Like the dawn raid in war, the corporate dawn raid is done early in the morning, so by the time the target realizes it's being attacked, it's too late - the investor has already scooped up some controlling interest. However, only a minority interest in a firm's shares can be bought this way. So, after a successful dawn raid, the raiding firm is likely to make a takeover bid to acquire the rest of the target company.
Investment dictionary. Academic. 2012.