Mergers and Acquisitions

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Mergers and Acquisitions
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Abstract
The report intends to reflect on the issues associated with the merger and acquisition. The major factors responsible for merger and acquisition have been pointed out in this report. In addition, the benefits of obtained through merger and acquisition activities have also been discussed in the report. It has been identified that acquiring economics of scale, elimination of the inefficiencies are some of the major advantages procured by the businesses through merger and acquisition.
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Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Reasons for merger and acquisition: ............................................................................................... 4
Analysis........................................................................................................................................... 4
i) Economies of Scale ..................................................................................................................... 5
ii) Economies of vertical integration: ............................................................................................. 5
iii) Combining complementary resources: ...................................................................................... 6
iv) Elimination of inefficiencies: .................................................................................................... 6
v) Increased power in the market: ................................................................................................... 7
vi) Speed of growth:........................................................................................................................ 7
vii) Financial Benefits: .................................................................................................................... 8
Reference List ................................................................................................................................. 9
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Introduction
Merger and acquisition are general terms used to refer to the consolidation of companies. A merger takes place between two companies to form a new company. An acquisition is the purchase or takeover of one company by another in which no new company is formed. Merger and acquisition both form part of corporate strategy, dealing with buying, selling, dividing and combining of different entities or companies, that can help an organisation to grow rapidly in the same sector or a new sector, without the need of a joint venture, subsidiary or a child entity (Ahlstrom and Bruton, 2009). This report provides details about the acquisition of Wimm-Bill-Dann by PepsiCo and benefits received from the same.
Reasons for merger and acquisition: Generally, companies carry out the process of merger and acquisition to create greater value for the company. Few strategic and financial motives for merger and acquisitions can include the following:
 Synergy
 Growth
 Tax advantages
 Increases liquidity of owners
 Gaining access to funds
 Cross selling
 Diversification
 Acquiring required and new managerial skills, assets and technology,
Analysis
The company that is popular for successful merger and acquisition is PepsiCo (Puttick and Esch, 2008). It is an American multinational food and beverage organisation. The headquarters of PepsiCo is in Purchase, New York, United States (DePamphilis, 2011). PepsiCo was formed in 1965, when it merged with Fritolays. Thereafter, PepsiCo has expanded from its only product
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Pepsi to a wider range of food and beverages through various acquisitions and mergers. On the basis of net revenue, PepsiCo is the second largest food and beverage brand in the world. Within North America, based on the revenue, PepsiCo is considered the largest food and beverage business. February 2011 saw the company making its largest international acquisition, with the purchase of two-third stake in Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods, a Russian organisation that produces milk, yogurt, other dairy products and fruit juices. In October 2011, when PepsiCo acquired the remaining 23% stake of Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods, it became the largest food and beverage company in Russia (European Commission, 2005).
i) Economies of Scale: There are multiple benefits from mergers and acquisitions. It creates cost efficiency through economies of scale. At the same time, it can enhance the revenue through gain in market share, generate tax gains and reduce cost of capital. When a company acquires another firm, they benefit jointly, in terms of efficiency. Merger and acquisitions can create economies of scale and in turn, cost efficiency (Gray, 2009). When two firms merge or a firm acquires another, it leads to creation of a new and bigger company. The production is done on a larger scale (Madura, 2012). Therefore, the output produced increases and crea