Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are strategic business expansions across national boundaries, which provide bundle of resources and opportunity for growth strategies, however can prove rather problematic and complex. One of the most complex stages in cross-border M&As is when two firms are in the integration process. The most challenging part in a cross-border M&A, is the integration of two different firms that feature different management styles and organizational cultures. Once the integration seeps deeper into functional levels, the strategic level M&A commitment is faced with operational implementation issues. The marketing department is usually heavily involved in this integration process. These are the people who create and generate the sales which thereby increase the income of the combined firm. However, research on marketing integration related to M&As has paid little attention to the amalgamation of similar resources from two similar departments, particularly in the cross-border M&A context. Furthermore, the existing research does not clearly demonstrate the success factors that contribute to the marketing integration process in cross-border M&As. Hence, this thesis explores the role of the antecedents that influence the marketing integration process in cross-border M&As. Results indicate a significant impact on integration from marketing synergy and the redeployment of marketing resources. Meanwhile there is a striking result pertaining to the relationship between interaction and the speed of integration which is significant but negatively to influence the marketing integration process. In addition, cost savings and relationship effectiveness among the marketers of both the acquirer and the acquired firms are found to be highly significant and to positively support the M&A performance. This means that the commitment of the marketers from both firms relies on a close relationship in order to uphold the integration synergy while at the same time reducing cost and improving M&A performance.

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Cross-border Merger and Acquisitions (M&As) are an increasingly important strategy adopted by firms in order to create value in fiercely competitive global markets. Cross-border M&A value creation, that is, wealth creation for shareholders from cross-border M&As, is therefore of considerable theoretical and practical importance. However, our understanding of the sources of cross-border M&A value creation remains limited. Researchers have found that the most commonly researched variables have little effect on cross-border M&A value creation. We therefore still do not understand the processes behind cross-border M&As. In this is dissertation I examine the main effects of host country regulatory, economic and physical infrastructure institutions on cross-border M&A value creation. I further examine the moderating effects of host country political institutions on the relationship between host country regulatory institutions and cross-border M&A value creation. Moreover, I investigate the effects of institutional distance between host and home country on cross-border M&A value creation. I argue that the effects of institutional distance (regulatory and economic distance) on cross-border M&A value creation are not symmetric, but rather the effects are contingent upon the direction of the distance. My hypotheses are tested on a sample of 6141 cross-border M&As between 1995 and 2003. Results of this analysis show that acquirers are more likely to create value by acquiring targets in countries with less advanced regulatory institutions. Further, my results indicate that host country political institutions positively moderate the relationship between host country regulatory institutions and cross-border M&A value creation. Host country economic institutions have an inverted U-shaped relationship with cross-border M&A value creation, and host country physical infrastructure institutions have a positive relationship with cross-border M&A value creation. Additionally, results show that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between institutional distance and cross-border M&A value creation. The findings suggest that the effects of regulatory and economic institutional distance on cross-border M&A value creation are not symmetric. The effects are contingent upon the direction of the distance. That is whether the level of host country institutions is higher or lower than that of home country institutions. Implications for management and public policy are discussed.

