Mastering the Chaos of
Mergers and Acquisitions
How to Plan, Negotiate, and
Implement Alliances and Partnerships in a Complex World
J. Garrett Ralls, Jr. is an international consultant specializing in managing complexity
for effective partnering. He is a principal in an investment advisory firm guiding
domestic and foreign joint ventures. His clients include many multinationals and
governments.
Kimberly A. Webb is a consulting associate for Ralls Associates. Her experience includes
assignments with the US government, and other assignments in the US, Canada, and Europe.
She recently participated in the war game for the President's Commission on Critical
Infrastructure Protection and lectured at the US National Defense Center in Hawaii and the
Monsanto Europe Technical Center.
In brief
This book reveals the
complexity of mergers and acquisitions, and explains how to master it. From doing the deal
to making it work, this comprehensive book discusses every aspect of successfully growing
your business through mergers and acquisitions.
Based on models of complexity, it book shows that complexity in business, as in nature,
eventually falls into patterns. By recognizing and taking advantage of these patterns,
business leaders can turn weaknesses into strengths, chaos into order, and separate,
living organizations into a powerful alliance.
This book provides a conceptual framework plus proven templates and real-life examples to
guide readers through the twists and turns of forming and sustaining a business
partnership. The authors' own experiences with companies such as Shell, Monsanto, and
Lucent are the foundation for this thorough handbook.
J. Garrett Ralls, Jr. is an international consultant specializing in managing complexity
for effective partnering. He is a principal in an investment advisory firm guiding
domestic and foreign joint ventures. His clients include many multinationals and
governments.
Kimberly A. Webb is a consulting associate for Ralls Associates. Her experience includes
assignments with the US government, and other assignments in the US, Canada, and Europe.
She recently participated in the war game for the President's Commission on Critical
Infrastructure Protection and lectured at the US National Defense Center in Hawaii and the
Monsanto Europe Technical Center.
Contents
Preface. Introduction.
Section I: Preparation. Front-end loading for success. The refining of the business
intent. Section II: Negotiation. Contours in negotiation. Grounding negotiation in
reality. The negotiation process for strategic relations. Managing disputes. Closing the
deal. Section III: Making It Happen. Implementation. The grand strategies for change.
index to insets, templates, diagrams, tables, war stories, and case illustrations.
Bibliography. Index.
232 pages