A New Age of Acquisitions in Hospitality & Tourism: The Bidding War to Acquire Starwood

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have mesmerized and fascinated both professional experts and academia alike over time, resulting in a series of classic but abstract theories trying to explain why M&As take place. Based on a recent monumental bidding war to acquire Starwood, this case study provides students with an opportunity to have a deep but intuitive understanding of four classic M&A theories: Efficiency Theory, Monopoly Theory, Valuation Theory, and Empire-building Theory. Additionally, this case will train students in both qualitative and quantitative analyses of information from news reports, corporate analytics, and pertinent financial data to contextualize the nature of M&As