The role of the hostile activist shareholder has been taken up by a set of hedge funds. Hedge fund activism is characterized by mergers and corporate restructuring, replacement of management and board members, proxy voting, and lobbying of management. These investors target and research...

This is the final published book chapter version of an earlier working paper on the impact of private equity in modern capitalism. The book is The Embedded Firm: Corporate Governance, Labor and Finance Capitalism, Cambridge, 2011. The editors are Peer Zumbansen and Cynthia Williams

We investigate the valuation effects of industry rivals on German firms targeted by hedge funds and private equity investors. We argue that both types of investors differ from other block holders due to their strong motivation and ability to actively engage and monitor. We find that the...

We investigate the valuation effects of German firms targeted by hedge funds and by private equity investors. We argue that both types of investors differ from other blockholders by their strong motivation and ability to actively engage and reduce agency costs. Consequently, we find positive...

The rise of private equity funds represents a new stage in capitalism. These funds combine financial resources and capital markets expertise with detailed operational knowledge of the operations of takeover targets to maximize the creation and expropriation of value on behalf of investors. Their...