۱- Introduction

۲- Literature review and research hypotheses

۳- Research design

۴- Empirical test and analysis

۵- Further testing

۶- Conclusions

References

Abstract

This paper investigates how accounting standards (AS) convergence influences Chinese firms’ overseas mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and shows that this convergence significantly promotes Chinese firms’ overseas M&As. Specifically, we find that both the probability of success and the value of transactions increases significantly in countries that implemented International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) prior to 2007. These results suggest that accounting standards (AS) convergence can improve the comparability of accounting information between China and other countries that have adopted IFRS. Moreover, we find that the impact of accounting standards (AS) convergence on state-owned enterprise (SOE) acquirers is weak. These findings demonstrate that accounting standards (AS) convergence can facilitate Chinese firms’ overseas M&As by improving the comparability of accounting information between China and target countries.

Introduction

The number of overseas mergers and acquisitions (M&As) made by Chinese enterprises has grown rapidly. M&A has become one of the main avenues of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country, and it has received considerable attention from the government. The 2011 Review and Prospects on Mergers and Acquisitions by Chinese Enterprises released by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that Chinese enterprises’ overseas M&As have maintained strong momentum, with the number of transactions reaching a record-setting 207, a year-over-year growth of 10%, and the total value of transactions reaching USD42.9 billion, a year-overyear growth of 12%. The Yellow Book of World Economy released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2011 also shows that Chinese enterprises, as the acquiring parties, rank second globally in terms of the number of transactions in M&As, gradually shifting from the role of the acquired parties in the past to acquiring parties. To alleviate the pressure of renminbi appreciation, secure energy supplies, and upgrade industries, the Chinese government encourages eligible enterprises to develop overseas investments. The report of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly proposes a ‘‘go global” strategy, which has become an important part of the national strategy and national policy for long-term development. Owing to the continuous growth in overseas M&As, the literature investigates numerous factors that affect the success of overseas M&As and the performance of companies post-M&A, such as institutional and sociocultural factors, industrial and company factors, and transaction details and management style. Today, over a hundred countries and regions have converged their standards with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). However, the literature on the effects of accounting standards (AS) convergence on corporate overseas M&As is limited.