Share:


Merger decisions, accounting information and performance stability inside and outside of economic crisis periods: evidence from Greece

Abstract

This study examines the merger decisions from a sample of Greek listed companies in the economic crisis period and shortly after its end, by employing various quantitative and qualitative variables of mergers that signalize different levels of risk. The results revealed that the performance subsequent of mergers is not significantly different for the merged companies. But in comparison to control sample of companies without mergers for the examined period, the results reveal that merger transactions signalize a more stable profitability and better performance for the companies with mergers. Furthermore, merger events signalize different performance levels during and after the crisis: mergers that took place when there was no economic crisis are far more profitable and lead to better performance from mergers during the period of economic crisis. Last, regarding the industry relatedness of the merged firms, the industry type and the merger combination of merged companies, there is not any impact from them on the post-merger performance in the examined accounting measures. The study proposes for companies that during crisis periods maybe merger be the only way to survive and provide a stable profitability and accounting performance for shareholders.

Keyword : mergers, accounting measures, financial ratios, performance, economic crisis, Greece

How to Cite
Pazarskis, M., Giovanis, N., Koutoupis, A., & Chasiotou, A. (2022). Merger decisions, accounting information and performance stability inside and outside of economic crisis periods: evidence from Greece. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 23(5), 1170–1193. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2022.17697
Published in Issue
Nov 8, 2022
Abstract Views
443
PDF Downloads
397
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Abdelmoneim, Z., & Abdelrahman Fekry, M. (2021). Using managerial and market tools to measure the impact of acquisition operations on firm per-formance. Investment Management and Financial Innovations, 18(1), 315–334. https://doi.org/10.21511/imfi.18(1).2021.26

Abdou, H. A., Agbeyo, O. O., Jones, K., & Sorour, K. (2016). The impact of M&A on the Nigerian financial market: A pre-post analysis. Investment Management and Financial Innovations, 13(1–1), 138–150. https://doi.org/10.21511/imfi.13(1-1).2016.01

Aggarwal, P., & Garg, S. (2019). Impact of mergers and acquisitions on accounting-based performance of acquiring firms in India. Global Business Review, 20(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972150919852009

Alhenawi, Y., & Krishnaswami, S. (2015). Long-term impact of merger synergies on performance and value. Quarterly Review of Economics and Fi-nance, 58(1), 93–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2015.01.006

Alhenawi, Y., & Stilwell, M. (2017). Value creation and the probability of success in merger and acquisition transactions. Review of Quantitative Fi-nance and Accounting, 49(1), 1041–1085. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11156-017-0616-2

Al-Hroot, Y. (2016). The impact of mergers on financial performance of the Jordanian industrial sector. International Journal of Management and Business Studies, 6(1), 9–13. http://www.ijmbs.com/Vol6/1/1-dr-yusuf-ali-khalaf-al-hroot.pdf

Amihud, Y., & Lev, B. (1981). Risk reduction as a managerial motive for conglomerate mergers. Bell Journal of Economics, 12(2), 605–617. https://doi.org/10.2307/3003575

Bhabra, H. S., & Huang, J. (2013). An empirical investigation of mergers and acquisitions by Chinese listed firms, 1997–2007. Journal of Multination-al Financial Management, 23(3), 186–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mulfin.2013.03.002

Berrioategortua, J., Olasagasti, O., & Florencio, B. (2018). Does company performance improve after M&A? A literature review. In S. Finkelstein & C. Cooper (Eds.), Advances in mergers and acquisitions (vol. 17, pp. 31–51). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-361X20180000017002

Brahma, S., Boateng, A., & Ahmad, S. (2018). Motives of mergers and acquisitions in the European public utilities: An empirical investigation of the wealth-anomaly. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 31(5), 599–616. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-01-2017-0024

Bruner, R. (2002). Does M&A pay? A survey of evidence for the decision-maker. Journal of Applied Finance, 12(1), 48–68.

Caves, R. (1989). Mergers, takeovers, and economic efficiency; Foresight vs. hindsight. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 7(1), 151–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-7187(89)90051-9

Chatterjee, S., & Meeks, G. (1996). The financial effects of takeover: Accounting rates of return and accounting regulation. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 23(5–6), 851–868. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5957.1996.tb01155.x

Chen, A.-S., Chu, H-H., Hung, P.-H., & Cheng, M.-S. (2020). Financial risk and acquirers’ stockholder wealth in mergers and acquisitions. North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 54, 100815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.najef.2018.07.016

Cheng, Y. (2019). Empirical research on mergers’ leverage dynamics and post-merger integration duration. Managerial Finance, 45(10/11), 1488–1507. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-05-2018-0196

Clark, K., & Ofek, E. (1994). Mergers as a means of restructuring distressed firms: An empirical investigation. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 29(4), 541–565. https://doi.org/10.2307/2331109

Cosh, A., Hughes, A., & Singh, A. (1980). The causes and effects of takeovers in the U.K.: An empirical investigation for the late 1960s at the microe-conomic level. In D. Mueller (Ed.), The determinants and effects of merger: An international comparison (pp. 227–270). Gunn and Horn Publica-tions.

