In an interview with Executive Agenda, A.T. Kearney partners Vikram Chakravarty and Chua Soon Ghee discuss their new book, Asian Mergers & Acquisitions: Riding the Wave, and why Asian M&A will unfold differently than patterns established in the West.

For years, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) between developed and emerging countries were initiated almost exclusively by companies in developed nations. While these deals still dominate, emerging markets have been on the rise in recent years. Several emerging-market countries—including China, India, Malaysia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa—are acquiring majority stakes in companies in developed economies at astounding rates. In 2011, of the 2,585 majority acquisitions between developed and emerging countries, 20 percent were initiated by companies in emerging countries. The total number of transactions in which companies from emerging countries acquired developed-country companies has been increasing since 2002 at an average rate of 17 percent per year.

In 2011, however, this growth stagnated when the economic uncertainty in Europe and the United States made acquisitions in those regions less attractive. While the rate of acquisition of companies in established countries by emerging countries remained flat at -2 percent, players in developed countries stepped up their acquisition activity in emerging markets by 20 percent; companies from established countries seem to increasingly pursue targets in developing countries not only as a means to capture cost synergies or access to growing markets but also as a means to counter competition from upcoming competitors.

Furthermore, A.T. Kearney's latest study of global mergers and acquisitions finds that transactions between developed and emerging countries increased from 5 to 9 percent of global M&A activity in just 9 years. Since 2009 the number of those deals has increased by 50 percent..

This rate of growth far exceeds the rate observed for majority acquisitions within developed or emerging countries (an average annual rate of just 4 percent between 2002 and 2011). While still not large in absolute terms, it indicates how rapidly emerging markets are catching up in M&A activity.

This paper discusses the study findings, analyzes motives and trends, and lays out a three-pronged strategy for developed-country players to retain a competitive edge in a whole new world of M&A.

Carve-out transactions—the divestiture or sale of a division or business unit—have to clear a higher hurdle for success than typical mergers and acquisitions because they are more complex. Yet, carve-outs are worth the extra effort. Carve-outs can lead to lower premiums and higher gains for buyers, and for sellers they increase the likelihood of successfully closing the deal. Capturing these advantages, however, requires looking beyond the financials to understand the challenges associated with the transition.

Even in uncertain times, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can be a source of value. In particular, carve-out deals, when strategically aligned, can unlock value for sellers and provide buyers with a platform for growth. As demonstrated by ING (online banking), Sara Lee (tea and coffee), Infineon (wireline communications), Dow (styrene manufacturing), and Caterpillar (third-party logistics), carve-outs are not limited to a single sector.

Carve-outs are attractive for a number of reasons. For buyers, they promise greater returns on investment, while eliminating the need to acquire non-strategic assets and business lines in order to obtain the desired assets. Because carve-outs are typically the domain of strategic buyers, there is usually less competition with financial buyers. For sellers, carve-outs are a way to manage activities more effectively.

The asymmetry that exists between the buyer and seller is the reason carve-outs work so well. Their differing needs and motives dovetail nicely, and both get exactly what they want. Strategic fit and value potential are greater for the buyer, while sellers can use the transaction to monetize underperforming assets—focusing resources more strategically on areas that generate higher returns (see figure 1). Although dealing with strategic buyers may limit the seller's ability to generate a competitive bid, it narrows the field to a set of viable buyers, which increases the probability of a successful deal.

The dominant theme across today’s healthcare industry is uncertainty—in terms of sales, regulatory pressures, pricing, and costs. Against this backdrop, more pharmaceutical and biotech companies are turning to mergers and acquisitions as a way to bolster growth and their pipelines. This collection of case studies highlights A.T. Kearney’s M&A work in the healthcare industry.

Statistics bear out the severe decline in M&A deals. The value of deals globally fell from $3.7 trillion in 2007 to $2.3 trillion in 2008, a staggering 38 percent decline. Statistics for the first half of 2009 show a 35 percent decline to $1.14 trillion.

Our view is that bleak economic scenarios are opportunities for strong companies to bolster their standing in their respective industries and orchestrate "game changing" initiatives, prime among them are mergers and acquisitions. Such companies seek out opportunities to consolidate their industries and gain market share, acquire new technologies and know-how, strengthen competitive advantage, and capitalize on an improving economy. Mergers and acquisitions are currently the ideal mode for such opportunities. It's a buyer's market, and companies that act now are likely to emerge as winners when the upswing arrives. Now is as good a time as any for deal making.

A few companies have made aggressive moves: IBM announced its intention to acquire SPSS, and Sprint Nextel announced that it will acquire Virgin Mobile. Kraft made a bold takeover bid for Cadbury, offering more than $16 billion for the British confectionery maker. Disney announced a $4 billion takeover of Marvel Entertainment and Baker Hughes agreed to acquire BJ Services for $5.5 billion to create an oilfield giant. Among the largest of the recent deals are the $68 billion Pfizer-Wyeth merger and Oracle's $7.4 billion bid for Sun Microsystems. We expect more of these large deals as companies with solid balance sheets discover opportunities in the form of undervalued assets.

Amid signs of an economic recovery—though tentative and fitful—more companies are once again testing the M&A waters. The year kicked off with a bang as Kraft Foods acquired Cadbury, Tyco purchased Brink's Home Security, and United and Continental Airlines agreed to merge and create the world's largest carrier. But scrutiny of these deals is higher than ever, as board members, stock holders and industry analysts want to see speedy returns from a merger or acquisition and are keeping a close eye on the integration process. The focus is increasingly on IT. As the margin for error shrinks, the role of IT departments in integrating merged companies is taking more of the spotlight.

In the best mergers, IT brings short-and long-term benefits that cannot be ignored, by enabling business synergies, providing business continuity and creating cost savings for the new organization. IT's role in post-merger integration not only brings real results—it is often the difference between a successful merger and one that never meets expectations.