Merger and acquisitions ( M&A) have become a major force in the
financial and economic environment allover the world. In India
because of the liberalization of FERA (Foreign Exchange Regulation
Act), MRTP (Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices )Act , industrial
licensing and the compulsion to be more competitive, corporates are
looking seriously at mergers and acquisition. Merger can be defined
as a process, which involves a transaction that combines two firms
into one new firm. An acquisition is the purchase of one firm by another
firm. This paper tries to find out different aspects of merger and
acquisitions , such as different types of M &A ,history of M &A, its objective
and also the pitfalls.

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