ABSTRACT
Although it is not possible in an introductory chapter to cover all of these matters in detail, the discussion that follows, which contains a rich data base, should help to clarify a number of issues for the reader, and, in particular, make it possible to cross-reference back from the case studies in respect of events such as mergers. Where entries are important in relation to the case studies, they appear in bold. It may be noted that one company, Kirch, does not appear in any of the tables. Without going into a lengthy discussion of why that is at this stage, it should simply be borne in mind that not all significant developments involve large quoted companies.
