Rating: 
Summary: Lajoux writes an effective guide to M&A Integration
Review: Lajoux continues to give excellent guidance on the art of merger integration. Her summaries, although brief, are easily digestable and understandable, without being superficial. Lajoux relies on experts and solid sources for further guidance, structuring the book in a Socrates "Q&A" format that keeps the reader absorbed and interested. It is evident that Lajoux's aim is to be thorough in scope, yet not overwhelm the reader with voluminous data on any one aspect of postmerger integration. Her concise, albeit compehensive work will be a useful guide for management in my company, which has undergone several acquistions in recent years and anticipates more in the future. Lajoux deserves high marks for her excellent work.
Rating:
Summary: An invaluable, practical and unique reference work
Review: The Art of M & A Integration is a tour de force for two reasons. First and foremost it is an extremely practical, thorough and easy to follow and use treatment of an important and until now neglected area, merging firms into a single, effective operating entity. Dr. Lajoux writes well from experience as well as from solid research and with the guidance of specialists. The second reason for calling this book a tour de force is that it superbly complements her earlier works in the field. The Art of M & A Integration has a few minor, most typographic errors which surely will be corrected in a later printing or edition. Those errors total far under the standard for a perfect work which is less than one error out of every thousand possible. Very few of the thousands of business books around so well meets the test of "better grandeur with trivial flaws than impeccable mediocrity." If you're responsible for making a merger work, buy and study this book and keep it handy as a reference.
Rating: 
Summary: The Art of M&A Integration
Review: The Art of M & A Integration is a tour de force for two reasons. First and foremost it is an extremely practical, thorough and easy to follow and use treatment of an important and until now neglected area, merging firms into a single, effective operating entity. Dr. Lajoux writes well from experience as well as from solid research and with the guidance of specialists. The second reason for calling this book a tour de force is that it superbly complements her earlier works in the field. The Art of M & A Integration has a few minor, most typographic errors which surely will be corrected in a later printing or edition. Those errors total far under the standard for a perfect work which is less than one error out of every thousand possible. Very few of the thousands of business books around so well meets the test of "better grandeur with trivial flaws than impeccable mediocrity." If you're responsible for making a merger work, buy and study this book and keep it handy as a reference.
Rating:
Summary: An invaluable, practical and unique reference work
Review: The Art of M & A Integration is a tour de force for two reasons. First and foremost it is an extremely practical, thorough and easy to follow and use treatment of an important and until now neglected area, merging firms into a single, effective operating entity. Dr. Lajoux writes well from experience as well as from solid research and with the guidance of specialists. The second reason for calling this book a tour de force is that it superbly complements her earlier works in the field. The Art of M & A Integration has a few minor, most typographic errors which surely will be corrected in a later printing or edition. Those errors total far under the standard for a perfect work which is less than one error out of every thousand possible. Very few of the thousands of business books around so well meets the test of "better grandeur with trivial flaws than impeccable mediocrity." If you're responsible for making a merger work, buy and study this book and keep it handy as a reference.
Rating:
Summary: Misleading Title
Review: The Art of M&A Integration is indeed an Art Book. It might help you in choosing your watercolors, but will not teach you how to paint.
Rating:
Summary: Misleading Title
Review: The Art of M&A Integration is indeed an Art Book. It might help you in choosing your watercolors, but will not teach you how to paint.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for anyone considering or involved in a merger.
Review: The latest volume from Alex LaJoux is another well-written, comprehensive book from a thought leader in the M&A field. The book not only covers areas of concern and study for companies considering a merger, it also presents information on the post M&A period, a topic that is not covered enough in the currently available materials. Whatever stage of the M&A cycle you are in right now, this is a book you will find useful and insightful.
Rating:
Summary: An instant classic.
