Chinese Cross-border Mergers Research Articles

Corruption, democracy and the location decisions of emerging multinationals: evidence from China’s cross-border mergers and acquisitions

PurposeThis study investigated the moderating role of democracy in the relationship between corruption and foreign direct investment. The purpose of this study is to understand whether corruption has different effects on the location decisions of multinational enterprises (MNEs) depending on the regime type.Design/methodology/approachThis study explored how institutional context influenced the impacts of corruption on the location decisions of MNEs, specifically using a sample of Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions between 2000 and 2020.FindingsThis study assessed the role of democracy in the relationship between corruption and the location decisions of Chinese MNEs. In general, this study found that Chinese MNEs were hindered by host country corruption, but that these detrimental effects were weaker in the presence of more effective democratic institutions.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on institutional factors in international business through its simultaneous investigation of the effects of both democracy and corruption on the location decisions of MNEs. Moreover, there is a prevailing view that Chinese MNEs are willing to enter countries with high corruption, but the results of this study indicate that they are risk-averse in ways similar to their Western counterparts.

How does economic policy uncertainty affect cross-border M&A: Evidence from Chinese firms

Based on the data of Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions in 29 countries from 2008 to 2017, we adopt the index of world economic policy uncertainty constructed by Baker et al. (2016) to empirically test the impact of economic policy uncertainty triggered by financial crisis on the scale and performance of M&A behavior. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Economic policy uncertainty in host country can significantly reduce the scale of cross-border M&A of Chinese enterprises. (2) The negative impact of economic policy uncertainty is more evident in non-state-owned enterprises. (3) Economic policy uncertainty in the host country has a U-shaped influence on short-term M&A performance of enterprises; (4) Economic policy uncertainty in host country has a negative impact on mid-term M&A performance of enterprises. Our results can provide reference for enterprise investment and home country policy.

Can technology-driven cross-border mergers and acquisitions promote green innovation in emerging market firms? Evidence from China.

Emerging markets face severe ecological and environmental problems in periods of economic and political transition. The existing literature analyses the impact of technology on environmental benefits and the role of technology on the green innovation of enterprises, mostly from the perspective of technology spillover in enterprises in mature markets. Based on a sample of 229 Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As), this paper explores the role of technology-driven cross-border M&As (TDC M&As) in green innovation, finding that TDC M&As have a significant promoting effect on green innovation. A higher degree of ownership concentration positively promotes the relationship between TDC M&As and green innovation in the enterprise. This paper divides enterprises into state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and political connection enterprises, with the nature of SOEs negatively affecting the relationship between TDC M&As and green innovation, the nature of political connections significantly promoting the relationship. Similarly, formal institutional distance negatively interacts with TDC M&As to affect the green innovation of enterprises, while informal distance interacts positively with TDC M&As. This paper has important implications for emerging market enterprises in realising the transformation of the mode of economic growth and achieving harmonious development between enterprises and the environment.

The Herd Effect and Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions by Chinese Firms

ABSTRACT An analysis of firm level data from 393 completed Chinese firm cross-border mergers and acquisitions (CMA) from 2002 to 2019 revealed that there was a herd effect in Chinese CMA activities. The heterogeneity factors in the host country effects on the herd index found that the political environment was a significant positive herd effect determinant and exchange rate volatility, openness degree, and cultural distances were negative determinants. This research sheds light on Chinese firm CMA decision-making, which could assist in the development of appropriate policies to assist firms achieve better performances.

The Role of Confucius Institutes and One Belt, One Road Initiatives on the Values of Cross-Border M&A: Empirical Evidence from China

This study examines how national cultural policies such as Confucius Institutes and One Belt, One Road initiatives (BRI) affect the post-acquisition returns of Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions based on data from a sample of 192 transactions covering 2011 to 2015. We find that the cultural export of Chinese Confucius Institutes and the BRI exert a significantly positive impact on long-term acquirer returns, while cultural/institutional distance exerts a negative impact. Further evidence shows that Confucius Institutes and BRI mitigate the negative effect of cultural distance between merging firms. These results offer the first evidence that national cultural translation has substantial impacts on the long-run acquirer financial performance of cross-border mergers that decrease cultural institutional heterogeneity between countries.

