Merge Ahead: Mastering the Five Enduring Trends of Artful M&A (Future of Business Series; Strategy + Business)

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. Annotation A practical guide to merging the latest major trend into your overall business strategyCorporate strategists live in a world of sweeping M & A activity. Merge Aheadprovides a practical guide to the underlying shifts in this ever-fluctuating landscape. Rather than offer predictions of specific markets, the authors explain how certain short-term indicators point to long-term directions. For example, they take a close look at how specific activity of today might be a signal for the bubble burst of tomorrow. This practical, illuminating title allows corporate deal makers, CEOs, and businesspeople to learn from the lessons of the past two years of activity, and seize opportunities for advancement and profit A practical guide to merging the latest major trend into your overall business strategy Corporate strategists live in a world of sweeping M&A activity. "Merge Ahead" provides a practical guide to the underlying shifts in this ever-fluctuating landscape. Rather than offer predictions of specific markets, the authors explain how certain short-term indicators point to long-term directions. For example, they take a close look at how specific activity of today might be a signal for the bubble burst of tomorrow. This practical, illuminating title allows corporate deal makers, CEOs, and businesspeople to learn from the lessons of the past two years of activity, and seize opportunities for advancement and profit. A practical guide to merging the latest major trend into your overall business strategyCorporate strategists live in a world of sweeping M&A activity. Merge Ahead provides a practical guide to the underlying shifts in this ever-fluctuating landscape. Rather than offer predictions of specific markets, the authors explain how certain short-term indicators point to long-term directions.For example, they take a close look at how specific activity of today might be a signal for the bubble burst of tomorrow. This practical, illuminating title allows corporate deal makers, CEOs, and business people to learn from the lessons of the past two years of activity, and seize opportunities for advancement and profit. Contents......Page 3 1 M&A’S Merganic Future......Page 5 2 Big is Bigger Than Ever......Page 29 3 Velocity and Impatience......Page 53 4 The Rise of New Blues......Page 73 5 Private Equity and Sovereign Wealth......Page 99 6 Bubbles and Waves......Page 121 7 Merganic Strategy For a Hyperactive Era......Page 139 8 Crafting the Successful Deal......Page 161 Epilogue: A Message to Leading Executives......Page 205 Notes......Page 209 B......Page 217 D......Page 218 F......Page 219 I......Page 220 M......Page 221 R......Page 222 T......Page 223 Z......Page 224 Acknowledgments......Page 229