Review: The M&A market should remain white hot in 1998, ISS reports. Six annual records have been broken in a row with 10,700 U.S. transactions worth $919 billion compared to 1996's record of 10,340 deals worth $626 billion according to Securities Data. What's the hottest new field in M&A? Our guess would be post-merger integration. A trio from the Boston Consulting Group provides advise to boards in the January/February edition of The Corporate Board. For more depth see The Art of M&A Integration: A Guide to Merging Resources, Processes, and Responsibilities (McGraw-Hill, 1997) by Alexandra Reed Lajoux. There are nearly 500 books in print on M&A but less than a dozen on the postmerger period. Those seeking advise on what to do after the papers have been signed will find Lajoux's work a practical guide. It fills a vacuum in the field with an instant classic. Written in an easily understood question and answer format, Lajoux uses the knowledge she has gained though years of experience and through interviews with some of the top leaders in the field (profiled in the back of the book) to outline everything from integrating resources and processes to fulfilling stakeholder commitments. The book explodes some common myths by pointing out there is no correlation between size and growth, there is greater growth variation within industries than between them, and most cost-cutters continue to cut costs rather than grow. Want to know what to tell your shareholders about the merger? Lajoux includes a sample letter. How do you explain the dilution that may result from issuing shares to pay for a merger? Read the sample language. When does a transaction qualify for pooling vs purchase for accounting purposes? What proportion of firms keep their names, blend names, adopt the seller's name or create an entirely new name and what are the pros and cons of these approaches? What proportion of mergers involve foreign firms? The Art of M&A Integration answers these questions and hundreds more. There are dos and don'ts on compensation, advise on the year 2000 problem, and lists of checkpoints on everything from commitments to customers, suppliers and employees to building shareholder value. The author builds on the Caux Round Table's Principles for Business and expands on this consensus document, drawn up by leading global business executives, by providing useful checkpoints on many items. A practical guide for anyone planning M&A activity.
Rating:
Summary: An instant classic.
Review: The M&A market should remain white hot in 1998, ISS reports. Six annual records have been broken in a row with 10,700 U.S. transactions worth $919 billion compared to 1996's record of 10,340 deals worth $626 billion according to Securities Data. What's the hottest new field in M&A? Our guess would be post-merger integration. A trio from the Boston Consulting Group provides advise to boards in the January/February edition of The Corporate Board. For more depth see The Art of M&A Integration: A Guide to Merging Resources, Processes, and Responsibilities (McGraw-Hill, 1997) by Alexandra Reed Lajoux. There are nearly 500 books in print on M&A but less than a dozen on the postmerger period. Those seeking advise on what to do after the papers have been signed will find Lajoux's work a practical guide. It fills a vacuum in the field with an instant classic. Written in an easily understood question and answer format, Lajoux uses the knowledge she has gained though years of experience and through interviews with some of the top leaders in the field (profiled in the back of the book) to outline everything from integrating resources and processes to fulfilling stakeholder commitments. The book explodes some common myths by pointing out there is no correlation between size and growth, there is greater growth variation within industries than between them, and most cost-cutters continue to cut costs rather than grow. Want to know what to tell your shareholders about the merger? Lajoux includes a sample letter. How do you explain the dilution that may result from issuing shares to pay for a merger? Read the sample language. When does a transaction qualify for pooling vs purchase for accounting purposes? What proportion of firms keep their names, blend names, adopt the seller's name or create an entirely new name and what are the pros and cons of these approaches? What proportion of mergers involve foreign firms? The Art of M&A Integration answers these questions and hundreds more. There are dos and don'ts on compensation, advise on the year 2000 problem, and lists of checkpoints on everything from commitments to customers, suppliers and employees to building shareholder value. The author builds on the Caux Round Table's Principles for Business and expands on this consensus document, drawn up by leading global business executives, by providing useful checkpoints on many items. A practical guide for anyone planning M&A activity.
Rating:
Summary: Superb guide to making merged ventures work
Review: The real challenge in corporate mergers begins when the merger has been completed, and it is time to integrate the entities. This book, by corporate governance expert Alexandra Reed Lajoux (editor of Director's Monthly) is a clear, well-organized, step-by-step guide to making the on-paper advantages of a business combination become reality. With dozens of real-life examples of both good and bad practices, she guides readers through the process of merging formerly independent departments, whether manufacturing systems, service operations, distribution channels, information systems, and more, while meeting commitments to employees, customers, and shareholders.
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