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Featured Corporate Finance, M&A Article, interview ChemChina's president
A growth strategy for a Chinese state-owned enterprise: An interview with ChemChina's president

July 2008

Ren Jianxin explains how domestic acquisitions helped prepare the way for overseas ones.

Featured Corporate Finance, M&A Article, China and M&A
China's track record in M&A

June 2008

China’s companies are expanding the focus of their outbound M&A, but so far they have struggled to create value.

Featured Corporate Finance, M&A Article, How Chinese companies can succeed abroad
Premium Content
How Chinese companies can succeed abroad

May 2008

Chinese companies are seeking opportunities abroad. They will have to acclimate to new surroundings—just as the foreign companies that entered China did.

The Archive

2008
Integrating purchasing in M&A: An interview with Lenovo's chief procurement officer

May 2008

The chief purchasing officer of Lenovo explains how he helped to create the operational basis for its continuing evolution from a Chinese powerhouse into a global one.

Running a winning M&A shop

March 2008

Picking up the pace of M&A requires big changes in a company’s processes and organization—even if the deals are smaller.

2007
Deal making in 2007: Is the M&A boom over? Premium Content

December 2007

Reports of the demise of the M&A boom may be greatly exaggerated. But to keep it going, companies must work even harder to ensure that deals create value.

Maintaining discipline in M&A Premium Content

May 2007

Although investors have been more disciplined in their current deals, rising acquisition costs and increased competition will test their mettle.

When Chinese companies go global: An interview with Lenovo's Mary Ma Premium Content

April 2007

CFO Ma describes the unique challenges awaiting Chinese companies that seek growth through international acquisitions.

2006
Are companies getting better at M&A? Premium Content

December 2006

The latest boom in merger activity appears to be creating more value for the shareholders of the acquiring companies.

Creating value from mergers

November 2006

Few things are more important in M&A than an experienced executive team.

Successful mergers start at the top Premium Content

November 2006

A cohesive top-management team is essential for integrating acquisitions successfully.

The elusive art of postmerger leadership Premium Content

November 2006

Mergers that appear to be successful in the short term often destroy value later on. By concentrating on five issues, CEOs and top teams can increase the odds of a genuinely happy ending.

Helping China's companies master global M&A Premium Content

August 2006

As they go global, their hardest challenge is to integrate the management of their domestic and foreign businesses.

Habits of the busiest acquirers Premium Content

July 2006

M&A executives at the most successful US companies understand not only how acquisitions create value but also how to enlist the support of the organization.

How to make M&A work in China

January 2006

The conditions are right for China's nascent M&A market to flourish. Companies should try a new approach to deal making.

2005
Reducing the risks of early M&A discussions

September 2005

Used early in negotiations, a third-party clean team can help companies assess a deal and protect sensitive data.

Smoothing postmerger integration

September 2005

It takes less time than you think for a clean team to make valuable contributions to the integration of businesses.

Merger valuation: Time to jettison EPS Premium Content

March 2005

Assessing the value of an acquisition by estimating its likely impact on earnings per share has always been a flawed approach. Now it’s likely to be flat-out wrong.

Outsourcing grows up

February 2005

Many outsourcing deals are tantamount to strategic divestitures and joint ventures. Executives should start treating them that way.

2004
Taming postmerger IT integration Premium Content

October 2004

Lessons from the IT-heavy banking sector can bring balance to this critical task.

The right restructuring for US automotive suppliers Premium Content

October 2004

In the next round of consolidation, scale should be a result of strategy—not a strategy in its own right.

Where mergers go wrong Premium Content

May 2004

Most buyers routinely overvalue the synergies to be had from acquisitions. They should learn from experience.

Can banks grow beyond M&A? Premium Content

February 2004

US banks will need to look beyond mergers for growth. Better earnings will have to be won from improved value propositions and productivity.

High-tech mergers take shape Premium Content

February 2004

Economic pressures to restructure high-tech industries will eventually become irresistible. Executives should prepare themselves for more—and more hostile—acquisitions.

Not by M&A alone

February 2004

Sometimes alliances make more sense than mergers or acquisitions.

2003
Managing your integration manager Premium Content

June 2003

An integration manager can help make a merger more successful, but only if the top team knows how to choose and install one.

