Corporate governance is an important issue on the research agenda of financial economists. Using a new and unique data set of German corporations this book examines three topics that are crucial to a better understanding of corporate governance: (a) the frequency, causes, and consequences of control transfers, (b) the determinants of acquisition and failure, and (c) the role of corporate governance and market discipline for productivity growth. This book points out methodological drawbacks of previous empirical studies and provides suggestions on how to avoid these problems in research practice.