This document summarizes research on cross-border acquisitions (CBAs) made by firms from emerging countries between 1991-2008. It finds that:
1) Targets of CBAs by emerging country firms tend to be small, though some deals exceed $1 billion. Emerging country acquirers experience a positive 1.09% stock return on acquisition announcements.
2) Returns are positively correlated with better corporate governance in the target country, supporting the idea that acquirers "bootstrap" themselves to higher governance standards.
3) Theories on returns to acquirers focus on diversification, efficiency gains, and market power, but neoclassical theories also consider changes in shareholder rights from