Business combinations are a critical part of the fabric of doing business in a free market economy. Business combinations are ingrained in the global business community. Such combinations include mergers, acquisitions, and business alliances both within a country and across political boundaries. While down sharply from the torrid pace of the late 1990s, the volume of such combinations continues to recover from the 2001 recession, the tragedy of 9/11, and the lingering concerns about terrorism.

企业合并是在自由市场经济中做生意的一个重要组成部分。企业合并在全球商界根深蒂固。这种组合包括在一个国家内部和跨政治边界的合并、收购和商业联盟。虽然与上世纪90年代末的火热速度相比大幅下降，但这种组合的数量继续从2001年的经济衰退、9/11悲剧和对恐怖主义的挥之不去的担忧中恢复。