Plant Divestitures and Acquisitions in the Canadian Manufacturing Sector - ARCHIVED

This paper examines the characteristics of plants in the manufacturing sector undergoing changes in ownership to further our understanding of the underlying causes of mergers and acquisitions. Previous Canadian studies (Baldwin 1995; Baldwin and Caves 1991) compare the performance of merged plants at the beginning and the end of the 1970s. This paper examines annual changes that occurred over the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s to provide a longer-run perspective. In doing so, it outlines the amount of change taking place (both the number of plants affected and the share of employment) and the characteristics of plants that led to their takeover. Differences between foreign and domestic takeovers are also examined.