The micro-foundations of strategic ambidexterity: Chinese cross-border M&As, Mid-View thinking and integration management

Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) display several unique properties in relation to the ways in which their international business operations are organised and managed. Their seemingly puzzling ‘light-touch’ integration approach can be significantly understood from a strategic ambidexterity perspective: on the one hand, the ‘light-touch’ enables the exploitation of the targets’ existing knowledge bases; on the other hand, elements of the ‘light-touch’ facilitate the exploration of the new knowledge arising from the collaboration between targets and acquirers. However, an important theoretical gap remains: why do Chinese companies deploy such a strategic ambidexterity approach in their post-acquisition integrations? This paper aims to fill this gap by proposing Mid-View thinking as a micro-foundation of strategic ambidexterity in integration management from a cultural and philosophical perspective. To illuminate our conceptualization and argument, we conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with CEOs/high-level managers of acquired German companies. Communication approach and organizational control—as two critical aspects in integration management—reveal how Mid-View thinking can serve as a micro-foundation of strategic ambidexterity. We conclude this paper by presenting its theoretical contributions, managerial implications, and future research directions.

Chinese cross-border M&As in the “One Belt One Road” countries: The impact of Confucius Institutes

As the “One Belt One Road” (OBOR) initiative enters a new stage of substantive construction, Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are significantly increasing in the OBOR areas. Acknowledging this trend and drawing on institutional theory, this study investigates the impact of the Confucius Institute on China's cross-border M&As in the OBOR countries. It also examines how this impact is moderated by Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) and by comparable superior economic development and political-institution quality between home and host countries. The findings suggest that Confucius Institutes have a positive effect on the completion of M&As in OBOR countries. The effect is greater if a host country has BITs signed with China or if it has better economic development than China. This implies that, to facilitate Chinese firms' investments in OBOR areas, China should actively participate in cultural exchange activities and the establishment of Confucius Institutes should focus on those countries that have BITs with China, or which have better economic development.

The Belt and Road Initiative and Chinese Cross-border Mergers & Acquisitions

The Belt and Road Initiative was introduced by President Xi in an attempt to further economic connections with partner countries and foster development within China. We examine the effect of the Initiative on Chinese cross-border M&As. We find that the Initiative significantly increases the probability and the transaction amount of M&A deals in target countries. Moreover, the market reacts more positively to these deals. We find that the effect is entirely driven by state-owned enterprises and it is more pronounced in firms that are located on the more-developed eastern coast of China. The evidence suggests that the announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative was followed by economically meaningful cross-border M&A in targeted countries.

Distance and the completion of Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the significant lower completion rate of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) by firms from emerging economies (EEs) (China in particular) compared with firms from advanced economies, and identify the country- and industry-level factors that affect the completion of cross-border M&As by Chinese firms.Design/methodology/approachThis study explores the effects of economic, cultural and institutional distances and target firms in technology- and knowledge-intensive industries on the completion of cross-border M&As by Chinese firms. It also examines the interplay between distance factors and technology- and knowledge-intensive industries on cross-border M&A completion. This study adopts a quantitative approach and is based on a sample of 768 announced cross-border M&A deals by firms in China between 2000 and 2015.FindingsThe results indicate that economic distance increases the likelihood of the completion of cross-border M&As when the target is in a more developed economy than China, but decreases when the target is in a less developed economy. Cultural and institutional distances have a significant, negative impact on the completion of cross-border M&As. In addition, target technology-intensive industries have a significant direct negative effect on cross-border M&A completion and moderate the relationship between the distance factors and the likelihood of cross-border M&A completion.Research limitations/implicationsThe results reveal factors that affect the completion of cross-border M&As by emerging market firms (EMFs). Further research, however, is needed to discover how distance factors affect how EMFs find, evaluate and negotiate international bids. To broaden the scope of the research, data for firms from other EEs would also be required.Originality/valueThe study expands the literature that considers the effects of major distances on cross-border M&A completion. In addition, the importance of defining and measuring distances in the context of cross-border M&As is highlighted. Finally, the study expands knowledge on how cross-border M&As affect the internationalization strategies of EMFs by conceptualizing and testing how target industries affect cross-border M&A completion.