Cui, H., & Chi-Moon Leung, S. (2020). The long-run performance of acquiring firms in mergers and acquisitions: Does managerial ability matter? Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, 16, 100185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcae.2020.100185

Dargenidou, C., Gregory, A., & Hua, S. (2016). How far does financial reporting allow us to judge whether M&A activity is successful? Accounting and Business Research, 46(5), 467–499. https://doi.org/10.1080/00014788.2016.1182702

Dickerson, A., Gibson, H., & Tsakalotos, E. (1997). The impact of acquisitions on company performance: evidence from a large panel of U.K. firms, Oxford Economic Papers, 49(3), 344–361. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2663598

Dimopoulos, T., & Sacchetto, S. (2017). Merger activity in industry equilibrium. Journal of Financial Economics, 126(1), 200–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2017.06.014

Furfine, C. H., & Rosen, R. J. (2011). Mergers increase default risk. Journal of Corporate Finance, 17(4), 832–849. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2011.03.003

Francis, J., & Martin, X. (2010). Acquisition profitability and timely loss recognition. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 49(1–2), 161–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2009.09.003

Fu, F., Lin, L., & Officer, M. S. (2013). Acquisitions driven by stock overvaluation: Are they good deals? Journal of Financial Economics, 109(1), 24–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2013.02.013

Golubov, A., Petmezas, D., & Travlos, N. (2013). Empirical mergers and acquisitions research: A review of methods, evidence and managerial implica-tions. In A. Bell, C. Brooks, & M. Prokopczuk (Eds.), Handbook of research methods and applications in empirical finance (pp. 287–313). Ed-ward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9780857936097.00021

Ghosh, A. (2001). Does operating performance really improve following corporate acquisitions? Journal of Corporate Finance, 7(2), 151–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0929-1199(01)00018-9

Grigorieva, S. (2020). How M&A deals influence corporate performance in developed and emerging capital markets: A review of empirical results in the literature. In I. Ivashkovskaya, S. Grigorieva, & E. Nivorozhkin (Eds.), Strategic deals in emerging capital markets. Advanced studies in emerging markets finance (pp. 33–61). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23850-6_2

Gupta, I., Raman, T. V., & Tripathy, N. (2021), Impact of merger and acquisition on financial performance: Evidence from construction and real estate industry of India. FIIB Business Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/23197145211053400

Ibrahim, Y., & Raji, J. O. (2018). Cross-border merger and acquisition activities in Asia: The role of macroeconomic factors. Studies in Economics and Finance, 35(2), 307–329. https://doi.org/10.1108/SEF-06-2017-0146

Jandik, T., & Lallemand, J. (2014). Value impact of debt issuances by targets of withdrawn takeovers. Journal of Corporate Finance, 29(1), 475–494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2014.10.002

Jensen, M., & Ruback, R. (1983). The market for corporate control: The scientific evidence. Journal of Financial Economics, 11(1–4), 5–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(83)90004-1

HaiYue, L., YiXian, L., Rui, Y., & XiaoPing, L. (2019). How do Chinese firms perform before and after cross-border mergers and acquisi-tions? Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 55(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/1540496X.2018.1556636

Harrison, J., Hart, M., & Oler, D. (2014). Leverage and acquisition performance. Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, 43(3), 571–603. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11156-013-0385-5

Harrison, J. (2005). What drives merger waves? Journal of Financial Economics, 77(3), 529–560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2004.05.004

Harford, J., Klasa, S., & Walcott, N. (2009). Do firms have leverage targets? Evidence from acquisitions. Journal of Financial Economics, 93(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2008.07.006

Healy, P., Palepu, K., & Ruback, R. (1992). Does corporate performance improve after mergers? Journal of Financial Economics, 31(2), 135–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(92)90002-F

Healy, P., Palepu, K., & Ruback, R. (1997). Which takeovers are profitable: Strategic or financial?. Sloan Management Review, 38(4), 45–57. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/which-takeovers-are-profitable-strategic-or-financial

Hoshino, Y. (1982). The performance of corporate mergers in Japan. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 9(2), 153–165. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5957.1982.tb00982.x

