Motivations and Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, Considering ESG Factors

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1508-2008.28.32

Keywords:

mergers and acquisitions (M&A), motivations, ESG factors, Warsaw Stock Exchange

Abstract

The main purpose of this article is to determine the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors on corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&A). The study was conducted on companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), which plays a significant role in European capital markets, particularly in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. It is the largest stock exchange in the region by both market capitalisation and the number of listed companies. Data for the study were collected in 2024 using CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing) and CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) methods from companies that had conducted M&A in the previous five years. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and several tests, including ANOVA, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Shapiro–Wilk, Levene, Welch and Kruskal-Wallis. The study investigated the motives for companies to consider ESG factors when conducting M&A transactions. The results show that WSE companies consider managerial awareness to have the greatest influence on the inclusion of these factors in M&A. Detailed information was obtained on the different motivations of listed companies to include ESG factors in M&A transactions and the subsequent impact of these transactions on their financial performance. Additionally, the study investigated the impact of company size and capital ownership on decisions to include ESG factors in M&A. The results offer an important contribution to existing research on M&A in the CEE region.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Barros, V., Verga Matos, P., Miranda Sarmento, J., Rino Vieira, P. (2022), M&A activity as a driver for better ESG performance, “Technological Forecasting and Social Change”, 175, 121338, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121338 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121338

Bax, K., Bonaccolto, G., Paterlini, S. (2023), Do lower environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rated companies have higher systemic impact? Empirical evidence from Europe and the United States, “Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management”, 30 (3), pp. 1406–1420, https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2427 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2427

Cardillo, G., Harasheh, M. (2023), Stay close to me: What do ESG scores tell about the deal timing in M&A transactions?, “Finance Research Letters”, 51, 103498, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2022.103498 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2022.103498

CSRD (2022), Directive (EU) 2022/2464 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 amending Regulation (EU) No. 537/2014, Directive 2004/109/EC, Directive 2006/43/EC and Directive 2013/34/EU, as regards corporate sustainability reporting, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022L2464 (accessed: 30.10.2024).

Deloitte (2024), Wpływ ESG na transakcje M&A (cz. I). Ramy prawne, https://www.deloitte.com/pl/pl/Industries/financial-services/perspectives/wplyw-ESG-na-transakcje-MA-czesc-I.html (accessed: 30.11.2024).

DePamphilis, D.M. (2014), An Introduction to Mergers, Acquisitions, and Other Restructuring Activities, [in:] D.M. DePamphilis, Mergers, Acquisitions, and Other Restructuring Activities, Academic Press – Elsevier, Amsterdam–Boston–London–New York–Oxford–Paris–San Diego–San Francisco–Singapore–Sydney–Tokyo, pp. 3–40, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-385487-2.00001-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-385487-2.00001-5

Directive (EU) 2024/1760 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on corporate sustainability due diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 and Regulation (EU) 2023/2859, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1760/oj (accessed: 30.10.2024).

European Green Deal, COM/2019/640 final, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, The European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. The European Green Deal, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2019%3A640%3AFIN (accessed: 30.10.2024).

Feng, X. (2021), The role of ESG in acquirers’ performance change after M&A deals, “Green Finance”, 3 (3), pp. 287–318, https://doi.org/10.3934/GF.2021015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3934/GF.2021015

Field, A. (2013), Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics, Sage Publications, London.

GPW (2024), GPW statistics, https://www.gpw.pl/gpw-statistics (accessed: 3.10.2024).

Grobelny, P., Stradomski, M., Stobiecki, P. (2018), Determinanty aktywności na rynku fuzji i przejęć w Polsce, CeDeWu, Warszawa.

Houston, J.F., Shan, H. (2022), Corporate ESG Profiles and Banking Relationships, “Review of Financial Studies”, 35 (7), pp. 3373–3417, https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhab125 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhab125

Huang, C.J., Ke, W.C., Chiang, R.P.Y., Jhong, Y.C. (2023), Which of environmental, social, and governance pillars can improve merger and acquisition performance?, “Journal of Cleaner Production”, 398, 136475, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136475 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136475

Kim, B.J., Jung, J.Y., Cho, S.W. (2022), Can ESG mitigate the diversification discount in cross-border M&A?, “Borsa Istanbul Review”, 22 (3), pp. 607–615, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2021.09.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2021.09.002

Korpus, J. (2014), Kluczowe czynniki sukcesu i przyczyny niepowodzeń transakcji, [in:] J. Korpus (ed.), Fuzje i przejęcia Wydawnictwa Profesjonalne PWN, Warszawa, pp. 92–117.

KPMG (2023), ESG Due Diligence in M&A. Clarity on Mergers & Acquisitions, https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmgsites/ch/pdf/esg-due-diligence-mergers-acquisitions.pdf (accessed: 20.11.2024).

Lantz, B. (2013), The impact of sample non-normality on ANOVA and alternative methods, “British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology”, 66 (2), pp. 224–244, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8317.2012.02047.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8317.2012.02047.x

Lu, M. (2021), ESG Investing: Finding Your Motivation, https://www.visualcapitalist.com/esg-investing-finding-your-motivation/ (accessed: 30.10.2024).

