M&A from Planning to Integration

How Today's Leading Corporations Use Mergers & Acquisations as a Competitive Weapon

Mergers and acquisitions are designe4d to build market leadership and create long-term value — in theory, anyway. M&A from Planning to Integration provides complete guidelines for ensuring these optimistic theories bacome reality, and outlines a systematic plan for developing, implementing, and monitoring a successful M&A deal. Examples from companies including Cisco Systems, GE, Microsoft, and others reveal M&A strategies that have worked in the real world, illustrate the book's concepts in action, and help you apply those concepts and strategies to your own company.

Covering each step, from identifying a promising target to managing the post-merger transition, this comprehensive book details:

• Six pre-deal techniques for boosting the odds of a successful merger
• Methods for performing due diligence to ensure appropriate legal and tax structures
• Strategies to confront and overcome legacy issues during the integration process

Is your company ready to pursue a strategic acquisition? Do you currently find yourself the target of a potential acquirer? Let M&A from Planning to Integration provide you with the tools you need to successfully guide your organization through both sides of the M&A equation.

• Acknowledgements
• The Treasury's Role in Mergers and Acquisitions
• Introduction
• Overview of the M&A Strategy Guide
• Part I: M&A Basics
• Chapter 1: M&A History and Current Trends
• Background
• The First Wave of M&A: Late 1890s to Early 1900s
• The Second Wave of M&A: Mid-1910s to Late 1920s
• The Third Wave of M&A: Mid- to Late 1960s
• The Fourth Wave of M&A: The 1980s
• The Fifth Wave of M&A: 1990s and Beyond
• Categories of M&A Transactions
• Chapter 2: Overview of Common Acquisition Pitfalls, and Tactics for Avoiding Them
• Chapter 3: Corporate Strategic Planning and the M&A Process
• The Dismal Track Record of Corporate Strategic Planning
• Overview of the Major Corporate Growth Strategies
• Part II: The M&A Strategy Guide
• Chapter 4: Step 1: Thinking Through Strategic Objectives
• The Nuts and Bolts of Step 1
• Developing Acquisition Criteria Through SWOT Analysis
• GE: Changing Corporate Strategy in Response to External Threats
• Chapter 5: Step 2: Assessing Structural Capacity
• Background
• The Nuts and Bolts of Step 2
• Cisco Systems: Making Good Use of Internal Teams
• Guidelines in the Use of Financial Ratios for the Financial Strength Assessment
• The Corporate Self-Valuation Assessment
• The Corporate Accounting Methodology Assessment
• Pooling-of-Interests Accounting
• Purchase Accounting
• Pooling-of-Interests Accounting: The End
• Chapter 6: Step 3: Identifying and Screening Potential Acquisition Targets
• Background
• The Nuts and Bolts of Step 3
• Chapter 7: Step 4: Performing Due Diligence
• Background
• The Nuts and Bolts of Step 4
• Chapter 8: Step 5: Valuing the Acquisition Target
• Background
• The Value Transparency Movement
• The Nuts and Bolts of Step 5
• Key Concepts of Valuation
• Calculating Intrinsic Values: Assumptions, Assumptions Everywhere
• Comments on Valuing Public and Private Companies
• Conclusion
• Chapter 9: Step 6: Selecting the Appropriate Legal and Tax Structure for the Transaction
• Background
• The Nuts and Bolts of Step 6
• Federal Income Tax Treatment of Mergers and Acquisitions
• Securities, Antitrust, Trade and Commerce Laws
• Conclusion
• Chapter 10: Step 7: Managing the Integration
• Background
• The Nuts and Bolts of Step 7
• Key Determinants of Successful Integration
• Conclusion
• Chapter 11: Step 8: Monitoring Progress through Acquisition Scorecarding
• Background
• The Nuts and Bolts of Step 8
• Chapter 12: Step 9: Implementing an Acquisition Feedback Loop
• Background
• GE: Promoting Constant and Never-Ending Improvement
• The Nuts and Bolts of Step 9
• M&A Lessons Learned from Cisco Systems
• Conclusion: Final Thought on M&A Planning and Integration
• The Need for a Systematic Approach to M&A
• Appendices: Acknowledgement
• Appendix A: Sample Confidentiality Agreement
• Appendix B: Sample Letter of Intent
• Appendix C: Sample Work Schedule
• Appendix D: Sample Due Diligence Checklist
• Appendix E: Sample Asset Purchase Agreement
• Appendix F: Understanding Intellectual Property Considerations in Mergers and Acquisitions
• Appendix G: The Due Diligence Process in Mergers and Acquisitions: Treasury's Role
• Appendix H: Corporate Cultures Play Big Role in M&A Integration
• Appendix I: FASB's Rule on Accounting for Business Combinations: Resolution of a Important Controversy
• Appendix J: CISCO Systems' S-3 Filing for the Komodo Technology Deal

This is a brilliant book about M&A. One of the best, read it.