Mergers and acquisitions is no easy path to riches or career advancement. All you have to do is open a newspaper or turn on your television to watch some of the most well-thought-out deals fall apart at the seams. But despite the material failure rates of mergers and acquisitions, those pulling the trigger on key strategic decisions can make them work if they exercise great care and rigor in the development of their M&A deals. It is possible to succeed in the world of mergers and acquisitions, and this book can put you on the right track to do so.

By addressing the key factors of M&A success and failure, Applied Mergers and Acquisitions shows you the best ways to analyze, design, and implement M&A deals. Written by one of the foremost thinkers and educators in the field, this invaluable resource won't offer you a rigid guide to M&A success--because there is no set way to make M&A work--but it will introduce you to the art and science of M&A valuation, reveal the nuances of deal negotiation and bargaining, as well as provide you with a framework for considering tradeoffs in an effort to optimize the value of any M&A deal.

Applied Mergers and Acquisitions is filled with in-depth insights, expert advice, and numerous real-world M&A case studies that clearly illustrate the ideas described throughout the book. It is also fully supported by value-added learning tools--including a CD-ROM and Workbook--that may be purchased concurrently or at a later date to further enhance the reader's overall learning experience with the core text.

Important M&A issues discussed include:

• Strategies and the origination of transaction proposals
• Analysis of transaction proposals, terms, and tactics
• The design of detailed transaction terms
• Rules of the road: governance, laws, and regulations
• Competition, hostility, and behavioral effects in M&A
• Communication, integration, and best practices

Through a focus on ideas and their application, Applied Mergers and Acquisitions answers many difficult M&A questions, including: What is the best practice in M&A, and how can you understand M&A activity? By illustrating the tools, concepts, and processes essential to M&A success, this comprehensive survey of the M&A field will increase your chances of a favorable outcome in any potential deal.