Assignment Unit 1_4

Q1: Undertake a study of reasons for the failure of M&As in India.

Ans 1. There are several reasons merger or an acquisition failures. Some of the prominent causes are summarized below:

If a merger or acquisition is planned depending on the (bullish) conditions prevailing in the stock market, it may be risky. There are times when a merger or an acquisition may be effected for the purpose of "seeking glory," rather than viewing it as a corporate strategy to fulfill the needs of the company. Regardless of the organizational goal, these top level executives are more interested in satisfying their "executive ego." In addition to the above, failure may also occur if a merger takes place as a defensive measure to neutralize the adverse effects of globalization and a dynamic corporate environment. Failures may result if the two unifying companies embrace different "corporate cultures."

It would not be correct to say that all mergers and acquisitions fail. There are many examples of mergers that have boosted the performance of a company and addressed the well-being of its shareholders. The primary issue to focus on is how realistic the goals of the prospective merger are.

Q2: Make a study of M&As carried out by Indian companies since liberalization.
Mergers and acquisitions in India
M&A are on the rise. Volume of mergers and acquisitions in India in 2007 are expected to grow two fold from 2006 and four times compared to 2005. India has emerged as one of the top countries with respect to merger and acquisition deals. In 2007, the first two months alone accounted for merger and acquisition deals worth $40 billion in India. The estimated figures for the entire year projected a total of more than $ 100 billions worth of mergers and acquisitions in India. This is two fold growth from 2006 and a growth of almost four times from 2005.

Mergers and Acquisitions in different sectors in India

Sector wise, large volumes of mergers and mergers and acquisitions in India have occurred in finance, telecom, FMCG, construction materials, automotives and metals. In 2005 finance topped

the list with 20% of total value of mergers and acquisitions in India taking place in this sector. Telecom accounted for 16%, while FMCG and construction materials accounted for 13% and 10% respectively. In the banking sector, important mergers and acquisitions in India in recent years include the merger between IDBI (Industrial Development bank of India) and its own subsidiary IDBI Bank. The deal was worth $ 174.6 million (Rs. 7.6 billion in Indian currency). Another important merger was that between Centurion Bank and Bank of Punjab. Worth $82.1 million (Rs. 3.6 billion in Indian currency), this merger led to the creation of the Centurion Bank of Punjab with 235 branches in different regions of India. In the telecom sector, an increase of stakes by SingTel from 26.96 % to 32.8 % in Bharti Telecom was worth $252 million (Rs. 10.9 billion in Indian currency). In the Foods and FMCG sector a controlling stake of Shaw Wallace and Company was acquired by United Breweries Group owned by Vijay Mallya. This deal was worth $371.6 million (Rs. 16.2 billion in Indian currency). Another important one in this sector, worth $48.2 million (Rs 2.1 billion in Indian currency) was the acquisition of 90% stake in Williamson Tea Assam by McLeod Russell India In construction materials 67 % stake in Ambuja Cement India Ltd was acquired by Holcim, a Swiss company for $634.9 million (Rs 27.3 billion in Indian currency).

Mergers and Acquisitions in India in 2007 Some of the important mergers and takeovers in India in 2007 were Mahindra and Mahindra acquired 90% stake in the German company Schoneweiss. Corus was taken over by Tata RSM Ambit based at Mumbai was acquired by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Vodafone took over Hutchison-Essar in India.