Hu, N., Zhang, Y., & Tan, S. (2016). Determinants of Chinese cross-border M&As. Annals of Economics and Finance, 17(1), 209–233. http://aeconf.com/Articles/May2016/aef170110.pdf

Hummel, J., & Amiryany, N. (2015). Determinants of acquisition performance: A multi-industry analysis. In J. Humell & N. Amiryany (Eds.), Ad-vances in mergers and acquisitions (pp. 143–169). Emerald Group Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-361X20150000014009

Kaplan, S. (1989). Campeau’s acquisition of federated: Value destroyed or value added. Journal of Financial Economics, 25(2), 191–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(89)90081-0

Karampatsas, N., Petmezas, D., & Travlos, N. (2014). Credit ratings and the choice of payment method in mergers and acquisitions. Journal of Corpo-rate Finance, 25(2), 474–493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2014.01.008

Kumar, M. (1984). Growth, acquisition and investment. Cambridge University Press.

Kusewitt, J. (1985). An explanatory study of strategic acquisition factors relating to performance. Strategic Management Journal, 6(2), 151–169. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250060205

Kyei-Mensah, J. (2019). Stock liquidity, firm size and return persistence around mergers and acquisitions announcement. Investment Management and Financial Innovations, 16(2), 116–127. https://doi.org/10.21511/imfi.16(2).2019.10

Lang, L., Stulz, R., & Walkling, R. (1989). Managerial performance, Tobin’s Q, and the gains from successful tender offers. Journal of Financial Eco-nomics, 24(1), 137–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(89)90075-5

Lev, B., & Mandelker, G. (1972). The microeconomic consequences of corporate mergers. Journal of Business, 45(1), 85–104. https://doi.org/10.1086/295427

Lebedev, S., Peng, M., Xie, E., & Stevens, C. (2014). Mergers and acquisitions in and out of emerging economies. Journal of World Business, 50(1), 651–662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2014.09.003

Lewellen, W. (1971). A pure financial rationale for the conglomerate merger. Journal of Finance, 26(2), 521–537. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1971.tb00912.x

Lois, P., Pazarskis, M., Drogalas, G., & Karagiorgos, A. (2021). On mergers and acquisitions in Greece – before and after the onslaught of the eco-nomic crisis. Journal of Developing Areas, 55(2), 355–366. https://doi.org/10.1353/jda.2021.0049

Lys, T., & Vincent, L. (1995). An analysis of value destruction in AT&T’s acquisition of NCR. Journal of Financial Economics, 39(2–3), 353–378. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(95)00831-X

Manson, S., Stark, A., & Thomas, H. (1995). A cash flow analysis of operational gains from takeovers (Certified research report No. 35). The Char-tered Association of Certified Accountants, London, UK.

Martynova, M., & Renneboog, L. (2008). A century of corporate takeovers: What have we learned and where do we stand? Journal of Banking and Finance, 32(10), 2148–2177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2007.12.038

Meeks, G. (1977). Disappointing marriage: A study of the gains from merger. (Occasional Paper 51). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.

Meglio, O., & Risberg, A. (2011). The (mis)measurement of M&A performance-A systematic narrative literature review. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 27(4), 418–433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2011.09.002

Moeller, S. B., Schlingemann, F. B., & Stulz, R. M. (2004). Firm size and the gains from acquisitions. Journal of Financial Economics, 73(2), 201–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2003.07.002

Mueller, D. (1980). The determinants and effects of merger: An international comparison. Gunn and Horn Publications.

Mueller, D. (1985). Mergers and market share. Review of Economics and Statistics, 67(2), 259–267. https://doi.org/10.2307/1924725

Netter, J., Stegemoller, M., & Wintoki, M. B. (2011). Implications of data screens on merger and acquisition analysis: A large sample study of mergers and acquisitions from 1992 to 2009. Review of Financial Studies, 24(7), 2316–2357. https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhr010

Pantelidis, P., Pazarskis, M., Drogalas, G., & Zezou, S. (2018). Managerial decisions and accounting performance following mergers in Greece. In-vestment Management and Financial Innovations, 15(1), 263–276. https://doi.org/10.21511/imfi.15(1).2018.22

Pawaskar, V. (2001). Effect of mergers on corporate performance in India. Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers, 26(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0256090920010103

Pazarskis, M., Pantelidis, P., Alexandrakis, A., & Serifis, P. (2014). Successful merger decisions in Greece: Facts or delusions? Corporate Ownership and Control, 11(2), 708–717. https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv11i2c7p4

