The M&A markets have been rather sleepy for the last couple of years, thanks to a lousy economy. Still, corporate America sees M&A markets on the upswing the next two
years, according to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers Management Barometer Survey. The study, released in mid-May, says that nearly 70% of large multinationals expect to complete
deals during that period, with more activity among non-tech companies than technology businesses. Here are some other nuggets from the study:
- 63% say that M&A activity will be important to the growth of their company in the next two years.
- 29% say that M&A activity is not particularly or not at all important to their growth.
- 22% expect to make large deals in the next two years while 13% expect smaller deals.
...And Tactics
Donna Stein, a managing director at Brainerd Communications Inc., a PR agency for investor relations, says that among Brainerd's clients she's seen a dramatic increase in
communications activities associated with M&A activities. "From the corporate communications perspective, the key is to know the industry you're in and know the competitors,"
Stein says, "so when it comes time for the transaction the corporate communications person can go to senior management and say, 'This is how the deal should be positioned and this
should be our messaging.'"