Why do Mergers and acquisitions happen? What are the factors that motivate companies to buy sell and incorporate other organisations? In these uncertain economic times it is of paramount importance for companies to be able to weather financial instability while maintaining a profitable business model. It has become common place in the modern business world to observe the union of two separate or even different businesses but what are the reasons behind these partnerships and how do they benefit the parties involved? In the following 6 films Ian Wilson; a consultant and specialist on business take-overs examines those reasons and in the last audio track The Open University academics, Professor Janette Rutterford and Dr Jane Hughes explore who has the most to gain when mergers and acquisitions take place. This material forms part of the Open University course B831 Corporate Finance