...examines the challenges faced by organization during mergers and acquisitions. It explains the challenges of merging the HR processes of the two organizations and suggests implementation strategies to prevent risks and delays. Mergers and acquisitions are preferred by companies in an increasingly competitive environment to acquire economies of scale and critical mass. Mergers and acquisitions result in complete change in the way the business is running and there are no other events in any organization which can be more difficult and challenging. According to Jensen & Ruback (1983) mergers and acquisitions benefit companies as it provides synergy, tax saving, shareholder wealth maximization and signaling. Draper & Paudyal (2008) state mergers and acquisitions have been beneficial to economies as the production achieves higher efficiency and has improved output. The economies achieved the ability to have improved bargaining power with the supplier and customer due to mergers and acquisitions. Mergers provide the companies to get tax savings. Mergers and Acquisitions According to Elebourne & Rambarran (2004), the process of merger refers to the process where one company is merged with another, and acquisition refers to the process when the company acquires another company. The merger process can be horizontal, vertical or conglomerate. As per Stigler (1950), horizontal mergers are achieved by merging the products and services. Horizontal merger is used in the way that the share of the...
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...Mergers and Acquisitions Key Elements to Success In a competitive market, businesses are constantly undergoing changes to remain profitable, flexible, and efficient. As a result of adapting to gain and/or maintain a dominant market position, businesses often look into mergers and acquisitions. Mergers and acquisitions are a corporate strategy where two or more businesses become one business that’s incredibly larger. Mergers and acquisitions involve buying, selling, combining, or dividing businesses in the same location or a new central location. They are becoming very popular because they are a way to strengthen and maintain a business’s position in their respective market place. They can be a fast and effective way to help a company grow and gain a competitive advantage. However, there is a difference between a merger and an acquisition and sometimes the difference becomes distorted because some people do not know the distinction between the two. A merger is when a company or business merges with another business and become one single new company. For the most part, the firms are usually close in size and the companies’ stocks become one new company stock as well. Mergers are usually well thought out plans and many hours of evaluation from the managers and owners of the respective companies that are involved. Looking deeper though, a merger could be called a takeover because sometimes that’s exactly what it is but to avoid negative connotations, they are called...
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...Sandeep K Krishnan In an ideal merger, the newly created entity pools the best features of the two merging organizations. A well planned process built on the foundations of an open, honest and consistent communication strategy can pave the way. Mergers and acquisitions have become a common phenomenon in recent times. A merger of the size like HP-Compaq has implications for the workforce of these companies across the globe. Although the merging entities give a great deal of importance to financial matters and the outcomes, HR issues are the most neglected ones. Ironically studies show that most of the mergers fail to bring out the desired outcomes due to people related issues. The uncertainty brought out by poorly managed HR issues in mergers and acquisitions have been the major reason for these failures. The human resource issues in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can be classified in two phases the pre-merger phase and the post merger phase. Literature provides ample evidence of difference in between the human resource activities in the two stages: the pre-acquisition and post acquisition period. Due diligence is important in the first phase while integration issues take the front seat in the later. The pre acquisition period involves an assessment of the cultural and organizational differences, which will include the organizational cultures, role of leaders in the organization, life cycle of the organization, and the management styles. The mergers often prove to be traumatic...
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...Sandeep K Krishnan In an ideal merger, the newly created entity pools the best features of the two merging organizations. A well planned process built on the foundations of an open, honest and consistent communication strategy can pave the way. Mergers and acquisitions have become a common phenomenon in recent times. A merger of the size like HP-Compaq has implications for the workforce of these companies across the globe. Although the merging entities give a great deal of importance to financial matters and the outcomes, HR issues are the most neglected ones. Ironically studies show that most of the mergers fail to bring out the desired outcomes due to people related issues. The uncertainty brought out by poorly managed HR issues in mergers and acquisitions have been the major reason for these failures. The human resource issues in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can be classified in two phases the pre-merger phase and the post merger phase. Literature provides ample evidence of difference in between the human resource activities in the two stages: the pre-acquisition and post acquisition period. Due diligence is important in the first phase while integration issues take the front seat in the later. The pre acquisition period involves an assessment of the cultural and organizational differences, which will include the organizational cultures, role of leaders in the organization, life cycle of the organization, and the management styles. The mergers often prove to be traumatic...
