The process of Mergers and Acquisitions basically deals with the ways of selling; dividing, buying and combining various companies. Both of them are major aspects of corporate strategy and management. The process may help the concerned entities to grow speedily in its sector or location, or it may also help it thrive in a new field. Generally, companies of similar sizes undergo the process of merger.

The process of merger involves merging or combining two mutually agreeing companies to form a single entity. It is generally a permanent process.
The basic purpose of a merger is to consolidate two companies into a new entity. This is meant to have a structure of management and a new ownership. The more common peculiarity to differentiate a deal is whether the purchase is friendly (merger) or antagonistic (acquisition).a Merger demands no cash to complete but it dilutes each company’s individual power. In an acquisition, one company buys the other hence; a new company does not come into view. What mostly happens is that the smaller company is undertaken and it ceases to exist. Its assets and utilities become a part of the larger company. In this case, the buyers’ power remains supreme. An acquisition takes place when one company takes over all of the equipped management decisions of another company. The bigger company runs the whole firm with its identity and the smaller corporation has to lose its subsistence.

• There is an extra flow of cash as the expenditure gets divide between the merging firms.
• An improved market reach sets up under these conditions.
• Since firms are being merged, the amount and level of competition available reduces.
• The enterprise formed henceforth acquires more market power.
• New assets are gained.
• Diversification helps to bring in new products market and make certain changes to the ongoing process. Depending on the growth stage, a company can follow different growth or risk strategies to enlarge the business.
• Taxation is again another very important component.
• Improved capacity of the combined business to handle its debts or liabilities follows up.

Certain drawbacks:

• There exists a conflict of customs. When two firms merge, there seems more than a coming together of two names or brands – it is a real merger of people who bring along an explicit corporate culture. This often leads to clash of ideas amongst the people.
• Consumer prices range high. Large expenses seen to be linked with buying a company, in particular if it does not want to be acquired.
• A firm usually has to experience high legal costs.

Market research is any set of techniques used to superior understand a company’s target market. Efficient research identifies customer needs, fears, and frustrations. It is a systematic process of collecting and interpreting information about a target market, consumers, competitors and the industry as a whole. It is often used to design better products, expertise a marketing message and improve the consumer’s experience. On the whole, it is the basic foundation unit of any successful enterprise.

To win the loyalty of the users and to understand them better, one has to investigate further in this issue. This can only happen when a company has a strong research base. User experience is what is valued the most. Research can beat assumptions and trends. This is the value of market research.

Types of data
Primary data is first-hand information gathered by ourselves. It is collected originally. For example, surveys and focus group discussions. Collection of primary data is costly & more time-consuming

On the other hand, secondary data is that information which has been collected in the past by someone else. It is pre-existing public information. We can analyze the data in whichever way we want. For example, searching the internet, reading articles, etc.

Types of market research:

• Exploratory Market Research: this type of research is generally used to get insights about the required data, wherein very less information is available. What are needs are a clear concept and the method to formulate problems. As the name implies, exploratory research is the preliminary exploration done to get an idea into the problem. Exploratory research is an important part of any marketing or business strategy. This may be done by using the secondary data. This type of research does not give conclusive evidence which calls for some more investigation.
• Descriptive research is generally conclusive in nature unlike exploratory research. It helps us in finding accurate and precise answers to certain question which help us have a gain in the market. It is a preplanned structure and quite informative. It helps in answering questions related to the product and its market. It basically measures the frequency of any product.
• Causal Research It is quite similar to descriptive research as it is quantitative and preplanned. Sometimes, it is also considered as conclusive research. This research is carried out to explain the facts that why a certain change in one variable is observed due to the change in the other. It primarily has 2 main objectives.