Pazarskis, M., Vogiatzoglou, M., Koutoupis, A., & Drogalas, G. (2021). Corporate mergers and accounting performance during a period of economic crisis: Evidence from Greece. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 22(3), 577–595. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2020.13911

Pervan, M., Višić, J., & Barnjak, K. (2015). The impact of M&A on company performance: Evidence from Croatia. Procedia Economics and Finance, 23, 1451–1456. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(15)00351-2

Ramaswamy, K. P., & Waegelein, J. (2003). Firm financial performance following mergers. Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, 20(1), 115–126. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023089924640

Rao-Nicholson, R., & Salaber, J. (2013). The motives and performance of cross-border acquirers from emerging economies: Comparison between Chi-nese and Indian firms. International Business Review, 22(6), 963–980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2013.02.003

Rao-Nicholson, R., Salaber, J., & Cao, T. H. (2016). Long-term performance of mergers and acquisitions in ASEAN countries. Research in Interna-tional Business and Finance, 36(1), 373–387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2015.09.024

Ravenscraft, D., & Scherer, F. (1987). Mergers, sell-offs and economic efficiency. The Brookings Institution.

Rodionov, I., & Mikhalchuk, V. (2020). Domestic M&As in Russia: Performance and success factors. In I. Ivashkovskaya, S. Grigorieva, & E. Nivorozhkin (Eds.), Strategic deals in emerging capital markets (advanced studies in emerging markets finance) (pp. 189–220). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23850-6_8

Ruback, R. (1983). The cities service takeover: A case study. Journal of Finance, 38(2), 319–330. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1983.tb02236.x

Salter, M., & Weinhold, W. (1979). Diversification through acquisition; Strategies for creating economic value. Free Press.

Sharma, D., & Ho, J. (2002). The impact of acquisitions on operating performance: Some Australian evidence. Journal of Business Finance and Ac-counting, 29(1–2), 155–200. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5957.00428

Sun, Z., Vinig, T., & Daniël Hosman, T. (2017). The financing of Chinese outbound mergers and acquisitions: Is there a distortion between state-owned enterprises and privately owned enterprises? Research in International Business and Finance, 39(1), 377–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2016.09.005

Tampakoudis, I., & Anagnostopoulou, E. (2020). The effect of mergers and acquisitions on environmental, social and governance performance and market value: Evidence from EU acquirers. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(5), 1865–1875. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2475

Tampakoudis, I., Nerantzidis, M., Soubeniotis, D., & Soutsas, A. (2018). The effect of corporate governance mechanisms on European mergers and acquisitions. Corporate Governance, 18(5), 965–986. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-05-2018-0166

Tanna, S., & Yousef, I. (2019). Mergers and acquisitions: Implications for acquirers’ market risk. Managerial Finance, 45(4), 545–562. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-09-2018-0446

Tao, F., Liu, X., Gao, L., & Xia, E. (2017). Do cross-border mergers and acquisitions increase short-term market performance? The case of Chinese firms. International Business Review, 26(1), 189–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2016.06.006

Tao, Q., Sun, W., Zhu, Y., & Zhang, T. (2017). Do firms have leverage targets? New evidence from mergers and acquisitions in China. North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 40(1), 41–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.najef.2017.01.004

Thanos, I., & Papadakis, V. (2012). The use of accounting-based measures in measuring M&A performance: A review of five decades of research. In C. L. Cooper & S. Finkelstein (Eds.) Advances in Mergers and Acquisitions (Vol. 10, pp. 103–120). Emerald Group Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-361X(2012)0000010009

Triantafyllopoulos, Y., & Mpourletidis, K. (2014). Mergers and acquisitions and economic crisis. A case study approach from a qualitative analysis in Greece. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 148, 437–445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.063

Utton, M. A. (1974). On measuring the effects of industrial mergers. Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 21(1), 13–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9485.1974.tb00173.x

Yeh, T.-M., & Hoshino, Y. (2002). Productivity and operating performance of Japanese merging firms: Keiretsu-related and independent mergers. Ja-pan and the World Economy, 14(3), 347–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0922-1425(01)00081-0

Young Chae, W., Byun, J., Moon Sub Choi, P., & Yang, R. (2018). Do corporate governance and culture matter in cross-border acquisitions? Some Chinese evidence. Investment Management and Financial Innovations, 15(1), 90–105. https://doi.org/10.21511/imfi.15(1).2018.09

Zhang, W., Wang, K., Li, L., Chen, Y., & Wang, X. (2018). The impact of firms’ mergers and acquisitions on their performance in emerging economies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 135(1), 208–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.05.015