Front Cover -- Advances in Mergers and Acquisitions -- Copyright page -- Contents -- List of Contributors -- Introduction -- Managing the Precombination Phase of Mergers and Acquisitions -- The M&A Process -- The Precombination Phase -- The Combination Phase -- The Postcombination Phase -- What Must Be Managed in the Precombination Phase? -- Best Practices in Precombination Management -- Behavioral and Cultural Due Diligence -- Thorough Screening -- Cultural Due Diligence -- Diligence in Due Diligence -- Vision for the Combined Organization -- Integration Planning Process -- Integration Principles and Priorities -- Rules of Engagement -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Why Is Gender Not Debated in M&A? -- Introduction -- Growth and Performance Rule -- People, What People? -- Ring a Ring o'Roses -- But Why Not? -- Notes -- References -- Configuring Management Buyouts to Ensure Value Fairness -- Introduction -- Sourcing the Targets -- Agency Cost Reduction -- Hostile and Friendly MBOs -- Motivations -- What Makes An MBO Candidate Attractive -- Collective Entrepreneurship versus Leadership -- Ensuring a Good MBO -- Augmenting Economic Efficiency -- Gainful Exit by Private Equity Firms -- Value Fairness -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Strategic Investment Decision-Making Perspectives -- Introduction -- What Are Strategic Investment Decisions? -- Success/Failure of M&A Strategies -- The Influence of Pre-/Post-Decision Control Mechanisms on SIDM -- The Role of Managerial Judgement in SIDM -- Conclusion -- References -- Optimizing Private Middle-Market Companies for M&A and Growth -- Introduction -- Value Levers -- Increasing the Return on Invested Capital -- Strategic Position -- Customer Base -- Cost Structure and Scalability -- Working Capital -- Human Capital -- Reducing the Risk of Investment -- Awareness and Planning.

Growth Plans and Relative Position -- Leadership Team -- Predictability of Revenues and Earnings -- Concentrations -- Compliance -- Keeping Current -- Easing the Transfer of Ownership -- Financial Information -- Contracts -- Title to Assets -- Corporate Structure and Attributes -- The Core Business -- Summary -- Notes -- References -- Leveraging Social Networks in Mergers: A Roadmap for Post-Merger Integration -- HR Involvement in Mergers -- What Are Social Network Mechanisms? -- Contagion -- Brokerage -- Interventions Based on Social Network Insight -- Communication -- Selection, Retention, and Rewards -- Cultural Integration -- A Roadmap for Post-Merger integration -- Pre-Merger Stage -- Announcement -- Integration Planning -- Integration -- Post-Integration -- Conclusion -- References -- Post-Merger Integration: Looking under the Haziness of Culture Conflict -- Introduction -- Human-Synergy Realization Is the Make-or-Break of M&A -- Blaming a Culture Conflict? -- Post-Merger Integration is a Manager's Problem -- Taking the Micro-View -- The Organizational Information Eco-System -- The Information Marketplace -- Nurture Interpersonal Communications -- Going Forward -- Summary -- References -- Identity: An Instrument for Mergers and Acquisitions -- Introduction -- The Issue of Identity -- The Impact of Identity on Mergers and Acquisitions -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Determinants of Acquisition Performance: A Multi-Industry Analysis -- Introduction -- Methodology -- Findings -- Overview of Generally Acknowledged Determinants of Acquisition Performance -- General Findings Literature Review -- High-Technology Acquisitions -- General Characteristics of High-Technology Industries -- High-Technology Acquisitions: Determinants of Acquisition Performance -- Medium-Technology Acquisitions.

General Characteristics of Medium-Technology Industries -- Medium-Technology Acquisitions: Determinants of Acquisition Performance -- Low-Technology Acquisitions -- General Characteristics of Low-Technology Industries -- Low-Technology Acquisitions: Determinants of Acquisition Performance -- Discussion -- Limitations and Directions for Future Research -- Managerial Implications -- Acknowledgments -- References.