Primary Market Research Tools

• In-Depth Interviews
  It is a qualitative approach to primary research data which keeps in minds the choices and preferences of the customer. They help researchers to delve deeply in the topics and understand the scenario better. They target the needed characteristics of the audience. Interviews, unlike focus groups, involve interaction between the people and several types of modes and methods are used under this.
• Focus Groups
  Focus groups are much like in-depth interviews, except that they involve small groups of about 5-6 people. They too try to understand the topics better by thinking upon them deeply. This method involves getting a group of people in a room or a place and asking them perceptive questions regarding the product, its development, and feedback, etc. These types of focus groups can be run or conducted at any location practical for the enterprise

Survey Research
Another wonderful and highly successful way to conduct primary market research is through surveys and questionnaires. On the whole, it covers almost all the aspects. Survey research is the most popular method for collecting primary data. Surveys generally ask individuals to give responses to a preplanned set of questions. Questions may cover a variety of topics, but the topics, format, and survey length must all be a good fit for the audience.

Observation
It is the oldest method of primary research. There are two major observation techniques used in primary market research, and they are observation through interaction with the subject and observation through no interaction. Examples include, shopping, product returns, complaints, etc.

Sources of Secondary Data

• Reports of Committee and Commissions:
  The government appoints certain commissions which provide us with reports on the actions of the government.
• Newspapers and Magazines
  Various newspapers as well as magazines collect data on certain important aspects. Some of them are as:
  • Hindustan Times
  • Indian Express
  • Times of India

Data can also be obtained from-:

• Government sources
• universities
• Foundations
• Media and Internet
• Trade and business

Distributors and Dealerships
Distributors and dealers are those who take part in a supply channel, the distributor is typically a wholesaler in most of the cases who sells to dealers and dealers are habitually retailers who in most cases sell directly to the public. For the purpose of exploring new trade opportunities, dealers and distributors usually search for a reliable enterprise.

The first step involved in selling business is determining whether it is the right time to sell your business. If you’ve spent quite a lot of on building a small business and want to think about retiring or leaving the business, now may be a good time to sell. Selling a business requires careful planning and execution. All the taxation and data collected needs to be verified carefully.

If you still consider selling your business, here are certain steps that will help you be successful in the venture-:

• I. GET YOUR FINANACES ORGANIZED
  Have a past record of about 5-7 years which includes all monetary documents like bank statements, tax return, customer data, and profit and loss records. Make sure that these records are well-organized in a systematic manner.
• II. HAVE AN ALREADY PLANNED BUSINESS BROKER
  Business broker is he who helps you in either buying or selling a business. His work is similar to a real estate agent. They help you in making a sound investment. You should know the background and credentials of the broker you are getting involved with. You should also know about the number of listings the broker is generally managing. Make sure the broker is a trusted one who is genuinely interested in helping you out. These tips will help you in finding a perfect broker for your company and will help in the progress of your endeavors.
• III. DIVERSIFY YOUR RESOURCES
  Diversification involves entering new markets or launching new products. You can try targeting certain sectors of the market and launching new as well as innovative devices and programs in the market.try expanding in new ways by listing down your limits and possibilities.try forming a balance between growth and maintenance. New things are both exhilarating and challenging. New growth, new directions, new experiences get the entrepreneur's heart beating. Enjoy that, but don't lose prospect of the continuance and constant consideration that your present business needs.try making the best out of it.
• IV. BOOST YOUR SALES
  No matter what your budget is, there is always some scope of improving the sales. It is never the best time to sell your business if your sales are declining rapidly. No buyer is interested in such a business.try talking to your current customers and asking them for referrals. Start more with sales and promotions of the company.
• V. THINK AHEAD
  Having a plan for the future regarding what you want to do in the future is quite essential. Plan your future in advance. Have a clear mindset of the actions to be taken henceforth. Make sure they are in your budget and do not cause financial tension upon you. Safeguarding the action plan is an important aspect to be considered before selling your business.
• VI. GET BUSINESS CONTRACTS IN ORDER
  If you’re starting or have an ongoing business with someone else, you need some kind of agreement in writing. Having an agreement ready is definitely beneficial for the company. It will help you to be in your sense while exiting a business. They also help in telling you who have to do what work and who gets paid what. Each thing has to be clearly defined in a proper manner. This comprehensive document will consist of quite of lot of segments and exhibits. Some of them include none compete arguments, employee agreements, asset listings, etc. Guidlines related to the management and functioning are also included.

