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Private equity investors acquire companies, aim to increase the company’s corporate value and thus aim at selling the respective company at a profit after some time. To increase the value of their portfolio companies, private equity investors employ three main value creation strategies. Financial leverage, multiple expansion, and operational value creation. There has been a significant shift in importance between these three value drivers. While in the 1980s more than 50% of value creation was achieved by leveraging equity with the help of debt capital, this value driver only accounted for 15% in the 2010s. Instead, the value driver operational value creation has gained significantly in importance. It alone accounted for 55% of total value creation in the 2010s, more than financial leverage and multiple expansion combined. The aim of this thesis is to answer the question which operational value creation levers private equity investors use to increase the value of their portfolio companies during the holding phase. In addition, the thesis deals with the question of operational value creation drivers of the future. These are derived based on prevailing megatrends of the future. Research on the operational value drivers used by private equity investors revealed that these drivers can be assigned to three main aspects.
These aspects are, on the one hand, financial aspects, where private equity investors take measures to improve working capital. Moreover, within the framework of financial aspects private equity investors influence the cost structure as well as the cost of capital and the capital structure. Furthermore, private equity investors assert influence on the governance structures of their portfolio companies. For the aspect of governance, measures such as replacement of management/change of management structure, monitoring and controlling as well as incentive systems were identified to increase the value of the company. Another identified aspect for value creation are strategic aspects. In terms of strategic aspects, private equity investors use the levers of mergers and acquisitions, organic expansion, outsourcing/insourcing as well as product and pricing strategies.
The research on the value creation levers that private equity investors will have to apply in the future in order to ensure value creation of their portfolio companies is based on the megatrends of digitalization, demographic change and sustainability. The research revealed the implementation of digitalization measures, employee, and talent management as well as the implementation of ESG criteria.
This thesis has structurally outlined value drivers that contribute to value creation in private equity investments. The research also showed that value creation levers taken can directly and indirectly influence the value of the portfolio company. Value drivers II with a direct effect on the change in equity value affect either revenue, margin or net debt, while the indirect value drivers affect the valuation multiple.
Diese Arbeit dient dazu, die Angebots,- und Nachfrageseite von Private-Equity detaillierter zu beleuchten. Basierend auf den negativen Assoziationen durch die „Heuschrecken“- Debatte und neuer Supertrend, soll dies objektiv in einen neuen, zeitgerechten Kontext gebracht werden. Denn sowohl die Anbieter von Private Equity als auch die Nachfrager verfolgen bestimmte Ziele, haben gegebenenfalls differierende Interessen und können nicht nur auf einzelne Aktivitäten reduziert werden, wie diese in der Vergangenheit dargestellt wurden. Dazu werden die folgenden beiden Forschungsfragen gestellt: Wie sind die Aktivitäten von Anbietern und Nachfragern von Private Equity in einem neuzeitlichen Kontext zu bewerten? (1) und Welche Rolle können Privatanleger als potenzielle Investoren bei einer Private Equity- Transaktion einnehmen? (2)
Um die Forschungsfragen zu beantworten, wurden Experteninterviews mit drei Mitarbeitern von Private Equity- Fondsgesellschaften geführt, welche ihre Expertise einbringen konnten. Im Rahmen einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse wurden die Ergebnisse erhoben und ausgewertet.
Anhand der daraus erzielten Ergebnisse und mit Bezug auf die Forschungsfrage 1 konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Anbieter und Nachfrager nicht grundsätzlich als „Heuschrecken“ bezeichnet werden können, sondern weitere Aktivitäten deren Geschäftstätigkeiten beschreiben, die nicht Bestandteil der Diskussion um Franz Münteferings Aussage waren. Anhand der erzielten Ergebnisse und mit Bezug auf die Forschungsfrage 2 konnte gezeigt werden, dass Privatanleger durchaus eine Rolle hinsichtlich Private Equity einnehmen können, diese aber aufgrund von Restriktionen der Anlage und indirekter Partizipation nicht zwangsläufig in Frage kommen.
The purpose of this paper is to shed more light on the supply and demand side of private equity. Based on the negative associations by the "Heuschrecken" deabtte and new super trend, this is to be brought objectively into a new, contemporary context. After all, both the providers of private equity and the demanders pursue certain goals, may have different interests, and cannot be reduced to individual activities only, as they have been presented in the past. To this end, the following two research questions are posed: How should activities providers and demanders of private equity be evaluated in a modern context? (2) and What role can private investors play as potential investors in a private equity transaction? (1)
To answer the research questions, interviews with experts were conducted with three employees of private equity fund companies who were able to contribute their expertise. Within the framework of a qualitative content analysis, the results were collected and evaluated.
On the basis of the results obtained and with reference to research question 1, it was possible to show that the providers and demanders cannot fundamentally be described as "Heuschrecken", but rather describe further determinants of their business activities that were not part of the discussion surrounding Franz Müntefering's statement. On the basis of the results obtained and with reference to research question 2, it could be shown that private investors can certainly play a role with regard to private equity, but that they are not necessarily eligible due to restrictions on investment and indirect participation.