Today's corporate deal makers face a conundrum: Though 70% of major acquisitions fail, it's nearly impossible to build a world-class company without doing deals. In Mastering the Merger, David Harding and Sam Rovit argue that a laserlike focus on just four key imperatives--before executives finalize the deal--can dramatically improve the odds of M&A success. Based on more than 30 years of in-the-trenches work on thousands of deals across a range of industries--and supplemented by extensive Bain & Co. research--Harding and Rovit reveal that the best M&A performers channel their efforts into (1) targeting deals that advance the core business; (2) determining which deals to close and when to walk away; (3) identifying where to integrate--and where not to; and (4) developing contingency plans for when deals inevitably stray. Top deal makers also favor a succession of smaller deals over complex "megamergers"--and essentially institutionalize a success formula over time. Helping executives zero in on what matters most in the complex world of M&A, Mastering the Merger offers a blueprint for the decisions and strategies that will beat the odds.

Prior to the economic downturn of 2008–2009, the number of mergers and acquisitions reached an historic high. Whatever happens next, one thing is clear: mergers, acquisitions, and growth will be more important than ever. Those who prepare their organizations for a multifaceted growth strategy—integrating acquisitions, organic growth, and alliances—will be the ones most likely to survive the difficult years and seize the opportunities in tomorrow’s restructured industries. If you’re a corporate leader—of a company large or small—there’s a merge ahead in your future. With Merge Ahead, corporate leaders and M&A professionals across the deal-making spectrum will have at their fingertips an insightful, accessible guide to the forces driving today’s deal environment and the most effective strategic and tactical responses for managing them. Merge Ahead provides key advice on managing the five major M&A trends that are shaping the corporate landscape: Creating the relevant scale and coherence a company needs for profitable growth Using deliberate speed to manage increasing velocity and stakeholder impatience Coping with increased competition as the new blue chip companies from emerging markets pursue deals globally Competing with a host of agile and deeppocketed financial buyers, including private equity and sovereign wealth funds Managing growing waves and bubbles of M&A activity that can drive valuations to unsustainable heights Merge Ahead contains the most up-to-date information available on recent mergers and trends in the world of M&A. It conveys critical information inconcise and fast-paced language, providing busy executives a hands-on resource that won’t bog them down. All signs point to M&A as one of the most useful vehicles of growth now and in the future. Let Merge Ahead be your guide through the sometimes rocky but ultimately fruitful and exciting new landscape of mergers and acquisitions.

A detailed look at the worst M&A deals ever and the lessons learned from them It's common knowledge that about half of all merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions destroy value for the buyer's shareholders, and about three-quarters fall short of the expectations prevailing at the time the deal is announced. In Deals from Hell, Robert Bruner, one of the foremost thinkers and educators in this field, uncovers the real reasons for these mishaps by taking a closer look at twelve specific instances of M&A failure. Through these real-world examples, he shows readers what went wrong and why, and converts these examples into cautionary tales for executives who need to know how they can successfully navigate their own M&A deals. These page-turning business narratives in M&A failure provide much-needed guidance in this area of business. By addressing the key factors to M&A success and failure, this comprehensive guide illustrates the best ways to analyze, design, and implement M&A deals. Filled with in-depth insights, expert advice, and valuable lessons gleaned from other M&A transactions, Deals from Hell helps readers avoid the common pitfalls associated with this field and presents them with a clear framework for thinking about how to make any M&A transaction a success.

Merger Masters presents revealing profiles of monumentally successful merger investors based on exclusive interviews with some of the greatest minds to practice the art of arbitrage. Michael Price, John Paulson, Paul Singer, and others offer practical perspectives on how their backgrounds in the risk-conscious world of merger arbitrage helped them make their biggest deals. They share their insights on the discipline that underlies their fortunes, whether they practice the “plain vanilla” strategy of announced deals, the aggressive strategy of activist investment, or any strategy in between on the risk spectrum. Merger Masters delves into the human side of risk arbitrage, exploring how top practitioners deal with the behavioral aspects of generating consistent profits from risk arbitrage. The book also includes perspectives from the other side of the mergers and acquisitions divide in the form of interviews with a trio of iconic CEOs: Bill Stiritz, Peter McCausland, and Paul Montrone. All three took advantage of M&A opportunities to help build long-term returns but often found themselves at odds with the short-term focus of Wall Street and merger investors. Told in lively, accessible prose, with bonus facts and figures for transaction junkies, Merger Masters is an incomparable set of stories with plenty of unfiltered lessons from the best managers of our time.

The classic, comprehensive guide to mergers and acquisitions, now completely updated for today''s market.