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...paper Communication during the process of M&A Mergers and acquisitions provide a great opportunity for growth to the organizations. Together the companies can strive for growth and higher profits using smaller amount of resources. However, it is not easily implemented and many factors should be taken in consideration in order for the merger to be beneficial and successful. Studies show different numbers, but according to Harvard Business Review, 70 to 90% of mergers fail and therefore companies incur losses. There are many wrong business decisions that managers can make during this process, but this paper will be focused on internal communication practices that contribute to the failure of a merger or acquisition and give some techniques that will help to communicate successfully. Many organizations ignore the people element in the formation of a new organization. Managers are concerned about the profits and new business strategies and often forget about the fact that employees are the key to the overall success and that the achievement of the business goals depends on every single employee. So therefore, it is essential to keep them motivated and engaged in the new environment. So, what can go wrong and how to make it right? • Merger or acquisition? The abbreviation M&A does not distinguish the difference between the two components: M and A. It implies that both of them are the same. In fact, the two components are completely different in their nature. Merger means...
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...Anatomy of a merger: behavior of organizational factors and processes throughout the pre- duringpost-stages (part 1) Steven H. Appelbaum Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Joy Gandell Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Harry Yortis Hydro-Quebec, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Shay Proper Montreal Stock Exchange, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Francois Jobin Kruger, Inc., Trois-Rivie Âres, Quebec, Canada Keywords Mergers and acquisitions, Organizational behaviour, Process efficiency, Managers Introduction Since the late 1980s, the total number of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) has far surpassed the number that occurred throughout the 1960s. Whereas the M&As throughout the 1960s were mainly due to unions between conglomerates, the 1980s and 1990s has witnessed an increase in M&As between firms of different sizes and different industry types (Tetenbaum, 1999). The trend to engage in this type of vertical integration or diversification does not seem to show signs of diminishing in the near future. Yet, at best, the firm that initiates the merger usually only achieves normal economic profits while the value created rests almost solely with the firm that was approached (Barney, 1997). The primary purpose of merging and acquiring new firms is usually to improve overall performance (Lubatkin, 1983) by achieving synergy, or the more commonly described as the ``2 + 2 = 5'' effect (Cartwright and Cooper, 1993a; Hovers, 1971) between two business units that will increase...
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...Anatomy of a merger: behavior of organizational factors and processes throughout the pre- duringpost-stages (part 1) Steven H. Appelbaum Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Joy Gandell Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Harry Yortis Hydro-Quebec, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Shay Proper Montreal Stock Exchange, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Francois Jobin Kruger, Inc., Trois-Rivie Âres, Quebec, Canada Keywords Mergers and acquisitions, Organizational behaviour, Process efficiency, Managers Introduction Since the late 1980s, the total number of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) has far surpassed the number that occurred throughout the 1960s. Whereas the M&As throughout the 1960s were mainly due to unions between conglomerates, the 1980s and 1990s has witnessed an increase in M&As between firms of different sizes and different industry types (Tetenbaum, 1999). The trend to engage in this type of vertical integration or diversification does not seem to show signs of diminishing in the near future. Yet, at best, the firm that initiates the merger usually only achieves normal economic profits while the value created rests almost solely with the firm that was approached (Barney, 1997). The primary purpose of merging and acquiring new firms is usually to improve overall performance (Lubatkin, 1983) by achieving synergy, or the more commonly described as the ``2 + 2 = 5'' effect (Cartwright and Cooper, 1993a; Hovers, 1971) between two business units that will increase...
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...look at the InterClean strategies reveals that the organization is in a ripe form for change of structure, business process, Human Resource (HR) alignment, communication process and employee management. A change is inevitable; the successful management of a change with buy-in from all affected quadrants is the ideal situation for InterClean to achieve the merger with EnviroTech. Such a solution can be found with the right implementation of the HR domain statement, nine step problem solving process, effective change management and conscientious decision making. The paper tries to identify the various issues related to the merger, challenges, opportunities, solution paths, time lines and risks associated with the implementation of solutions. The paper also provides a set of timelines and metrics for measurement of the outcomes. Situation Analysis Issue and Opportunity Identification InterClean belongs to an eight billion dollar industrial cleaning and sanitation industry. As per the scenario, the principal stakeholders are trying to increase the profitability of the company through change in the business strategy and by the acquisition of a new company EnviroTech, an acquisition that is in-line with new business strategy and bound to achieve the targeted profitability of 40%.(University of Phoenix, 2008). Based on the decisions of David (President and CEO), the HR have taken immediate steps at performing skill gap analysis and identifying the best strategy for staffing the organization...
