Mergers, Acquisitions, and Takeovers

On a general level, merger, acquisition, and takeover refer to a combination of two organizations into one larger entity. Virtually every major public corporation—as a merger partner, acquirer, or target—has been involved in an attempted or realized organizational combination as mergers, acquisitions, and takeovers (MA&Ts) have become a basic staple of corporate strategy. The overarching reason why firms enter into a merger or decide to acquire another company is the belief that the combination will allow the new entity to attain its strategic goals more quickly and less expensively than if the firm attempted to do it by internal growth alone. While proponents argue that wellplanned MA&Ts enhance both the value of the firm and the value of the firm to the larger society, critics ...