Horizontal Mergers

There are certain benefits that derived from the merger, which would also boost the operations and financial performance of the organization.

Mergers and takeovers are forms of external growth within a business. External growth occurs when one firm decides to expand by joining together with another. A takeover specifically refers to the gaining control of a firm by acquiring a controlling interest in its shares (51%). Merger, on the other hand, means the joining with another firm to form a new combined enterprise, shares in each firm are exchanged for shares in the other.

Horizontal integration involves buying out other companies and taking over one single step of an industrial process. It establishes a monopoly because, with horizontal integration, everyone must go the company that has monopolized that step.

Merging with another organization has downfalls of destroying wealth from the merger. Considering the buying price is important when merging, spending too much on the merger will impound the value after the merger. Some mergers do not create wealth so capital is lost through the merger. There is no guarantee of financial gain and every formula considered with focus, just as with an acquisition. The final decision dictated by the variables. One company merging with another company takes the debt and losses of those companies in the new formed company.

Companies do not have the freedom to merge and acquire as they please do. All have to meet the requirements and essentially be approved by regulatory bodies. In the context of regulations, antitrust laws and security laws are commonly referred to by regulator to determine whether a merger or acquisition should be allowed or rejected. Antitrust laws prohibit mergers and acquisitions that impede competition. The point is very simple where antitrust is referred to as competition. The goal is to increase competition because more competition in economics means that consumers get more at a fairer or lower price. Anytime a regulator believes that a merger or acquisition will make an industry or market less competitive, the business transaction might

Pikula (1999) observes that in merging two or more entities, the management of the companies must adhere to the Sherman Anti-trust Act which was established in 1890. This act was specifically established to prevent mergers from creating monopolies and cartels with an aim to exploit the consumers through determining prevailing market prices. If the merger results in a monopoly, it won’t be approved by the government. Employee contractual agreements must be considered before, during and after mergers. For the merger to go on seamlessly there should be shareholder approval. Initial approval by shareholders for the companies to consolidate their operations helps prevent conflicts from shareholders after the merger. Lastly, regulatory approval should be considered. The management must register the newly formed company. In addition, managers from the merging parties must consider agreements and contracts that the parties are engaging in as these will be transferred to the new company upon the merger.

AN example, in 2008, Hewlett Packet purchased Electronic Data Systems to enhance the services aspect of the partnering technology offerings (Yurko, 1996). Marketing networks now give companies much wider customer access including overnight services. One such merger is the Takeda Pharmaceutical Inc. Although distribution chains work great to increase the bottom line, these mergers are not well received by federal agencies like the Federal Trade Commission. The concern being monopolization which is when one company controls too much of a given industry. Another driver of mergers is a desire for a leadership change. Sometimes the owner of the high technology firms simply wants to sale out and has problems finding a successor within to take the helm. Hence, a merger holds an

When companies combine/merge the whole objective is to gain new opportunities, gain market share, grow the business, to become more innovative and to improve product offerings, utilizing/sharing the existing resources and data. From the case

Horizontal mergers take place between companies in the same industry. These companies are rivals who sell the same goods or services. When a merger takes place, a rival is eliminated and potential for gains become higher. A vertical merger is one in which a firm or company combines with a supplier or distributor. For example, if a car making firm is receiving chassis from two suppliers and decides to acquire them, it is a vertical merger. On the other hand conglomerate mergers are those between firms that

Many mergers tend to fail and many others succeed. A merger is the combining of assets and operations, usually between two similar sized companies, in an agreement to join together. Mergers can cause bankruptcy, job losses, less choices, and even a breakup. On the other hand, they have many advantages such as, increased market share, lower cost of production, and higher competitiveness. Most mergers can be highly risky but with the presence of knowledge and intuition they can be successful. One of the most successful mergers is the merger of Disney and Pixar.

Conglomerate Merger - is the merger of firms in unrelated industries. If Coca-Cola mergers with a movie producer, that would be a Conglomerate Merger.

Industry mergers or business combinations are a phenomenon that has been commonplace for quite some time now. They basically involve two or more organizations coming together to form a large corporate under which they operate. The new organization which may have a combination of the names of the merging components or a totally new name operates as a new entity. The new rule under which the new entity operates depends in the agreement on the terms of the merger. As stated in our advanced accounting text, the history of mergers can be traced back to the 1895 to 1905 period in the US when the

Mergers and acquisitions can be classified in terms of the direction of the growth. A horizontal merger/takeover is the combining of two firms in the same stage of production, for example Well come Pharmaceuticals merged with Glaxo Pharmaceuticals. This sort of integration takes place to combat competition from the market and secure market domination; to reduce risks and increase financial strength; and to compete in

The General Electric (GE) and Honeywell International (HI) case illustrates the complexities of structuring mergers and acquisitions when the combined firms are capable of exerting market influence that threatens the competitive landscape. While General Electric's CEO, Jack Welch, characterized the deal as, "This is the cleanest deal you'll ever see," European anti-trust regulators were not so inclined to view the transaction as harmless to competition (Elliot, 2001).

In merger: The combining of two or more companies, generally by offering the stockholders of one company securities in the acquiring company in exchange for the surrender of their stocks. Two companies become one, decison is mutual. They are not idependent anymore