Mastering the Merger

Co-authored by two Bain & Company consultants, this book highlights the main factors that determine the success or failure of mergers and acquisitions.
The authors emphasize the need for a disciplined decision-making process and the importance of the learning curve. They show that the most successful companies are not those that launch mega-deals that make big headlines, but those that focus on more modest deals and develop real expertise in selecting their targets and integrating the firms they acquire.
The book also provides many suggestions on answering the four questions that the authors feel are critical to the success of a merger, i.e. How to select the right target? What are the prerequisites for doing a deal? How to organize the integration process? How to cope with the inevitable surprises that arise?