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...CURRENT ISSUES SERIES Mergers & Acquisitions: Organizational Culture & HR Issues Deborah A. Pikula IRC Press Industrial Relations Centre Queen’s University Kingston, ON K7L 3N6 Tel: (613) 533-6709 Fax: (613) 533-6812 E-mail: ircpress@post.queensu.ca Visit our Website at: http://qsilver.queensu.ca/irl/qsirc/ Queen’s University ISBN: 0-88886-516-3 © 1999, Industrial Relations Centre Printed and bound in Canada Industrial Relations Centre Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario Canada K7L 3N6 Publications’ Orders: 613 533-6709 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Pikula, Deborah A. Mergers & acquisitions : organizational culture & HR issues (Current issues series) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-88886-516-3 1. Personnel management. 2. Corporate culture. 3. Organizational change. 4. Consolidation and merger of corporations. I. Title. II. Series: Current issues series (Kingston, Ont.). HF5549.P469 1999 658.3 C99-932294-X Executive Summary Mergers and acquisitions are increasing in North America as organizations try to expand their operations and increase their competitive advantage. But despite optimistic expectations, mergers and acquisitions frequently fail, in part because managers neglect human resource issues, which are rarely considered until serious problems arise. This study highlights the importance of proactive management of human resource issues, concurrently with financial issues, and offers detailed practical advice to help ensure...
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...HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT’s PIVOTAL ROLE in MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Ajit Kumar Mumbai, India Abstract Human Resource Management in Mergers & Acquisitions Organizations of all sizes and across all industry sectors are increasingly looking to M&A to support their global growth strategies. The primary objectives for M&A’s are to cut costs, broaden market shares or take advantage of each other’s synergies and most typically to accelerate growth. Yet several studies indicate that more than half of all M&A deals fail to meet management’s strategic, operational and financial objectives. The crux of the matter lies in the excessive focus on financial due diligence, risk assessments. Quite often, the people factor, i.e. issues that relate directly to people as workforce management and cultural integration, are left out of the due diligence process creating major challenges later during integration. In the past, HRM was expected to provide support in postintegration efforts, as well as increased business focus and knowledge to ensure that the full value of M&A deals is realized. For organizations, it important to believe in the fact that People are its key assets. However, today we realize that, mastering the softer issues is the hardest part of integration and has the strongest influence on an M&A’s long-term success. HRM professionals are expected to be ready to manage the people, opportunities and the risks associated in these transactions. Managing organizational...
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...HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT’s PIVOTAL ROLE in MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Ajit Kumar Mumbai, India Abstract Human Resource Management in Mergers & Acquisitions Organizations of all sizes and across all industry sectors are increasingly looking to M&A to support their global growth strategies. The primary objectives for M&A’s are to cut costs, broaden market shares or take advantage of each other’s synergies and most typically to accelerate growth. Yet several studies indicate that more than half of all M&A deals fail to meet management’s strategic, operational and financial objectives. The crux of the matter lies in the excessive focus on financial due diligence, risk assessments. Quite often, the people factor, i.e. issues that relate directly to people as workforce management and cultural integration, are left out of the due diligence process creating major challenges later during integration. In the past, HRM was expected to provide support in postintegration efforts, as well as increased business focus and knowledge to ensure that the full value of M&A deals is realized. For organizations, it important to believe in the fact that People are its key assets. However, today we realize that, mastering the softer issues is the hardest part of integration and has the strongest influence on an M&A’s long-term success. HRM professionals are expected to be ready to manage the people, opportunities and the risks associated in these transactions. Managing organizational change...
