Finance investors, knights in shining armour, enterprise hunters or financial locusts - what role do private equity companies have? What are buyouts really, being the main form of transaction these investors undertake?The goal of this textbook is to give an academically sound and comprehensive insight into the work of private equity investors to students and interested readers.Step by step the work describes the investors decision making process concerning buyouts and gives a thorough insight into the motivations of private equity companies.