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After a period of unchallenged market leadership in the segment of PC soft- and hardware, Microsoft faced increasing pressure from its competitors after 2010. Following this increase Microsoft initiated a new strategic alignment in recent years.
With more than 230 acquisitions Microsoft exhibits an extensive history of M&A transactions. In order to support its strategic shift, Microsoft announced in June 2013 its biggest deal with the acquisition of LinkedIn, bidding $26.2 billon.
Looking back on Microsoft's deal history, especially due to value destroying deals like the acquisition of Nokia's device segment, experts are sceptical whether Microsoft is able to generate value for shareholders.
Deal Logic LVMH / Belmond
(2019)
In the recent past, the demand for luxury experiences has grown. An increase in the middle and upper class disposable income, changes in lifestyle patterns, and demand for unique and exotic holiday experiences have been the forefront drivers. The global luxury travel market is expected to garner USD 1.2tr by 2022. Epitomising desirable destinations, luxurious accommodations, convenient transport facilities, and authentic travel experience, the luxury travel market has great future potential to grow and diversify. Customization and personalization gain increasing importance in luxury tourism. Also, the concept of luxury travel changes from opulence to exclusive. Synonymous with luxury, LVMH bets on the future of this market that is increasingly going experiential. Belmond would help it increase its luxury image. It would benefit from a luxury perception with both tangible and experiential products in its portfolio.
Disrupt yourself to avoid getting disrupted: Large firms struggling with further growth, acquiring smaller innovation drivers with complementary assets isn’t something new. But what is hard, in this context, is to justify the surging valuations and to identify the underlying synergies. When it comes to the High-Tech sector this can quickly become a philosophical question. The big question in the acquisition of Red Hat Inc. by IBM, analyzed in this Deal Logic, is the one concerning the future of cloud computing, especially when it comes to customer approval.
Deal Logic Shire / Takeda
(2019)
After a long bidding phase, the Japanese pharma company Takeda is going to take over the Ireland based manufacturer and wholesaler of pharmaceutical products Shire PLC. In the fifth attempt, Takeda offered USD 62 bn. The acquisition will create a leading provider of drugs for the treatment of rare diseases, cancer, blood clotting disorders, neurological disorders, or gastroenterology. With Shire, Takeda would double the size of their pharmaceutical business to about USD 30 bn, making it one of the top ten pharma companies worldwide. The takeover is the second biggest the pharmaceutical industry has seen so far and the largest overseas acquisition by a Japanese company.
Deal Logic Sprint / T-Mobile
(2019)
The two major US mobile operators, T-Mobile US Inc (T-Mobile) and Sprint Corp (Sprint), announced the merger of both firms in April 2018. The merger was initiated by T-Mobile that recently ranked as the third largest player in the US mobile telecommunication market. The transaction supports T-Mobile's aim to build the most extensive mobile network with the highest transmission capacity until 2024.
Deutsche Telekom AG and SoftBank will hold 42.0% and 27.0% of the new firm respectively. As a consequence of the deal, the new entity will challenge the top two market leaders Verizon and AT&T and reform the current telecommunication business landscape in the USA.
As a giant in the entertainment space, you have the power to influence not only the kind of content you roll out, but also the mediums on which the content can be offered. With the growing presence of online streaming platforms, the need to make yourself and your content relevant is ever increasing. Under looming concerns of a possible monopoly in the entertainment sector, Disney's purchase of 21st Century Fox has effects on the entertainment industry in the long run. With expectations of downsizing operations and possible large scale lay-offs, the real-world implications of the buyout aren't exactly lighthearted fun.
Deal Logic WABCO / ZF
(2019)
Anticipating future developments is not only a key task of every successful management team but also one of the most challenging ones. Sometimes, the pace of the markets towards a specific development can surpass the capable speed of change within a firm. In this case, acquisitions are a good option to not fall behind new or more agile competitors. The electrification of the automotive industry calls for new, innovative parts beyond the combustion engine. Due to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) low Real Net Output Ratio, the automotive suppliers will be required to do most of the anticipation. ZF Friedrichshafen AG (ZF) is betting on breaks to be vital demand driver of the future, with their acquisition of WABCO Holdings Inc. (WABCO).
Amazon is entering the stationary food trade in the US on a large scale. The world's largest online retailer acquires the organic chain Whole Foods Market for around USD 13.6bn. It is by far the largest acquisition in the company's history only followed by its purchase of the video game streaming platform Twitch and the online pharmacy PillPack, each for approximately USD 1 bn. Amazon had put pressure on stationary retailers in recent years and has shown an increasing interest in getting involved in their own business. Amazon opened several bookstores and also drives plans for high-tech supermarkets, which can be operated by only few employees. The group has also been expanding in the fresh food trade and the insurance sector for some time.
Future oriented libraries can make use of the current start-up trend. An orientation towards new and unorthodox target groups can lead to an enhanced extension of demand and can emphasize the status of libraries. The library of the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is considering to involve a new target group, start-up founders amongst their alumni. To that end, a survey was carried out and evaluated in cooperation with the Institute of Information Science at the TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences in form of a bachelor thesis, which this article is based upon. Here, a structured pre-analysis tries to determine the demand of this specific target group (founders) and develops a concept to serve the demand of this target group specifically. The example of the case study illustrates a method for target groups specific information demand and also checks the consequences for libraries and their services who venture out of their regular clientele.