• I. ANGEL INVESTOR NETWORKS
  Angel investor network is basically a setup that helps in providing capital to young entrepreneurs for a business start-up. They are member-based networks that tend to offer service by the location of the company. They provide services usually in exchange for exchangeable debt or possession equity. Angel investors’ help in providing support in the initial stages and most of them have no role to play once an enterprise picks or gains some momentum. You can find that angel investor who not only will devote in your start-up, but will also sit on your shoulder, offering solid advice ,mentorship, , and provide access to their network of contacts. There are thousands of investors available near you that are always ready to help in all of your undertakings. The number of angel investors has increased drastically in the last 50 years. This is a good sign in the development of the economy. It provides accessible and affordable services to all.
• II. CROWD FUNDING
  Crowd funding in general is the process of raising small amounts of money from a large number of people in order to fund an upcoming project. This happens, in most cases via the internet. It is used as an alternative finance by an enterprise or by a budding entrepreneur. With all the crowd funding platforms accessible, some with beleaguered industries such as science, business, startups, and others with angles like equity loans, investments, and venture networks, those who want to get a certain amount of sum as a beginning fund have plenty of opportunities to try their hand. Crowd funding sites provide you with admittance to many diverse types of investor. It helps in maximizing the potential view of a company. Each crowd funding site has its own focal point and way of incentivizing investors so be careful while choosing your best fit. Judge which one closely aligns and adjusts to your goals and aspirations.
• III. INCUBATORS AND ACCELERATOR PROGRAMS
  Accelerator programs come out as a great way to get some real-world advice and meet mentors in real life. Working with an incubator or accelerator gives you a complete host of investor funds which help the business grow up and succeed. It also helps us to smooth out some rough edges. A business incubator in general is a company which tries to help startup companies and firms to develop. It provides many services like office spaces and management training to some extent. Accelerator and incubator can found anywhere near you. These programs make it easy to work with you directly., this is also a great place to trade ideas and grow mutually. Some startup accelerators are-500Startups, TechStars, and Ycombinator, etc. They offer advice through a system of their own, thus forming a network.
• IV. TAKE HELP OF SOCIAL MEDIA
  The best cost-effective way of reaching out to others is social media. It helps one to form a connect with the surrounding investors available.Also,social media is used extensively in the process of promotion of one’s business so that it gains people’s attention and we have a chance at being a success in the undertaken venture. It acts as a method of communication with the masses. You can have a more active approach with collaborations and promoting as sponsored posts or influencers. There are numerous proficient social networking sites that have been launched which help you connect with all types of investors across all industry specializations and various business ideologies. If you are able to get the social media profiles of well known investors, it might only take one great message to unite with the capital you are in need of for your business. Certain renowned sites include-LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Startup Nation, and Meetup.
• V. Start Sharing Your Product
• VI. Fundraising And Augmentation Needs To Be Tactical To Be Triumphant.
  Creating new merchandise or unveiling a new service for your store is demanding, but to endorse a product and boost sales you’ll need a broader plan. Nonetheless, entrepreneurs are only interested in launching a product but consequently promoting it is something they never think of. This may have an impact on the sales as the general public is not aware about the upcoming ventures and services that will be available for them. This in turn, makes it difficult for them to get investors which leads to the business being waste. In order to get a decent investor, product endorsement should be done. More and more awareness should be created.try choosing a model best suited for your needs.
• VII. EVENTS
  Taking part in the right events can prove to be very fruitful for you. Events that take place all over the world involve investors from all throughout. You can also get a chance to interact with investors and let them know about your upcoming projects and the products you hope to launch soon. This will help you develop a bond and definitely get some help. They will help you find investors that are going to be providing you with nonfinancial data to support the company valuations, Building amenable money markets for prospect financing at constructive terms. If you are a beginner company, try going for some of these events-:
  
  • TechCrunch Disrupt
  • SXSW
  • Collision

Franchising your business is an established direction to speedy escalation. If you have a small business that can be effortlessly simulated, then franchising may be one of the best ways to increase it at a speedy swiftness. When you apply the correct approaches of being franchised, there are no mountains that you cannot move.

