Bernd Wübben German Mergers & Acquisitions in the USA www.ebook3000.com GABLER EDITION WISSENSCHAFT Bernd Wübben German Mergers & Acquisitions in the USA Transaction management and success With a foreword by Professor Dr Dirk Schiereck Deutscher Universitäts-Verlag www.ebook3000.com Bibliografische Information Der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über abrufbar Dissertation Universität Witten/Herdecke, 2006 u.d.T.: Wübben, Bernd: German cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the United States Au Auflage März 2007 Alle Rechte vorbehalten © Deutscher Universitäts-Verlag | GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden 2007 Lektorat: Brigitte Siegel / Anita Wilke Der Deutsche Universitäts-Verlag ist ein Unternehmen von Springer Science+Business Media www.duv.de Das Werk einschließlich aller seiner Teile ist urheberrechtlich geschützt Jede Verwertung außerhalb der engen Grenzen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes ist ohne Zustimmung des Verlags unzulässig und strafbar Das gilt insbesondere für Vervielfältigungen, Übersetzungen, Mikroverfilmungen und die Einspeicherung und Verarbeitung in elektronischen Systemen Die Wiedergabe von Gebrauchsnamen, Handelsnamen, Warenbezeichnungen usw in diesem Werk berechtigt auch ohne besondere Kennzeichnung nicht zu der Annahme, dass solche Namen im Sinne der Warenzeichen- und Markenschutz-Gesetzgebung als frei zu betrachten wären und daher von jedermann benutzt werden dürften Umschlaggestaltung: Regine Zimmer, Dipl.-Designerin, Frankfurt/Main Gedruckt auf säurefreiem und chlorfrei gebleichtem Papier Printed in Germany ISBN 978-3-8350-0624-9 To Suzanne www.ebook3000.com Foreword In early 2006 BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, acquired, in a prolonged and rather hostile transaction, the U.S Company Engelhard Corporation in order to strengthen its competitive position in the world’s largest economy This sizable takeover follows even larger acquisitions by German companies in the United States in the past decade, such as by Daimler-Benz, Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Bank Due to increasing pressure from the continuous globalization of international capital and product markets, numerous mediumsized German companies also aimed at entering the United States, as it offers a more dynamic growth potential compared to many rather stagnant European markets Accordingly, a transaction in the most important consumer market is expected to be particularly beneficial for German acquirers and should elicit positive reactions by investors But did this actually happen? Despite the high volume of cross-border transactions during the past decade, the number of studies analyzing the success of mergers and acquisitions activity is still limited, especially regarding transatlantic acquisitions involving U.S target companies In his thesis, Bernd Wübben provides empirical evidence to fill this gap Based on capital market data and a survey of executives, his primary objective is to assess the overall success of U.S acquisitions by German companies and to identify which characteristics of the acquiring and target company and the acquisition structure had a significant impact on the transaction success Another focus of the thesis is to describe from the perspective of a foreign acquirer special considerations for structuring and managing a cross-border transaction of a U.S target company, mainly the legal, financial accounting, and tax implications Bernd Wübben fully achieves the objectives of this dissertation The analysis contains many intriguing and surprising results, which make this thesis an interesting read that I highly recommend to corporate finance practitioners and researchers I wish for the dissertation its due wide diffusion in corporate finance research Professor Dr Dirk Schiereck Preface It is a pleasure to express my appreciation to those who enabled me to pursue and complete my doctoral thesis First, I would like to acknowledge the enormous debt of thanks I owe to my supervisor, Professor Dr Dirk Schiereck, for his valuable advice, guidance and patience throughout our collaboration I thank both Professor Dr Thomas Armbrüster as the Chair of the Examining Board and Professor Dr Alexander Bassen for their time and thoughtful assessments I am particularly indebted to Dr Norbert Fischer of KPMG’s German Practice in New York for his generosity and flexibility I am thankful to my parents for their countless and continuous contributions Finally, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my love Suzanne, who is always there for me Her unwavering encouragement, support and sacrifices were essential to this thesis, which I dedicate to her Bernd Wübben www.ebook3000.com Overview of contents Contents .XIII List of figures XIX List of tables XXI List of abbreviations XXV Introduction Conceptual framework Special considerations for structuring and managing a cross-border acquisition of a U.S target company 53 Prior research on the success of cross-border acquisitions and its determinants 119 Empirical analysis of the success of German acquisitions in the United States .167 Summary and outlook .259 Appendix .265 References .297 Contents List of figures XIX List of tables XXI List of abbreviations XXV Introduction .1 1.1 Focus and goals of the study 1.2 Organization of the study Conceptual framework .5 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Terminological basis 2.2.1 Definition of mergers and acquisitions 2.2.2 Categories of mergers and acquisitions 2.2.3 Success of mergers and acquisitions 11 2.3 Theories explaining mergers and acquisitions activity 14 2.3.1 Overview 14 2.3.2 2.3.3 Relevant economic theories 15 2.3.2.1 New institutional economics theories 15 2.3.2.2 Strategic management theories .17 2.3.2.3 Portfolio theory .19 Motives of the acquiring companies 19 2.3.3.1 Systematization .19 2.3.3.2 Shareholder value-related motives 20 2.3.3.3 Management-related motives 24 2.3.4 Special considerations for cross-border transactions 26 2.4 Mergers and acquisitions activity in the period 1990 to 2004 28 2.4.1 Global mergers and acquisitions 28 2.4.2 2.4.1.1 Volume of transactions 28 2.4.1.2 Exogenous influences of the business environment .31 German mergers and acquisitions 33 www.ebook3000.com Contents XIV 2.5 2.4.2.1 Volume of transactions 33 2.4.2.2 Transactions in the United States 34 Phases of the mergers and acquisitions process .39 2.5.1 Structure of a standardized acquisition process 39 2.5.2 Strategic analysis and conception phase .41 2.5.3 Acquisition structuring and management phase 42 2.5.3.1 2.5.4 Pre-signing 42 2.5.3.2 Valuation .45 2.5.3.3 Signing and closing .47 Post-closing integration phase 48 2.5.5 Special considerations for cross-border transactions 49 2.5.5.1 Strategic analysis and conception phase .49 2.6 2.5.5.2 Acquisition structuring and management phase 50 2.5.5.3 Post-closing integration phase 50 Summary 51 Special considerations for structuring and managing a cross-border acquisition of a U.S target company .53 3.1 Introduction 53 3.2 Structure of the transaction 53 3.2.1 Overview 53 3.2.2 Acquisition of a private company 56 3.2.3 Acquisition of a public company 57 3.2.3.1 Type of transaction .57 3.2.3.2 3.3 Securities laws applicable to a cash tender offer 59 3.2.3.3 Securities laws applicable to a proxy solicitation 62 3.2.3.4 Securities laws applicable to an exchange offer 63 3.2.3.5 Protective measures for the target in a hostile offer .67 Due diligence for the transaction .69 3.3.1 Overview 69 3.3.2 Financial and accounting due diligence .70 3.3.2.1 Overview .70 3.3.2.2 Financial position of the target company 72 3.3.2.3 Earnings situation of the target company 78 3.3.2.4 Impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 79 ... popular in the late-1980s, but they have diminished in importance in the 1990s as companies have tended increasingly to shift their focus back on their core business to cope with intensifying international... integrated into the corporate group of the acquirer, with the legal existence of the target initially remaining unchanged.20 Based on the business sector and product or technology affinity of the involved... discussion of theories explaining the occurrence of mergers and acquisitions activity After presenting the global and German transaction activity during the period from 1990 to 2004, the individual