Mega-Merger Mayhem : Takeover Strategies, Battles and Controls

In Mega-Merger Mayhem, Sidney Gray and Michael McDermott review the recent merger boom in the United Kingdom from February 1985 to June 1988, highlighting the key events and discussing the major issues. They identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Government's merger policy in action, and its attitudes towards competition. They also examine the conduct of the combatants and their advisors in these battles. Finally they assess the policy implications of recent developments, both for the UK and the EC, and propose various changes. Sidney Gray and Michael McDermott describe the drama of the takeover battles: the tension, the surprise, the sudden attack, the way first one company gains the advantage and then the other, the final triumph of the victor and the humiliation of the vanquished. The seven battles are chosen for their interest and reflect important sectors of UK and world business.