chapter15.pdf - Howard Assignments

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.

15 International Corporate Governance and Control

 Describe the common forms of corporate governance by MNCs

 Explain how MNC’s use corporate control as a form of governance

 Identify the factors that are considered when valuing a foreign target

 Explain why valuations of a target firm vary among MNCs that consider corporate control strategies

 Identify other types of international corporate control actions

Chapter Objectives

International Corporate Governance

Governance by Board Members – The Board of Directors is responsible for appointing high-level managers of the firm including the CEO. The board is supposed to make sure that key management decisions are in the best interest of shareholders. However, boards are not always effective at governance.

1. Some allow the firm’s CEO to serve as the chair of the board.

2. Boards typically contain insiders (managers working for the firm) who might prefer policies that favor management.

3. Board members who are employees of a foreign subsidiary may maximize the benefits to the subsidiary.

International Corporate Governance

Governance by Institutional Investors

1. Institutional investors such as pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, and insurance companies commonly hold a large proportion of a firm’s shares.

2. The ability or willingness to enforce governance commonly varies among types of institutional investors.

International Corporate Governance

Governance by Shareholder Activists

1. Some institutional investors or individual shareholders of publicly traded MNCs are called blockholders because they hold a large proportion (such as at least 5 percent) of the firm’s stock.

2. Blockholders commonly become shareholder activists, that is, they take actions to influence management.

International Corporate Control

1. Market for corporate controla. If managers make decisions that destroy value, the MNC

could be subject to takeover and managers could lose their jobs.

b. Market for corporate control is a means for MNCs to achieve expansion goals

2. Motives for International Acquisitionsa. Comparative advantageb. Better form of direct foreign investment

3. Trends in International Acquisitionsa. Traditionally, MNCs in various countries tend to focus on

specific geographic regions and use stocks or cash to make their purchases depending on shareholder power

b. International acquisitions have generally increased over time. However, the pace slowed during the credit crisis in 2008.

Barriers to International Corporate Control

1. Anti-takeover amendments implemented by target – Target may implement an anti-takeover amendment that requires a large proportion of shareholders to approve the takeover.

2. Poison pills implemented by target – Grants special rights to managers or shareholders under specified conditions.

3. Host government barriers – Governments of some countries restrict foreign firms from taking control of local firms, or they may allow foreign ownership of local firms only if specific guidelines are satisfied.

Model for Valuing a Foreign Target

acquirerby sold be ll target wi when thetime

targetof valuesalvage

nacquisitioon return of rate required

by target generated flowcash

targetacquire toneededoutlay initial

where

)1()1(







 



CFIONPV

taaa

When an MNC engages in restructuring, it affects the structure of its assets, which will ultimately affect the present value of its cash flows.

Model for Valuing a Foreign Target

Estimating the initial outlay

 Firms commonly pay premiums above the prevailing stock price of a foreign target to gain ownership.

 The initial dollar outlay (IOU.S.) is determined by the acquisition price in foreign currency (IOf) and the spot price of the foreign currency (S):

SIOIO fSU ..

Model for Valuing a Foreign Target

Estimating the Cash Flows  The estimated foreign currency cash flows that are to be

converted must account for any taxes or blocked-funds restrictions imposed by the host government.

 The dollar amount of cash flows to the U.S. firm is determined by the foreign currency cash flows (CFf,t) per period and the spot rate at that time (St)

ttfta SCFCF  ,,

Model for Valuing a Foreign Target (Cont.)

Impact of the SOX Act on the valuation of the target –

 Improved the process for reporting profits used by U.S. firms (including U.S.–based MNCs).

 It requires firms to document an orderly and transparent process for reporting so that they cannot distort their earnings.

 It also requires more accountability for oversight by executives and the board of directors.

Factors Affecting Target Valuation

1. Target-Specific Factorsa. Target’s previous cash flows

b. Managerial talent of the target

2. Country-Specific Factorsa. Target’s local economic conditions

b. Target’s local political conditions

c. Target’s industry conditions

d. Target’s currency conditions

e. Target’s local stock market conditions

f. Taxes applicable to the target

Valuation of Targets:

Sources of Uncertainty Growth rate of revenue is subject to uncertainty

 Cost of goods sold could exceed assumed level

 Selling and administrative expenses could exceed assumptions

 Corporate tax rate could increase

 Exchange rate may be weaker than expected

 Estimated selling price of target in future may be incorrect.

