Mergers & Acquisitions Integration Handbook: Helping Companies Realize The Full Value of Acquisitions

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

If you are picking up this book, you have most likely been tasked with leading some integration-related endeavor for your company and are quickly trying to get up to speed and answer the call. Integration responsibilities are typically given to executives with a proven track record and a reputation for getting things done. If that’s you, congratulations. But don’t celebrate just yet. Now comes the hard part!

Integration takes many forms. It is defined as all the activities involved in bringing two corporate entities together after they have officially merged or after an acquisition by one company requires an integration of the acquired company into the first company. You might be doing a post-merger integration, a post-acquisition integration, or a partial integration; perhaps you don’t even know the full extent of the project because it’s still undefined. Regardless, it is imperative that integration work be effectively managed to preserve value and not disrupt business continuity, and that’s what integration managers are typically supposed to accomplish.

This book provides a no-nonsense handbook-style approach to manage an effective integration and to help integration managers quickly get up to speed on various integration challenges and learn how to manage them. It is a desktop reference to inform your thinking and craft the optimal integration strategy for your company.

Since every company, industry, and deal is somewhat unique, there is no one-size-fits-all ...