Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Insightful, Excellent Resource
Review: I've had key responsibility in four mergers in the past five years, and found this to be eminently readable and very useful. The points that Feldman and Spratt make are consistent with my own experience, and also much richer as their involvement in M&A deals is clearly much more extensive. I use it as a reference and expect other readers involved with M&A can and will do the same. The format enables easy access to key points. Very highly recommended!!
Rating:
Summary: This book saved my company twice
Review: I've purchased over 50 copies of this book. Before our first acquisition attempt, I bought this book for the entire executive team. We used it as a field manual. It was great. It gave us solid guidance and confidence while we were sorting out union accommodations and shareholder approvals. But, when union demands became difficult we remembered the authors saying that deal momentum often results in closing bad deals. This is because CEOs generally don't want to walk away from the high investment of time and resources they have already put into deal completion. The authors compellingly asserted that with the odds generally against acquisition success, if you can't do a deal on your terms, don't do it. After much debate we decided the authors had a point. We walked away from the deal. Looking back, this advice alone saved our company.Our second acquisition was completed. But the two management teams began to argue immediately. We set up transition teams and made certain everyone had a copy of "Five Frogs". This book became our bible for accelerating the integration of the companies. The guidelines on post-deal priorities, reorganization and communication helped break through every impasse. We followed their advice to the letter and we've been growing profitably ever since. We are still following the book's advice and I'm still giving copies of the book to new colleagues and other CEOs. If you're going to merge two companies, do what we did. Buy this book for every member of the management team and insist that they read it. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: It's All About Speed, Focus and Direction
Review: If you're about to do a deal, it's a must read. If you've been through a deal, it's still a must read -- because you'll surely recognize yourself in every chapter. I learned that the principal lesson of this book is that speed, focus and direction make the difference in successful integrations. It's clear that successful deals do not hinge just on strategy -- but on the execution of that strategy. I've seen too many companies focus all of their efforts on the strategy and hope that the actual integration will take care of itself. Five stars for Five Frogs because it's not only informative, it's helpful and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: Insights, Metaphors, Case examples abound in this extremely well written "field guide" about mergers and acquisitions. This is an easy read and is a very valuable resource including the dos and don'ts. Your chances of being part of the 17% are increased after you read it. (You need to read the book to find out the significance of 17%)
Rating: 
Summary: Field Guide "Lite"
Review: Lots of catchy anecdotes, but light on actually implementing the "Accelerated Transition" principles, despite the "field guide" description. Most of the recommendations are obvious and wellworn--for example, constant communication with stakeholders. Almost feels like a teaser for their consulting services. Not worth the money...skim it at the bookstore.
Rating: 
Summary: A practical, field-tested guide
Review: Mike Spratt, co-author of this book, was a consultant at my former company until it was acquired in 1998. During the seven months between the acquisition announcement and the deal's consummation, Mike provided me, as a middle level manager, with all of the advice that this book contains(it had not been published at the time). Believe me, he was absolutely correct about nearly every facet of the situation, especially about how the value of the deal degrades every day between the deal's announcement and the acquistion's closure. Well-tuned organizations, which are being acquired, become unraveled during this period, as every employee wonders what will happen to him/her after the acquisition. One must, as a manager, come to terms with one's own emotions during this time. Equally important, everyone else will be on edge, or 'in the grip of the inferior function,' as Myer-Briggs practitioners might say. To be rational in this tempest of emotion, to be results-oriented in this quagmire of confusion, and to be calm in this sea of confusion are critical traits to possess. Only a few individuals will exhibit them consistently. The message in this book is very valid. For acquiring companies which are business process-oriented, versus results-oriented, any or all of the Seven Deadly Sins can be and will be committed as a matter of habit. Although I have not been in contact with Mike since the acquisition in February, 1998, it is clear to me that he and his co-author have done sound work in this area. For those of you, like me, who are data-driven and results-oriented, this book may appear to be light reading. However, human nature and behavior is not an exact science, no matter what the situation might be. This book provides real insights into how those behaviors affect acquisitions. Such information is vital, whether you are a part of the acquiring team or part of the company being acquired.
Rating:
Summary: The best of them all
Review: My company has been making acquisitions for over twenty years and I think we've read all the merger books in print. "Five Frogs" is the winner when it comes to candid, practical and intuitive advice on how to accelerate through the post-deal transition without destroying shareholder value. Its a fast and easy read that makes its points clearly and with great examples that force you to think intelligently about decisions that must be made and executed quickly. The two chapters on internal and external communications planning and execution alone are worth the price. Our results from following the authors'advice on post-deal priority setting were both powerful and surprisingly painless. We're about to go through the biggest merger in our history and every member of every transition team in both companies now has a copy of "Five Frogs." It's become our merger bible. Also, if you get a chance to hear Feldman speak on the subject, don't miss it. He's an articulate and entertaining speaker who's seen it all. Very motivating.
Rating:
Summary: The best of them all
Review: My company has been making acquisitions for over twenty years and I think we've read all the merger books in print. "Five Frogs" is the winner when it comes to candid, practical and intuitive advice on how to accelerate through the post-deal transition without destroying shareholder value. Its a fast and easy read that makes its points clearly and with great examples that force you to think intelligently about decisions that must be made and executed quickly. The two chapters on internal and external communications planning and execution alone are worth the price. Our results from following the authors'advice on post-deal priority setting were both powerful and surprisingly painless. We're about to go through the biggest merger in our history and every member of every transition team in both companies now has a copy of "Five Frogs." It's become our merger bible. Also, if you get a chance to hear Feldman speak on the subject, don't miss it. He's an articulate and entertaining speaker who's seen it all. Very motivating.
Rating: 
Summary: not so much...
Review: Over-conceived and under-delivered
Rating: 
Summary: Good information, questionable presentation
Review: The book deals well with the subject but its style is cumbersome while trying to be funny.
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