Changes in Valuation Over Time

1. Impact of stock market conditions – A change in stock market conditions affects the price per share of each stock in that market.

2. Impact of credit availability – Greatly impacts the ability of MNCs to make acquisitions.

3. Impact of exchange rates – If the foreign currency appreciates by the time the acquirer makes payment, the acquisition will be more costly.

4. Impact of market anticipation regarding the target -The stock price of the target may increase if investors anticipate that the target will be acquired because they are aware that stock prices of targets rise abruptly after a bid by the acquiring firm.

Disparity in Foreign Target Valuations

1. Estimated cash flows of the foreign target – Each MNC may have a different plan as to how the target will fit within its structure and how the target will conduct future operations.

2. Exchange rate effects on the funds remitted – Valuation can vary among MNCs simply because of differences in the exchange rate effects.

3. Required return of the acquirer – The valuation of the target could also vary among MNCs because of differences in their required rate of return

Other Corporate Control Decisions

1. International partial acquisitions – A partial international acquisition requires less funds because only a portion of the foreign target’s shares are purchased.

2. Valuation Process – When an MNC considers a partial acquisition it must take the perspective of a passive investor rather than as a decision maker.

Other Corporate Control Decisions

Valuation Process:

International acquisitions of privatized businesses is difficult because: a. Future cash flows are uncertain due to introduction of

competition.

b. Data regarding value and benchmarks are limited

c. Economic conditions are uncertain in transitional economies

d. Political conditions are volatile

e. Potential conflict between government control and acquirers may exist.

Other Corporate Control Decisions

International Divestitures – common external forces that could reduce the present value of a foreign subsidiary’s future cash flows

a. a weakening economy in the host country could reduce expected cash flows to be generated by the subsidiary,

b. a reduction in the local currency of the host country could reduce the exchange rate at which the cash flows generated by the subsidiary would be converted to dollars,

c. higher taxes imposed by the host government would reduce the expected cash flows of the subsidiary

d. an increase in the MNC parent’s cost of capital would increase the discount rate at which expected future cash flows are discounted when determining the present value of the subsidiary.

Control Decisions as Real Options

Real Options are implicit options on real assets such as buildings, machinery, and other assets.

1. Call option on real assets represents a proposed project that contains an option of pursuing an additional venture.

2. Put option on real assets represents a proposed project that contains an option of divesting part or all of the project.

SUMMARY

 An MNC’s board of directors is responsible for ensuring that its managers focus on maximizing the wealth of the shareholders. A board should typically be more effective if the chair is an outside board member and if the board is dominated by outside members. Institutional investors monitor an MNC, but some institutional investors (such as hedge funds) tend to be more effective monitors than others. Blockholders who have a large stake in the firm may also serve as effective monitors and can influence the management because of their voting power.

SUMMARY

 The international market for corporate control serves as another form of governance because if public firms do not serve shareholders they may become subject to takeovers. However, managers of public firms can implement some tactics such as anti-takeover provisions and poison pills in order to protect against takeovers.

 The valuation of a firm’s target is influenced by target specific factors (such as the target’s previous cash flows and its managerial talent) and country-specific factors (such as economic conditions, political conditions, currency conditions, and stock market conditions).

SUMMARY (Cont.)

 In the typical valuation process, an MNC initially screens prospective targets based on willingness to be acquired and country barriers. Then, each prospective target is valued by estimating its cash flows, based on target-specific characteristics and the target’s country characteristics, and by discounting the expected cash flows. Then the perceived value is compared to the target’s market value to determine whether the target can be purchased at a price that is below the perceived value from the MNC’s perspective.

SUMMARY (Cont.)

 Valuations of a foreign target may vary among potential acquirers because of differences in estimates of the target’s cash flows or exchange rate movements or differences in the required rate of return among acquirers. These differences may be especially pronounced when the potential acquirers are from different countries.

 Besides international acquisitions of firms, the more common types of international corporate control transactions include international partial acquisitions, international acquisitions of privatized businesses, and international divestitures. The feasibility of these types of transactions can be assessed by applying multinational capital budgeting. Implicit options on real assets such as buildings, machinery, and other assets.