International Mergers and Acquisitions

With a boom in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity and the increasing globalization of business, more and more M&A transactions are taking place across borders. According to the Securities Data Company, in 1998 more than US $672 billion in cross-border deals were announced, one in every four dollars of worldwide mergers and acquisitions, up dramatically from $393 billion in 1997 and $274 billion in 1996. This book aims to highlight the ways in which international mergers and acquisitions are very different from their domestic equivalent, to identify the common pitfalls and to provide a practical guide to negotiating successful international M and A. The key issues addressed include reconciling the tax and accounting systems and divergent merger legislation of different jurisdictions, resolving differences in corporate culture and governance, dealing with cross-border communications issues and confronting some of the basic logistical difficulties of an international transaction. In bringing together the contributions of expert investment bankers, corporate executives, lawyers, consultants, accountants and regulators with extensive experience in international M and A, the book provides an introduction to the challenges of cross-border deals.