La reprise des opérations de rapprochements entre des groupes bancaires européens a suscité un questionnement quant aux justifications d’un mouvement vers une consolidation bancaire paneuropéenne. Cette recherche s’inscrit dans le cadre des essais d’analyse des logiques des fusions et acquisitions (F&A) bancaires paneuropéennes en examinant la pertinence des arguments de l’analyse traditionnelle de ce processus. Dans une perspective de renouvellement des concepts d’analyse de ces stratégies bancaires, les sources classiques de création de valeur sont remises en cause, particulièrement, dans le cas des fusions et des acquisitions bancaires paneuropéennes. Cette critique est au cœur de notre problématique. Nous cherchons, dès lors, à mieux appréhender la logique des fusions bancaires transfrontalières dans l’UE en prenant en considération les spécificités de ces opérations et l’évolution du cadre conceptuel des approches d’analyse des métiers de la banque. Nous proposons une grille d’analyse des déterminants de F&A transfrontalières dans l’UE qui permet de focaliser les analyses sur deux principaux critères en faisant référence à leurs cadres théoriques respectifs. Le premier critère d’analyse de ces stratégies bancaires concerne l’aspect géographique relatif aux marchés d’expansion transnationale. Le deuxième critère est lié à la nature des métiers bancaires des parties engagées dans une opération de F&A transfrontalière. L’idée est d’évaluer la pertinence des stratégies de diversification des activités bancaires et de type géographique dans le cas européen. L’apport de notre étude est de valider cette grille en adoptant trois approches différentes. Dans un premier lieu, nous proposons d’appliquer cette grille au cas européen dans le cadre d’une approche analytique des deux critères à la fois. Ensuite, nous voudrions évaluer empiriquement le cadre théorique de chaque critère d’analyse des raisons des F&A transfrontalières des banques de l’UE, séparément, en envisageant deux essais empiriques. Dans un premier essai, nous analysons les déterminants d’une activité de consolidation bancaire paneuropéenne selon une approche macroéconomique. L’idée principale est d'identifier certains pays et leurs caractéristiques qui affecteront la tendance des F&A transfrontalières bancaires dans l’UE. Cette identification nous permet de vérifier les hypothèses d’internationalisation dans le cas européen. Dans le second essai, nous évaluons empiriquement la pertinence des arguments de performance en envisageant une analyse microéconomique des logiques stratégiques des F&A transfrontalières sur un échantillon des principales banques de l’UE. Nos essais empiriques permettent de mettre en évidence les deux critères d’analyse des raisons des F&A transfrontalières et paneuropéennes tout en prenant en considération leurs logiques stratégiques de diversification. / Considering the acceleration in the process of European banking integration, an important concern arises about the driving forces behind the current banking consolidation wave in Europe in the context of international banking expansion. This dissertation spans the fields of the literature on banking internationalisation and cross-border M&A to consider the specific features of these strategies considering the explanations provided by the traditional analysis of banking consolidation. In prospect of proposing new concepts to analyse the patterns of cross-border banking activities in European Union, we identify other vectors in international banking business that create value for shareholders besides economies of scale, with regard to the difficulties to generate cost cuttings in the case of transnational deals. We suggest focusing the analyses of the determinants of cross-border banking mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the European Union that will allow focusing the analyses on two main criteria regarding their respective theoretical framework. The first criterion of analyzing cross-border banking M&As is related to characteristics of market expansion. The second criterion is linked to the features of cross-border banking activities. These criteria are identified as the variables that affect the banking internationalization. The purpose is to assess the validity of strategic arguments of diversification as the determinants of cross-border banking M&As in Europe. This approach allows us to validate our proposal criteria using three different approaches. First, we provide empirical evidence about both criteria by considering analyses banking structures and characteristics of banking activities in Europe. Then we examine macroeconomic determinants of cross-border banking activities in European countries. We identify receiving and investing countries of cross-border banking investments in Europe, considering the characteristics of countries. Our results allow us to test if the arguments of banking internationalization theories will be sufficient to explain the pan European consolidation. On the other hand, we analyze the strategic motivations of cross-border banking M&As and performance arguments of these transactions by considering a microeconomic analysis on a sample of major banks in the European Union. We provide empirical evidence on theoretical framework of each analysis criterion of cross-border banking M&A in the EU considering their strategic motivations.

