Description:
This dissertation consists of four self-contained chapters that examine
merger & acquisition (M&A) press releases (PRs) and firm performance.
The central research topic with regard to M&A PRs is to investigate the
relationship between the textual properties of PRs and the firm’s short-term
and long-term performance. The first chapter reviews studies related to
firms’ M&A activities and disclosures. The second chapter investigates
whether the textual properties of M&A PRs trigger the price and volume
reaction of both acquiring and target firms, which is the short-term market
reaction during the announcement period. The third chapter focuses on the
long-term performance of the acquirer after the completion of the M&A deal.
This chapter examines whether the textual properties of M&A PRs predict
the acquirer’s performance several years after the completion of the deal.
The fourth chapter investigates the acquirer’s earnings management
activities and how these activities affect the textual properties of M&A PRs.