Cass M&A Research Cited in Parliamentary Committee by Business Secretary

Aug. 21, 2012 - PRLog -- Mr Cable, who was giving evidence before the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, said the study led him to re-think his view on takeovers.

The study, which was published in 2011, found that the UK economy benefits from an average short-term boost of £178m per deal, countering the long-held view that takeovers are damaging.

Mr Cable said the study showed that takeovers had "substantial" benefits for companies and the UK as a whole.  He added: "(The study) challenges the orthodoxy which I have had for some time that we should be suspicious of merger activity in terms of its overall effects."

Deputy Director of the M&A Research Centre and author of the research, Anna Faelten, said: "It is good to know that research conducted at Cass is influencing policymakers at the highest levels of Government and contributing to important debates on matters concerning the UK economy."

The Mergers and Acquisitions Research Centre (MARC) at Cass is a real breakthrough and the first time a major business school has established a focused centre for research into the global M&A industry.

The Centre and its faculty conduct research that is academically rigorous and of direct practical relevance in doing, or advising on, deals.  They publish papers in top journals, the business press and other publications and provide advice and support to companies and M&A advisers.  MARC also offer programmes for practitioners on how to conduct effective deals, in addition to hosting and promoting debate about emerging issues in M&A.  MARC's faculty, along with top executives from its senior sponsors and sponsors, provide commentary on M&A deals and industry issues to the media.

Vince Cable was giving evidence before the Business, Innovation and Skills Parliamentary Committee on 17 July.

At MARC, the academic excellence of Cass (http://www.cass.city.ac.uk/) meets the expertise of M&A bankers, lawyers, consultants, accountants and other key players. With its proximity to the City of London, Cass is perfectly placed to maintain close contacts with many such professionals.  This has resulted in cutting-edge insights into the entire M&A field, from deal origination to completion, from financing to integration, from emerging markets to the boardrooms of the world's largest companies.

MARC is one of over 20 research centres (http://www.cass.city.ac.uk/research-and-faculty/research) at Cass, which consistently achieves the highest independent ratings. A number of corporations, regulators, professional services firms, exchanges and universities are already using MARC (http://www.cass.city.ac.uk/research-and-faculty/centres/m...) for swift access to the latest research and practical ideas.