of this trend. Another is the Dubai-based Ports World, which in 2006 took over the venerable Peninsular & Oriental Navigation Co. (P&O) in a $6.8 billion acquisition. Still another is the Mumbai-based Tata Group, then led by Ratan N. Tata. The company he created is an international conglomerate that includes not only one of the world's largest sellers of coffee and tea but also luxury hotels, soft drinks, and a telecommunications business. In October 2006, the company acquired the British-owned Corus Group, which made the Tata Group one of the largest steel companies in the world. Later in 2008 the Tata Group acquired the Range Rover and Jaguar brands from the Ford Motor Company as that company fought to become a smaller, less diverse, and profitable enterprise.
Table 2.5 Largest Worldwide Steel Companies: 2004 and 2008 Production
Sources: Mittal Steel, Paul Glader, “Mittal, Arcelor Clash on Strategy in Takeover Battle,” Wall Street Journal, March 10, 2006, A2 and the World Steel Association.
The significance of the arrival of large bids from emerging market companies is that the M&A business has now become truly a worldwide phenomenon. While not that long ago most of the large bids came from U.S. bidders, the field has become truly globalized, with large, well-financed bidders coming from not only developed countries but also emerging markets. These emerging market companies have come to establish large worldwide market shares, making them highly credible bidders.
Several European nations have difficulty allowing foreign bidders to acquire major national companies. In several instances European nations have stepped in to erect barriers to impede takeovers of national champions. For example, this was the case in 2006, when the French government arranged a hasty marriage between two French utilities, Suez SA and Gaz de France SA, as a way of fending off an unwanted bid from Italian utility Enel SpA. Spain also implemented a new takeover law to try to prevent German E.ON AG's takeover of Spanish utility Endesa SA. The European Commission ruled that Spain violated European merger rules by applying conditions that violated the spirit of these regulations. Many European countries want free markets to allow their own indigenous companies to expand beyond their own borders. At the same time they want the ability to prevent free market access when it comes to hostile bids by other nations. In several instances in the 2000s, nationalism has overpowered the pursuit of free markets.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