Ma, R. (2023), The sustainable development trend in environmental, social, and governance issues and stakeholder engagement: Evidence from mergers and acquisitions in China, “Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management”, 30 (6), pp. 3159–3173, https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2544 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2544

Ma, R., Pan, X., Suardi, S. (2023), Shareholder value maximization via corporate ESG performance: evidence from mergers and acquisitions in China, “Applied Economics”, 56 (58), pp. 8529–8545, https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2023.2291095 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2023.2291095

Markiewicz, M. (2021), Fuzje i przejęcia międzynarodowe w sektorze bankowym, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego, Sopot.

McKinsey & Company (2024), Top M&A trends in 2024: Blueprint for success in the next wave of deals, https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/top-m-and-a-trends-in-2024-blueprint-for-success-in-the-next-wave-of-deals (accessed: 30.11.2024).

Mihaiu, D.M., Șerban, R.A., Opreana, A., Țichindelean, M., Brătian, V., Barbu, L. (2021a), The Impact of Mergers and Acquisitions and Sustainability on Company Performance in the Pharmaceutical Sector, “Sustainability”, 13 (12), 6525, https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126525 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126525

Mooi, E., Sarstedt, M. (2011), A concise guide to market research: The process, data, and methods using IBM SPSS Statistics, Springer, Berlin–Heidelberg.

Napiórkowski, T.M. (2022), Praktyczna analiza danych za pomocą metod ilościowych, Oficyna Wydawnicza SGH, Warszawa.

Nguyen, D.T., Michayluk, D., Van de Venter, G., Walker, S. (2024), Improvement in sustainability: Evidence from the mergers and acquisitions market, “Australian Journal of Management”, 50 (2), https://doi.org/10.1177/03128962231222824 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/03128962231222824

Norton Rose Fulbright (2024), Global M&A trends and risks 2024. Consolidation and digital transformation to propel global M&A despite rising regulatory burden, https://ionanalytics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NRF-global_ma_report_2024_v8_JF.pdf (accessed: 15.10.2024).

Ozdemir, O., Binesh, F., Erkmen, E. (2022), The effect of target’s CSR performance on M&A deal premiums: a case for service firms, “Review of Managerial Science”, 16 (4), pp. 1001–1034, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-021-00471-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-021-00471-y

Podmioty rynku kapitałowego, n.d., https://www.gpw.pl/pub/GPW/files/Podmioty_rynku_kapitalowego.pdf (accessed: 1.10.2024).

Rahman, J., Wu, J. (2024), M&A activity and ESG performance: evidence from China, “Managerial Finance”, 50 (1), pp. 179–197, https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-02-2023-0103 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-02-2023-0103

Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2020 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment, and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/2088, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32020R0852 (accessed: 30.10.2024).

Regulation (EU) 2023/956 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/956 (accessed: 30.10.2024).

Rozwadowska, B. (2012), Fuzje i przejęcia. Dlaczego kończą się (nie)powodzeniem, Wydawnictwo EMKA, Warszawa.

Sihombing, M., Gandakusuma, I. (2023), ESG impact on post M&A company value in Southeast Asia, “Jurnal Aplikasi Akuntansi”, 8 (1), pp. 67–74, https://doi.org/10.29303/jaa.v8i1.271 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29303/jaa.v8i1.271

Tampakoudis, I., Anagnostopoulou, E. (2020), The effect of mergers and acquisitions on environmental, social and governance performance and market value: Evidence from EU acquirers, “Business Strategy and the Environment”, 29 (5), pp. 1865–1875, https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2475 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2475

Teti, E., Dell’Acqua, A., Bonsi, P. (2022), Detangling the role of environmental, social, and governance factors on M&A performance, “Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management”, 29 (5), pp. 1768–1781, https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2325 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2325

UN Global Compact (2024), “Who Cares Wins”: transforming finance and economics through ESG, https://www.sustainabilityinbusiness.org/blogs/who-cares-wins-the-report-that-started-esg (accessed: 30.09.2024).

Van Hecke, T. (2012), Power study of anova versus Kruskal-Wallis test, “Journal of Statistics and Management System”, 15 (2–3), pp. 241–247, https://doi.org/10.1080/09720510.2012.10701623 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09720510.2012.10701623

Xin, Z., Zhang, Z., Xiang, C. (2024), Do suppliers value clients’ ESG profiles? Evidence from Chinese firms, “International Review of Economics and Finance”, 91, pp. 241–258 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2024.01.052 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2024.01.052

Zheng, Z., Li, J., Ren, X., Guo, J.M. (2023), Does corporate ESG create value? New evidence from M&As in China, “Pacific Basin Finance Journal”, 77, 101916, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacfin.2022.101916 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacfin.2022.101916

Zrigui, M., Khanchel, I., Lassoued, N. (2024), Does environmental, social and governance performance affect acquisition premium?, “Review of International Business and Strategy”, 34 (4), pp. 469–494, https://doi.org/10.1108/RIBS-07-2023-0076 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/RIBS-07-2023-0076

Downloads

Published

2025-12-10

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Zabawa, Justyna, Ewa Łosiewicz-Dniestrzańska, Mariusz-Jan Radło, and Tomasz Napiórkowski. 2025. “Motivations and Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, Considering ESG Factors ”. Comparative Economic Research. Central and Eastern Europe 28 (4): 159-82. https://doi.org/10.18778/1508-2008.28.32.