This book will provide the answers to the questions that senior level executives have about what are M&As and the steps involved. It provides basic guidelines and lessons for going through an M&A for the first time. It explains what the key events, processes, and issues that a buyer or seller must consider during a merger or acquisition. By using this book, executives can avoid costs and sometimes fatal mistakes and maximize the financial and operational value of the deal to their companies. Chapters include: (1) Terms and Phrases: Language of the Deal, (2) Explanation of Legal Structures and Terms, (3) Strategic Transactions: Before the Deal Starts, (4) Mergers and Acquisitions: Doing the Deal, (5) Equity Investments: Doing the Deal, (6) Sellers, (7) Buyers, (8) Appendix: Checklists and Forms, Reports and Presentations, Generic Valuation Exercise 

One of the more contentious topics in the development of the European economic community has been that of competition. Here Davies and Lyons(both economics, U. of East Anglia) examine what happens when proposed mergers get past the European Commission (most actually do). Working from data on remedied mergers covering 21 markets along with an array 

A powerful guide for seeking out the best acquisition and merger targets
As increasingly more companies look to mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as a source of new growth and revenue, there is an even greater chance that these M&As will go bad. This insightful guide focuses on one of the most often debated and key issues in mergers and acquisitions-why some deals fail miserably and why others prosper. It provides a complete road map for what potential buyers should look for when picking a target and what characteristics of sellers they should steer clear of, as well as pitfalls to avoid during the M&A process. Real-world examples are provided of high-profile failures-Quaker Oats, United Airlines, Sears, and Mattel-and high-profile successes-General Electric and Cisco.
Patrick A. Gaughan (New York, NY) is President of Economatrix Research Associates and a professor of Economics and Finance at the College of Business, Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is actively engaged in the practice of business valuations for mergers and acquisitions, as well as other related applications.