After the Reliance Power IPO, Acquisitions made by the Tata group are my memory. The Tata-Corus Deal was something out of the world for me at that time. It feels great that one Indian is buying global companies. But does it make sense to acquire another business and not choose Organic Growth and Diversification?

Diversification is a corporate strategy to enter into a new market or industry which the business is not currently in, whilst also creating a new product for that new market. (Wiki Pedia)

If the parent Brand is strong enough, then the entry is easy. An example is Tata Cement. Tata Group in India is well known. So it’s not complicated. But the competition is a significant threat for any company. Still, many companies succeeded in this task, like Coca-Cola. More one thing, it’s no problem if the company acquires a business that is related to its business, known as a Vertical or horizontal acquisition. But developing an unrelated industry, known as the Conglomerate merger, is full of risk. Many times it is one of the reasons for the financial crisis.

I agree that Warren Buffet himself mentions, don’t put all your Eggs in One Basket. But I also agreed with Milton Friedman that the business’s business is to do business and make wealth for its shareholders. So what is the X-factor for success in the merger? What are Conglomerate Mergers? And Why do Oracle of Omaha Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch, both of my heroes, call them DIVERSIFICATION? “Conglomerate mergers occur when two companies that offer different services, or are engaged in different types of business, merge. A conglomerate also can occur when two like companies want to merge to increase their market share. Usually, a conglomerate merger is meant to make both entities stronger than they would be individually, and it occurs between two large-scale companies.” (Investopedia) The advantage of a conglomerate merger is an exponential increase in audience reach. If company A merges with Company B, then company A can access all of company B’s market base. Before, company A only had access to its own, and company B was likely a competitor. By merging, the two companies have effectively reached twice the audience size as before while eliminating competition and reducing costs. An example is the Holcim Lafarge merger.
Diversifying a company’s holdings spreads the risk out among more factors, decreasing the chances of overall company failure if one leg fails. This is an advantage most of the time, but it can also be a disadvantage as it creates chaos. Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City is the Best example. In some cases, if a company spreads its budget across eight divisions with a merger when it only has the funding to do five of those divisions well. The best Example is Japee Associate, GVK Power. Suzlon. Jain Irrigation. If you are thinking of growth, then it’s not the merger, but the Quality of management is showing the change. Why? Which company to acquire for development is a decision of Management, Directors, and shareholders. For some Companies, Diversification is essential. There is no choice. LIKE ITC. This company is mainly in the Tobacco business, a potential Target for Govt. If they want to run throughout, Diversification is only one way. The key is that the specialist skills built up in the original company or group of companies may not be relevant in the newly acquired entities. It means that with overall control exercised by management that does not fully comprehend the forces that drive success in some parts, a conglomerate can become a confusing and dysfunctional entity that is not maximizing its potential. One huge thing about the Mergers and acquisitions is the use of Medium, DEBT, or EQUITY. Both are ways with some advantages and disadvantages. The best Examples of debt are nothing but INDIAN. Tata Steel-Corus. The growth story of Jaypee Associate. Why it’s risky. It’s all about Leverage, Financial Leverage. Most of the time, operating leverage exists in all companies as it is a product of fixed cost. When you are taking a loan, you are adding one more fixed cost, potentially making or breaking your business. Possibly it is a reason why the mergers financed with Equity are potentially safer as it’s straightforward to reacquire the share from the open market or block Deal. Its risk(y) For more read I want to close this writing with Information of some acquisitions made by FACEBOOK which are most helpful to increase its Services. It’s fascinating How mark Zuk, head of Facebook, is heading the company. July 20, 2007, Parakey makes Images, videos, and writing transfers to the internet. It is used for Facebook Mobile App. August 10, 2009. FriendFeed. for Like Button. $50 Bn, February 19, 2010. octagon. It was inviting your friends who are not on Facebook with the help of the contact list. Now you know them as Facebook’s friend Finder. April 2, 2010. Divvyshot for tagging the Event with pics. May 18, 2010. Our Own Zynga for Farmville, CityVille, etc. May 26, 2010. ShareGrove for the Facebook group Chat. August 23, 2010. Hot Potato for helping you to show “I was her” check-in facility. January 25, 2011, Rel8tion, A threat for Google. Ad company that delivers the ads as per your geography. March 1, 2011. snap for better mobile service on smartphones March 20, 2011. Beluga. for expanding Group Chat activity June 18, 2012. Face.com for face Recognition. July 20, 2012, acrylic Software for the “Read It Letter’ option. There is much more acquisition. I mention some of them.