How Do Chinese Firms Perform Before and After Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions?

ABSTRACT To evaluate the financial performance of Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As), this research examined 86 cross-border M&As from 2007 to 2012, which included the 5 years before and the 5 years after the merger dates. Eighty-one domestic M&As were also chosen as the control group to compare the performances of cross-border and domestic M&As. The difference in difference (DID) results revealed that, in general, the cross-border M&As did not improve the firms’ financial performances and that the domestic M&As performed better. The feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) regression results indicated that the CNY exchange rate appreciation, infrastructure，labor costs, formal institutional distances, and technological levels in the host countries are significantly related to post-merger performances over the long run, and firms that acquired resource-oriented foreign firms had better long-term financial performances; however, state-owned firms were more likely to have worse profitability after the cross-border M&As, and host countries located in “One Belt One Road” (OBOR) regions showed poorer post-merger performances. The study results could be of valuable assistance to Chinese firms considering future cross-border M&As.

Critical success factors in Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the critical success factors (CSFs) in Chinese cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As) to improve the odds of Chinese overseas acquisition success.Design/methodology/approachFor the multidisciplinary analysis purpose, a SCOPE model is developed to integrate the five key dimensions of Strategic (S), Cultural (C), Organizational (O), Process (P) and External (E) CSFs. Because of the exploratory nature of the research, a case study approach has been applied.FindingsBased on the two in-depth case studies of Lenovo’s acquisition of Medion and Sany’s acquisition of Putzmeister in Germany, eight CSFs along the five key dimensions have been identified. Apart from the identified CSFs, the two other factors of robust due diligence and M&A project organizational structure fit are worthy of noting.Research limitations/implicationsThe first limitation relates to the weaknesses of case study research method. The findings derived from the two selected M&A cases cannot be generalized to all the contexts of Chinese cross-border M&As. The second limitation relates to the subjective nature of judgments made by the participants in our empirical study. The identified CSFs were based on the perceptions of the interviewed managers.Practical implicationsThe research is of high practical importance for Chinese companies doing or considering cross-border M&As. The CSFs identified in this research can direct managerial priorities toward those few areas which should receive careful attention and control to achieve the M&A success.Originality/valueNo much empirical research has addressed Chinese cross-border M&As from a CSF perspective. This research helps to fill this research gap and provides new insights for the Chinese companies to increase the success rate in their cross-border M&A projects.

Brand management in mergers and acquisitions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on emerging market companies that internationalize into advanced economies by means of acquisitions and to investigate brand management during post-acquisition integration from a multi-level perspective and to identify how a brand management strategy can be constructed. It takes into account the influences of country-of-origin image, corporate brand and brand portfolio to obtain a granular view of post-acquisition brand management.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study approach was adopted. By using case studies and storytelling qualitative research methods, the empirical setting was related to the acquisitions undertaken by Chinese companies in Germany.FindingsThe authors identified three mechanisms for brand management in the post-acquisition integration of emerging market companies – namely, transferring, dynamically redeploying and categorizing – that underpin the interconnection and combined influence of country-of-origin image at the national level, corporate brand at the organizational level and brand portfolio at the product level.Practical implicationsBrand has been viewed as a strategic asset in Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Brand management is a dynamic process that involves learning and interaction between the acquirer and target. The research offers a practical guideline for both acquirers and targets in managing brand in the context of acquisitions undertaken by emerging market companies in advanced economies.Originality/valueThe findings provide important insights into the brand management strategies adopted in Chinese cross-border M&As in particular, and emerging market companies venturing into advanced economies in general. The interlinking of country, company and product levels introduces new ideas to the brand literature related to acquisitions, and the setting of Chinese companies acquiring German ones constitutes an important contribution to the understanding of the different ways in which companies from emerging economies may pursue branding strategies in the context of cross-border M&As.

