Mergers and acquisitions

A survey of 50 executives found four strategies for getting the deal done.

Less than a decade after the frantic merger activity of the late 1960s, we are again in the midst of a major wave of corporate acquisitions. In contrast to the 1960s, when acquirers were mainly freewheeling conglomerates, the merger movement in the 1970s includes such long-established giants of U.S. industry as General Electric, Gulf Oil, […]

Research finds optimism and pessimism play an important role.

For decades, negotiators have been working out agreements by focusing on interests, not positions. But the messy problem of how to share the gains created...

Software maker TopTek has acquired a consulting and systems-integration firm, mainly to profit from the software sales that are a natural by-product of...

Limited oversight, tons of money, and hype for days. What could go wrong?

A company should acquire another business only when the skills and resources of the two businesses can produce an income, or reduction in the variability...

Global industry restructuring is driving a dramatic increase in cross-border acquisitions, and some countries - notably the United States, the United...

Last year, I worked with Accenture on a study of its largest clients to learn what the leaders of these mega-corporations had on their minds amidst all of the uncertainty they face. The headline: After years of taking a back seat to survival skills, growth is back on the agenda in a big way. All […]

CEO Peter Walsh faces a classic innovator's dilemma. His company, Crescordia, produces high-quality metal plates, pins, and screws that orthopedic surgeons...

Nutrorim's products have been gaining national attention. In particular, sales of the company's organic, performance-enhancing sports supplement powder,...

Yang assumed the reins at Lenovo (formerly known as Legend) in 2001, when the company's founder, Liu Chuanzhi, moved on to become chairman. He served...

Three questions to guide your communication strategy.

Paragon Tool is pouring money into growth initiatives. How long can it afford to wait for profits to bounce back?

How will businesses respond to the power of technology and the threat of climate change?

An increasingly popular route to success as a small business owner is "acquisition entrepreneurship"--buying and running an existing operation. If you're...

Many high-tech companies looking for hot new products have caught acquisition fever. Smart buyers keep their eye on building the right long-term capabilities, which often means keeping the right people.

Valuation used to be the province of finance specialists. That’s no longer true.

Whatever you think of Carly Fiorina’s management style, she is a shrewd tactician. In the acrimonious proxy battle surrounding the 2002 Hewlett-Packard–Compaq merger, the promerger group, headed by the former HP CEO, squeaked by the antimerger dissidents with less than a 1% margin. But before Fiorina’s side could claim victory, the dissidents brought suit, accusing […]

Special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, have been around in various forms for decades, but during the past two years they've taken off in the...