In this study, we test the assumption that the way target firm employees respond to a takeover is contingent on their national origin. The antecedents of target firm member trust in the acquiring firm management were examined in a cross-national sample of German and Singaporean employees using a policy-capturing design. Five factors hypothesized to affect target firm member trust after a takeover were found to be significant influences on employees' trust judgments in a decision-making simulation: (i) combining firms' collaboration history, (ii) mode of takeover, (iii) whether it was a domestic or cross-border acquisition, (iv) degree of autonomy removal, and (v) attractiveness of the acquiring firm's human resource policies and reward system. Further analyses suggest that the relative importance of these factors in predicting target firm employees' reactions to a takeover varies depending on their national origin. We conclude that companies engaged in cross-border acquisitions need to consider contingencies in the cultural and institutional contexts in which the acquired firms are embedded and adapt their approaches for integrating them accordingly.

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As) are crucial strategies for global business expansion, but they often face high failure rates due to complex integration challenges, especially in cross-border deals. Cultural misalignment is a substantial factor in these failures, underscoring the need for effective cultural integration. This research investigated the impact of cultural alignment on the post-acquisition integration phase in cross-border M&As, aiming to provide insights into managing cultural dynamics to foster successful integrations and mitigate associated risks. The results of our analysis revealed that cultural alignment is highly influential on the success or failure of cross-border M&As. Three main aspects, leadership, communication, and employee engagement require specific attention as they are the most influential factors when blending the culture of two different companies into one unified entity. This study contributes to the literature on the impact of cultural alignment during the integration process of two companies, suggesting that new research in this field can be conducted to understand more in depth the effect of cultural variables during this integration process and to offer practical guidance for future merging companies.

This dissertation consists of three essays on cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As). The first essay studies horizontal and vertical investments between Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, while the second essay examines how investment patterns vary by country development. The third essay estimates the effect of merger policy reform on cross-border M&A activity in Europe. The first essay tests how well theories of horizontal and vertical foreign direct investment (FDI) explain observed patterns of cross-border M&As in OECD countries. Horizontal investment occurs when multinational firms produce in foreign countries to serve the foreign market, whereas vertical investment occurs when multinational firms source intermediate goods from foreign affiliates for final assembly and sales at home. The former is often used to displace exports when transport costs exceed local production costs, while the latter is often driven by cross-country factor price differentials. Little support is found for the traditional explanations of FDI as results indicate horizontal and vertical investments look much more similar than previously believed. The second essay challenges long-standing beliefs that the majority of FDI within the developed world is horizontal, whereas investments into developing nations are predominantly vertical. Developed-developed FDI is largely cross-border M&As and FDI into developing nations typically consists of greenfield investments. However, cross-border M&As are becoming more popular in developing countries and, contrary to previous beliefs, the proportion of horizontal and vertical investment is independent of country development. Results suggest trade costs have a stronger effect on developing countries, while no clear support is found for the idea that factor endowment drives vertical investments in developing nations. The third essay examines how reforms to European Commission Merger Regulation (ECMR) in 2004 affected cross-border M&A activity in Europe. The ECMR outlines competition rules and empowers the European Commission (EC) to block anti-competitive mergers adversely affecting the European market. Details of the reform suggest the law was expanded to cover more mergers, which is expected to have a non-positive effect on merger activity. Difference-in-differences results suggest the reform had no significant effect on cross-border merger activity in countries within the EC’s jurisdiction.

