Specialized Discourse about Mergers and Acquisitions: Media Reports and Corporate Communications about a Malaysian Company’s Acquisition of a Majority Shareholding in an Italian Company

This paper investigates specialized discourse about mergers and acquisitions by focusing on a friendly cross-border deal: Malaysian car maker Proton’s acquisition of a majority shareholding in the Italian MV Agusta, one of the most famous motorcycle manufacturers in the world. The paper examines features of different text types to explore the ways aspects of the deal, the companies and their performance are represented, from exploratory talks in late 2003 through the closing in late 2004.