Here are certain tips that will help you franchise our business.

• I. EVALUATE IF YOUR BUSINESS IS ACTUALLY READY
  First thing of which you should have a clear prospective is that is your business actually suited for franchise or is that the best option that you need? You should initially have a track record of the sales of the enterprise. Check your finances whether they are all ready.Also, have an open-ended attitude as you don’t know what will happen further. The directions provided to each franchisee will likely have to be defined. Think through the process of accurately how your business works. Every step of forming a franchise has to be outlined without a doubt.try developing an operational manual for easy access.
• II. LEARN THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
  Make sure that your organization is completely registered and organized. If not, this can surely lead to issues you definitely would love to avoid. In the registration process, you’ll be asked to submit quite a lot of documents. Make sure they’re all ready so as to avoid any end moment troubles. A description of the experience of the management team also has to be submitted. Make sure that it is precise and to the point. These legal complications are an area in which the expectant franchisor possibly will want to hunt for professional help. Just be certain and give it your best shot.
• III. SUPPORT FRANCHISEES
  Even as the franchisor begins to eliminate him from the everyday business of the franchises, he should spend superfluous time getting to be familiar with the franchisees. As a franchisor, you'll have moved on through a lot to accomplish these heights. Do all you can to persuade them by being happy in their victories that they achieve? In general, a franchisee derives a livelihood from the business itself. Various programs provided by him will help in creating a positive impact on the people working under him. It will also boost their moral and they’ll be as confident as ever. Scroll through articles that you find useful and share them which in turn will help them as well.
• IV. KNOW HOW YOU WANT TO GROW
  The thought of growing appalls one very much.But; this has to be kept in mind that the rate of growth is not always satisfactory. For some companies looking to become franchises, they would have to expand and formulate a growth pattern that makes their growth the fastest.Also, formulate a plan that according to you will work the best for your franchisee. Carefully examine each and every prospect of the plan and make sure to rectify any errors so that you get the perfect plan for yourselves. It should also be noted that the execution of the growth-development plan is as necessary as its formation. The experts propose growing at the rate accepted by your business. You should also be clear that are you interested in expanding to an international level or will your company be able to take that much pressure?
• V. SET THE RIGHT RESTRICTIONS
  You should be extremely selective when it comes to choosing your franchisees. One mistake made here can disrupt the entire process further. You can opt for a variety of parameters for choosing your best fit. You should also be very precise with the instructions on hiring, training, and other practices.However; there should be certain freedoms that you grant them. This will help in the efficient running of the franchisee. It will also ensure that people working with you feel involved and interested in the work they are undertaking. You will definitely find people with capital but what you need to ask yourselves is that are they truly the right people? A certain level of trust has to be established which makes them the right people. Also, get to know their backgrounds better. They are someone who, in the end, represents you. Diverse franchises will have diverse ideas about the limitations they want to rest on their franchisees. Have a clear picture of what is your ideology and viewpoint.But, always remember, whatever you do remember to support them as only then you can grow.
• VI. GETTING THE CORRECT ADVICE
  It is as crucial as anything in the process of having franchisees. A piece of advice can either make or break you. It clearly depends upon you on how you want to act. Don’t go looking for advice from the wrong person. Find your perfect fit who will never misguide you. Once you think that you have the best advice you could possibly get, make sure that the way you can upon it is also not very misleading. It should be just as perfect as the results you are hoping for.