This title focuses on the financial, cultural and strategic aspects of international mergers and acquistitions activity and has a global, cross-cultural perspective.

This book is one of the very few published investigations of international business in a Japanese context, based on an up-to-date overview of the Japanese mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market in particular. The author explicates recent developments in Japanese business and shows how Japanese firms drastically change to reach out to become more globalized. The book can serve as a foundation in a teaching module for any Japan-related class in international business. Specifically, this publication reveals the inner workings of the Japanese business system. M&A activities covered here include those of foreign firms in Japan as well as Japanese firms investing domestically and in cross-border ventures. Illustrated by carefully chosen examples and supported by extensive data analyses, this book is highly recommended to readers who seek an in-depth understanding of the Japanese M&A market. The volume is enriched by case studies that explicitly illustrate the objectives of specific firms and how they successfully manage their M&A. The author brings to this work his 14 years of experience in Japan and has relied not only on English literature but also on original Japanese sources in creating this highly valuable contribution to the field.

It is now a well-know fact that mergers and acquisitions activity comes in waves. The most recent wave, the 5th takeover wave of the 1990s, was characterized by an unprecedented number of corporate restructurings in terms of mergers and acquisitions (M&As), public-to-private transactions, spin-offs and divestitures, and leveraged recapitalizations. Following the collapse of the stock market in March 2000, M&A activity slumped dramatically, but this pause ended in the second half of 2004 when takeover deals occurred again quite frequently. Indeed, some observers wonder whether the 6th takeover wave has started. The takeover wave in the 1990s was particularly remarkable in terms of size and geographical dispersion. For the first time, Continental European firms were as eager to participate as their US and UK counterparts, and M&A activity in Europe hit levels similar to those experienced in the US. Due to its financial impact and the unprecedented activity in Continental Europe, the 5th takeover wave of the 1990s and recent takeover activity (in biotech, utilities, pharmaceuticals) have triggered a great deal of interesting academic research. This volume brings together a selection of insightful papers. An impressive group of international authors address the following themes: takeover regulation; the cyclical pattern of the M&A markets and probable causes and effects; methods to determine the performance of success of M&A actions; cross border deals; means of payment and its effects; studies of hostile bids; high leverage takeovers and delistings.*A selection of the best and latest quantitative research on M&A activity worldwide*Impressive collection of international authors*Provides important insights and implications for practitioners

This is a much-needed work in the financial literature, and it is the first book ever to analyse the use of Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) from a theoretical and practical perspective. By the end of 2020, more than 240 SPACs were listed in the US (on NASDAQ or the NYSE), raising a record $83 billion. The SPAC craze has been shaking the US for months, mainly because of its simplicity: a bunch of investors decides to buy shares at a fixed price in a company that initially has no assets. In this way, a SPAC, also known as a "blank check company", is created as an empty shell with lots of money to spend on a corporate shopping spree. Could the trend be here to stay? Are SPACs the new legitimate path to traditional IPO? This book tackles those questions and more. The author provides a thorough analysis of SPACs including their legal framework and how they are used as a risk mitigation tool to structure transactions. The main objectives of the book are focused on finding a working definition for SPACs and theorising on their origins, definition, and evolution; identifying the objectives of financial regulation within the context of the recent financial crisis (2007–2010) and the one that is currently unfolding (Covid-19); and also describing practical examples of SPACs through a comparative study that, for the first time, outlines every major capital market on which SPACs are listed, in order to identify a possible international standard of regulation. The book is relevant to academics as well as policymakers, international financial regulators, corporate finance lawyers as well as to the financial industry tout court.

In this book, the author weaves a unique narrative that looks at both empires of business created from mergers and acquisitions and global empires from world history in an attempt to answer the question: why do certain empires endure for long periods while others collapse in a short space of time.