Assessing insurance deals Premium Content

May 2003

Stock markets didn’t look kindly on M&A deals in the insurance industry during the 1990s, but a few fared better than most.

Time for a high-tech shakeout Premium Content

May 2003

With high demand replaced by an overhang of capacity, the industry needs a catharsis.

More restructuring ahead for media and entertainment Premium Content

January 2003

Operational improvements alone won’t fulfill market expectations. Mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures will have to play a supporting role.

2002
Keeping your sales force after the merger

November 2002

Merging companies should look to their revenues, not just their costs.

Divesting proactively

June 2002

Most companies wait too long to divest. They should sell off businesses long before they become a burden.

Learning to love recessions Premium Content

June 2002

Most companies battened down the hatches during the recession of the early ‘90s. But the more successful competitors pressed their advantages.

When carve-outs make sense Premium Content

May 2002

Most carve-outs destroy shareholder value during the two years after the transaction. Yet there is one important exception.

Learning from high-tech deals Premium Content

February 2002

M&A deals are more likely to destroy value than to create it. But when they are executed strategically and often, as part of the routine of running a business, the odds favor success.

2001
Why mergers fail

November 2001

Is the belief that mergers drive revenue growth a delusion?

Shopping in the Internet bargain basement Premium Content

October 2001

Beleaguered dot-coms can represent real bargains for savvy acquirers—and real lemons for buyers who don’t scope out the territory.

Trading the corporate portfolio Premium Content

October 2001

A systematic approach to buying and selling assets can deliver superior shareholder returns.

Mastering revenue growth in M&A

June 2001

Mergers seldom live up to expectations. Research from a recent McKinsey study suggests why: companies too often neglect revenue growth to focus almost exclusively on cost synergies.

Deals that create value

February 2001

No doubt the market is skeptical about M&A, but it is a lot more receptive to some kinds of deals than to others. Inquire before you acquire.

2000
Making M&A work in Japan Premium Content

December 2000

Although mergers and acquisitions are on the rise in Japan, they are still fraught with complications. Even so, multinationals that master the local business culture can succeed in crafting deals.

After the merger

November 2000

Mergers do create value—but only the right mergers, managed the right way.

Internet M&A booms Premium Content

November 2000

McKinsey research shows that Internet-related transactions account for a fifth of global M&A activity. Find out what the market thinks of them.

The hidden value in postmerger pricing Premium Content

November 2000

Postmerger pricing can contribute as much as 30 percent of the value of all synergies realized by merger deals. Why is it usually neglected?

The people problem in mergers Premium Content

November 2000

If key employees don’t feel that they have been kept in the loop after a merger, they will probably start honing their resumes.

When to think alliance

November 2000

In some circumstances, the market seems to reward alliances more richly than mergers and acquisitions. Maybe it knows something that many managers don’t.

The high-stakes battle over M&A accounting Premium Content

August 2000

Pooling destroys value. Why are so many companies fighting to keep it?

M&A in Asian insurance Premium Content

May 2000

Many Asian insurers now realize that they need Western investment and know-how, and pressure is building because Asian regulators, sobered by huge overall portfolio losses, are relaxing restrictions on foreign ownership.

Doing the spin-out Premium Content

February 2000

There are three ways to spin out a company—and many ways to get it wrong. A parent company must decide not just which method of reorganization suits it best but also how to execute its chosen plan for its own and the shareholders’ benefit.

1999
Breaking up is good to do Premium Content

February 1999

Restructuring through spin-offs, equity carve-outs, and tracking stocks can create shareholder value.

1998
M&A in Asia Premium Content

May 1998

It was booming even before the current crisis. But bargain hunting could mislead you. Three strategies to pursue.

1997
Equity carve-outs: A new spin on the corporate structure Premium Content

February 1997

Many companies have chosen to spin off a single subsidiary by means of an equity carve-out. Others are going further and using the carve-out as a basic organizing principle, repeatedly selling stakes in business units. They are achieving striking results.

1996
Growth through acquisitions: A fresh look Premium Content

May 1996

LBOs outbid corporate buyers and then produce extraordinary returns. How do they do it? A study of over 800 acquisitions shatters some myths about the value of timing and leverage. Don’t do the deal if you can’t find the leader.

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