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...CURRENT ISSUES SERIES Mergers & Acquisitions: Organizational Culture & HR Issues Deborah A. Pikula IRC Press Industrial Relations Centre Queen’s University Kingston, ON K7L 3N6 Tel: (613) 533-6709 Fax: (613) 533-6812 E-mail: ircpress@post.queensu.ca Visit our Website at: http://qsilver.queensu.ca/irl/qsirc/ Queen’s University ISBN: 0-88886-516-3 © 1999, Industrial Relations Centre Printed and bound in Canada Industrial Relations Centre Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario Canada K7L 3N6 Publications’ Orders: 613 533-6709 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Pikula, Deborah A. Mergers & acquisitions : organizational culture & HR issues (Current issues series) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-88886-516-3 1. Personnel management. 2. Corporate culture. 3. Organizational change. 4. Consolidation and merger of corporations. I. Title. II. Series: Current issues series (Kingston, Ont.). HF5549.P469 1999 658.3 C99-932294-X Executive Summary Mergers and acquisitions are increasing in North America as organizations try to expand their operations and increase their competitive advantage. But despite optimistic expectations, mergers and acquisitions frequently fail, in part because managers neglect human resource issues, which are rarely considered until serious problems arise. This study highlights the importance of proactive management of human resource issues, concurrently with financial issues, and offers detailed practical advice to help ensure...
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...supportive approaches. Bureaucracy is simplified and trust is rebuilt with a greater focus on common organizational goals. Also, structures have been implemented to connect people in multiple dimensions, such as the use of a matrix structure. Reward systems are also realigned to promote team and organizational success rather than just individual performance. Greiner’s fifth phase ends with a crisis for internal growth. How can an organization grow further without overloading current systems and processes? Through this crisis, it is evident that further growth can only come through the development of partnerships with complementary organizations and more efficient means of horizontal coordination. These efficiencies can be reached through mergers, outsourcing, virtual networks, more efficient supply chains, etc. Internal & External Forces Driving the Need for Organizational Change Today's organizations and their managers are...
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...Mergers and Acquisitions Introduction Mergers and Acquisitions, and the decrease in activity around this area, is a topic acutely relevant to management consultants and the overall business environment. The number of notifications to the Competition Authority was down thirty per cent in 2009 according to law firm McCann Fitzgerald (Maeve Dineen, Irish Independent, 2010). The facts also show that there was a decrease in the number of transactions in the second quarter of 2010, down to fifty-two to sixty-two, a drop of more than sixteen per cent (www.iicm.ie). A similar trend has continued in subsequent years. This movement is relevant to management consultants as organisations utilise management consultants to assist and advise before, during and after the process: “to draw on their unbiased analysis; to benchmark organisational processes against a range of best practices; to gain perspective and see the ‘big’ picture; and to provide training and related implementation support” (Buono, 2005, pp. 229). Many companies at the present time may be worried or reluctant to begin pursuing such a strategy. However, the use of and experienced and dedicated management consultant can be the difference between expanding their firm and stagnating. These demonstrate the importance of management consultants in the merger and acquisition process and why they are crucial elements for many organisations who elect to pursue such strategies. One recent news story whose management may benefit from...
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...TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS 4 DISTINCTION BETWEEN MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS 5 TYPES OF MERGERS AND ACQUISITONS 7 Horizontal Merger 7 Vertical Merger 7 Co-Generic Merger 7 Conglomerate Merger 7 RECENT EXAMPLES 8 REASONS FOR MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS 10 Growth of the company 10 Synergy 10 Diversification and expansion 11 Elimination of competition 11 × REASONS WHY MERGERS AND ACQUISITONS CAN FAIL 12 No common vision 12 Weak leadership and poor governance 12 Poor strategic fit 12 Cultural and Social Differences 13 Incomplete and Inadequate Due Diligence 13 Poorly Managed Integration 13 Overpaying the target company 13 Changing market condition 13 ARTICLE STATING REALITIES OF M&A for HR 14 SUCCESS MANTRA for M & As 15 Cultural integration 15 Change Management 16 Management resources 16 Role of HR in M&A’s 18 Three Stage Model of Mergers and Acquisitions 21 Stage 1-Pre-Combination (HR Issues): 21 Stage 2-Combination and Integration (HR Issues): 22 Stage 3: Solidification and Assessment (HR Issues): 22 Role of the HR Department in M&A Activity 23 INDUSTRY EXAMPLE – Schnieder 26 Challenges due to acquisitions 26 Industry Example – MTS 29 Conclusions 30 At the Company Level 30 At the HR Level 31 REFERENCES 33 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Mergers and acquisitions, as a means of rejuvenating and restoring business, have become increasingly popular...
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