Comparative advantages and cross-border mergers and acquisitions: the case of Chinese M&As in European countries

The purpose of this study is to scrutinise the links between Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and of the export competitiveness of Chinese and of targeted countries' industries in which investors are competing. We base our study on the revealed comparative advantages (RCA) of both Chinese exports and recipient countries' exports. We develop hypotheses about the level of RCA of China in industries in which the corresponding M&As occur and the level of RCA of the recipient countries. We test our hypotheses on a sample composed of Chinese M&As realised in the eight main recipient countries registered from 2006-2016 in Europe. With respect to low-cost products, Chinese acquiring firms compete in industries with a high domestic RCA, whereas European target firms compete in industries with a high domestic RCA. With respect to more sophisticated products, Chinese acquiring firms compete in industries with a low domestic RCA and European target firms compete in industries with a high domestic RCA. Our study suggests the predominance of market-seeking investments in the first case and strategic asset-seeking investments in the second case.

Ownership Structure, Corporate Governance, and Bilateral Political Relations: Evidence from Chinese Cross-Border Mergers

This paper examines the relation between firm ownership structure, bilateral political relations and firm performance using a sample of 219 cross-border mergers conducted by Chinese listed companies from 2000 to 2013. First, we find that government-affiliated bidder abnormal returns do not differ from non-affiliated bidders in the announcement period after controlling for deal characteristics. However, longer-term post-merger bidder abnormal returns are lower for government-affiliated bidders, consistent with the general inefficiency associated with government-affiliation. Second, our results indicate that improving bilateral political relations between China and target nations are positively associated with both short and long-term bidder performance, indicating a role for political institutions in firm outcomes. Third, we find that the interaction between government-affiliation and change in political relations is generally unrelated to bidder performance. However, in target nations with relatively low political risk, the interaction between government-affiliation and change in political relations is positively related to longer-term bidder performance. Thus, government-affiliation can be value enhancing in certain cases. Finally, our results indicate that government-affiliated bidders do not differ in target selection criteria relative to non-affiliated bidders. Collectively, our results suggest an important role for bidder ownership type as well as national political relations in cross-border M&A.

Explaining the surge in M&A as an entry mode: home country and cultural influences

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the trends, patterns and the impact of cultural and home country macroeconomic influences on Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (CBM&A) as foreign entry strategy for the period of 1998-2011.Design/methodology/approachUsing three regression models, namely, ordinary least squares, the random effects and fixed effects to examine the impact of home country macroeconomic and cultural factors on CBM&A outflows as an entry mode of Chinese firms. The authors check the robustness of the results using system GMM.FindingsThe findings suggest that CBM&A as a preferred mode of market entry provides a means for obtaining strategic resources to develop competitive advantages for the Chinese emerging market firms. The regression results indicate that home country macroeconomic and cultural variables, including gross domestic product (GDP), liquidity, interest rates, inflation, acquisitions in resource seeking sectors and cultural distance play an important role in explaining the trends of CBM&A outflows by the Chinese firms.Research limitations/implicationsThe results imply that government support to emerging market multinational enterprises (EMEs) to acquire strategic assets and economic policies in the home country play an important role in shaping international expansion behaviour of EMEs through CBM&A. The study demonstrates that outward investments of EMEs are partly a function of the level of economic policies and government support at home. The limitation is that most of the Chinese CBM&A transactions took place in Asia/Pacific locations. Future studies appear warranted if new data become available.Originality/valueThe study demonstrates how the institutions, strategic asset seeking with government support and economic policies in the home country play important role in shaping international expansion behaviour of emerging market enterprises through CBM&A thereby contributing to the political economy literature and institutional theory. More importantly, the study shows that the level of economic policies and development such as GDP, money supply, interest rates, inflation of the home country are important for EME growth in the international market.

