Chapter 26 – Mergers and Acquisitions
“The corporate ringmasters left out the part with the
trapeze artists and the clowns. Instead of a band they
brought accountants, introducing Jumbo or Babar to
the cameras in the hotel ballroom with a blare of press
releases – how much cash for what class of stock, the
sum of the combined assets and the disposition of the
principal executives, the fate of 12,000 superfluous
workers, the newly merged colossus proclaimed the
wonder of the age. The attending media never failed to
greet the number with a roar of superlatives (the
biggest this, the richest that), and over a period of eight
weeks so many elephants plodded in and out of the
headlines that I began to wonder how the company
mahouts would manage to fit them all under the same
tent or onto the same golf course. I didn’t take a
complete set of notes, but even a brief list of some of
the more memorable exits and entrances attests to the
great and golden truth that size matters, that big is
beautiful and biggest best of all.”
In at least one sense, Lapham is correct. The 1998 merger pace
was torrid. In the first five months of the year, $630 billion worth
of mergers and acquisitions were announced. Compare that to
1996, a record year for M&A during which activity totaled $658.8
billion for the entire year. Then, take a look at 2000 when volume
was 1.78 trillion, with annual volume exceeding $1trillion in 1998-
2001, and during 2006. When you discuss mergers and the market
for corporate control in your Corporate Finance courses, you may
wish to hunt up Mr. Lapham’s essay to use as a starting point for
class discussion. While you may not agree with the points he
makes, it is extremely well-written and makes a compelling case
for what business strategists have advocated for many years –
getting back to the firm’s “core business” and doing it well.
26.9 Divestitures and Restructurings
Divestiture – a firm sells assets, operations, divisions, or segments
Reasons for a divestiture
1. Requirement after an acquisition for antitrust purposes
2. Unit may be unprofitable
3. Company may need the cash
4. Company may want to focus on core competency
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