xii, 84 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / In this dissertation, I investigate how cross-country differences in regulatory environments affect the value and distribution of gains in cross-border acquisitions. I focus on how pre-acquisition strategies to reduce the valuation discount arising from weak regulatory environments affect the value and distribution of gains between acquiring and target firms. The two specific strategies I examine are cross-listing and voluntarily adopting International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). I compare the value and distribution of synergy gains for target firms from weak regulatory environments that have cross-listed or adopted IFRS (i.e., "strategic firms") to (1) target firms in similar countries that have not done so (i.e., "non-strategic firms") and (2) target firms in strong regulatory environment countries. For the first group, I expect lower total synergy gains and merger premia in acquisitions involving strategic target firms. However, I expect higher total valuation gains (i.e., the merger premium plus the increase in value from the strategy) for strategic firms. For the second comparison group, I expect higher total synergy gains and merger premia in acquisitions involving strategic firms relative to firms from strong regulatory environments. I test my predictions on a sample of cross-border acquisitions completed in 26 countries between 1995-2007. In acquisitions involving target firms from weak regulatory environments, I find no evidence that either the total synergy gain or merger premium are smaller for strategic firms. In fact, I find some evidence that the total synergy gains are higher for strategic firms relative to non-strategic firms. I find some evidence of higher total valuation gains for cross-listed firms, consistent with my hypothesis. For the second comparison group, I find no evidence that either the total synergy gain or merger premium are higher for strategic firms. By examining cross-border acquisitions, my research provides evidence on an increasingly important and economically significant type of foreign direct investment. I relate literature investigating the determinants and distribution of merger synergies to literature analyzing methods to eliminate cross-country valuation discounts. Therefore, my research makes an important contribution by providing insights beyond identifying which party captures synergy gains in cross-border acquisitions. / Committee in charge: David Guenther, Chairperson, Accounting; Steven Matsunaga, Member, Accounting; Linda Krull, Member, Accounting; Bruce Blonigen, Outside Member, Economics

Abstract This dissertation investigates the success of technology M&As. The research question is approached through four separate empirical essays, each of which assesses a different but interrelated issue of value creation of technology M&As. The approach used throughout the dissertation is to consider the motives of improving acquirer’s R&D activity through the acquisition of a technology firm and stress the role of the interaction between acquirer’s and target’s resources. The first two essays investigate the valuation consequences of M&As, while the following two essays examine pricing implications of M&As. The results indicate that technology M&As are successful in enhancing the acquiring firm’s R&D activities to the extent that it manifests as an increase in the stock market valuation of acquirer’s R&D spending and its higher future profitability. The results also demonstrate that investors do not fully recognize these benefits at the announcement of M&A. Therefore investors benefit from technology M&As in the long run when these benefits begin to materialize. Furthermore, the results show that even when compared to other possible motives, enhancing acquirer’s R&D activities is an important and successful motive for M&As, emphasizing the absorptive capacity of the acquiring firm in generating synergies from the combination of two firms. Overall, the findings of the dissertation provide more evidence on the success of mergers and acquisitions motivated by technology improvement. The thesis emphasizes the interaction between acquirer’s and target’s resources in creating synergies from M&As, with a focus on technological resources. The evidence also has important implications for the literature on the stock market valuation of R&D expenditures as it indicates that technology M&As can be considered an R&D investment with significant impacts on this activity.

During the last century, not only the legal literature but also the literature in many fields along with government efforts on all levels, were all mainly devoted to the debate of trade liberalization in general, and specifically to the case of the expected gains from using international agreements as a tool to remove the trade barriers. Meanwhile, all the parties have paid little attention to profound questions about identifying the impediments that they are facing and the other possible options that might maximize the general welfare, which are the cross-border merger and acquisition transactions. This dissertation will address that under-researched question, and it will try to identify some of those impediments that are facing the cross-border merger and acquisition transactions. The dissertation will mainly focus on the different premerger control laws that are adopted around the globe, as an impediment that faces the cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and it will try to identify the drawbacks of those laws and most importantly develop and examine reforming proposals. The underlying result of this dissertation will reveal that the multijurisdictional premerger control laws across the globe have numerous drawbacks that are actual impediments that face mergers and acquisitions in general, and especially the cross-border transactions. In addition to that, the best reformative option is the abolishing of the premerger control laws, or in other words the deregulation of the cross-border merger and acquisition transactions. The conclusion of this dissertation is that using the law as a useful tool should be reinvented on two dimensions, at one end of the spectrum the law should enable the state possibilities that are required to give a hand and facilitate the entry to markets, by abolishing the premerger control laws i.e. deregulating mergers and acquisitions, and at the other end of the spectrum the law should grant the state the power to monitor and challenge those practices that might cause harm to employees or consumers, before the courts, along with the primary power to challenge anticompetitive behaviors.