms: role of bilateral trade openness

This paper investigates the role of bilateral trade openness in technology-acquiring cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) by emerging market firms (EMFs). The cross-border M&A, patents, and financial data from January 2000 to December 2013 have been utilised for empirical analyses. By analysing cumulative abnormal returns of the acquirer EMFs from Brazil, Russia, China, India, and Mexico, the value-creating nature of technology-acquiring cross-border M&As has been confirmed. In addition, the number of the patents owned by the target firms showed a positive and significant effect on the stock performance of cross-border acquirers. Finally, the bilateral trade openness significantly and positively moderated the relation between the innovation capability of the target firms and EMFs’ stock performance.     

Vertical alliance and vertical integration for the inflow of technology and new product development in the pharmaceutical industry

Pharmaceutical firms are increasingly seeking vertical alliance (licensing and joint venture) or bridges and vertical integration (merger and acquisition, M&A) or buffers. However, the question remains whether alliance and integration modes of organisation contribute to the clinical trials activities for a new product development. Using data on 250 pharmaceutical firms, this study examines the linkage between the external technology-sourcing modes and an increase in clinical trials activities, advancing new product development. The findings indicate that licensing mode may not be an effective in comparison to joint ventures and M&A modes of the organisation. Comparing the two modes – vertical joint venture (bridges) and vertical integration (buffer) – the former appears to be effective than the latter (M&A) in sourcing external technology acquisition in the pharmaceutical industry. Implications of these findings are addressed in terms of strategy and structure in a broader context.     

创业导向的企业并购行为与并购类型研究

创业导向并购战略是新创企业发展采用的探索性扩张战略。以大富科技为例,在分析企业创业导向并购行为产生机理的基础上,根据企业并购目的,定义了3种不同类型的创业导向并购行为,分别为基于开拓新市场的创业导向并购、基于进入新行业的创业导向并购以及基于深化工艺和系统支持的创业导向并购。在此基础上,总结归纳了3种创业导向并购对象选择因素及其特征,丰富了创业导向战略相关研究内容。     

Exchange rate pass-through in Turkish export and import prices

This article investigates the effects of horizontal acquisitions on the performance of target firms in the 1990s. Using French manufacturing firm-level data, we examine two main indicators of performance: the profit and the productive efficiency. We distinguish domestic from cross-border acquisitions. To evaluate the impact of take-overs, we implement appropriate difference-in-difference estimation techniques associated to a matching propensity score procedure. We find that Mergers &?Acquisitions (M&A) do not increase the profit of French target firms, even on the long run. However, they clearly raise the productivity of target firms. These results suggest that firms probably redistribute efficiency gains at the upstream and/or downstream production stage. There is no evidence of an increase in market power. In addition, the consequences of domestic and cross-border M&A significantly differ. Efficiency gains are stronger for cross-border M&A. This conclusion is however true only for extra-European Union operations. The achievement in the European economic integration certainly explains the absence of difference between European and domestic acquisitions. Finally, our results cast some doubt on the frequent discrimination attitude towards foreign takeovers and the fears of their impact on firms’ performance and the host country's welfare.     

The Socio-Political Economy of Pharmaceutical Mergers: A Case Study of Sanofi and Aventis

This article critically analyses the events leading up to the 2004 merger between the pharmaceutical companies Sanofi-Synthelabo and Aventis. It reveals the social, commercial and political complexities and challenges of a merger process in which the defence of French national interests and regional capabilities competed with traditional ‘commercial’ narratives before the deal was closed. The merger is analysed within the broader context of contemporary debates, within the strategic management and innovation systems literature, about the process of global innovation in pharmaceuticals, industry consolidation and the discursive socio-political discourses that underlie cross-border merger and acquisition activity. The article critically evaluates the competing criteria adopted by government and industry to justify different merger scenarios and considers the implications for pharmaceutical innovation, industry consolidation and M&A theory.