Following a quiet period in global M&A activity, a new boom seems to be underway, but in an age where two-thirds of all merger deals can be said to fail (where deals fall short of the minimum required financial returns to the acquiring company), how can future success be guaranteed? And what can acquirers, and their shareholders and advisers, do to improve the chances of success? Masterminding the Deal looks at performance in two critical areas - merger segmentation (the identification of critical characteristics and attributes separating more successful mergers from the rest) and category-specific synergy diagnosis (the differentiation of synergy benefits - expenses, revenues, tax - to ensure maximum rewards). Through this in-depth analysis, the book provides the managers and advisers of acquiring firms with concise and actionable frameworks to improve and enhance merger performance. Masterminding the Deal will help you to identify and apply the key components of merger success.

M&A failures is an established phenomenon. Human factors, such as acceptance of and readiness for change at the individual level, conflict of interest and cultural incompatibility are the key attributes of the success or failure of a merger or transformational change. Balancing theory with practice, this book looks at the financial due diligence, cultural compatibility, and emotional sensitivity at various stages of the M&A and offers a practical process model. Business leaders, change agents, coaching and mentoring practitioners will find the rare combination of great interest.

The new M&A bible. Few actions can change the value of a company—and its competitive future—as quickly and dramatically as an acquisition. Yet most companies fail to create shareholder value from these deals, and in many cases they destroy it. It doesn't have to be this way. In The Synergy Solution, Deloitte's Mark Sirower and Jeff Weirens show acquirers how to develop and execute an M&A strategy—end to end—that not only avoids the pitfalls that so many companies fall into but also creates real, long-term shareholder value. This strategy includes how to: Become a prepared "always on" acquirer Test the investment thesis and DCF valuation of a deal Plan for a successful Announcement Day, and properly communicate synergy promises to investors and other stakeholders Realize those promised synergies through integration planning and post-close execution Manage change and build a new, combined organization Sirower and Weirens provide invaluable background to those considering M&A, laying out the issues they have to consider, how to analyze them, and how to plan and execute the deal effectively. They also show those who have already started the process of M&A how to maximize their chances of success. There's an art and a science to getting mergers and acquisitions right, and this powerful book provides the insights and strategies acquirers need to find success at every stage of an often complex and perilous process.

Entrepreneurs who dream of building the next Amazon, Facebook, or Google can take advantage of one of the most powerful economic engines the world has ever known: venture capital. To do so, you need to woo, impress, and persuade venture capitalists to take a risk on an unproven idea. That task is challenge enough. But choosing the right investor can be harder still. Even if you manage to get backing, you want your VC to be a partner, not some adversary who will undermine your vision in order to make a quick return. Jeffrey Bussgang is one of a few people who have played on both sides of this high-stakes game. By his early thirties, he had helped build two successful start-ups-one went public, the other was acquired. Now he draws on his experience and unique perspective on the "other side" as a venture capitalist helping entrepreneurs bring their dreams to fruition. Bussgang offers detailed insights, colorful stories, and practical advice gathered from his own experience as well as from interviews with dozens of the most successful players on both sides of the game, including Twitter's Jack Dorsey and LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman. He reveals how to get noticed, perfect a pitch, and negotiate a partnership that works for everyone. An insider's guide to the secrets of the world venture capital, Mastering the VC Game will prove invaluable for entrepreneurs seeking capital and successful partnerships.

The essential executive M&A primer, with practical tools and expert insight Mergers and Acquisitions Basics provides complete guidance on the M&A process, with in-depth analysis, expert insight, and practical tools for success. This new second edition has been updated to reflect the current M&A landscape, giving busy executives the ideal resource for navigating each step in the process. Veteran executives relate guidelines, lessons learned, and mistakes to avoid as they explain how M&As work, identify the major players, and describe the roles involved in a successful transaction. Both buyer and seller must consider a broad range of factors, and this essential guide provides checklists, forms, sample reports, and presentations to help you avoid surprises and ensure your organization's full preparation for the deal. Equity investments, valuation, negotiation, integration, legal aspects, and more are explained in detail to provide a foundational primer for anyone seeking to clarify their role in the process. Mergers and acquisitions are becoming ever more critical to the growth of large and mid-sized companies. This book balances depth and breadth to provide a one-stop guide to maximizing the financial and operational value of the deal. Identify key drivers of purchase or sale Understand major roles, processes, and practices Avoid valuation detractors and negotiate effectively Overcome common challenges to successful integration Effective M&As are highly strategic, solidly structured, and beneficial on both sides. It's a complex process with many variables, many roles, and many potential pitfalls, but navigating the deal successfully can mean the difference between growth and stagnation. Mergers and Acquisitions Basics is the comprehensive resource every executive needs to understand the ins-and-outs of strategic transactions.