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where ΔCF t is the incremental cash flow in period t, and r is the appropriate risk-adjusted discount<br />

rate.<br />

The total synergy is just the present value of all future cash flows. Equation 3 makes it clear that<br />

changes in future cash flows or their risk are at the root of any M&A synergies. Before considering<br />

how a merger might impact cash flows, recall how they are computed:<br />

With this in mind, we can look more closely at potential sources of incremental cash flows—and<br />

therefore, value—in acquisitions. We focus on the following three areas:<br />

1. Incremental revenue.<br />

2. Cost reductions.<br />

3. Tax savings.<br />

Incremental Revenue<br />

More revenue for the combined firm can come from marketing gains, strategic benefits, or market<br />

power. Increased revenue through marketing gains results from improvements in advertising,<br />

distribution, or product offerings. For example, when Citicorp and Travelers Inc. announced their<br />

merger in 1998, incremental revenue was a key factor:<br />

Finally, there is the central justification of the deal: cross-selling each other‟s products, mainly to<br />

retail customers. Over the next two years, Citigroup ought to be able to generate $600 million<br />

more in earnings because of cross-selling.<br />

—BusinessWeek, April 20, 1998, 37<br />

After acquiring Miller Brewing Company in 1970, Philip Morris used its marketing and advertising<br />

strength to move Miller from the #7 to the #2 U.S. beer maker by 1977.<br />

Some acquisitions provide strategic benefits that act as insurance against or options on future<br />

changes in the competitive environment. As genetic research has advanced, pharmaceutical firms have<br />

used acquisitions to ensure they participate in the commercial potential offered by this new<br />

technology. The 2001 acquisition of SmithKline Beecham PLC by Glaxo Wellcome PLC was<br />

motivated by Glaxo‟s fear of missing out on this revolution in the industry. SmithKline had entered<br />

the genetic research field in 1993 by investing $125 million in Human Genome Sciences, a Rockville,<br />

Maryland, biotechnology company created to commercialize new gene-hunting techniques.

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