An Analysis of Short-Term Performance of UK Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions by Chinese Listed Companies

Using a unique and proprietary database of Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions into the UK from 2012 to early 2016, this paper investigates the short-term performance of UK cross-border mergers and acquisitions acquired by Chinese publicly-listed companies. Using event study analysis with four different time-period windows, the results show that Chinese acquirers have earned significantly positive abnormal returns on the first day following the announcement date of M&A deals, however, these positive returns faded away over time. In addition, we conduct the event analysis by sector subsamples. The findings suggest that Chinese acquirers in Real Estate and other business sector deals have gained positive abnormal returns, while those in the Financial sector had negative abnormal returns. Regarding the factors that drive stock performance, the paper takes five of the most related deal characteristics into consideration both in univariate analysis and regression analysis. The results indicate that target form (public/private) and absolute transaction size are the most influential factors on the short-term performance of these Chinese acquiring firms: acquirers engaged in deals where the target firms are UK private and small/medium-sized earn statistically significant higher abnormal returns than those UK public and large-sized targets.

The Institutional Influence on the Location Strategies of Multinational Enterprises from Emerging Economies: Evidence from China's Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the institutional influence on the location strategies of Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) during the period 1985–2011 across 150 economies using Heckman's two-stage model. The results suggest that Chinese Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) are ‘shortsighted’ and show perverse behaviour towards host country risk when deciding on the location of host country and volume of investment undertaken through M&As, which may damage the firm's long-term profitability.

Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions by Chinese Firms: value creation or value destruction?

Mixed results from studies on Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been a puzzle for both academia and business professionals over the years. Do these M&As create value when Chinese firms acquire foreign target firms suffering heavy losses and even on the verge of bankruptcy? This article explores the wealth effect of M&As conducted by Chinese firms as well as the relevant factors from the asset-seeking perspective. The authors use 180 M&A cases conducted by listed firms in China between 2002 and 2012 as samples and examine their wealth effects in a method of event study. The results show that these M&A activities have produced significant positive wealth effects during the event window of [–10, 10]. The authors then study the key factors affecting wealth effects. The findings reveal that an acquiring firm’s strength via research and development (R&D) and M&A experience generates significant positive impacts on the wealth effect. The findings also reveal that an innovation orientation and development stage of host countries helps create positive wealth effects; vertical M&As are particularly favored by the market since they can gain easier access to R&D, marketing channels or mineral resources.

The impact of state ownership, formal institutions and resource seeking on acquirers’ returns of Chinese M&A

We examine the effects of state ownership, institutions and resource-seeking behavior on post-acquisition stock price returns of Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions over the period 1998–2008. Chinese acquiring firms experience negative returns ranging from 2.92 to 10.80 % in 12- and 60-month post-event periods, respectively. State ownership (SOE), interaction between R&D and SOE, formal institutional distance and acquirer size have a positive and significant impact on the long-term acquirer returns. However, the interaction between tangible resources and SOE and acquirer cash holdings appears to have a negative and significant impact on long-term returns. Overall, our results suggest that the state and institutions constitute important sources of long-term value creation for Chinese acquirers.

How Chinese "Snake" Swallows Western "Elephant": A Case Study of Lenovo’s Acquisition of IBM PC Division

Chinese Cross-Border Mergers & Acquisitions (CBMA) have accounted for a majority of Chinese outward direct investment (OFDI) and thus received much academic attention in recent years. Along with China’s integration with global economies, hundreds of Chinese companies have become multinational corporations (MNCs). Equipped with little internationalisation experiences and resources, Chinese MNCs not only struggle to survive intense competition, but also hunt for new opportunities in the global market. As late comers, Chinese MNCs have faced various problems and challenges, particularly in acquiring Western enterprises. Taking the deal of China’s Lenovo acquisition of IBM PC department (PCD) as a case, this paper offers insights into the specific features and characteristics behind Chinese CBMA. The study reveals Lenovo’s unique integration process and thus contributes to the theoretical development of CBMA literature. This study also evaluates the overall performance of Lenovo before and after acquisition of IBM PCD by using both subjective and objective measures.